State Agency Picks Joseph, Mann & Creed for Collection Contract

The Montana State Fund (the State Fund) has chosen Joseph, Mann & Creed (JMC) as a result of its request for proposal process completed in late 2006.

The State Fund is a non-profit, independent public corporation, established for the purpose of allowing an option for Montana employers to insure their liability for workers’ compensation and occupational disease coverage. It is Montana’s largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance.  According to statistics available as of mid-2006, the State Fund insures more than 27,000 policyholders.

A potential 7-year engagement, the State Fund’s contract with JMC calls on the vendor to provide services to include pre-litigation collection efforts and post-judgment collections through writ of execution and the sale of property.  Most  State Fund accounts receivable referred for collection have balances less than $30,000, with some accounts exceeding that threshold.

To be selected for the contract, JMC first had to submit a responsive and responsible proposal—one that complied with the procedural elements of the process and that demonstrated JMC’s overall wherewithal to provide services.  Then, JMC had to show to the State Fund it had the right past experience, professional expertise, high quality staff, and management controls to be selected.

Bill Mann, Partner with JMC, remarked, “This is the culmination of the hard work of the entire Insurance Division.  Formed just under three years ago from a blank sheet, we are honored to have been named on this contract for MWCARP.  It is a source of great satisfaction that our Insurance references speak so highly of us.”

Added Nick Bernardo, principal of consulting firm Net Gain Marketing (www.netgain4results.com), which tracks government contracts, “At the state level, buyers are increasingly selecting vendors based on overall value, and this award is no exception.  Pricing was especially important here, but ultimately a bidder also must have more than just the right price.”