The Standard Packet · open spec · v0.1 · june 2026

The self-funded RFP has no standard. So here's one.

Every census arrives in a different layout. Every packet is missing different things. Every market chases separately. The Standard Packet is an open, free specification for a complete stop-loss RFP submission — a common application for self-funded quoting. Use it, copy it, send it to your brokers. No license, no signup, no catch.

1 · The census layout

One row per benefit-eligible employee. One tab. Headers on row 1. No logos, no merged cells, no totals rows.

Column	Format	Rules
employee_id	`string`	Any stable unique ID. Never blank, never reused.
last_name / first_name	`string`	Two columns. Not "Last, First" in one.
dob	`YYYY-MM-DD`	ISO 8601 only. Never ages, never two-digit years, never digit-runs.
sex	`M / F`	Single character. Blank only if genuinely unknown.
tier	`EE / ES / EC / EF`	Employee only · +spouse · +child(ren) · family. Map your payroll codes before sending.
zip	`5-digit text`	Stored as text — leading zeros survive.
hire_date	`YYYY-MM-DD`	ISO 8601.
status	`active / cobra / term`	One coding. Termed employees carry a `term_date`; COBRA rows carry qualifying event type + date.

2 · The complete-packet checklist

The data

Census per the layout above, dated within 30 days
Claims experience: 24–36 months paid, by month, with enrollment counts
Large-claim detail over 50% of spec, de-identified, with diagnosis category and status
Current plan summary or SPD excerpt (deductibles, coinsurance, OOP max, Rx tiers)

The terms everyone forgets

Current premium equivalent rates and admin fees
In-force stop-loss placement and renewal terms (carrier, spec, contract basis)
Commission / compensation disclosure
COBRA participants with qualifying event types and dates
Requested effective date, proposal deadline, and the decision timeline
Broker of record letter or carrier authorization

Census template (.xlsx) ↓ Checklist one-pager (.pdf) ↓ Validate a packet against the spec →

Maintained by rfphealth and released for any use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Versioned; v0.1 reflects what underwriters at self-funded desks actually chase, compiled from live intake work. Suggest a change: [email protected]. If your association or working group wants to take stewardship of this spec, we'd genuinely like that — a standard nobody owns is the point.