Template revised September 22, 2016.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
6c
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
April 10, 2018
DATE: March 22, 2018
TO: Executive Director Stephen P. Metruck
FROM: Kim DesMarais, Interim Senior Director Human Resources
Tammy Woodard, Director Human Resources, Total Rewards
SUBJECT: Contract to provide leave administration for Port of Seattle employees (Short Form)
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to execute a contract for the
administration of the Port’s Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Paid Parental Leave, and any
other paid leave program that the Port may sponsor or participate in during the duration of this
contract. The contract will be for three years with five possible one-year options and will not
exceed $750,000 for eight years.
SUMMARY
The Port contracts with a vendor to review documentation and approve, as appropriate,
Federal FMLA and Port specific Paid Parental Leave requests from employees. Contracting with
a vendor provides multiple advantages for the Port including:
• having subject matter experts review medical information to ensure compliance with
complex federal FMLA regulations, and
• processing employee requests for FMLA and Paid Parental Leave in a timely manner, and
protecting employees’ privacy and confidentiality by having their medical information
maintained separately from the Port.
This contract will be structured so that it can potentially assist the Port with administration of
the Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave that will become effective for all
employees in 2020. The contract will also be structured so that the selected vendor can, if
appropriate, administer any other paid leave programs requiring an approval process that Port
employees may become eligible for while the contract is in effect.
The current contract expires September 30, 2018. Costs associated with this contract for 2018
were approved as a part of the 2018 Human Resources department budget, and costs in
subsequent years will also be included in the Human Resources department budget.
There are no attachments to this memo.
