RFI Templates
Archived, with corrections. Written in spring 2026, before the school budget passed. Kept as written apart from source and wording corrections made in October 2026.
Ready-to-File Requests for Vendor and Broker Disclosures
This is a tools document, not a proposal. These templates support Modules 2 and 5. Hand them to the Board Secretary after your speech, or file them as OPRA requests if the board does not respond voluntarily. Print Priority: Include in the printed stack - these demonstrate preparation and seriousness; they also put the board on notice that the data will be obtained one way or another
Template A: Revenue Reclamation RFI (Photography Vendor)
To: Business Administrator / Board Secretary Subject: Request for Vendor Commission and Data Usage Disclosures (Photography)
To support the community’s effort to evaluate alternative revenue models for school photography, we request the following information:
1. Current Contract Terms
Provide the full contract and any riders for the current school photography vendor (e.g. Lifetouch/Shutterfly) for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.
2. Commission Structure
Disclose the specific percentage or flat-rate commission/rebate paid back to the district or individual schools from all package sales for each cycle.
3. Data Sovereignty
Provide the specific clause(s) regarding:
- Ownership of student images captured during school hours
- Third-party monetization rights over student biometric data (facial images)
- Data retention and deletion policies after the contract period
4. Revenue Analysis
We seek to calculate the “value gap” between vendor revenue and district commission:
Revenue_gap = (Total Sales x Vendor Margin) - Commission_paid_to_district
This gives a rough upper bound on what a community-led platform might reclaim for the district or PTA, before that platform’s own costs.
Template B: Benefit Transparency RFI (Insurance Broker)
To: Board President / Finance Committee Subject: Request for Broker Compensation Disclosure (see N.J.S.A. 17:22A-41.1; modeled on federal broker transparency rules)
In light of the NJ State Comptroller’s September 2025 report finding conflicts of interest and procurement violations in local governments’ health insurance funds, including one serving school boards, and consistent with the NJ School Ethics Act (N.J.S.A. 18A:12-21 et seq.) and federal broker transparency principles, we request the following:
1. Direct/Indirect Compensation Disclosure
A written statement from the district’s insurance broker of record detailing all direct and indirect compensation, commissions, and “overrides” received from carriers for the 2025-2026 plan year.
2. Alternative Analysis
Documentation of the last feasibility study or side-by-side comparison between the current private plan and the NJ School Employees’ Health Benefits Program (SEHBP), specifically noting whether Direct Primary Care (DPC) or other cost-avoidance models were evaluated.
3. Broker Conflict Confirmation
Confirm whether the broker’s compensation is calculated as a percentage of the total premium. If yes, acknowledge that this structure creates a financial disincentive for the broker to lower the district’s costs.
Regulatory Context
The NJ State Comptroller’s September 2025 report said that the Schools Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which serves over 100 school boards, had undisclosed vendor conflicts of interest and apparent procurement and ethics violations, and that SHIF paid over $36 million in fees over five years to two related vendors, CSB and PERMA, while a CSB employee was overseeing the fund’s contracting process. The Comptroller recommended that the Legislature tighten oversight of such funds. These figures are requested to ensure the district is not overpaying for administrative overhead due to similar conflicts.
If These Requests Are Denied: The OPRA Fallback
If the board declines to provide this information voluntarily, the following can be obtained via formal OPRA (Open Public Records Act) request. The district generally has 7 business days to respond, with some exceptions.
OPRA Request 1:
“Any and all contracts, addenda, and commission reports related to [Photography Vendor] for the current and prior school year.”
OPRA Request 2:
“Any written notification of commission, service fee, brokerage, or other consideration provided to the district by its health insurance broker of record (see N.J.S.A. 17:22A-41.1), and any other broker compensation disclosure, commission statement, or broker services agreement, for the 2025 and 2026 health benefit plan years.”