Introduction to Public Sector Benefits Administration
The public sector has unique characteristics that impact how employee benefits are managed. Financing, politics, and the legal and regulatory environment pose challenges and opportunities that require professionals to understand how public plans operate. This course covers the core needs of public plan comprehension and handling. Take a deep dive into the structure of the public sector, government financing, technology, the legal and regulatory environment, and more. Gather with your peers and experts in the field for two days of learning and networking. The course will end with a case study designed to help you bring action items back to your organization with a clear path to better plans.
Topics Covered
- Public sector structure
- Government finance
- Navigating the political landscape
- Legal and regulatory requirements
- Strategic planning
- Request for proposals
- Human resource strategy
- Demographics in the public sector
- Project management
- Implementing technology in the public sector
- Ethics in the public sector
- Benchmarking and performance measurement
- Disaster planning
- Best practices (open discussion)
- Case study
Course Outline
Day 1
- Public Sector Structure
- Structure of the public sector
- Governance defined
- Plan stakeholders
- Benefit plan governance and authority
- Components of benefit plan governance
- Government Budgeting and Finance
- Understanding the difference between budgeting, accounting and financial reporting
- General principles of a budget process
- Budget process evolution and formats
- A typical budget process and related activities
- Components of a governmental budget
- Government budgeting, benefit plans and considerations
- Federal Legal and Regulatory Requirements
- Internal Revenue Code (IRC)
- ERISA
- Pension acts
- HIPAA
- Continuation coverage obligations
- ACA and transparency
- Other participant protections
- Other laws that impact employee benefit plans
- Relief acts and guidance
- Navigating the Political Landscape
- Effective benefit program management
- Union negotiations and relationships
- Communicating with elected leaders
- Public perception
- Strategic Planning
- What is strategic planning?
- Why is strategic planning important?
- Connecting benefits strategy
- Strategic plan components
- Creating the plan
- Aligning resources
- Tips for a successful strategic plan
- Demographics in the Public Sector
- Key differences in the public sector
- Demographics in public sector education
- Demographics in public sector compensation
- Human Resource Strategy
- Staffing plan
- Workforce planning
- Succession planning
- Recruitment and retention
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
Day 2
- Developing a Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery Plan
- Identifying the purpose of your plan
- Defining the applicability and scope of your plan
- Developing business continuity procedures
- Personal preparedness
- Benchmarking and Performance Measurement
- What are they, and why use them?
- Benchmarking
- Performance measurement
- Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
- Procurement life cycle
- Sourcing
- Steps in the RFP process
- Stakeholder team
- Scoring and evaluation criteria
- Contract award, negotiation and finalization
- Protests in the RFP process
- Contract administration
- Project Management
- Project leadership
- Project goals
- Waterfall vs. agile
- Project scheduling
- Postproject evaluation
- Project management resources
- Implementing Technology in the Public Sector
- Evaluation, planning and selection steps
- Key principles of change management
- Leading causes of project failure
- Ethics in the Public Sector
- Ethics defined
- Ethics and its importance in the public sector
- Types of unethical conduct
- Transparency, disclosure and public awareness
- Elements of an ethical organization
- Ethical dilemmas and their resolution
- Ethics and government contractors
- Case Study
Attendees will discuss a fictional city facing various challenges, including declining revenue, increased demand on services, increasing employee benefits costs and significant demographic changes in its workforce. Attendees will apply learnings from the course to identify and recommend strategies for the city to meet these challenges.
Course Applies To
Pricing
July 16 - 17, 2025
Chicago, IL
Through June 2, 2025
US$1,400.00
Member
US$1,620.00
Nonmember
After June 2, 2025
US$1,700.00
Member
US$1,920.00
Nonmember
Pricing
October 6 - 7, 2025
Hilton Austin, Austin, TX
Through August 25, 2025
US$1,400.00
Member
US$1,620.00
Nonmember
After August 25, 2025
US$1,700.00
Member
US$1,920.00
Nonmember
Pricing
September 28 - 29, 2026
Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, FL
Through August 17, 2026
US$1,495.00
Member
US$1,715.00
Nonmember
After August 17, 2026
US$1,795.00
Member
US$2,015.00
Nonmember
Continuing Education
Educational sessions at this program can qualify for CEBS Compliance credit. Visit www.cebs.org/compliance for more information.
Agenda
Wednesday, July 16 - Thursday, July 17, 2025
Chicago, IL
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Monday, October 6 - Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Hilton Austin, Austin, TX
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Monday, September 28 - Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, FL
The selected event has no sessions.