Contracting Resources
Smart contracting starts here. Our contracting toolkits are practical, expert-developed resources that help employers eliminate hidden costs, protect their data rights, and get more value from every vendor relationship. Several toolkits are freely available on our website, while our most in-depth resources are exclusive to HPA members. Browse the executive summaries below for a preview — members can contact us for full versions and personalized staff support.
Health & Wellness Committee Toolkit
This toolkit helps employers build effective governance around their employee health benefits. It covers best practices for committee structure, composition, charter development, vendor oversight, and compliance — giving organizations the tools to move beyond checkbox exercises and toward meaningful, strategic benefits management.
As healthcare contracts become more transparent and regulations more demanding, understanding your fiduciary responsibilities has never been more important. This toolkit guides plan sponsors through the essentials of ERISA compliance — from identifying fiduciaries and overseeing brokers to strengthening contracting practices and leveraging data analytics. Updated regularly to reflect the evolving regulatory landscape, it also includes a sample fiduciary committee charter to help your organization get started.
This self-guided toolkit equips employers and benefits purchasers with practical tools to drive biosimilar adoption and reduce specialty drug costs. Spanning six learning modules, it covers biosimilar basics, contracting strategies, federal transparency laws, and fiduciary obligations — including model contract language, audit checklists, and a real-world case study.
Pharmacy Benefit Contracting Toolkit
Pharmacy spend accounts for nearly a quarter of total health plan costs — and a significant portion of that goes to middlemen. This toolkit gives employers the contract language and RFP terms needed to eliminate spread pricing, ensure full rebate pass-through, protect data access rights, and actively manage pharmacy costs. In addition to this resource, HPA staff is available to support plan sponsors during their PBM contracting process.
Third Party Administrator Contracting Toolkit
TPA contracts are complex, and the fine print often favors the administrator. This toolkit highlights the key contract terms and purchaser rights that every employer should have in their TPA agreement — including full claims data access, robust audit rights, enforceable performance guarantees, and the flexibility to carve out services and integrate high-value point solutions.
"HPA has been an invaluable resource, providing expert guidance and thoughtful insight throughout our recent RFP and contracting processes for our TPA and PBM. Their careful review of complex documents and clear explanations of key issues have genuinely informed and supported our decision-making."
Tracy Elliott, Executive Director of Finance and Controller, University of Maine System
HPA is not a law firm and these resources do not constitute legal advice. We encourage all plan sponsors to conduct their own due diligence and seek qualified legal counsel before entering into or modifying any vendor agreements.