TRICARE Dental Program 7/Third Party Administrator Industry Forum

***Update as of February 9, 2026*** 

Third Party Administrator for the Seventh Generation TRICARE Dental Program Contracts

1. Description

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is hosting virtual one-on-one meetings to gather information from industry through an open exchange of information to be used by the DHA in support of continuous market research in the development of the Third Party Administrator (TPA) acquisition strategy and requirements. The DHA desires to identify, to the maximum extent possible, commercial best practices in execution of these services.

• Dates: March 10 and 11, 2026
• Time: 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM MST, daily, each session will be 1 hour in length
• Where: This event will be held virtually, through Microsoft Teams

At this time, the DHA is conducting one-on-ones with interested PRIME TPA contractors only. A separate announcement will be posted to sam.gov in the future for one-on-one sessions with interested prime contractors for the seventh generation TRICARE Dental Program (TDP-7) contracts. The DHA also intends to hold an industry forum with both TPA and TDP-7 interested parties further along in the acquisition process.

2. TPA Contract Overview

The DHA expects to contract with two to four dental insurance carriers to deliver the TDP-7 requirements. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY23 (NDAA 2023) mandates that DHA contract with a TPA to manage the administrative features of the premium sharing plans in TDP-7 including eligibility, enrollment, plan changes, premium payment processes, reconciliation, submission of qualifying life events, and address changes for eligible TRICARE beneficiaries.

The “Attachments/Links” section below includes an anticipated, draft work breakdown structure for the TPA as well as a copy of the performance work statement (PWS) from the prior TDP-6 solicitation. The government is interested in industry feedback regarding the TPA requirements and potential commercial best practices the Agency could leverage in executing the TPA. These one-on-one sessions will be used to discuss company capabilities as well as the expected work breakdown structure.

3. Responses

• RSVPs to the one-on-one industry forum must be completed utilizing the link below by 4:00PM MST February 20, 2026.
• Requested discussion topics and any presentation materials must be submitted by 4:00PM MST February 27, 2026, to the following points of contact:
  • Kristin Moore: kristin.m.moore13.civ@health.mil
  • Dylan Shick: dylan.b.shick.civ@health.mil

THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL POSTING. This posting is issued solely for the purposes of collecting information (as described above) – it does not constitute a RFP or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. The purpose of this posting is to communicate to industry the current status of the acquisition. This information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the DHA is not seeking proposals at this time. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred as a result of responding to this posting.

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***Update as of October 16, 2025: Due to the ongoing government shutdown, the DHA is postponing the TDP-7/TPA Industry Forum indefinitely. Any updates regarding future Industry Forums will be posted to this announcement on sam.gov. DHA apologizes for the inconvenience and looks forward to future engagement with industry.*** 

TRICARE Dental Program 7th Generation (TDP-7) and Third-Party Administrator (TPA) Industry Forum

Agency/Office: Defense Health Agency

Location: TRICARE Dental Program Office - Aurora (Colorado)
Title: DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY – DENTAL PROGRAM OFFICE SERVICES

DESCRIPTION:  The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is developing the 7th generation of the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) contracts, as well as a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) contract to provide services to the TDP-7 contract. The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2023, Section 701, requires the Department to offer a multi-carrier, multi-choice dental benefits program for Active-Duty family members, survivors, and qualified Reserve Component members and their families. The current contract, TDP-6, consists of one contract/contractor providing all required dental services and necessary eligibility, enrollment, and other administrative functions. The TDP-7 contract will remove several responsibilities performed under the TDP-6 contract and transfer them to the TPA contract.  The TPA contractor will manage the administrative features of the premium sharing plans in TDP-7 including eligibility, enrollment, plan changes, premium payment processes, reconciliation, submission of qualifying life events, and address changes for eligible TRICARE beneficiaries. Dental insurance contractors will continue to: process claims; build and maintain dental provider networks; educate providers on TDP policies, educate beneficiaries and eligibles on TDP coverage; and provide customer service to TDP beneficiaries. 

The Industry Forum will be held 4-5 November 2025, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. MST, at the DHA Aurora Office. Please see link below with separate RSVP Instructions for those who wish to attend.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Class Codes are 524114 for TDP and 524292 for TPA. The Product Serivce Codes (PSCs) are Q503 Medical-Dentistry for TDP and Q201 Medical-Managed Care for TPA.

The intent of the Industry Forum is to accomplish the following:

To gather information from the dental care industry through an open exchange of information to be used by the DHA TRICARE Health Plan Dental Program Office and Program Management Office in support of continuous market research in the development of the TDP-7 and TPA acquisition strategy. DHA desires to identify, to the maximum extent possible, commercial best practices in delivering the TRICARE dental benefit and TPA services.

The Government intends to hold a general forum on 4 November 2025 and intends to meet individually with interested TDP7 or TPA PRIME CONTRACTORS on 4 and 5 November 2025. Each interested prime contractor may bring up to three in person attendees. A virtual option will be available for any additional attendees. Industry is advised that not all members of the Government team may be available for every individual session.  Information presented by attendees will be shared within the Government team. Industry should bring at least five copies of any briefings provided.

DISCUSSION: The current TDP contract (TDP-6) will expire on 28 February 2030. The NDAA for FY 2023 requires the DHA to develop and implement improvements to dental contracts requiring DoD to offer a multi-carrier, multichoice dental benefits program for Active-Duty families and qualified Reserve Component members and their families.

CONTRACT PURPOSE: DHA is contemplating awarding TDP-7 contracts to multiple carriers, as well as a TPA contract, utilizing full and open competition to provide the covered benefit, and manage enrollment and eligibility and process encounter data. 

TDP-7 CONTRACT OBJECTIVES:  The following are anticipated to be the major areas of required services for the TDP-7 contract:
• Standardized pricing structures that support affordability, simplify comparisons, and reduce enrollment barriers.

• Information exchange with the TPA using a systems architecture flexible enough to support technical, business, and mandatory Federal requirements without inhibiting or limiting functionality or user experience.

• Dental insurance claims processing in accordance with contractual obligations and TRICARE Dental Program policies. 

• Maintain a global dental provider network to meet the needs of TDP beneficiaries, including OCONUS providers.

• Education of network providers on claims processing procedures and their own contractual obligations.

• Education of TRICARE beneficiaries regarding services, how to enroll through the TPA, and what coverage is available under each plan offered.

• Comprehensive range of marketing materials, including brochures, flyers, and digital content effectively communicating program offerings and tailored to the military community. 

• Maintain a Customer Service/Call Center with a knowledgeable, courteous, and responsive call center staff resulting in highly satisfied beneficiaries. 

• Execute a methodical and carefully planned transition plan, with a focus on maintaining continuity of care and access to services. 

• Testing capabilities complying with Government Performance Readiness Validation and Performance Readiness Assessment and Verification requirements during the 12-month transition period. 

TPA CONTRACT OBJECTIVES:  The following performance-based objectives are to be accomplished in the TPA contract:

• Provide a cost effective, centralized TDP benefit eligibility and enrollment system.

• Provide customer service support for TDP, including plan changes, submission of qualifying life events, and address changes.

• Provide related premium/allotment administration services.

• Provide a mechanism to reconcile enrollments, premiums, and allotments completely and accurately at the individual enrollee level with each TDP carrier.

• Provide superior customer service/call center services for the convenience of users.

• Provide a user friendly and informative website with account information and decision support tools with TDP plans’ dental premiums and benefits comparison.

• Provide education and outreach to eligible beneficiaries.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DHA sent out RFIs for both TPA and TDP-7 and this forum will be used to discuss questions in those RFIs, as well as other topics. If industry has questions not in those RFIs, DHA asks they be submitted prior to the forum so the appropriate points of contact are present to answer the questions. It is envisioned participants in the Forum, after discussion with DHA, will submit post-Forum position papers, concepts, and alternative ideas related to Forum topics. All Industry Forum attendees having post-Forum questions or submitting position/concept papers will be given an opportunity to further discuss any questions or submissions with the Government after the Forum.

Comments, questions, position/concept papers, and capabilities should be provided to the Government at the address below.  Questions industry would like the DHA to address at the industry forum may be sent to the address below, however, due to time constraints, the Government may be unable to provide individual answers during the open forum. 

RESPONSES: Written responses are not required; however, written questions will be accepted up to ten (10) business days prior to the Industry Forum. Any questions submitted, unless of a proprietary nature, may be addressed during the Industry Forum. Questions should be submitted to Kristin Moore, Kristin.m.moore13.civ@health.mil and Chelsea Lavelle, Chelsea.m.lavelle.civ@health.mil. Any written questions submitted should include a designated point of contact (name, title, address, phone/fax, email).

Place of Contract Performance: CONUS and OCONUS