Why are you Waiting for the problem to happen? …You know a friendly email from the DOL or a disgruntled committee member?
Let Culpepper RFP, LLC be your sherpa to guide you through the RFP process. With years of experience, we know where the blind spots are and know where potential mine fields are hiding. Waiting just keeps you up at night and that to-do list growing.
with our many years of institutional experience, we are able to help our clients in three areas:
Fee & service benchmarking
RFI evaluations
RFP evaluations
Todays world has made it difficult for HR and finance teams to find the time to evaluate the providers for the retirement plans and E&F portfolios
Our Secret Sauce?
We have sat on all sides of the fiduciary table. With experience as an advisor, recordkeeper, investment manager and investment committee member we have a unique perspective. With decades of experience in helping clients evaluate and selecting service providers, we have seen the market evolution. We have no actual or potential conflicts of interest with any of the firms we evaluate.
About The managing partner of Culpepper RFP, LLC…
Jay Gepfert is the managing partner Culpepper RFP, LLC. Mr. Gepfert has spent more than 20 years providing retirement consulting and investment advisory services to plan sponsors of all sizes.
Prior to founding Culpepper RFP, Mr. Gepfert was employed by Russell Investments, a leading international investment consulting organization. He has sat on all sides of the fiduciary table including record-keepers, investment managers, investment advisors, and plan sponsors. This 360-degree view allows him particular insights when evaluating and selecting vendors for his clients. Mr. Gepfert received his BA from Davidson College.
Mr. Gepfert has had a lifelong love and participation in sports including playing division one tennis at Davidson College.
After many years of coaching, he continues his passion for athletics as a woman’s fast-pitch softball umpire at all levels including collegiate.
Mr. Gepfert has served on numerous boards as well as contributed to many philanthropic endeavors and is currently enjoying volunteering as a wish grantor with the Connecticut Chapter of Make a Wish.
About Jake Gepfert…
At Culpepper RFP, Jake plays a key role in managing and executing complex RFP engagements, helping clients identify best-fit partners through structured, data-driven evaluation processes. Jake Gepfert brings extensive experience in sourcing, project management, and risk-focused evaluations across a broad range of industries.
Jake has led and supported RFPs for 3(38) investment managers, 3(21) investment advisors, recordkeepers, and comprehensive fund and fee analyses, guiding plan sponsors through fiduciary decision-making with clarity and confidence. His experience spans evaluations for actuarial firms, health brokers, and retirement plan service providers, ensuring each engagement aligns with clients’ strategic objectives, fiduciary responsibilities, and regulatory requirements.
In addition, Jake has worked on mental health parity evaluations, contributing to compliance-focused assessments that help organizations meet regulatory standards while improving access to behavioral health services. His work in health broker RFPs further supports clients in optimizing benefits strategy, vendor performance, and cost management.
With a strong foundation in cybersecurity best practices, Jake brings a risk and controls mindset to every engagement. His expertise strengthens Culpepper RFP’s due diligence process by ensuring vendors are evaluated not only on pricing and capabilities, but also on data security, governance, and operational resilience—critical considerations in today’s regulatory and threat landscape.
Jake is known for his structured approach, attention to detail, and ability to translate complex technical and fiduciary considerations into clear, actionable insights for clients and stakeholders. He is a proud graduate of Presbyterian College in South Carolina.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If you’re the person carrying the responsibility for benefits decisions inside the organization, this will feel familiar. Culpepper RFP supports HR and finance leaders, ERISA counsel, and committees—because the pressure and the risk often land on your desk either way.
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Culpepper RFP focuses on managing the RFP process itself, so you’re not piecing together vendor comparisons, chasing information, and trying to document everything in between your day-to-day responsibilities. You’re still involved in direction and fiduciary decisions, but the heavy lift of gathering, organizing, and evaluating is handled through our documented process.
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Our services are designed to reduce the time executives and internal teams spend managing details. Expect some upfront coordination and a few check-ins along the way, but the goal is that you’re not carrying weeks of follow-up, tracking, and evaluation work on top of everything else.
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That’s a real concern.Our services are positioned as an independent third-party evaluation process, which can lower the temperature and keep the focus on documented criteria instead of internal pressure or preference. It won’t erase politics, but it can give you a clear, neutral structure to point back to.
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No. Our independent evaluation processes support people who are accountable for the outcome, even if the technical details aren’t your daily focus. We can help you evaluate whether going to an RFP is even necessary, which is often what you want when you’re trying to make a smart decision without creating extra work.
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If you’re thinking, “I’m not sure what level of process we actually need,” you’re not alone. Before you sign up with us we will review your objectives and discuss the most cost and time effective solution. Our services include fee and service benchmarking, RFI evaluation, and full RFP evaluations—so the approach can match the situation instead of defaulting to the most intensive option.
“ Working with culpepper rfp greatly streamlined the process for our team and helped us achieve our goals via an efficient and thorough process.”
— Manager of Benefits