Pictured above: Brian Hall

BHSF, the Midlands based employee benefits provider, is to move into the flexible benefits market in the autumn with a product aimed at the SME to mid-corporate market.

The firm, which has some 2,800 corporate clients as well as valuable relationships with key intermediaries, believes that it has identified a significant gap in the market which the new product FlexSme will fill.

Brian Hall, BHSF marketing director, said: "FlexSme will satisfy around 60 per cent of the market and brings together a section of core benefits, BHSF's own voluntary benefits and eight slots for flexed benefit provision. 

"Unlike some other solutions in the market, BHSF is not prescribing the types of benefits or the suppliers of benefits that can be introduced into each slot, allowing employers to carry forward existing benefit provisions or to pick up on recommendations from their intermediaries or key suppliers".

BHSF believes that the product's key advantage in the market will be the ability to deliver a low-cost product through BHSF's 'not-for-profit' status.  

Hall said: "An employer with 1,500 staff could implement the programme fully for as little as £7,500.  Looking at smaller employers, it is possible to have a FlexSme system up and running for as little as £2,500".

Intermediary Mike Izzard from Premier Choice, said, "It is great to see BHSF continuing to shake up the market as they did when they began offering stand-alone EAPs at market-leading prices.

"Their 'not-for-profit' status and obvious financial strength allows them to take positions which might not be possible for other providers". 

For more information about BHSF, please visit their website here: www.bhsf.co.uk