The Big Independent Cities Excess Pool Joint Powers Authority (BICEP) was established in 1988, in accordance with the Government Code of the State of California, as a way to “risk-share” insurance coverage programs by medium-to-large cities within the state.
Membership in BICEP allows municipalities to self-insure, pool their large liability losses and obtain additional insurance through the commercial market.
BICEP’s visionary and innovative approach has served its members well over the Joint Powers Authority’s 27 year history. A combination of self-funding and the ability to purchase commercial insurance when rates are attractive provides BICEP members with:
As a joint powers authority, BICEP is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of one representative from each of its member cities. There are currently five members: Huntington Beach, Oxnard, Santa Ana, San Buenaventura, and West Covina.
As of July 1, 2019, the BICEP program no longer provides “prospective” coverage to its members. The joint powers authority remains in existence in order for BICEP to run-off the prior liabilities of the members for the years in which coverage was provided.
BICEP has met all of the high professional standards established by the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA) in the areas of governance, finance, claims control, safety and loss prevention, excess coverage, and risk management. CAJPA’s accreditation process requires reviews by independent consultants in all of these areas, including accounting, claims adjusting, and actuarial analysis. BICEP is fully accredited by CAJPA.
