Good partnerships can make or break an organization. And when it comes to designing a competitive employee benefits package, you'll definitely want the best partners you can find. Any HR department that's worth its salt will know this. However, it may not always be clear where one should start when looking for the best partners.

Speaking as someone with over 30 years of experience in advising organizations on their benefits, I feel I can offer a seasoned perspective. To kick off, it is crucial to recognize that there are two primary partner categories: the benefits broker and the vendor partners. Vendor partners can then be subcategorized into two types: insurance vendors, responsible for insurance-related benefits, and service vendors, focusing on wellness benefits.

Combined, these three partners will set the stage for an organization's benefits package. Yet they all have different functions to play and what traits make one a good partner might not apply to the others. As such, HR departments should take care in understanding the role of each partner and the nuances that distinguish them.