Classification and Compensation Study Services

The Vendor is required to provide e comprehensive classification and compensation study is to address changes in county operations and staffing over nearly two decades.
- Objectives are to:
• Attract and retain qualified employees;
• Ensure positions performing similar work with essentially the same level of complexity, responsibility, and knowledge, skills, and abilities are classified together;
• Provide salaries matching with assigned duties;
• Clearly outline promotional opportunities and provide recognizable compensation growth;
• Provide justifiable pay differential between individual classes; and
• Maintain a competitive position with other comparable government entities and private employers within the same geographic area proposed by the consultant with consideration from the county
• Implement strategies to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and optimize productivity.
- Provide for a comprehensive evaluation of every position within the County to determine relative worth within the organization for internal equity and for the establishment of pay ranges and Recommendation on revision of policies and procedures related to compensation.
- Establish appropriate benchmarking standards and conduct salary surveys for similar positions with comparable county departments and other government entities as required and suggested by the county.
- Identify potential pay compression issues and provide potential solutions.
- Analyze and recommend changes to the present compensation structure to meet market analysis; this recommendation may include recommendations for individual positions as well.
- Evaluate how employees allocate their time during working hours and identify where time may be wasted, underutilized, or where productivity can be enhanced.
- Provide recommendations for guidelines, vehicles, and tools for classification and compensation structure; the selected consultant will design guidelines for progression within job classifications; outline transition strategy and develop strategies for maintaining internal equity and market competitiveness over time.
- Assist the county in assessing financial impacts to achieve market parity and potential inequities; county recognizes that the date of full implementation may require a longer timeframe.
- The county may seek to review and implement a new employee appraisal/performance management plan to support classification and compensation structure, and county employee values based on the results of the study.
- Classification Study
• Review current classification methodology and propose recommended strategies for the county.
• Conduct interviews and/or job audits as appropriate; interviews and/or job audits may be conducted individually or in groups based upon classification.
• Update job descriptions to uniformly reflect the distinguishing characteristics, essential job functions, minimum qualifications (education/experience and knowledge/skills/abilities), working conditions (physical demands, work environment, and travel requirements), and certification/licenses/registrations requirements for classification as needed.
• Present proposed recommendations to the county executive, director of administration, and human resources for review prior to making any final classification proposal.
• Finalize class specifications and recommend appropriate classification for each employee, including correction of identified discrepancies between existing and proposed classifications.
• Identify career ladders/promotional opportunities, as deemed appropriate.
• Submit recommendations for appropriate implementation measures that administration and the human resources staff will need to take.
• Provide a straightforward, easily understood, maintenance system that the human resources department will use to keep the classification system current and equitable; the classification system should be provided in an electronic medium; maintenance should include annual activities, as well as, the process to be used in the review of the classification of individual jobs, as needed.
• Conduct a comprehensive training program for human resources staff to ensure that the staff can explain and administer the new system in the future; the training program should be clearly spelled out in the proposal.
- Compensation study
• Review the current compensation plans (salary bands) and all benefits offered to understand current challenges in recruiting and retaining employees.
• Recommend and identify a consistent and competitive market position that the county can strive to maintain.
• Recommend comparable labor markets, including both private and public sector employers, for compensation surveys.
• Develop and conduct a comprehensive compensation and benefits survey.
• Recommend appropriate salary range for each position based on the classification plan, the compensation survey results, the internal relationships and internal equity; prepare a new salary and benefits structure based on the results of the survey and best practices.
• Develop guidelines to assist county staff with determining the starting pay for new employees based on knowledge and experience above the minimum requirements of the position, how difficult the position is to fill, and market competitiveness.
• Recommend implementation strategies, including calculating the cost of implementing the plan.
• Identify any extreme current individual or group compensation inequities and provide a recommended corrective action plan and process to remedy these situations.
• Make recommendations and provide implementation strategies related to other key compensation practices, based on market demands, including pay for performance, skill pay, special assignment pay, certification pay, bilingual pay, promotional pay, and acting (interim) assignment pay.
• Provide system documentation and computer formats/software to administer compensation plan.
• Provide recommendations for the ongoing internal administration and maintenance of the proposed compensation plan; maintenance should include annual activities, such as market survey.
• Conduct a compression analysis to include any recommendations for implementation.
• Conduct a comprehensive training program for human resources staff to ensure that the staff can explain and administer the new system in the future; the training program should be clearly spelled out in the proposal.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: March 3, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: March 10, 2025