051525 RFP for Classification and Compensation Study-Market.pdf

Lashanda A. Hall, HR Director April C. Batchelor, HR Analyst II Shenida Adams, Personnel Technician

Lenoir County Courthouse Post Office Box 3289 101 North Queen Street Kinston, NC 28502

Telephone: (252) 527-0313 Ext. 7523 Fax: (252) 277-2125

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

FOR

MARKET COMPENSATION STUDY

PROJECT TITLE: Market Compensation Study

ISSUING AGENCY: Lenoir County Government

DEPARTMENT: Human Resources

ISSUE DATE: Monday, July 7, 2025

SOLICITATION: Qualified and experienced firms to perform a market study of Lenoir

County’s compensation system.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Monday, July 28, 2025 at 2:00 PM EST.

1. LENOIR COUNTY INTRODUCTION

Lenoir County, North Carolina (herein referred to as “County”) founded in 1791, has an estimated population of 54,895. It covers 401 square miles along North Carolina’s central coastal region. It uses the council-manager form of government and has seven commissioners that serve four-year terms. The County Manager, County Attorney, and Clerk to the Board are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the County Board of Commissioners. The County

Board of Commissioners is responsible for approving personnel policies and the classification and compensation plan. The County Manager is responsible for the administration of the personnel policies and managing county employees. The County Manager appoints a Human

Resources Director responsible for preparing and maintaining position classifications and the compensation plan. The County’s fiscal year is July 1 through June 30.

2. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

County is soliciting proposals from qualified firms with proven experience to conduct a market study of the compensation system in accordance with the Scope of Work outlined in this RFP. The County’s last comprehensive classification and compensation study was initiated in 2017, and results were implemented in December of 2018.

The following employers were used as comparators in County’s last study:

Carteret County Nash County Wayne County City of Kinson

Craven County Onslow County Wilson County City of Wilson

Duplin County Orange County City of Goldsboro Lenoir Community College

Johnston County Pitt County City of Greenville

Jones County Sampson County City of Jacksonville

Since implementation of the last classification and compensation study results, County’s classification system has been maintained with reclassification of various positions, new positions have been established, and salary adjustments have totaled between 23% - 28% over six fiscal years spanning from December 2018 to present.

3. WORKFORCE

Lenoir County’s workforce consists of 501 budgeted full-time and 183 budgeted part-time permanent positions assigned to 133 actively applied classifications housed in 16 different departments. County’s classification plan consists of 90 FLSA non-exempt and 43 exempt classifications.

County operates a wide range of services for citizens and visitors. The following departments are to be included in this study: Administration, Lenoir County Rural Transit System, Emergency

Services/Communications, Elections, Finance, Health/Animal Services, Human Resources, Information Technology and GIS, Planning and Inspections/Soil Conservation, Facilities

Maintenance, Opioid Epidemic Response, Register of Deeds, Sheriff’s Office and Detention

Center, Social Services, Solid Waste, and Tax.

4. CURRENT CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION

County has one salary schedule (Appendix A) and grade/step chart (Appendix B) for full-time positions and it lists a minimum and maximum salary for each classification. No salary will be paid below the minimum of the salary range, and salaries should not exceed the maximum of the salary range.

Each classification is assigned a grade. The salary schedule consists of 30 grades and each grade has 18 steps. It is intended for a 2.5% spread to exist between each step but that percentage is not exact due to automatic rounding methods applied by County’s financial system over time.

Three unclassified full-time positions exist and salaries for those positions are set by the Board of

County Commissioners. Unclassified positions include the County Manager, the Sheriff and the

Register of Deeds.

5. OBJECTIVES

The pay philosophy of County shall be administered in a fair and systematic manner in accordance with work performed. County’s objectives for classification and compensation are to:

A. Ensure positions performing similar work with essentially the same level of complexity, responsibility, knowledge, skills, and abilities are classified consistently.

B. Ensure salaries are commensurate with assigned duties and years of service.

C. Ensure exempt or non-exempt position designation is in compliance with the Fair Labor

Standards Act.

D. Provide justifiable pay differential between individual classes.

E. Maintain competitive salaries with other comparable government entities and private employers within the same geographic area.

F. Administer a compensation system that is fair, consistent, competitive, equitable and legally compliant.

G. Meet pay grade Relative Differentials required by the North Carolina Human Resources

Act.

6. SCOPE OF WORK

County seeks firm to review County’s existing position classification and compensation plan for internal equity and external competitiveness and provide creative strategies that would enhance County’s ability to meet objectives. Selected firm will conduct a position classification and compensation study of public and private employers providing comparable services and provide a comparative analysis identifying County’s competitive position in the labor market.

A. Provide a comprehensive evaluation of each County classification to determine relative worth within the organization for internal equity and for the establishment of pay ranges and step progression within the ranges. Leadership and employee meetings and questionnaires may be used.

B. Establish appropriate benchmarking standards in collaboration with County’s Human

Resources Director and conduct market salary survey as needed for similar positions with comparable North Carolina government entities and private employers within County’s geographic area.

C. Identify incidences of potential pay compression and provide potential solutions.

D. Analyze and recommend changes to the present compensation structure to meet market analysis. This recommendation may include recommendations for individual positions.

E. Provide a draft study report and meet with the County Manager, Human Resources Director and/or Management Team to discuss preliminary or initial findings.

F. Produce a final written compensation study report that minimally includes final recommendations, methodology, identification of comparators, major findings, an implementation plan for applying recommended classification and compensation adjustments and an analysis of the financial impact. Provide an electronic file and twelve

(5) hard copies of the final report.

G. The firm should expect to conduct at least one (1) presentation to the County Manager, Human Resources Director and/or Management Team, and one (1) final presentation to the

Board of County Commissioners.

H. Provide a manual and training to Human Resources staff enabling maintenance of the recommended compensation plan.

I. Any recommended classification and compensation system adjustment must:

1. Meet all legal requirements, be totally nondiscriminatory and provide for compliance with all pertinent federal, state and local requirements.

2. Be practical for County to administer, maintain and defend.

3. Accommodate organizational change and growth.

7. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION OPTIONS

Proposals may be submitted by the following methods:

Mail/Delivery: Ms. Lashanda Hall, Human Resources Director

Attn: Market Compensation Study

Lenoir County Government

PO BOX 3289

101 N. Queen Street

Kinston, NC 28501

Submit one (1) original proposal. Proposals submitted in sealed envelopes shall indicate the firm name and “Market Compensation Study” on the front of each envelope. Offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Email: Lashanda A. Hall: Lashanda.Hall@lenoircountync.gov

Proposals submitted via e-mail shall be consolidated into one PDF file and include “Proposal: Market Compensation Study” in the subject line.

mailto:Lashanda.Hall@lenoircountync.gov

Proposals are to contain the following information:

1. Title page with consultant contact information.

2. Qualification Statement and general information of the firm.

3. Consultants understanding of the project.

4. Detailed narrative description of approach and methodology the consultant will use in identifying and evaluating information. Describe the process and submit any instruments used, or proposed for use, in this study.

5. An estimate of time required to complete the project and a proposed timeline to include estimation of time on each phase of the project through completion.

6. Projection of scope of involvement or support needed from Human Resources staff and for what phases of the project.

7. A breakdown of the firm’s rates, fees and charges for services, by phase and for the total project and a proposed payment schedule.

8. List of references of similar organizations for which you have performed similar services within the last three (3) years including contact information.