2026-03PC RFP Proposal Document.pdf

REQUEST FOR

PROPOSAL (RFP)

FOR

COUNTY-WIDE SALARY STUDY

#2026-03PC

Issued by:

Portage County Purchasing Department

Proposals must be submitted No later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, April 30, 2026 to:

Portage County Purchasing

1462 Strongs Ave Stevens Point WI 54481

LATE PROPOSALS WILL BE REJECTED

There will not be a public opening for this Proposal

For further information regarding this RFP contact Chris Schultz

At (715) 346-1393 Email: schultzc@co.portage.wi.gov

Issued: 04/09/2026

Table of Contents

1. General Information

1.1. Introduction

1.2. Definitions

1.3. Scope

1.4. Calendar of Events

1.5. Contract Term and Funding

2. Preparing and Submitting a Proposal

2.1. General Instructions

2.2. Incurring Costs

2.3. Submitting Proposals

2.4. Proposal Organization and Format

2.5. Multiple Proposals

2.6. Withdrawal of Proposals

3. Proposal Selection and Award Process

3.1. Evaluation Committee

3.2. Preliminary Evaluation

3.3. Right to reject proposals

3.4. Proposal Scoring

3.5. Evaluation Criteria

3.6. Interviews/Presentations

3.7. Final Evaluation

3.8. Award and Final Offers

3.9. Notification of Intent to Award

3.10. Appeals Process

3.11. Negotiate Contract Terms

4. Requirements

4.1. Mandatory Requirements

4.2. Contract Requirements

5. Proposer Information and Solutions

5.1. Organization Capabilities (200 Points)

5.2. Staff Qualifications (150 Points)

5.3. Proposer Solutions (450 points total)

5.4. Proposer References

Table of Contents

6. Cost Proposal

6.1. General Instructions for the Cost Proposal and how it will be Scored

6.2. Format for Submitting Cost Proposal

6.3. Fixed Price Period

Attachment A - Signature and Authority Affidavit Form Attachment B - References Attachment C - Designation of Confidential & Proprietary Information Form Attachment D - Mandatory Requirements Attachment E - Cost Proposal

Portage County Wisconsin RFP #2026-03PC

1. General Information

1.1. Introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a proposal for conducting a comprehensive classification and compensation study for all Portage County positions, excluding represented law enforcement positions.

The County of Portage as represented by the Purchasing Department intends to use the results of this Request for Proposal (RFP) to award a contract for the above listed project. The contract administrator will be determined at the time of the contract award. Retain a copy of these proposal documents for your files.

Should you receive an award, these documents become your contract terms and conditions.

1.2. Definitions

The following definitions are used throughout the RFP:

Contractor means proposer awarded the contract.

County means the County of Portage Wisconsin.

Proposer/Vendor/Bidder means a company or individual submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.

Purchasing means the County of Portage Purchasing Department.

RFP means Request for Proposal.

Salary Study means the comprehensive report, structure and recommends as to all County positions (a/k/a “Study”).

State means the State of Wisconsin.

VendorNet means the State of Wisconsin’s electronic purchasing information system.

1.3. Scope

1.3.1. Project Description

In 2016 Portage County conducted a comprehensive classification and compensation study for all Portage County positions, excluding represented law enforcement positions. In 2022 a market update was done to update the system to ensure it stayed consistent with both external and internal equity.

Portage County is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive classification and compensation study for all Portage County positions excluding represented law enforcement positions.

1.3.2. Objective/Needs/Expectations

The consultant shall perform or provide the following:

1. Provide project information to be shared with employees to explain the scope of the project, methods used, and process.

2. Review and update Portage County’s current classification and compensation schedules to ensure the County’s wage and benefit package remains comparable and competitive to external units of local government of similar size and scope, as well as to private-sector benchmarks in the same geographic area, to attract and retain the best qualified individuals. Portage County’s external market analysis of comparable local government employers, when reviewing wages for individual positions, indicates that while starting wage rates for positions within the General classification and compensation schedule are generally competitive, the County lags behind market levels at the midpoint and maximum ranges of the pay structure

3. In the review and update of the County’s classification and compensation schedule take into consideration wage compression. Wage compression is an on-going concern, particularly for hourly employees in higher pay grades who are at or near the top steps of their salary range, in comparison to their supervisory staff. To promote an environment that fosters and encourages employee aspirations for advancement, and to attract external supervisory candidates, a sufficient separation must be maintained.

4. Review County’s current job classifications and recommend placement of each position to an appropriate classification and pay grade based on internal equity, across all county departments, and marketplace considerations. A review of the job classifications shall include interviews with employees and appropriate supervisory and management staff.

5. Review all positions and properly classify those positions in accordance with current Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Wisconsin Wage and Hour provisions relative to exempt and non-exempt status and recommend changes to job descriptions, if any, to ensure in compliance with ADAAA and other applicable laws.

6. When reviewing current job classifications, recommend additions and deletions to the current classification plan when it makes sense.

7. Identify a manageable list of Wisconsin counties, of similar size, scope and geographic location that can be used internally to review and compare wage and benefit packages for internal maintenance.

8. Provide a recommendation for a process for internal maintenance of the classification and compensation system to deal with positions that evolve over time or require different tasks than when first created.

9. Provide recommendations for policy updates, if necessary.

10. Provide timely progress reports and address issues encountered with the Director of Human Resources on a regular basis to ensure that forward progress is maintained.

11. Present the results to the Human Resources Committee.

12. Present to the County Board a final report and overall plan that is clear and understandable, and summarizes the information gathering process, findings, the estimated cost of wage recommendations, and an implementation plan that is within the County’s fiscal parameters.

13. Conduct employee classification appeals after plan adoption.

1.3.3. Current Salary Schedules, Benefit Package and County Ordinances

See the link Human Resources | Portage County, WI for the Human Resources Page. The Policies and Wages are listed under the Human Resources Policies & Wage/Classifications link on that page see picture of link below:

A copy of the Portage County Code of Ordinances 3.11 – Human Resources Policies can be found at:

https://www.co.portage.wi.gov/326/Human-Resources https://library.municode.com/wi/portage_county/codes/code_of_ordinances Note there are two Human Resources Ordinances that are in the Adopted Ordinances Not Yet Codified section.

1.3.4. Clarifications and/or Revisions to this RFP

Portage County Purchasing is the sole point of contact for the County during the selection process.

Contact with anyone else involved with this process without the prior authorization of Purchasing may result in the disqualification of your proposal. Proposers are expected to raise any questions, noted errors, discrepancies, ambiguities, exceptions, additions or deficiencies they have concerning this proposal in writing through email by 2PM, Monday, April 20, 2026 to: Chris Schultz, Purchasing, Email: schultzc@co.portage.wi.gov

If a proposer discovers any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this proposal after the above date, they shall immediately notify the above named individual of such error and request modification or clarification of the proposal document before the proposal opening date.

If the proposer fails to notify the County prior to the proposal due date of any condition stated above that reasonably should have been known to the proposer, and if a contract is awarded to that proposer, the proposer shall not be entitled to additional compensation or time by reason of the error or its correction.

Revisions to this request for proposal or answers to questions will be made only by an official written addendum issued by Purchasing. Addenda will be posted on Vendornet and on the Portage County Website. Proposers are responsible for checking these websites for any addenda before submitting a proposal. Failure to acknowledge addenda may disqualify your proposal.

https://vendornet.wi.gov/Home.aspx http://www.co.portage.wi.gov

1.4. Calendar of Events

Listed below are specific and estimated dates and times of actions related to this Request for Proposal. The actions with specific dates must be completed as indicated unless otherwise changed by the County. In the event that the County finds it necessary to change any of the specific dates and times, it will do so by issuing addenda to this RFP. There may or may not be a formal notification issued for changes of the estimated dates and times.

DATE EVENT

Thu, Apr 9, 2026 RFP Issuance date Mon, Apr 20, 2026 Last day for submitting written questions by 2PM Wed, Apr 22, 2026 Addenda posted to https://vendornet.wi.gov/Home.aspx and http://www.co.portage.wi.gov Thu, Apr 30, 2026 Proposals due at or before 2:00 p.m.

Wed, May 20, 2026 Interviews/Presentations (MUST BE AVAILABLE) End of May 2026 Notification of intent to award sent to proposers (estimated) Mid-June 2026 Contract award (estimated) Late June 2026 Contract start date (estimated) https://library.municode.com/wi/portage_county/codes/code_of_ordinances http://www.co.portage.wi.gov/ http://www.co.portage.wi.gov/

1.5. Contract Term and Funding

The contract shall be effective on the date indicated on the contract and shall continue until the project is complete. Portage County is also interested in a secondary contract for maintenance of the plan for Five (5) years from the date of implementation. During the maintenance period, the County may also want to contract with vendor for additional work within the scope of Salary Study and Planning with price and scope of that work mutually agreed upon at the time of the request.

2. Preparing and Submitting a Proposal

2.1. General Instructions

The evaluation and selection of a contractor will be based on the information submitted in the proposal plus references and any required on-site visits, interviews/presentations or demonstrations. Proposers should respond clearly and completely to all requirements. Failure to respond to each of the requirements in the RFP may be the basis for rejecting a proposal.

Elaborate proposals (e.g. expensive artwork), beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal, are not necessary or desired. The County encourages all proposers to print their submission double-sided to save paper.

2.2. Incurring Costs

The County is not liable for any cost incurred by proposers in replying to this RFP.

2.3. Submitting Proposals

Proposers must submit their proposal by email, a valid emailed proposal shall be received by the Portage County Purchasing prior to the Proposal due date and time shown on the Request for Proposal, on or before 2:00 p.m., Thursday, April 30, 2026, to: schultzc@co.portage.wi.gov

All documents required for a complete submission shall be included as attachments to the submission email. Those are listed in section 2.4 of this proposal. Prior to the proposal deadline, the proposer is responsible for confirming that their emailed Proposal response has been successfully received. The Portage County Purchasing department is not responsible for late receipt of a Proposal, regardless of the reason for the delay. Proof of transmission does not constitute proof of receipt. The time stamp issued to the submission email by Portage County email system shall serve as the official time stamp determining timeliness of the Proposal. Proposal responses shall be emailed to schultzc@co.portage.wi.gov. Submitting a Proposal to any other email address does not constitute receipt of a Proposal by Portage County Purchasing.

Emailed Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. Besides the attached documents the email should include:

• Proposer's Name and Address somewhere in the email

• Request for Proposal Number and Title in the Subject Line

2.4. Proposal Organization and Format

Proposal should be typed and submitted so they can be printed on 8.5 by 11-inch paper and bound securely with page numbers clearly indicated. Proposers responding to this RFP must comply with the following format requirements:

Tab 1(A) - COVER LETTER, RFP SIGNATURE PAGES: Include here any cover letter, Attachment A - RFP Signature and Authority Affidavit Form, any addenda signature pages, and Attachment C - Designation of Confidential & Proprietary Information Form.

The Signature and Authority Affidavit submitted in response to this RFP must be signed by the person in the Proposer's organization who is responsible for the decision as to the prices being offered or by a person who has been authorized in writing to act as agent for the person responsible for the decision on prices and services. Failure to provide this forms/information with your bid submittal may disqualify your proposal.

Tab 1 (B) – SAMPLE CONTRACT DOCUMENT: Please include a sample contract that would be used as basis for developing the final agreement with the County/Vendor.

Tab 2 - RESPONSE TO PROPOSER INFORMATION AND SOLUTIONS: Responses to the requirements in the proposer information and solutions must be in the same sequence and numbered as they appear in this RFP.

Include here completed Attachment B--References.

Tab 3 – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: Include Attachment D Mandatory Requirements.

Separate PDF File - COST PROPOSAL—ATTACHMENT E: Provide cost information as detailed in Section 6 in this RFP. All costs, as requested, for furnishing the product(s) and/or service(s) must be included in this proposal. The cost proposal must NOT be listed in any other part of the proposal response.

2.5. Multiple Proposals

Multiple proposals from a proposer will be permissible; however, each proposal must conform fully to the requirements for proposal submission. Each such proposal must be separately submitted and labeled as Proposal #1, Proposal #2, etc. on each page included in the response.

2.6. Withdrawal of Proposals

Proposals shall be irrevocable until contract award unless the proposal is withdrawn. Proposers may withdraw a proposal, in writing, at any time up to the proposal due date and time or upon expiration of 180 days after the due date and time. The written withdrawal notice must be received by Purchasing. The notice must be signed by an authorized representative of the proposer. If a previously submitted proposal is withdrawn before the proposal due date and time, the proposer may submit another proposal at any time up to the proposal due date and time.

3. Proposal Selection and Award Process

3.1. Evaluation Committee

The County’s evaluation committee will consist of members who have been selected because of their special expertise and knowledge of the service(s) and/or product(s) that are the subject of this RFP. Proposers may not contact members of the evaluation committee except at the request of the Purchasing Department.

3.2. Preliminary Evaluation

The proposals will be initially reviewed to determine if mandatory requirements are met. Failure to meet mandatory requirements shall result in the proposal being rejected. If all proposers do not meet one or more of the mandatory requirements, the County reserves the right to continue the evaluation of the proposals that most closely meet the mandatory requirements of this RFP.

3.3. Right to reject proposals

The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

3.4. Proposal Scoring

Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation committee and scored against the stated criteria. The committee may review references, request interviews/presentations, conduct demonstrations and/or conduct on-site visits. The resulting information will be used to score the proposals. The evaluation committee's scoring will be tabulated, and proposals ranked based on the numerical scores received.

3.5. Evaluation Criteria

The proposals will be scored using the following criteria:

Description Points Organization Capabilities 200 Staff Qualifications 150 Proposer Solutions 450 Cost Proposal 200 Total 1000

3.6. Interviews/Presentations

Top-scoring proposers, based on the evaluation of the written proposal, may be required to have interviews/presentations to support and clarify their proposals, if requested by the County. The County will make every reasonable attempt to schedule the interview/presentation on the date specified in the Calendar of Events. Failure of a proposer to complete a scheduled interview/presentation to the County may result in rejection of that proposer's proposal. The County may conduct site visits of proposer and/or references’ facilities to clarify or confirm proposal information. Interviews will include a virtual option, but proposers are encouraged to send someone to attend in person.

3.7. Final Evaluation

Upon completion of any interviews/presentations and/or demonstrations by proposers, the County's evaluation team will review their evaluations and adjust the scores based on the information obtained in the interview/presentation, demonstration, possible reference checks, and any other pertinent proposer information.

3.8. Award and Final Offers

Award will be granted in one of two ways. The award may be granted to the highest scoring responsive and responsible proposer after the original evaluation process is complete. Alternatively, the highest proposer or proposers may be requested to submit best and final offers. If the County requests best and final offers, they will be evaluated against the stated criteria, scored, and ranked by the evaluation committee. The award will then be granted to the highest scoring proposer following that process. However, a proposer should not expect that the County will request a best and final offer.

3.9. Notification of Intent to Award

All proposers who respond to this RFP will be notified in writing of the County's intent to award the contract(s), as a result of the RFP.

3.10. Appeals Process

Notices of intent to protest and protests must be made in writing. Protestors should make their protests as specific as possible and should identify Wisconsin Statutes or Portage County Ordinance provisions that are alleged to have been violated.

The written notice of intent to protest the intent to award a contract must be filed with Chris Schultz, Procurement Director, Portage County Wisconsin, 1462 Strongs Ave, Stevens Point, WI 54481, and received in his office no later than five (5) working days after the notice of intent to award is issued.

The written protest must be received in his office no later than ten (10) working days after the notice of intent to award is issued.

The decision of the Procurement Director may be appealed to the Corporation Counsel Office within (5) working days of issuance. The appeal must allege a violation of a Wisconsin Statute or a Portage County Ordinance provision.

3.11. Negotiate Contract Terms

The County reserves the right to negotiate the terms of the contract, including the award amount, with the selected proposer prior to entering a contract. If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with the highest scoring proposer, the County may negotiate a contract with the next highest scoring proposer.

4. Requirements

4.1. Mandatory Requirements

Submit response using Attachment D Mandatory Requirements under Tab 3 of proposal - see section 2.4 for proposal submittal format.

The following requirement(s) are mandatory, and the proposer must satisfy them as a pass/fail pre-screening requirement. Any proposal submitted not in compliance with mandatory requirements will be rejected and not evaluated or scored.

4.1.1. Must have conducted a comprehensive classification and compensation study for a public entity in the State of Wisconsin within the past 5 years.

4.1.2. The Vendors key personnel listed in the proposal must be present during the interview and must be the same key personnel who will oversee the project during all phases. Personnel substitutions for extraordinary circumstances must be submitted in writing and are subject to approval by the Owner (County).

4.1.3. The project lead must have at least 5 years of experience providing public sector compensation studies or an equivalent level of experience in the field.

4.2. Contract Requirements

The awarded contractor is expected to fulfill the following contract requirements.

4.2.1. Conduct a comprehensive classification and compensation study in a professional and timely manner that meets the Objectives/Need/Expectations in Section 1.3 Scope.

4.2.2. Provide a plan on how to implement the results of the study, according to the fiscal and time parameters provided by the County, once results of the study are available.

4.2.3. Provide a plan on how to maintain the results of the study.

4.2.4. Timeframe

The County’s expectation is to have a final product by late 3rd Quarter or Early 4th Quarter 2026.

4.2.5. Work Environment

The Contractor shall supply office supplies, computer(s), business software and antivirus protection to be approved by the County. For any on-site work the County will provide a space to work and an internet connection.

4.2.6. Subcontractors

The Contractor shall be responsible for Contract performance when subcontractors are used.

However, when subcontractors are used, they must abide by all terms and conditions of the Contract. If subcontractors are to be used, the Contractor must clearly explain their participation.

5. Proposer Information and Solutions Submit response under Tab 2 of proposal - see section 2.4 for proposal submittal format.

5.1. Organization Capabilities (200 Points)

Describe the organization/company's experience and capabilities providing similar services to those required. Be specific and detail no more than three projects/contracts conducted for a public entity in the State of Wisconsin in the last 3-5 years, description of work, dates, locations, challenges and results.

5.2. Staff Qualifications (150 Points)

Identify key staff your organization/company will assign to fulfill the contract requirements. Detail who would be contract manager(s), etc. Provide a synopsis describing the educational and work experience, specifically experience for conducting studies for a public entity in the State of Wisconsin, for each of the key staff who would be assigned to the project/program. Detail the number of hours for each key staff member that you estimate will be needed to fulfill the contract requirements.

5.3. Proposer Solutions (450 points total)

5.3.1. Describe the consultant’s philosophy and approach to developing job classification and compensation systems in a public sector environment. Address the following:

• Method for identifying comparable labor market information.

• Methodology for benchmarking and determining salary ranges.

• Description of the job evaluation system, including example questionnaires and methods for verifying job data.

• Approach for communicating project progress, findings, and recommendations. (300 points)

5.3.2. Provide an estimated timeframe and detailed schedule with dates (month/year) the project will take from beginning date to completion date, including but not limited to: the date the proposer will be available to start this project, meetings, signification milestones and decision points, and any other important comments and dates. (50 points)

5.3.3. Detail your firm’s understanding of the challenges and barriers of implementing a successful County-wide salary study and proposed approach to overcoming these barriers. Provide specific examples of how you have overcome barriers in past projects. (50 points)

5.3.4. Portage County has limited staff resources available to conduct or assist with a County-wide salary study. Higher points will be awarded to the firm/organization who can most cost-effectively reduce the level of effort required by the County staff. Please explain the work efforts that will be required of County staff, at all levels. (50 points)

5.4. Proposer References

Submit response using Attachment B References under Tab 2 of proposal – see section 2.4 for proposal submittal format.

Proposer must supply references of three firms/organizations to which similar products/service have been provided within the past five years to a comparable sized institution or company. If contacted, all of those references must verify that a high level of satisfaction was provided.

6. Cost Proposal

6.1. General Instructions for the Cost Proposal and how it will be Scored All prices must be quoted in U.S. Dollars.

Purchasing will score the cost proposals by prorating with the lowest cost proposal given the highest score.

The formula is as follows: Calculation of points awarded to subsequent proposals will use the lowest dollar proposal amount as a constant numerator and the dollar amount of the firm being scored as the denominator. This number is then multiplied by the number of points given to the cost section of the RFP, resulting in the cost proposal score.

Lowest Cost Proposed Constant _ X Maximum Points Assigned to Cost = Score Other Proposed Cost

6.2. Format for Submitting Cost Proposal.

Use Attachment E Cost Proposal. Submit as a separate attachment as part of Section 2. Seal in an envelope and submit within the proposal package. The outside of the envelope should clearly state “Cost Proposal” and the n.

6.3. Fixed Price Period

The awarded contractor must hold the accepted prices and/or costs for the entire contract period. Any adjustment to prices and/or costs at the beginning of a contract renewal period will be negotiated between the County and the Contractor.

ATTACHMENT A

SIGNATURE AND AUTHORITY AFFIDAVIT FORM

PROPOSING COMPANY NAME: _________________________________________________________

FEIN (Federal Employer ID Number) OR Social Security # (if Sole Proprietorship)

Address: __________________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________ State ________ Zip + 4 _______________________

Number of years in Business _______

Name the person to contact for questions concerning this proposal.

Name ___________________________ Title ______________________________

Phone ( ) _______________________ Toll Free Phone ( ) __________________________

Fax ( ) _______________________ Email Address ___________________________

In signing this proposal, we also certify that we have not, either directly or indirectly, entered into any agreement or participated in any collusion or otherwise taken any action in restraint of free competition; that no attempt has been made to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a proposal; that this proposal has been independently arrived at without collusion with any other proposer, competitor or potential competitor; that this proposal has not been knowingly disclosed prior to the opening to any other proposer or competitor; that the above statement is accurate under penalty of perjury.

The undersigned, having familiarized themselves with the conditions affecting the cost of the work, having read completely the requirements, hereby proposes to perform everything required and to provide and furnish labor, materials, equipment, tools and all other services and supplies necessary to produce in a complete and workmanlike manner all of the materials or products described in the project relating to this proposal.

I further certify that I have carefully examined the proposal documents and all terms herein, and site where the work is to be done and have no agreements to prevent the completion of said work.

Signature Title

Name (type or print) Date

This firm herby acknowledges receipt / review of the following addendum(s) (If any)

Addendum #_____ Addendum #_____Addendum #_____Addendum #_____

ATTACHMENT B

REFERENCES

Proposer: _______________________________________________________________________

Provide company name, address, contact person, telephone number, and appropriate information on the product(s) and/or service(s) provided to customers similar to those requested in this solicitation document. Potential subcontractors cannot be references. Any subcontractor arrangement for the completion of this work shall be listed on a separate page.

Company Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Address (include Zip + 4) ____________________________________________________________________

Contact Person: ____________________________________ Phone No. __________________________

E-Mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________

Product(s) Used and/or Service(s) Provided: ____________________________________________________

Company Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Address (include Zip + 4) ____________________________________________________________________

Contact Person: ____________________________________ Phone No. __________________________

E-Mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________

Product(s) Used and/or Service(s) Provided: ____________________________________________________

Company Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Address (include Zip + 4) ____________________________________________________________________

Contact Person: ____________________________________ Phone No. __________________________

E-Mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________

Product(s) Used and/or Service(s) Provided: ____________________________________________________

Company Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Address (include Zip + 4) ____________________________________________________________________

Contact Person: ____________________________________ Phone No. __________________________

E-Mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________

Product(s) Used and/or Service(s) Provided: ____________________________________________________

ATTACHMENT C

DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

The attached material submitted in response to Bid/Proposal # 2026-03PC includes proprietary and confidential information which qualifies as a trade secret, as provided in s. 19.36(5), Wis. Stats., or is otherwise material that can be kept confidential under the Wisconsin Open Records Law. As such, we ask that certain pages, as indicated below, of this bid/proposal response be treated as confidential material and not be released without our written approval.

Prices always become public information when bids/proposals are opened, and therefore cannot be kept confidential.

Other information cannot be kept confidential unless it is a trade secret. Trade secret is defined in s. 134.90(1)(c), Wis. Stats. as follows: "Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process to which all of the following apply:

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

We request that the following pages not be released:

Section Page # Topic

IN THE EVENT THE DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIALITY OF THIS INFORMATION IS CHALLENGED, THE UNDERSIGNED HEREBY AGREES TO PROVIDE LEGAL COUNSEL OR OTHER NECESSARY ASSISTANCE TO DEFEND THE DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIALITY AND AGREES TO HOLD THE STATE HARMLESS FOR ANY COSTS OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE COUNTY'S AGREEING TO WITHHOLD THE

MATERIALS.

Failure to include this form in the bid/proposal response may mean that all information provided as part of the bid/proposal response will be open to examination and copying. The County considers other markings of confidential in the bid/proposal document to be insufficient. The undersigned agrees to hold the County harmless for any damages arising out of the release of any materials unless they are specifically identified above.

Company Name ______________________________________________

Authorized Representative ______________________________________________ Signature

Authorized Representative ________________________________________________ Type or Print

Date ___________________________________________

ATTACHMENT D

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Please indicate if you firm meets all the mandatory requirements

4.1.1 Must have conducted a comprehensive classification and compensation study for a public entity in the State of

Wisconsin within the past 5 years. Yes_____ No______

4.1.2 The Vendors key personnel listed in the proposal must be present during the interview and must be the same key personnel who will oversee the project during all phases. Personnel substitutions for extraordinary circumstances must be submitted in writing and are subject to approval by the Owner (County).

Yes_____ No______

4.1.3 The project lead must have at least 5 years of experience providing public sector compensation studies or an equivalent level of experience in the field. Yes_____ No______

ATTACHMENT E

COST PROPOSAL

Submit original plus one copy (Submit in separate envelope within proposal package)

EXTENDED TOTAL

PRICE

1. Cost of Project Labor and Materials

2. Travel** - estimated transportation, lodging, meals, expenses, etc (attach specific breakdown)

3. Any other expenses $______________

4. Maintenance of Wage Plan Annual pricing for five (5) years (itemize as appropriate)

$ ____________ /year x five years =

5. TOTAL PROJECT COST

(200 POINTS)