ESBD_456630_1758724870817_RFP S2025-014 Classification and Compensation Study.pdf

Solicitation ID: RFP S2025-014 NIGP Codes: 918-65, 918-40, 918-83

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill Classification and Compensation Study

Purchasing Department 926 Main Street

Liberty Hill, Texas 78642 https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/

Specification Number: RFP #S2025-014

Request for Proposals

NIGP CODE: 918-65, 918-40, 918-83

Responses Due: October 29, 2025 @ 5:00PM CST https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

City of Liberty Hill

Request For Proposal

Part I

General

1. Purpose: The City of Liberty Hill, herein after “City”, seeks an agreement with a qualified Individual, Firm, or Corporation, herein “Respondent”, to provide Classification and Compensation services to assist in the development and implementation of a comprehensive employee classification and compensation system and pay scales for approximately 80 employees detailed in Attachment C.

2. Definitions, Terms and Conditions: By submitting a response to this solicitation, the Respondent agrees that the City’s standard Definitions, Terms and Conditions, in effect at the time of release of the solicitation, shall govern but shall be superseded by those terms and conditions specifically provided for otherwise within this solicitation, in a separate agreement or on the face of a purchase order. The City’s Definitions, Terms and Conditions are herein made a part of this solicitation and can be found on the City’s website by visiting https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/511/Purchasing.

2.1. Any exception to or additional terms and conditions attached to the response will not be considered unless respondent specifically references them on the front of the Solicitation Document. WARNING: Exception to or additional terms and conditions may result in disqualification of the response.

3. Attachments: Attachments (A through C) are herein made a part of this solicitation.

3.1. Attachment A: Reference Sheet

3.2. Attachment B: Price Sheet

3.3. Attachment C: Staff Positions

4. Clarification: For questions or clarifications of specifications, you may contact:

Taylor Harkey Purchasing Coordinator City of Liberty Hill Telephone: 737-340-8850 Tharkey@libertyhilltx.gov

The individual listed above may be contacted by telephone or visited for clarification of the specifications only. No authority is intended or implied that specifications may be amended, or alterations accepted prior to solicitation opening without written approval of the City of Liberty Hill through the Purchasing Department.

5. Respondent Requirements: The opening of a solicitation shall not be construed as the City’s acceptance of such as qualified and responsive.

5.1. Respondents shall be firms, corporations, individuals, or partnerships normally engaged in the provision or service described herein.

https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/511/Purchasing mailto:Tharkey@libertyhilltx.gov

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

5.2. Respondents must be licensed and or certified to do business in the State of Texas in their applicable field relating to the scope of work and all requirements needed while doing business with the City.

6. Best Value Evaluation and Criteria: Respondents may be required to make an oral presentation to the selection team to further present their qualifications. These presentations will provide the Respondent the opportunity to clarify their proposal and ensure a mutual understanding of the services to be provided and the approach to be used.

All solicitations received may be evaluated based on the best value for the City. In determining best value, the City may consider:

• Proposed fees;

• Reference of Respondent and of Respondent’s services;

• Quality of the Respondent’s services;

• The extent to which the services meet the City’s needs;

• Respondent’s past relationship with the City;

• Any relevant criteria specifically listed in the solicitation.

6.1. The City reserves the right to reject any or all responses, or delete any portion of the response, or to accept any response deemed most advantageous, or to waive any irregularities or informalities in the response received that best serves the interest and at the sole discretion of the City.

7. Committee Review: An evaluation committee will review each response to determine the most highly qualified Respondent on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualifications using the following weighted criteria. A consensus score will be assigned to each response. A committee of City of Liberty Hill evaluators has been established to evaluate the Solicitation Responses.

Criteria Possible Points Experience and Qualifications: Respondent shall provide a brief history of the organization and explanations of unique qualifications for consideration. Information shall provide length of years in business.

Proposed Program: Respondent shall provide detailed information and specifications on proposed program to meet City’s needs to include all items/ requests referenced in PART III of this Solicitation.

Cost of Program and Fees: Respondent shall itemize all related costs, discounts, and fees on Attachment B. 25

Data/ Transaction Information: Respondent shall provide samples of key reports and invoices 15

Interview 15

References Acceptable/ Inacceptable

Total 100

The evaluation process may reveal additional information for consideration. The City reserves the right to modify, without notice, the evaluation structure and weighted criteria to accommodate these additional considerations to serve the best interest of the City.

8. Award: The City reserves the right to enter into an Agreement or a Purchase Order with a single award, split awards, non-award, or use any combination that best serves the interest and at the

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill sole discretion of the City. Award announcement will be made upon City Council approval of staff recommendation and executed agreement. Award announcement will appear on the City’s website at https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/bids.aspx. Bid prices are requested to be firm for the City of Liberty Hill acceptance for 90 days from the Solicitation Response Deadline (Opening Date).

8.1. The City reserves the right to reject any or all responses, or delete any portion of the response, or to accept any response deemed most advantageous, or to waive any irregularities or informalities in the response received that best serves the interest and at the sole discretion of the City.

8.2. Chapter 176, Texas Local Government Code requires that disclosures of certain relationships be made in relation to certain contracts with the City. Local government officers are the members of the City Council, the City Administrator, and other City employees or agents who exercise discretion in planning, recommending, selecting and contracting of a vendor. Please contact the City Secretary for a list of City employees and agents who may qualify as local government officers. Click here Chapter 176, Texas Local Government Code, to review this requirement.

8.3. A completed CIQ Form is required with each response.

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/conflict/

8.4. Once a selection is made and the City has the intent to award, the successful respondent will be required to submit Form 1295 to the State of Texas electronically prior to executing the agreement or purchase order.

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm

9. Agreement Term: The terms of the awarded agreement shall include but not be limited to the following:

9.1. The term “agreement” shall mean the executed contract awarded as a result of this solicitation and all exhibits thereto. At a minimum, the following documents will be incorporated into the agreement:

9.1.1. Solicitation document, attachments and exhibits;

9.1.2. Solicitation addendums, if applicable;

9.1.3. City’s Definitions, Terms and Conditions;

9.1.4. Successful Respondent’s submission.

9.2. If the Respondent fails to perform its duties in a reasonable and competent manner, the City shall give written notice to the Respondent of the deficiencies and the successful Respondent shall have thirty (30) days to correct such deficiencies. If the Respondent fails to correct the deficiencies within the thirty (30) days, the City may terminate the agreement by giving the Respondent written notice of termination and the reason for the termination.

9.3. If the agreement is terminated, for any reason, respondent shall turn over all material, records and deliverables created to date within fifteen (15) working days after completion of duties through the termination date.

10. Prompt Payment Policy: Payments will be made in accordance with the Texas Prompt Payment Law, Texas Government Code, Subtitle F, Chapter 2251. The City will pay Vendor within thirty days after the acceptance of the supplies, materials, equipment, or the day on which the performance of services was completed or the day, on which the City receives a correct invoice for the supplies, materials, equipment or services, whichever is later. The Vendor may charge a late fee (fee shall not be greater than that which is permitted by Texas law) for payments not made in accordance with this prompt payment policy; however, this policy does not apply to payments made by the City in the event:

https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/bids.aspx http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.176.htm https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/conflict/ https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

10.1. There is a bona fide dispute between the City and Vendor concerning the supplies, materials, services or equipment delivered or the services performed that causes the payment to be late; or

10.2. The terms of a federal agreement, grant, regulation, or statute prevent the City from making a timely payment with Federal Funds; or

10.3. There is a bona fide dispute between the Vendor and a subcontractor or between a subcontractor and its suppliers concerning supplies, material, or equipment delivered or the services performed which caused the payment to be late; or

10.4. The invoice is not mailed to the City in strict accordance with instructions, if any, on the purchase order or agreement or other such contractual agreement.

11. Non-Appropriation: The resulting Agreement is a commitment of the City’s current revenues only.

It is understood and agreed the City shall have the right to terminate the Agreement at the end of any City fiscal year if the governing body of the City does not appropriate funds sufficient to purchase the estimated yearly quantities, as determined by the City’s budget for the fiscal year in question. The City may affect such termination by giving Vendor a written notice of termination at the end of its then current fiscal year.

12. Costs Incurred: Respondent shall acknowledge that the issuance of a solicitation shall in no way obligate the City to award a contract or to pay any costs associated with the preparation of a response to said solicitation. The costs in developing and submitting proposals, preparing for and participating in oral presentations or any other similar expenses incurred by a Respondent are the sole responsibility of the Respondent and shall not be reimbursed by the City.

Part II

Schedule

1. Solicitation Schedule: It is the City’s intention to comply with the following solicitation timeline:

Event Event Date* RFP Released September 29, 2025 @ 10AM CST Pre-Bid Meeting Conference Call (Non-Mandatory) Meeting ID: 220 829 729 711 1 Passcode: V9FD7r6H

October 14, 2025 @ 3:00PM CST

Deadline for Vendor Questions Submitted to the City of Liberty Hill October 20, 2025 @ 5:00PM CST

Questions and Answers to be posted on the City of Liberty Hill website on or before

October 22, 2025 @ 5:00PM CST

RFP Opened (last day to submit Responses) October 29, 2025 @ 5:00PM Oral Presentation (if necessary) November 2025

Contract Award Target November 2025 Services to begin upon execution of contract

*The City of Liberty Hill reserves the right to change the dates in the Schedule of Events above upon written notification to prospective Vendors through a posting on the City of Liberty Hill website. It is the responsibility of interested Vendors to check the City of Liberty Hill website for all updates and changes.

All questions regarding the solicitation shall be submitted via email to Tharkey@libertyhilltx.gov by 5:00 PM on the due date noted above. A copy of all the questions mailto:Tharkey@libertyhilltx.gov

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill submitted and the City’s response to the questions shall be posted on our webpage at:

https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/bids.aspx.

2. Pre-Solicitation Meeting: A NON-MANDATORY pre-solicitation meeting will be held to fully acquaint Respondents with the unique needs of the City. The pre-solicitation meeting will be conducted on:

Liberty Hill City Hall 926 Main St.

Liberty Hill, Texas 78642

TEAMS MEETING

Meeting ID: 220 829 729 711 1 Passcode: V9FD7r6H

2.1. The City considers this pre-solicitation meeting non-mandatory. It is highly recommended that you attend to fully acquaint yourself with the needs of the city. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to be familiar with the specifications herein and to ask any relevant questions they may have concerning this solicitation.

2.2. Attendance will be taken at the meeting.

3. Solicitation Updates: Respondents shall be responsible for monitoring the City’s website at https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/bids.aspx. for any updates pertaining to the solicitation described herein. Various updates may include addendums, cancelations, notifications, and any other pertinent information necessary for the submission of a correct and accurate response. The City will not be held responsible for any further communication beyond updating the website.

4. RESPONSE DUE DATE: Signed and sealed responses are due at or before 2:00 PM, on the date noted above to the Purchasing Department. Mail or carry sealed responses to:

FedEx, UPS or Hand Deliver to:

City of Liberty Hill Purchasing Department 926 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, Texas 78642

Mail to:

City of Liberty Hill Purchasing Department PO Box 1920 Liberty Hill, TX 78642

4.1. Responses received after this time and date shall not be considered.

4.2. Sealed responses shall be clearly marked on the outside of packaging with the Solicitation title, number, due date and “DO NOT OPEN”.

4.3. Facsimile or electronically transmitted responses are not acceptable.

4.4. Late responses will be returned to Respondent unopened if return address is provided.

4.5. Responses cannot be altered or amended after opening.

4.6. No response can be withdrawn after opening without written approval from the City for an acceptable reason.

4.7. The City will not be bound by any oral statement or offer made contrary to the written specifications.

5. Agreement Negotiations: In establishing an agreement as a result of the solicitation process, the City may:

5.1. Review all submittals and determine which Respondents are reasonable qualified for award of the agreement.

https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/bids.aspx https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/bids.aspx

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

5.2. Determine the Respondent whose submittal is most advantageous to the City considering the evaluation criteria.

5.3. Attempt to negotiate with the most responsive Respondent an agreement at fair and reasonable terms, conditions and cost.

5.4. If negotiations are successful, enter into an agreement or issue a purchase order.

5.5. If not successful, formally end negotiations with that Respondent. The City may then:

5.5.1. Select the next most highly qualified Respondent and attempt to negotiate an agreement at fair and reasonable terms, conditions and cost with that Respondent.

5.5.2. The City shall continue this process until an agreement is entered into or until all negotiations are terminated.

5.6. The City also reserves the right to reject any or all submittals, or to accept any submittal deemed most advantageous, or to waive any irregularities or informalities in the submittal received.

6. Post Award Meeting: The City and Respondent shall have a post award meeting to discuss, but not be limited to the following:

6.1. Identify specific milestones, goals and strategies to meet objectives.

6.2. Provide City contact(s) information for implementation of agreement.

6.3. Provide current organization structure, current evaluation process, job descriptions, pay scale, and police pay scale

7. Costs Incurred: Respondent shall acknowledge that the issuance of a solicitation shall in no way obligate the City to award a contract or to pay any costs associated with the preparation of a response to said solicitation. The costs in developing and submitting proposals, preparing for and participating in oral presentations or any other similar expenses incurred by a Respondent are the sole responsibility of the Respondent and shall not be reimbursed by the City.

Part III

Specifications

1. Scope: The City of Liberty Hill seeks to enter into an agreement with a qualified Respondent to provide a credible Classification and Compensation Plan with recommendations that accomplish several objectives and is consistent.

The selected consultant will conduct a comprehensive compensation and classification study with the following components:

1.1 Review and update job descriptions for current positions and future five-year staffing needs over a five-year horizon, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and compliance with relevant standards.

1.2 Assess optimal staffing levels for current and anticipated future needs to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.

1.3 Refine the performance evaluation process and develop or enhance performance evaluation tools to support consistent and objective employee assessments.

1.4 Define and implement a clear process to refine the classification and merit system—including criteria for reclassification and merit-based adjustments—and suggest improvements to the performance evaluation process so that the system aligns with organizational objectives, encourages employee development, and supports fair recognition of performance.

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

1.5 Benchmark against other related municipalities of sizable and substantial growth (to be selected by consultant).

1.6 Conduct a training needs assessment related to classification, compensation, and recommend appropriate training programs or resources.

1.7 Review staffing models and organizational structure, providing recommendations for potential changes that improve organizational effectiveness.

1.8 Recommend proposed organizational changes supporting effective classification and compensation systems.

1.9 Provide a comprehensive written report summarizing findings, recommendations, and implementation strategies to guide long-term compensation and classification management.

The consultant will work closely with organizational leadership and Human Resources, engaging with key stakeholders through interviews, surveys, and data collection to ensure buy-in and accurate information gathering.

All deliverables must be clear, actionable, and designed to support an equitable, competitive, and sustainable compensation system aligned with labor market trends and internal equity.

Note: The city reserves the right to add additional deliverables to the existing contract

2. Goal and Objective: The study aims to identify optimal staffing levels, classification and pay structures to ensure internal equity to attract and retain talent, comply with applicable laws and support market-aligned compensation practices.

2.1 Recommendations for implementation of internally equitable and externally competitive classification and compensation and benefits program

2.2 Analysis of department functions and responsibilities

2.3 ADA-Compliant position description and job duties with an emphasis on essential functions and education/training/certification/experience

2.4 Analysis of department functions and responsibilities and a recommendation on staffing levels necessary to support the operation of each department plus 5 years.

2.5 Ensure positions performing similar work with essentially the same level of complexity, responsibility, knowledge skills and abilities are classified together regardless of department

2.6 Provide salaries commensurate with assigned duties and work environment

2.7 Provide justifiable pay differential between individual classes with a goal of promoting career advancement opportunities while preventing salary compression

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

2.8 Development of two comprehensive free-range salary pay scales (workforce/management) utilizing the statistical data gathered.

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

Part IV

Response Requirements

1. Solicitation Submission Requirements: To achieve a uniform review process and obtain the maximum degree of comparability, the responses shall be organized in the manner specified below.

Responses shall not exceed thirty-five (35) pages in length (excluding title page, index/table of contents, attachments, addendums, or work sample attachments (on flash drive) and dividers).

The Respondent shall submit one (1) original signed paper copy and three (3) copies, clearly identified as a “COPY” of its Response.

In addition, the Respondent shall submit one (1) flash drive, each containing a complete copy of Respondent’s submission and a redacted confidential submission in an acceptable electronic format (PDF, RTF, TXT, DOC, XLS). A complete copy of the Response includes all documents required by this Solicitation. The flash drive shall be titled: “SOLICITATION NUMBER - Complete copy of [Name of Respondent]’s submission” and the confidential submission shall be titled: “SOLICITATION NUMBER - Complete copy of [Name of Respondent]’s submission – CONFIDENTIAL”. The Confidential submission copy must be redacted of any information deemed confidential by the Respondent. This Confidential copy will be used in responding to the Open Records Request. Failure to provide a flash drive may result in disqualification for award.

2. Title Page: Show the solicitation title and number, the name of your firm, address, email, telephone number(s) name of the Respondent's Project Administrator who may be contacted regarding the proposal, date, and Federal EIN.

2.1. The Federal Employers Identification number is the Federal EIN. To minimize identity theft, every company MUST have an Employers Identification Number (EIN) prior to award of a contract. For information on obtaining your EIN, you may contact the IRS at (800) 829-4933 or visit https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs and complete the Form SS-4.

3. Letter of Transmittal: Identify the services for which solicitation has been prepared.

3.1. Briefly state your firms understanding for the services to be performed and make a positive commitment to provide the services as specified.

3.2. Provide the name(s) of the person(s) authorized to make representations for your firm, their titles, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address.

3.3. The letter of each solicitation shall be signed in permanent ink by a corporate officer or other individual who has the authority to bind the firm. The name and title of the individuals(s) signing the solicitation shall be clearly shown immediately below the signature.

4. Table of Contents: Present a clear and comprehensive identification of the contents of your proposal by section/tab number and by page number.

5. Added Value: Respondent shall explain and propose any added value that their specified program provides.

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

6. Response Checklist: This Checklist is to assist the Respondent in ensuring that all information is included in their response. Respondents must refer to the appropriate section of the RFP for detailed information on the following. Response pages must be numbered and contain an organized, paginated, table of contents corresponding to the Section and pages of the Response. Response shall include all of these elements or may be disqualified.

Tab Number

Requested Item Section or Attachment

1 Title Page (1 page) Part IV; Section 2

1 Letter of Transmittal (1 page) Part IV; Section 3

1 Table of Contents (1 page) Part IV; Section 4

2 Qualifications of Respondent Part I; Section 7

3 Proposed Program Part I; Section 7

4 Pricing and Fees Part I; Section 7

5 Sample Reports and Sample Invoice Part I; Section 7

6 References Attachment A

7 CIQ Form Part I; Section 8.3

8 Added Value Part IV; Section 5

9 Terms & Conditions Issues Part I; Section 2

10 Proposer’s Contract and/or Terms and Conditions Part I; Section 2

11 Solicitation Addenda, if applicable ESBD and/or the City of Liberty Hill Website

7. Confidentiality Of Content: All documents submitted in response to a solicitation shall be subject to the Texas Public Information Act. Following an award, responses are subject to release as public information unless the response or specific parts of the response can be shown to be exempt from the Texas Public Information Act. Pricing is not considered to be confidential under any circumstances.

7.1. Information in a submittal that is legally protected as a trade secret or otherwise confidential must be clearly indicated with stamped, bold red letters stating "CONFIDENTIAL" on that section of the document. The City will not be responsible for any public disclosure of confidential information if it is not clearly marked as such.

7.2. If a request is made under the Texas Public Information Act to inspect information designated as confidential, the Respondent shall, upon request from the City, furnish sufficient written reasons and information as to why the information should be protected from disclosure. The matter will then be presented to the Attorney General of Texas for final determination.

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

ATTACHMENT A

RESPONDENT’S REFERENCE SHEET

PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THIS FORM WITH THE SOLICITATION RESPONSE

SOLICITATION NUMBER:

RESPONDENT’S NAME: DATE:

Provide the name, address, telephone number and E-MAIL of at least three (3) Municipal and/or Government agencies or firms of comparable size that have utilized similar service within the last two (2) years. City of Liberty Hill references are not applicable. References may be checked prior to award. Any negative responses received may result in disqualification of submittal.

1. Company’s Name Name of Contact Title of Contact E-Mail Address Present Address City, State, Zip Code Telephone Number ( ) Fax Number: ( )

2. Company’s Name

Title of Contact E-Mail Address Present Address

3. Company’s Name

Title of Contact E-Mail Address Present Address

FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED INFORMATION WITH THE SOLICITATION RESPONSE MAY

AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFY THE RESPONSE FROM CONSIDERATION FOR AWARD.

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

ATTACHMENT B

PRICE SHEET

The undersigned, on behalf of __________________________________ submits for consideration [Proposers Name] the following Price Sheet for the requested scope of work (Part III; Section I & II) and fully understand the Terms and Conditions found at https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/511/Purchasing :

Description Hours Price Not to Exceed

Part III Section I (Scope) & II (Goal and Objective)

Total Project Price

Out-of-scope charge if deemed appropriate (requires explanation)

Grand Total

As identified below, must be an Owner or Officer

By:________________________________

Title:_______________________________

Date:_______________________________ https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/511/Purchasing

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

ATTACHMENT C

STAFF POSITIONS

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill

September 2025

City of Liberty Hill