RFI 02-104-26 Classification and Pay Plan Update.pdf

Request for Information

RFI 02-104-26

CLASSIFICATION & PAY PLAN UPDATE

Introduction:

The Department of Administration (DOA), Division of Personnel (DOP) is seeking information from qualified vendors, consultants, and subject matter experts on potential strategies, tools, and frameworks for developing a streamlined and effective position classification and pay plan for the State of Alaska. This effort is intended to support DOA in addressing key findings from the 2025 Statewide Salary Study and to ensure that the State’s classification and pay plan is modern, equitable, and responsive to workforce needs.

This request for information (RFI) does not guarantee future work. The information gathered through this RFI may inform the development of a future solicitation or implementation plan aimed at improving the State’s ability to classify positions accurately, support fair compensation practices, and enhance workforce planning and management.

Background Information:

The State of Alaska’s current classification and pay plan is governed by statutory requirements outlined in AS

39.25.150.1 These statutes direct the Director of Personnel, with the approval of the Commissioner of Administration and the Personnel Board, to develop and maintain a position classification plan and a corresponding pay plan for all positions in the classified and partially exempt services.

The classification plan must group positions based on duties and responsibilities and include appropriate titles, descriptions, qualifications, and other relevant specifications2. The pay plan must be based on the classification structure and ensure fair and reasonable compensation, reflecting the principle of "like pay for like work".

These frameworks are foundational to the State’s ability to recruit, retain, and manage a qualified workforce.

In response to findings from the 2025 Statewide Salary Study, DOA is seeking to explore options for establishing a streamlined, modernized, and functional classification and pay plan. The 2025 Statewide Salary

1 Alaska Statute 39.25.150 states in part: The personnel rules must provide for

(1) the preparation, maintenance, and revision, by the director of personnel, subject to approval of the commissioner of administration and the personnel board, of a position classification plan for all positions in the classified and partially exempt services; the position classification plan must include

(A) a grouping together of all positions into classes on the basis of duties and responsibilities;

(B) an appropriate title, a description of the duties and responsibilities, training and experience qualifications, and other necessary specifications for each class of positions;

See https://www.akleg.gov/basis/folio.asp

2 The State’s current Classification Plan framework can be found here: https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/classification/classOutline/

State of Alaska Department of Administration

Division of Personnel

Date Issued: December 18, 2025 https://www.akleg.gov/basis/folio.asp

Study recommended the State update its classification and pay plan based on occupational groupings with an internal job evaluation methodology to establish and maintain internal equity while streamlining and reducing the number of job classes in the State’s classification outline3. The State’s goal is to implement a more agile and transparent classification structure that better aligns with contemporary workforce practices, supports equitable compensation, and enhances the State’s ability to respond to evolving workforce demands.

Through this RFI, DOA invites input from qualified vendors, consultants, and subject matter experts on potential approaches, tools, and methodologies for designing and implementing a revised classification and pay plan. The goal is to gather insights that will inform future planning and decision-making, ensuring that any proposed solutions are practical, scalable, and compliant with statutory requirements. Future solicitation(s) opportunities may include a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process after which the State may award a contract to Offeror(s) for any or all of the services contemplated herein.

Response Information:

Responses must include the following:

1. Organization name, contact name, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail of designated point of contact;

2. Existing capableness and competence in project management consulting services applicable to the position classification and compensation system requirements identified above;

3. Level of experience in related project management consulting services detailing number of years’ experience held;

4. General and benchmark costs for your services;

5. Estimated project timeline for design and implementation; and

6. Responses in Portable Document Format (PDF), including any supplemental attachments.

Respondents are encouraged to share innovative ideas, lessons learned from similar projects, and insights into implementation timelines, resource requirements, and potential risks.

This RFI does not extend any rights to prospective vendors or obligate the state to conduct a solicitation or purchase any goods or services. DOA does not intend to award a contract from this RFI, nor will DOA be financially responsible for the preparation, or administration cost incurred to respond to this RFI. All costs associated with responding will be solely at the interested party’s expense.

Procurement Officer Contact Information:

Interested parties must submit a written response by February 2, 2026, at 2:00 PM AKST. Responses must be sent via email to: doa.oppm.procurement@alaska.gov

All questions must be in writing and emailed to: doa.oppm.procurement@alaska.gov Department of Administration Office of Procurement and Property Management

Notice to Vendors:

Pursuant to Administrative Order 352, (a) any person or business determined to support or participate in a boycott of the State of Israel will be disqualified from any procurement related to this Request for Information;

and (b) the support of or participation in a boycott of the State of Israel by a person or business contracting with the State of Alaska under AS 36.30 constitutes grounds for termination of a contract.

3 The complete 2025 Salary Study, produced by The Segal Group, is available at https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/reports/doplrStudies/salaryStudy2025/SalaryStudyFullReport.pdf.

mailto:doa.oppm.procurement@alaska.gov mailto:doa.oppm.procurement@alaska.gov https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/reports/doplrStudies/salaryStudy2025/SalaryStudyFullReport.pdf.

Administrative Order 352 does not apply to a contract if the person or business has fewer than 10 employees;

or the amount to be paid under the contract, excluding renewals and options available under the contract, is less than $100,000.

Disclosure of Submission Contents:

This section governs the ownership, return, and disclosure of any response or other record a Respondent submits in response to this request for information. (Herein, any reference to “Record” includes all such records and the submission response; any reference to “Law” includes any federal or State of Alaska (State) law, including any court or administrative order or rule.)

1. All Records belong to the State.

2. The State has sole discretion regarding whether to return any Record. In exercising this discretion, the

State will comply with all Laws.

3. Unless a notice of intent to award is issued pursuant to a subsequent and related solicitation, the State will, to the extent permitted by Law, consider all Records confidential and not subject to the Alaska Public Records Act (APRA).

4. If and when a notice of intent to award is issued, the State will consider nonconfidential any Record unless, at the time of submission, the Respondent undertook the following protective measures:

a. marked information confidential;

b. for any information marked confidential, identified the authority that makes that specific information confidential; and

c. committed, in writing, to explain in detail, including with affidavits and briefs, why each authority applies in any court or administrative proceeding in which any nondisclosure is challenged.

5. If the Respondent did not undertake each protective measure, the State will not consider any information in a Record confidential: the State will disclose the entire Record without any redaction in response to an APRA or other request or, if it chooses, in the absence of a request and the State will disclose the entire Record without notifying the Respondent.

6. If the Respondent undertook each protective measure, the State will withhold the information marked confidential to the following extent:

a. The State agrees that the Law protects the information; and

b. If the nondisclosure is challenged, the Respondent fulfills its commitment to explain, including with affidavits and briefs, how each authority applies to the information marked confidential.

The State will only notify a Respondent of a request for the Record and of a planned release if the Respondent undertook each protective measure, but the State disagrees that the marked information is protected. If there is such a disagreement, then before releasing the Record, the State will, to the extent permitted by Law and practicable, notify the Respondent that it will disclose the information unless the Respondent convinces the State not to or obtains an order prohibiting disclosure.

CLASSIFICATION & Pay PLAN UPDATE