RFP for Recruitment Classification Compensation_Final.docx

Contra Costa County

Request for Proposals (RFP) For

CLASSIFICATION, COMPENSATION, AND

EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT SERVICES

Solicitation #: RFP_F-Contr-0000000126 Release Date: September 17, 2025

Proposal Due Date: October 10, 2025 No later than 3:00 P.M. PST

Contact:

Des Gebre, Sr. Buyer

Contra Costa County Purchasing Division 40 Muir Road Martinez, CA 94553

General Information:

The Contra Costa County (“County”) Human Resources Department (“HRD”) is requesting proposals from qualified consultants to provide classification and compensation study services, including larger countywide studies that serve to consolidate, standardize, and align the scope, type and level of work performed in all classifications throughout the County, and executive recruitment services. The selected consultant(s) will be responsible for evaluation of County classifications, hierarchical orders, conducting salary surveys to establish pay ranges and step progressions within the ranges, and providing executive recruitment services for select vacancies on an as-needed basis.

RFP Schedule

Late submissions will not be considered.

Table of Contents

Page

· Appendix C – References

· Appendix D – Anti-Collusion Statement

Section I: Introduction A. Purpose The purpose of on-going recruitment, classification and compensation studies, as well as executive recruitment services, is to address changes in County operations and staffing, which may have affected the type, scope, and level of work being performed.

The Human Resources Department’s objectives are to:

1. Recruit and retain qualified employees;

2. Ensure classifications performing similar work with essentially the same level of complexity, responsibility, and knowledge, skills, and abilities are classified together;

3. Provide salaries commensurate with assigned duties;

4. Clearly outline recognizable opportunities for compensation growth;

5. Provide a justifiable pay differential between individual classes;

6. Maintain a competitive position with other comparable counties within the same geographic areas.

All work will be performed with the regular involvement of HRD and County leadership. Department Heads and other key personnel, as well as the labor unions, will be involved as necessary. Regular presentations and meetings with these individuals or groups, and incorporating their input into the process, are expected. A presentation to HRD and County leadership upon completion of the project is also expected.

Studies shall evaluate the current classification and salary structure as compared to the specific job market for comparable positions in the public sector.

B. Background Contra Costa County is a general law county in the state of California, which provides a broad range of health, social, justice, law enforcement, fire protection, and general government services. It is home to 19 cities and numerous unincorporated communities. Contra Costa is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors elected to represent residents of our County. County government also includes a variety of citizen commissions, committees, and other entities formed to advise the Board of Supervisors and County staff on issues and policy.

The County employs over 11,000 individuals, across 25 departments, with offices located in most of the cities in Contra Costa County. The County provides a range of employee benefit programs, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life, paid leave, retirement, and longevity.

The Human Resources Department regularly conducts classification and compensation studies across all County departments, that include all represented and unrepresented employee classifications. As part of the Human Resources strategic plan, priorities are focused on workforce sustainability and equitable resource allocations. The County is seeking consultants to support HRD in conducting classification and compensation studies on an as-needed basis, such as during peak periods. Additionally, HRD is seeking executive recruitment services.

C. RFP Schedule

Late submissions will not be considered.

Proposals will not be accepted after the date and time stated above. Incomplete proposals or proposals that do not conform to the requirements specified herein will not be considered. Issuance of the RFP does not oblige the County to award a contract, nor is the County liable for any costs incurred by the proposer in the preparation and submittal of proposals for the subject work. The County retains the right to award all or parts of this contract to several bidders, to not select any bidders, and/or to re-solicit proposals. The act of submitting a proposal is a declaration that the proposer has read the RFP and understands all the requirements and conditions.

D. Period of Agreement The proposed contract term is three years, during the period January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029, with the option for two one-year renewals.

E. Questions All questions regarding the proposal will be accepted through the BidNet Direct website only. The deadline for submitting questions for this RFP is on or before October 03, 2025, no later than 3:00 P.M. local time. All questions will be answered and disseminated to those registered on BidNet Direct. Contact customer service if you need technical assistance with any part of the bid process: support@bidnet.com or call (800) 835-4603, Option 2.

Section II: Scope of Work

The County is seeking several qualified consultants to perform or provide the following Services, but not be limited to:

A. Classification Studies

· Review and analyze existing County classification specifications to determine appropriateness of duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and FLSA designation. This may include comparing County classifications to equivalent positions in identified comparable public sector agencies.

· Recommend updates or new classifications as needed to reflect changes in County operations, staffing, and labor market trends.

· Identify opportunities to consolidate classifications, if applicable, by evaluating similarities in job duties, complexity, scope of responsibility, and required knowledge, skills, and abilities, ensuring alignment with operational needs and classification best practices.

B. Compensation Studies

· Conduct salary studies comparing County classifications to equivalent positions in identified comparable public sector agencies.

· Design and administer targeted or comprehensive salary surveys to collect accurate and relevant market data.

· Compile and analyze survey results to identify compensation trends, pay gaps, and the County’s competitive position within the labor market.

· Deliver comprehensive market data and support documentation in editable electronic format.

· Develop clear, data-based recommendations for adjustments to the County’s salary structure that align with its compensation philosophy, support recruitment and retention objectives, promote internal equity, and reflect the current departmental pay framework.

C. Executive Recruitment Services

· Collaborate with the Human Resources Department and County leadership to define recruitment needs, position profiles, and selection criteria, and create job postings and/or brochures to advertise the role.

· Develop and execute recruitment strategies, including targeted outreach, advertising, and sourcing candidates from diverse pools.

· Screen and evaluate candidates, providing HRD with a list of qualified finalists.

· Coordinate interview processes, candidate communications, and reference verifications as requested.

· Maintain documentation of recruitment activities and provide regular updates to HRD.

D. General Requirements

· Collaboration and Communication

· Participate in meetings, presentations, and discussions with HRD and other various stakeholders.

· Maintain regular communication with the County’s designated project manager.

· Provide status updates on a weekly basis and at agreed intervals.

· Prepare Reports and Recommendations

· Develop comprehensive written reports summarizing findings, methodology, and recommendations.

· Provide justifications for proposed changes, including cost impacts where applicable.

· Timeline

· All work shall be performed within mutually agreed timeframes for each project assignment.

· Confidentiality

· Maintain strict confidentiality of all County information and records.

Section III: Evaluation and Selection Criteria A. Proposals shall be evaluated using the following criteria:

All responses will be evaluated by a recommendation panel comprised of persons with appropriate expertise in classification, compensation, and recruitment services, and a recommendation will be made to the County Board of Supervisors in accordance with the evaluation criteria outlined below. The final approval shall be the sole judgment and discretion of the County Board of Supervisors.

· Understanding and approach to the services required

· Prior experience in similar services for local government agencies

· Qualifications and capacity of the consultant(s) and ability to carry out the scope of work within the agreed upon timelines

· Completeness of proposal and adherence to RFP instructions

· Service fees The County will interview selected finalists virtually as part of the evaluation process. Following the interviews with the finalists, the Selection Committee shall establish a ranking of applicant preference based upon criteria. Effort shall be made to negotiate a contract with the top ranked applicants. Failing this effort, the Selection Committee shall then approach the remaining finalists in ranked order to negotiate a contract.

All proposals received in accordance with these RFP instructions will be evaluated to determine if they are complete and meet the requirements specified in the RFP. An award will be made to the proposer whose offer is judged to be the most advantageous to the County. The County expressly reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no award under this RFP.

B. Form of Agreement

1. The consultant(s) selected by the County will be required to submit their contractual requirements to be formatted on the standard County contract template. Should the Contractor be selected, in order to execute the Contract, the Contractor will have to provide proof of insurance during the entire term of this contract and any extension or modification thereof. Contractor shall keep in effect insurance policies meeting the following insurance requirements unless otherwise expressed in the Special Conditions.

2. Commercial General Liability Insurance. For all contracts where the total payment limit of the contract is $500,000 or less, Contractor will provide commercial general liability insurance, including coverage for business losses and for owned non-owned automobiles, with a minimum combined single limit coverage of $500,000 for all damages, including consequential damages, due to bodily injury, sickness or disease, or death to any person or damage to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, arising from each occurrence. Such insurance must be endorsed to include County and its officers and employees as additional insureds as to all services performed by Contractor under this Contract. Said policies must constitute primary insurance as to County, the state and federal governments, and their officers, agents, and employees, so that other insurance policies held by them or their self-insurance program(s) will not be required to contribute to any loss covered under Contractor’s insurance policy or policies. Contractor must provide County with a copy of the endorsement making the County and additional insured on all commercial general liability policies as required herein no later than the effective date of this Contract. For all contracts where the total payment limit is greater than $500,000, the aforementioned insurance coverage to be provided by Contractor must have minimum combined single limit coverage of $1,000,000. Workers’ Compensation: Contractor must provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage for its employees.

3. Certificate of Insurance. The Contractor must provide County with (a) certificate(s) of insurance evidencing liability and workers’ compensation insurance as required herein no later than the effective date of this Contract. If Contractor should renew the insurance policy(ies) or acquire either a new insurance policy(ies) or amend the coverage afforded through an endorsement to the policy at any time during the term of this Contract, then Contractor must provide (a) current certificate(s) of insurance.

4. Additional Insurance Provisions. No later than five days after Contractor’s receipt of: (i) a notice of cancellation, a notice of an intention to cancel, or a notice of a lapse in any of Contractor’s insurance coverage required by this Contract: or (ii) a notice of a material change to Contractor’s insurance coverage required by this Contract, Contractor will provide Department a copy of such a notice of cancellation, notice of intention to cancel, notice of lapse of coverage, or notice of material change. Contractor’s failure to provide Department the notice as required by the preceding sentence is a default under the Contract.

5. Proposal is not binding. No Contract will be executed at the time your proposal is returned to us for consideration, but proper execution should be available within a short time frame of confirmation of selection as a contractor. Any firm the County contracts with is considered an independent contractor and is solely responsible for providing its' employees with all legally required benefits.

C. Proposals are Public Records

Government Code Section 6250, the Public Records Act, defines a public record as any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics. The Public Records Act provides that public records shall be disclosed upon request and that any citizen has a right to inspect any public record, unless the document is exempted from disclosure.

Unless otherwise compelled by a court order, the County will not disclose any proposal while the County conducts its deliberative process in accordance with the procedures identified in this RFP. However, after the County either awards an agreement to a successful proposer, or rejects all proposals, the County shall consider each proposal subject to the public disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act. Each proposer is hereby informed that, upon submittal of its proposal to the County in accordance with this RFP, the proposal becomes the property of Contra Costa County.

D. Protest Procedures

In the event a dispute arises concerning the proposal process prior to the award of the contract, the party wishing resolution of the dispute shall submit a request in writing to the attention of:

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

GINA YETNER, CHIEF OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

1025 ESCOBAR STREET, 2ND FLOOR

MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA 94553

Section IV: Instructions to Bidders

A. Proposal Submission

· Response to this RFP MUST be submitted electronically through the BidNet Direct website – NO EXCEPTIONS

· Fax submittals WILL NOT be considered – NO EXCEPTIONS

· Late submittals WILL NOT be considered – NO EXCEPTIONS

B. Electronic Submission Format

· Letter of Introduction containing:

· Name, title, address, telephone number, fax number, and an email address of a contact person during the period of proposal evaluation.

· A statement that the proposal shall remain valid for a period of not fewer than 180 days from the due date of proposals.

· A statement that the proposer is in good standing in the State of California and has all necessary licenses, permits, approvals and authorizations to perform the obligations contained herein, in the proposal and final contract.

· Signature of a person authorized to bind the proposer to the terms of the proposal.

· Executive summary of the key features of your proposal including highlighted elements that you believe distinguish your proposal from those of other firms potentially responding to this RFP.

· Proposal describing specific capabilities approaches and methodologies that demonstrate a clear understanding of the nature of the service to be performed described in detail in Section II.

· A cost proposal describing fee structure at all levels, any ongoing maintenance and/or subscription fees, billing process, and other related costs.

· Resume(s) for key personnel.

· Statement of Qualification. See Appendix A.

· Responses to supplemental questions. See Appendix B.

· Minimum of three (3) letters of references with at least one from a government agency. Each letter must include the name of the firm, description of services that were provided, and the date of services and the contract amount for projects similar to the services requested in this RFP. See Appendix C.

· Anti-Collusion Statement. See Appendix D.

· Contra Costa County Business Opportunities Registration and Certification Form. See Attachment A.

C. Submission Expenses

Respondents shall be fully responsible for all costs incurred in the development and submission of this RFP.

D. Interpretation

Should any discrepancies, omissions, or doubt as to their meaning be found in the RFP specifications or requirements, the Respondent shall notify the County in writing through the BidNet Direct website. The County will send written instructions or addenda to all participants in the RFP process. The County shall not be responsible for oral interpretations.

E. Reservations

The County reserves the right to do the following at any time and for its own convenience, at its sole discretion:

· To reject any and all proposals without indicating any reasons for such rejection,

· Terminate this RFP and issue a new Request for Proposals anytime thereafter,

· Extend any or all deadlines specified in the RFP, including deadlines for accepting proposals by issuing an Addendum at any time prior to the deadline for receipt of responses to the RFP,

· Procure any services specified in the RFP by other means,

· Disqualify any Respondent on the basis of any real or perceived conflict of interest or evidence of collusion that is disclosed by the proposal or other data available to the County. Such disqualification is at the sole discretion of the County,

· Reject the proposal of any Respondent that is in breach of or in default under any other agreement with the County,

· Reject any Respondent deemed by the County to be non-responsive, unreliable, unqualified or non-responsible.

F. Subcontractors

Consultant shall not assign, subcontract, or delegate the performance of its services to any person, corporation, or entity without the prior written consent of County. Provided that such consent is obtained, it is understood and agreed that any such persons, corporations, or entities hired by Consultant shall be deemed agents of Consultant and that Consultant shall be responsible for the methods, means, and materials used in connection with the performance of any such services, and for any breach of this Agreement or any delays or damages occasioned by such work.

G. Addenda

No one is authorized to amend any of these documents in any respect by an oral statement or to make any representation or interpretation in conflict with their provisions. Any changes to these documents will be issued in writing via Addenda to be posted on BidNet Direct website.

Classification, Compensation and Executive Recruitment Services Solicitation #: RFP_F-Contr-0000000126 pg. 1

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