Title: 2026 Compensation Data Analysis Reports - Service (Labor) Requirement

Sources Sought Number: 19AQMM26N0149

Agency: U.S. Department of State (DoS)

Office: Office of Overseas Employment in the Bureau of Global Talent Management (PERT/OE)

Location: Washington, DC

Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice

NAICS Code: 541612- Human Resources Consulting Services

This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal

(RFP) or a commitment on the part of the Government to conduct a solicitation for the below-listed services in the future. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for information submitted in response to this

Sources Sought, nor will it compensate respondents for any costs incurred in the development/furnishing of a response. The Government will not entertain telephone calls for this Sources Sought. A decision not to submit a response to this Sources Sought will not preclude a vendor from participating in any future solicitation.

Responses are directed to those companies with a NAICS Code of 541612. Respondents are welcome to submit other relevant and appropriate NAICS codes for consideration.

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this Sources Sought (SS) is to accomplish market research pursuant to Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) Part 10, and to identify businesses capable of and interested in performing the functions described herein. The Government is requesting information regarding the availability and feasibility of attracting businesses with proven technical capability and experience in compensation data analysis reports, specifically services (labor).

1.1 Introduction

The Department of State’s (DOS) Office of Overseas Employment in the Bureau of Global Talent Management

(PERT/OE) is responsible for establishing and updating local compensation and benefit plans that apply to all

Locally Employed (LE) Staff of the U.S. Government (USG) in countries where DOS has a diplomatic presence.

The Department of State has approximately 186 Local Compensation Plans (LCPs) that cover approximately

60,000 LE staff members working for USG agencies represented at U.S. Missions (U.S. embassies, consulates, and other U.S. presence posts) in over 186 overseas localities. Most of these employees are non-U.S. citizens. They are hired in country to support USG agencies and their agency-specific programs, and the majority are ordinarily resident in the foreign jurisdictions.

The Foreign Service Act (FSA) of 1980 is the U.S. law underlying all compensation and benefits for LE Staff that work for USG agencies overseas. This law requires that each local compensation plan be based on prevailing wage rates and compensation practices for corresponding types of positions in the locality of employment and be consistent with local labor law (insofar as local labor law does not contravene U.S. law). The local compensation plan in each country forms the official basis for all compensation payments to LE Staff. All payments to LE Staff, such as salary, direct benefit payments, premium compensation, and USG contributions to host government social insurance or private insurance plans, must be specifically authorized in the local compensation plan and approved by the Office of Overseas Employment (PERT/OE) in Washington, D.C.

1.2 Background

The primary objective of the LE Staff Compensation program is to provide a total compensation package that will enable USG agencies at U.S. missions overseas to recruit and retain LE Staff for continued employment with the

USG under conditions that fully support USG objectives in each country.

In accordance with Section 408 of the Foreign Service Act (FSA), the LE Staff local compensation plan applies a total remuneration model which includes cash and non-cash compensation and other benefits that are locally prevailing to the extent consistent with the U.S. public interest and the USG’s responsibility to the U.S. taxpayers.

A total compensation package is based on the application of a total remuneration model and should demonstrate that the U.S. Mission is a competitive and responsible employer. Country-specific total compensation levels are determined by analyzing the general labor market in the locality of employment using commercial data sources. By comparing these external total compensation levels to USG total compensation levels and applying appropriate adjustments, the USG must achieve a level of pay that is consistent with the intent of the FSA and that enables the

USG to recruit and retain appropriate LE Staff based on each U.S. Mission’s unique employment needs.

2.0 Statement of Need and Vision

Local measures of total compensation must be carried out annually in accordance with the provisions and methodology specified in federal regulations and DOS policy. Federal regulations allow DOS to obtain commercial data in lieu of conducting its own surveys. In line with standard industry practice and to increase cost effectiveness, DOS currently purchases and evaluates a variety of commercially available proprietary compensation and benefit databases that meet these requirements from leading international compensation and benefit consultant companies.

The purpose of this solicitation is to select multiple vendors with adequate proprietary total compensation databases covering multiple non-U.S. countries whose data will provide PERT/OE with a solid basis of information to support revisions to local compensation plans in each country consistent with the general requirements of federal regulations and DOS policies. Vendors should also be available for periodic consultancy work and be able to conduct additional customized compensation and/or benefit surveys upon request. Resulting data should be in a format similar to the vendors’ regular reports, as requested and as further described in this document.

In addition to the compensation and benefit reports, vendors shall provide, upon authorized client request, advice on individual compensation issues relating to specific benefits or market conditions by country, region, or worldwide. Of particular importance will be expertise in assessing labor markets where volatile economic and social conditions exist related to hyperinflation, currency instability, warfare, natural disasters, etc., which may affect the employment environment. These queries and discussions, often with the vendors overseas offices, will be coordinated through each vendor’s U.S.-based headquarters although once begun, these discussions can evolve into direct exchanges with overseas offices. A capacity to react quickly and appropriately to develop the best possible local market-based total compensation information relevant to a given, sometimes highly volatile situation is required. Such information should in most cases be in the same format as the vendors’ regular database but depending on the situation, may be in another format when mutually agreed upon.

2.1 Tasks

In order to meet the project objective, vendors shall provide up-to-date allowances and benefits data for up to 186 non-U.S. countries in qualified survey companies (see section C below). Bids will be accepted from vendors with worldwide portfolios as well as vendors with expertise in a specific region or regions. The work to create these data reports shall be performed offsite at the vendors' offices.

Specific requirements for the allowances and benefits data and comparator companies to be included in the surveys, and staffing support, are outlined in detail in A- D below.

Companies will make their own customized global, regional, or country specific studies of unique compensation or benefit issues available to PERT/OE as they complete these studies. Likewise, studies about any emerging global, regional or country-specific allowances and benefit trends will be provided to PERT/OE as part of the subscription.

A. General Characteristics

1. Vendors' databases must be proprietary databases generated by the vendors, or by locally-contracted vendor affiliates using vendor quality-controlled methodologies, and not by unaffiliated third parties; and

2. Country-specific surveys must be conducted or updated at a minimum on an annual basis; and

3. Timing of individual country surveys must coincide with or shortly follow general salary adjustments made by public and private enterprises in each country; and

4. Data must be produced and presented in a standardized format that can be easily and automatically uploaded, converted and exported into PERT/OE’s analysis tools with all data columns, database properties, titles, etc., clearly labeled and easily identified (templates to be provided by DOS); and

5. Industry standard survey methodology(s) must be used and explanations provided in the vendor reports; and

6. The "as of" date of the compensation and benefit data, i.e., the date the data was collected or age to, must be indicated in each report; and

7. Inclusion of the current local income tax code is required, including salary brackets, tax rate for each bracket, definition of taxable income for an individual, and standard deductions for an individual and dependents; and

8. Salary data and benefit data requested throughout this Statement of Work must be presented by survey participants, and/or categorized by sector (i.e. public, private or international agency) company, or by percentage of companies. Information may be presented in the data export, a summary report or imbedded narrative; and

9. Identification of local prevailing practices that affect retirement eligibility must be included; and

10. General narrative description of the market conditions and trends and economic indicators must be included;

and

11. Vendors must be able to provide adequate data (see requirements for the data in sections B-G) for a minimum of 75 non-U.S. countries.

12. Vendors will provide electronic access to their databases of English-language information about statutory benefits, local labor law, and other reporting about legal changes that affect salary and benefits in the countries where they collect data.

13. Vendor provided data will be uploaded into PERT/OE’s analytical tool (which may be a third-party analytical tool). If it is a third-party tool, appropriate Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA)s will be required to ensure that proprietary data of each vendor is appropriately safeguarded. PERT/OE may request that the data be provided directly to the third-party.

B. Salary Data Characteristics

1. Salary rates must be reported for each job surveyed to the extent consistent with laws and regulations governing the disclosure of compensation information; and

2. Salary rates must be reported in a manner that allows OE to analyze both countrywide and special city or regional information. (i.e., have the ability to filter information by city, region or country in aggregate.)

3. Salary rates must be produced and presented in percentile format at the following percentiles: 50th, 75th, and

90th; and

4. Salary rates must be reported on an annual basis with any variation specifically indicated (i.e. rates reported on an hourly, daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis); and

5. Inclusion of standard workweek hours (hours at work exclusive of non-paid meal time and non-paid break time) must be provided (by position, if possible, or by company or percentile, if applicable); and

6. Salary data presented must include a total compensation rate that captures base salary and, to the greatest extent possible, all other cash and in-kind compensation elements that are reported. For each salary rate, indicate which compensation elements are included: specify whether salary rates are base salaries or whether they include other cash or non-cash compensation such as bonuses, allowances, profit sharing, commissions, etc. Specify whether in-kind benefits such as shuttle bus, meal voucher, or free meals are included. For total compensation rates, indicate which components are not part of base salary and the monetary value of each such component; and

7. Identification of pay banding or other merit-based compensation must be provided where applicable; and

8. Indication of whether salary rates are denominated and paid in local currency, U.S. dollars or some other currency must be provided. The exchange rate used in any conversion must be provided; and

9. If salary rates are abbreviated (i.e. “000” dropped from the data report), this must be clearly annotated on all the salary reports; and

10. Indication of whether salaries reported are gross or net, i.e., before or after taxes must be provided.

C. Salary Movement Trend Data

1. Annual data reports for each country must include salary movement data from all available previous calendar years, current year, and projections for the upcoming one to two calendar years depending on whether projections can be reliably made in each country’s economic environment. Actual or estimated salary rates in the currency used for local compensation is the focus here rather than cost of living adjustments or any other international index of economic movement/change. Salary movement data may vary for different levels of work; and

2. Due to the relationship between the cost of labor and the cost of living, in countries where annual cost of living adjustments are common, or adjustments are made based on other internationally accepted indices of economic movement, these change must also be reported; and

3. Explanation of calculations used for salary movement projections must be provided: i.e., company-based projection data; linear regression model; equations based on economic indicators, etc.; and

4. Salary movement trend data must be provided each year either globally or broken down by regions for all countries from which the vendor collects data. Formatting of the reports can vary from vendor to vendor but will include.

a. Salary movement projected by the vendor for each country (for the upcoming year or cycle)

b. Actual Salary movement for those same countries (once the analysis has been completed).

D. Benefit Data Characteristics

1. Vendors must provide data on cash and non-cash benefits, including bonuses, allowances and in-kind benefits, separately identifying the monetary value of each benefit provided to incumbents of matched positions including, but not limited to: free meals, meal vouchers, meal or transportation allowances, shuttle buses, use of company cars, company sponsored activities, subsidized loans (I.e. loans made to employees at interest rates lower than those available on the local market), profit sharing, etc. Vendor must provide explanations of calculations used to arrive at benefit amounts as applicable. Vendor must indicate which benefits, if any, are included in the aggregate salary rates being reported; and

2. Cash and in-kind benefit data must include information on utilization and/or number and grade level of incumbents receiving the benefits; and

3. Clear information about legally mandated benefit programs must be provided (i.e. pension plans, severance pay, medical plans, employee provided child-care, minimum lengths of mandated parental leave,) etc.,

4. Data must be produced and presented in a standardized format (template to be provided); this format may evolve depending on the analysis tools in use, and

5. Vendors must provide indications of developing benefit trends, information on premium compensation provisions as required by local law and, if rates vary, as provided by the surveyed companies, inclusive of overtime rates, night or specific day differentials, holiday pay, shift differentials on-call/stand-by pay; and

6. Vendors must provide data on both public and private risk benefits. Risk benefits include health and life insurance, retirement and severance benefits, and paid leave (pay for approved time not worked due to illness, holiday, etc.).

E. Surveyed Companies

1. Surveyed companies must represent a cross section of local industry, inclusive of multinational, international, public and private enterprises. Vendors must survey a minimum of five enterprises/organizations at any one grade level in any country specific labor market for the data sample at that grade level to be considered adequate for USG purposes; and

2. Surveyed companies must have structured personnel systems with work conditions similar to the USG (e.g.

office workers doing administrative, analytical and programmatic work); and

3. Surveyed companies must require high levels of skills and/or education for a wide range of job responsibilities from trades/labor to mid-level management to specialist jobs; and

4. A majority of surveyed companies must be located in the capital city or major economic and industrial centers. Regional variations in pay and benefits must be clearly reported and explained; and

5. Continuity of data with consistent surveyed companies in the reported databases from year to year must be provided. Vendors must indicate the number or percentage of companies surveyed that are consistently included over a three-year period. Vendors must explicitly indicate if and when conditions at a post have resulted in a major change to the number of companies participating in the survey or other factors that affect the quality and consistency of the data; and

6. Vendor data must be provided in such a way that allows PERT/OE to analyze the data by job family, industry, specific cross sections of companies, employment sector, and/or by region and/or by survey participation continuity; and

7. Surveyed companies that are the basis for each published report must be identified for each country's database by name, location within the country, industry, and staff size.

F. Surveyed Jobs

1. At the beginning of the contract period there will be an extensive exercise with successful bidders to match the levels of Embassy/Consulate positions with levels in the vendors’ databases (by duties/responsibilities/complexity/knowledge/skills). This is subject to periodic review and validation by

PERT/OE; and

2. List of surveyed jobs and a detailed description of each surveyed job used by the vendors to obtain compensation data must be provided to PERT/OE; and

3. The following categories of positions must be included in surveyed jobs: manual/skilled laborers, clerical, technical, administrative, professional, mid-level management, and senior level specialist (such as positions in medical, legal, engineering, and scientific job families); and

4. Data reported for each surveyed job must include job title, level (if one of several levels for that type of job), job specific code, the number of incumbents among the surveyed companies, and/or the number of companies having a match for each grade level, compensation and benefit data as described herein; and

5. The survey must include representative surveyed jobs (jobs with different duties and responsibilities than

U.S. Embassy/Consulate positions but with equivalent grade levels or point values in a particular job evaluation system); and

6. Vendors must provide compensation data for a minimum of five of the Department’s 13 grade levels for the survey to be considered adequate/acceptable for USG purposes (in exceptional circumstances this minimum may be adjusted to accommodate unique labor market conditions in which labor market data is extremely limited). Surveyed jobs will be typical jobs most frequently found in local labor markets at levels of work equivalent to the same level of work in the DOS-provided standard benchmark grade levels (as referenced above).

7. Vendors must maintain a grade match quality control program across all surveyed countries to ensure that jobs surveyed have the same levels of duties, responsibilities and complexity as the DOS-provided standard benchmark grade levels. (A grade level match is defined as a surveyed company’s jobs whose levels of responsibility are very similar to the DOS-provided standard benchmark grade level). Vendors will be available on an annual basis to review matches and address concerns if and when they arise; and

8. Consistency of jobs at the same level in the reported databases must be maintained from year to year; and

9. Consistency of jobs at the same level in the reported databases across regions and/or globally must be maintained from year to year.

G. Staffing Support

Vendors must identify a Point of Contact (POC) to provide support for PERT/OE inquiries regarding country-specific databases, compensation, benefits, benchmarking, trend data, clarification of terminology, etc. who will respond within one business day of receipt of the inquiry. A review of the contract relationship will take place annually at a mutually agreed upon time (in-person or virtually) to review operations, discuss evolving methodologies and maintain productive and professional relationships between the two parties.

Services:

Criteria detailed in sections A-G apply to all services listed below.

1. Non-U.S. country salary data report (fixed price per country)

2. Non-U.S. country comprehensive benefits data report (fixed price per country)

3. Non-U.S. country leave benefits report (fixed price per country)

4. Non-U.S. country report on local labor law mandated benefits (fixed price per country)

5. Non-U.S. country custom regional compensation and labor market data report (labor hour)

6. Non-U.S. country custom compensation survey reports (labor hour)

7. Presentations on custom survey reports to Department of State stakeholders domestic and overseas (labor hour)

2.2 Information Technology and Security

Vendor must abide by the DOS Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) policies and procedures. Requirements will be delivered and updated by the PERT COR and/or ISSO.

Vendor must perform basic cybersecurity efforts to ensure that the data and databases produced are free from malware and viruses. Any use of “macros” must be documented with such documentation provided to the PERT

COR and ISSO prior to delivery of data.

2.3 Period of Performance

The period of performance for support under this instrument shall be one base year and four option years beginning from the date of award and signature by Department Contracting Officer.

2.4 Security Clearance Level

All work to be performed under this contract is unclassified.

2.5 Place of Performance

All work is to be performed from Contractor premises.

2.6 Government Furnished Property

No government-furnished property will be provided to Contractor.

2.7 Travel

Except as otherwise provided herein, the Contractor shall be reimbursed for its reasonable actual travel costs in accordance with its usual accounting practices consistent with FAR Subpart 31.2, specifically FAR 31.205-46.

Travel must be directly related to and required for performance of this contract, and authorized in advance and in writing by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). In no event shall costs associated with employee commuting be reimbursable as a direct cost under this contract.

2.8 Deliverables

At a minimum, compensation reports should be provided annually per country, with the option for ad hoc custom surveys as requested.

3.0 Responses

Responses should be limited to 12 pages or less and be submitted as a Microsoft Word Document or Portable

Document Format (PDF). Submissions should include the company’s capability statement that aligns with 2.0

Statement of Need and Vision (above) and responds to the following categories:

Company Profile, to include:

• General Business Information, completing the following table:

Company Name:

Company Point-of-Contact

Email:

Phone:

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

Number:

Socioeconomic Status under NAICS

Code 541612

Example: HUBZone; Veteran Owned; Woman-Owned; 8(a); Service

Disabled Veteran Owned

Registered and Active in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

Yes No

On the Excluded Party List Yes No

Capability Statement Included Yes No

3.1 How to Respond

Please submit your response no later than 03/25/2026 by 12:00 P.M. Eastern, with electronic files sent to the following points of contact:

Nichole Gross, Contracting Officer at GrossNS@state.gov.

Please title the subject of your email 2026 Compensation Data Analysis Reports - Service (Labor)

Requirement

At this time, questions will not be accepted.

Thank you.

mailto:GrossNS@state.gov