Compensation & Classification Study

Charles County Government in Maryland issued a Request for Proposals on May 24, 2024, seeking qualified firms to conduct a comprehensive Compensation and Classification Study for county employees. The selected contractor must deliver a detailed evaluation of the county's current job classification and compensation structure, including a complete benchmark market analysis comparing Charles County positions against comparable roles in Anne Arundel, Calvert, St. Mary's, Frederick, Prince George's, and Queen Anne's counties, as well as the State of Maryland and organizations such as the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission and DC Water. Key deliverables include development of a comprehensive position description questionnaire, on-site and virtual employee briefings, creation of an updated classification system with standardized job descriptions, a position classification manual, review of Fair Labor Standards Act designations, analysis of pay compression issues, and a new general workforce pay plan with market-competitive open range structures. The contractor must also provide policy recommendations regarding pay incentives, living wage considerations, and guidelines for promotions and demotions. Proposals were due on July 16, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., submitted electronically through the county's procurement portal. The county will evaluate proposals based on five criteria: firm experience conducting similar studies for government jurisdictions (15 points), staff qualifications and expertise (15 points), understanding of the scope of work (30 points), additional items (10 points), and pricing (30 points). Proposing firms must demonstrate expertise in Maryland and federal employment laws, provide a minimum of five project references, and possess substantial insurance coverage including commercial automobile, workers' compensation, general liability, and professional liability insurance with specified minimum limits. Payment will be structured in four milestone increments of 25% each: upon project initiation, upon completion of the draft study, upon completion of the final study, and upon project closure.

Charles County has established Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) programs with an aspirational goal of 25% MWBE participation for this project. The county currently operates under a classification and compensation system managed by the Director of Human Resources, with positions organized across 24 grades (102-123) and salary ranges detailed in the Salaries by Position report updated February 1, 2023, covering positions from entry-level Building Services Technicians at $30,990 to the County Administrator at $236,100. The selected contractor will work with the existing personnel manual framework and will utilize or build upon the Job Assessment Tool (JAT) methodology developed by Evergreen Solutions, which evaluates positions across five compensable factors: Leadership, Working Conditions, Complexity, Decision Making, and Relationships. The contractor must integrate with the county's current pay scale structure that includes a 2% cost of living adjustment for Fiscal Year 2024 and must address the implementation of Maryland's increased minimum wage from $1.75 to $15.00 per hour. While specific contract values are not disclosed in the RFP documents, payment structure based on milestone completion suggests a professional services contract of substantial scope, with the competitive evaluation heavily weighted toward technical capability (55 points combined for experience, qualifications, and scope understanding) and pricing representing 30 percent of the evaluation criteria.