Pay Equity Study

The City of Bend, Oregon (Deschutes County) has issued Informal Request for Proposals (IRFP) No. 26-41906 for professional services to conduct a comprehensive Equal Pay Analysis guided by the Oregon Equal Pay Act and federal law requirements. The procurement seeks a qualified consultant to analyze pay equity across all job classifications for the City's workforce of over 800 employees, including approximately 113 fire prevention and suppression staff, 25 emergency medical personnel, 129 police officers and support staff, and 305 employees represented by the City of Bend Employees Association. Required deliverables include a detailed project plan with timeline and team overview, compensation practice analysis identifying positions of comparable character, identification of pay disparities with recommendations, a formalized employee appeal process, implementation plan, and staff training on future application of pay equity tools and systems. The consultant must develop sound methodology, aggregate workforce data across all organizational departments, and complete all deliverables by the end of calendar year 2026. Evaluation of proposals will be scored based on project understanding and approach (250 points maximum), project team experience and service quality (250 points maximum), cost (100 points maximum), and interviews if conducted (100 points available). Proposals must be submitted electronically through the City of Bend eProcurement Bonfire Portal by April 15, 2026, with questions required to be submitted at least five business days prior to the deadline. Proposers must submit a letter of interest detailing qualifications and relevant experience, three references for similar work completed within the past five years, and a detailed cost proposal.

Proposers must comply with extensive statutory certifications including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 5 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, ORS 659A, and the City of Bend's non-discrimination policy, with particular requirements addressing non-discrimination in subcontracting against minority, women, emerging small business enterprises, and disabled veteran-owned businesses. Proposers must certify compliance with Oregon Workers' Compensation Law and tax requirements, and those seeking resident bidder status under ORS 279A.120 must provide evidence of having paid unemployment or income taxes in Oregon during the twelve calendar months preceding bid submission and maintain a business address in the state. The contract is structured on a time and materials basis with a total contract price not to exceed an amount to be specified by the City, which may only be exceeded upon prior written authorization from the City Manager. The selected contractor must maintain commercial general liability insurance with minimum coverage of $2,000,000 per incident and in aggregate, commercial automobile liability insurance with a combined single limit of $2,000,000, and professional liability insurance with a combined single limit of not less than $1,000,000 per claim and aggregate. The contract shall become effective upon signature by both parties and approval by the City's legal counsel, with all work product generated under the contract becoming the exclusive property of the City, and the City retaining the right to terminate the contract at its sole discretion with 30 days' notice or for cause.