REQUEST FOR
PROPOSAL (RFP)
FOR
COUNTY-WIDE SALARY STUDY
#2026-03PC
Issued by:
Portage County
Purchasing Department
Proposals must be submitted
No later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, April 30, 2026 to:
Portage County Purchasing
1462 Strongs Ave
Stevens Point WI 54481
LATE PROPOSALS WILL BE REJECTED
There will not be a public opening for this Proposal
For further information regarding this
RFP contact Chris Schultz
At (715) 346-1393
Email: schultzc@co.portage.wi.gov
Issued: 04/09/2026
Table of Contents
1. General Information ............................................................................................................................. 4
1.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4
1.2. Definitions ..................................................................................................................................... 4
1.3. Scope............................................................................................................................................. 4
1.4. Calendar of Events ........................................................................................................................ 6
1.5. Contract Term and Funding .......................................................................................................... 7
2. Preparing and Submitting a Proposal ................................................................................................... 7
2.1. General Instructions...................................................................................................................... 7
2.2. Incurring Costs .............................................................................................................................. 7
2.3. Submitting Proposals .................................................................................................................... 7
2.4. Proposal Organization and Format ............................................................................................... 7
2.5. Multiple Proposals....................................................................................................................... 8
2.6. Withdrawal of Proposals ............................................................................................................ 8
3. Proposal Selection and Award Process ................................................................................................. 8
3.1. Evaluation Committee .................................................................................................................. 8
3.2. Preliminary Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 8
3.3. Right to reject proposals ............................................................................................................... 9
3.4. Proposal Scoring............................................................................................................................ 9
3.5. Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................................................... 9
3.6. Interviews/Presentations.............................................................................................................. 9
3.7. Final Evaluation ............................................................................................................................. 9
3.8. Award and Final Offers ................................................................................................................. 9
3.9. Notification of Intent to Award................................................................................................... 10
3.10. Appeals Process .......................................................................................................................... 10
3.11. Negotiate Contract Terms........................................................................................................... 10
4. Requirements...................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1. Mandatory Requirements........................................................................................................... 10
4.2. Contract Requirements............................................................................................................... 11
5. Proposer Information and Solutions................................................................................................... 11
5.1. Organization Capabilities (200 Points)........................................................................................ 11
5.2. Staff Qualifications (150 Points) ................................................................................................. 11
5.3. Proposer Solutions (450 points total) ......................................................................................... 11
5.4. Proposer References ................................................................................................................... 12
Table of Contents
6. Cost Proposal ...................................................................................................................................... 12
6.1. General Instructions for the Cost Proposal and how it will be Scored ....................................... 12
6.2. Format for Submitting Cost Proposal. ........................................................................................ 12
6.3. Fixed Price Period........................................................................................................................ 13
Attachment A - Signature and Authority Affidavit Form
Attachment B - References
Attachment C - Designation of Confidential & Proprietary Information Form
Attachment D - Mandatory Requirements
Attachment E - Cost Proposal
Portage County Wisconsin
RFP #2026-03PC
Page 4 of 18
1. General Information
1.1. Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare
and submit a proposal for conducting a comprehensive classification and compensation study for all Portage
County positions, excluding represented law enforcement positions.
The County of Portage as represented by the Purchasing Department intends to use the results of this
Request for Proposal (RFP) to award a contract for the above listed project. The contract administrator will
be determined at the time of the contract award. Retain a copy of these proposal documents for your files.
Should you receive an award, these documents become your contract terms and conditions.
1.2. Definitions
The following definitions are used throughout the RFP:
Contractor means proposer awarded the contract.
County means the County of Portage Wisconsin.
Proposer/Vendor/Bidder means a company or individual submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.
Purchasing means the County of Portage Purchasing Department.
RFP means Request for Proposal.
Salary Study means the comprehensive report, structure and recommends as to all County positions (a/k/a
“Study”).
State means the State of Wisconsin.
VendorNet means the State of Wisconsin’s electronic purchasing information system.
1.3. Scope
1.3.1. Project Description
In 2016 Portage County conducted a comprehensive classification and compensation study for all Portage
County positions, excluding represented law enforcement positions. In 2022 a market update was done to
update the system to ensure it stayed consistent with both external and internal equity.
Portage County is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants for the purpose of conducting a
comprehensive classification and compensation study for all Portage County positions excluding
represented law enforcement positions.
1.3.2.
Objective/Needs/Expectations
The consultant shall perform or provide the following:
1. Provide project information to be shared with employees to explain the scope of the
project, methods used, and process.
2. Review and update Portage County’s current classification and compensation schedules to
ensure the County’s wage and benefit package remains comparable and competitive to external
units of local government of similar size and scope, as well as to private-sector benchmarks in
the same geographic area, to attract and retain the best qualified individuals. Portage County’s
Portage County Wisconsin
RFP #2026-03PC
Page 5 of 18
external market analysis of comparable local government employers, when reviewing wages for
individual positions, indicates that while starting wage rates for positions within the General
classification and compensation schedule are generally competitive, the County lags behind
market levels at the midpoint and maximum ranges of the pay structure
3. In the review and update of the County’s classification and compensation schedule take into
consideration wage compression. Wage compression is an on-going concern, particularly for
hourly employees in higher pay grades who are at or near the top steps of their salary range, in
comparison to their supervisory staff. To promote an environment that fosters and encourages
employee aspirations for advancement, and to attract external supervisory candidates, a
sufficient separation must be maintained.
4. Review County’s current job classifications and recommend placement of each position to an
appropriate classification and pay grade based on internal equity, across all county
departments, and marketplace considerations. A review of the job classifications shall include
interviews with employees and appropriate supervisory and management staff.
5. Review all positions and properly classify those positions in accordance with current Fair Labor
Standards Act (FLSA) and Wisconsin Wage and Hour provisions relative to exempt and non-
exempt status and recommend changes to job descriptions, if any, to ensure in compliance with
ADAAA and other applicable laws.
6. When reviewing current job classifications, recommend additions and deletions to the
current classification plan when it makes sense.
7. Identify a manageable list of Wisconsin counties, of similar size, scope and geographic
location that can be used internally to review and compare wage and benefit packages for
internal maintenance.
8. Provide a recommendation for a process for internal maintenance of the classification and
compensation system to deal with positions that evolve over time or require different
tasks than when first created.
9. Provide recommendations for policy updates, if necessary.
10. Provide timely progress reports and address issues encountered with the Director of Human
Resources on a regular basis to ensure that forward progress is maintained.
11. Present the results to the Human Resources Committee.
12. Present to the County Board a final report and overall plan that is clear and
understandable, and summarizes the information gathering process, findings, the
estimated cost of wage recommendations, and an implementation plan that is within the
County’s fiscal parameters.
13. Conduct employee classification appeals after plan adoption.
1.3.3.
Current Salary Schedules, Benefit Package and County Ordinances
See the link Human Resources | Portage County, WI for the Human Resources Page. The Policies
and Wages are listed under the Human Resources Policies & Wage/Classifications link on that page
see picture of link below:
A copy of the Portage County Code of Ordinances 3.11 – Human Resources Policies can be found at:
This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.