Compensation Market Analysis and Benchmarking Study - Request for Proposals (RFP)

Location:	California
Posted:	Feb 2, 2026
Due:	Feb 23, 2026
Agency:	City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	B - Special Studies and Analyses - Not R&D
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Compensation Market Analysis and Benchmarking Study – Request for Proposals (RFP)

The City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) is seeking qualified consulting firms to conduct a Compensation Market Analysis and Benchmarking Study. The purpose of this project is to evaluate C/CAG’s current salary ranges and overall compensation structure against comparable public agencies within the region and relevant labor markets.

The selected consultant will assess market competitiveness, identify potential salary compression or misalignment, and provide data-driven findings to support strategic decision-making related to recruitment, retention, workforce sustainability, and succession planning. The study will focus on policy-level analysis and will not include individual employee salary placement determinations.

Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted by January 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PST, and proposals are due by February 23, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PST. Both questions and proposals must be submitted electronically to Kaki Cheung, Deputy Director, at kcheung1@smcgov.org .

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Compensation Market Analysis and Benchmarking Study

Date Released: January 21, 2026

City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County

555 County Center, 5th Floor, Redwood City, CA 94063

Deadline for Requests for Clarifications: January 30, 2026 at 5 p.m. PST

Proposals are due prior to Monday, February 23, 2026 at 5 p.m. PST.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND.......................................................... 2

III. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS......................................................................................... 2

IV. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS.......................................................................................... 3

V. PROPOSAL EVALUATION ............................................................................................... 9

APPENDIX A - SCOPE OF WORK......................................................................................... 14

APPENDIX B – COST PROPOSAL TEMPLATE ................................................................. 17

APPENDIX C – SAMPLE AGREEMENT TEMPLATE....................................................... 18

I. INTRODUCTION

The City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), a Joint Powers

Agency composed of the County of San Mateo and all twenty cities located within San Mateo

County, invites qualified consultants to submit proposals to conduct a Compensation Market

Analysis and Benchmarking Study. To be considered for this work, proposers must submit a proposal

in accordance with the requirements, specifications, and scope of work provided in this Request for

Proposals (RFP).

The purpose of this RFP is to retain a consultant with demonstrated public-sector compensation

expertise to evaluate C/CAG’s current salary ranges and total compensation structure against

comparable public agencies. The results of this study will support internal planning related to

recruitment, retention, workforce sustainability, and succession planning.

This RFP briefly describes the C/CAG organization, its programs, the minimum information

needed to respond to the RFP, and the consultant selection process.

This RFP is not a commitment or contract of any kind. C/CAG reserves the right to pursue any

and/or all ideas generated by this request. Costs for developing the proposals are entirely the

responsibility of the proposer and will not be reimbursed. C/CAG reserves the right to reject any

and all proposals, waive minor irregularities, request additional information, or revisions to

offers, negotiate with any or all proposers, and waive any requirements of this RFP when it

determines that waiving a requirement is in the best interest of C/CAG.

Attachments to this RFP include: Scope of Work (Appendix A), Cost Proposal Template

(Appendix B), and Sample Template Agreement (Appendix C).

The anticipated contract term will be eight months. RFP documents for this project are available

for download on the C/CAG website at https://ccag.ca.gov/opportunities/rfpsrfqs/. Proposers are

responsible for checking the website for any addenda to this RFP. Responses should be

submitted in accordance with the instructions set forth in the RFP.

Proposals must be received by C/CAG no later than 5p.m. PST on Monday, February 23rd, 2026,

in accordance with the instructions contained in the RFP. Proposals should be emailed with the

subject line “RFP – Compensation Market Analysis and Benchmarking Study” to: Kaki Cheung,

Deputy Director.

Proposals received after the time and date specified above may be considered nonresponsive.

C/CAG is not responsible for submissions delayed for any reason.

Tentative Schedule

Date

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Friday, January 30, 2026 at 5p.m. PST

Monday, February 23, 2026 at 5p.m. PST

Week of March 16, 2026

April 2026 Board Meeting

April 2026

Description

Release RFP

Question and Answer Deadline

RFP Proposals Due

Consultant Interviews

Consultant Selection

C/CAG Board approval

Notice to Proceed and Project Kick-off

Anticipated Term and Budget

C/CAG expects the work to commence in April of 2026 and to be completed no later than

December 31, 2026.

C/CAG anticipates a not to exceed budget of approximately $40,000 for this effort. Proposers

shall submit a cost proposal that can reasonably accomplish the Scope of Work within this

budget. Subject to future budget availability and approval by the C/CAG Board of Directors,

additional funding may be considered in subsequent fiscal years for optional tasks or expanded

services, if warranted.

Any contract entered into as a result of this RFP will be funded with local funds. The successful

consultant will be required to follow all federal, State, and local laws and regulations.

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND

C/CAG is seeking professional services to conduct a comprehensive Compensation Market

Analysis and Benchmarking Study. The study will assess how the agency’s current salary ranges

and overall compensation structure compare to peer public agencies within the region and

relevant labor markets.

The consultant will analyze market competitiveness, identify potential salary compression or

misalignment issues, and provide data-driven findings to inform future policy and budget

discussions by C/CAG leadership, the Finance Committee, and the Board of Directors. The study

is intended to support strategic, policy-level decision-making and will not involve individual

employee salary placement determinations.

III. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Proposals must demonstrate that the firm or team submitting the proposal (“proposer”) meets the

following Minimum Qualifications to be eligible for consideration for this project.

1. Proposer must demonstrate to C/CAG’s satisfaction that the firm, a subcontractor, or a

key staff member from either the firm submitting a proposal or a subcontractor who shall

be assigned to this project have successfully competed at least three (3) public-sector

compensation or classification/compensation studies within the past ten (10) years.

2. Proposer must demonstrate experience working with public agencies, joint powers

authorities, or similar governmental entities.

3. Proposer must demonstrate expertise in public-sector compensation benchmarking, salary

structure analysis, and internal equity assessment.

IV. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

These guidelines are provided to standardize the preparation and submission of proposals by all

consultants. The intent of these guidelines is to assist consultants in preparation of their

proposals, to simplify the review process, and to help assure consistency in format and content.

General Conditions:

• Neither submission of a proposal nor C/CAG’s receipt of proposal materials confers any

right to the proposer nor any obligation on C/CAG. This RFP does not commit C/CAG to

award a contract or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal in response

to this RFP.

• Only one proposal will be accepted from any one person, partnership, corporation, or

other entity; however, several alternatives may be included in one response.

• C/CAG reserves the right to accept or reject all proposals submitted, waive minor

irregularities, request additional information, negotiate with any qualified consultant, or

modify or cancel in part or in its entirety the RFP if it is in the best interests of C/CAG to

do so.

• Any contract resulting from this RFP will be awarded to the responsible proposer whose

proposal is most advantageous to C/CAG, with price and other factors considered.

• Should this RFP result in recommendation for award of a contract, the contract will not

have any force or effect until it is approved and fully executed by C/CAG.

• If the selected proposer fails to enter into a contract with C/CAG in a timely manner as

determined by C/CAG, C/CAG reserves the right to reject the proposal and enter into a

contract with the next highest scoring proposer.

• The work performed pursuant to any resulting contract shall comply with the

requirements of all federal, State, and local laws without limitation, and shall apply to

this RFP and are incorporated into this RFP and any subsequent contract by this

reference.

Note regarding the Public Records Act:

Government Code Section 7920.000 et seq., the California Public Records Act, defines a public

record as any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public business. The

Public Records Act provides that public records shall be disclosed upon written request and that

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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Compensation Market Analysis and Benchmarking Study - Request for Proposals (RFP)

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