Haywood County Schools
900 E. Main Street
Brownsville, Tennessee 38012

Consulting Services Request Regarding:

Conduct an employee salary and benefits compensation study.

Request for Qualifications

STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATION ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. CENTRAL STANDARD/DAYLIGHT TIME ON 5 p.m. ON FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2023.

SECTION 1. NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The Haywood County School District, 900 E. Main Street, Brownsville, TN 38012, is requesting Statements of Qualifications from firms or individuals with experience in developing a variety of education research and plans for the District. Specifically, the District requests consultation services leading to:

• Research and development regarding the following information and data:

A study to benchmark Haywood County Schools’ faculty, staff, and administration compensation plans with neighboring Tennessee school districts.

The information produced in these documents may reveal potential issues, considerations, and/or changes that could provide positive results for the District.

A complete response to this RFQ must include eight (8) copies of a bound written Statement of Qualifications plus a PDF format version of the Statement of Qualifications. The Statements of Qualification will be received until 5:00 PM Central Standard/Daylight Time on Friday, March 17, 2023, at the Haywood County Schools Central Office, 900 E. Main Street, Brownsville, TN 38012. Email and faxed responses are not acceptable and will not be reviewed. The submittal deadline is absolute. Late submittals will not be considered. Prospective firms and individuals must select a method of delivery that ensures the Statement of Qualifications will be delivered to the correct location by the due date and time.

This RFQ may be downloaded in PDF format using the following link: Request For Qualifications_2.

Any amendments or clarifications of the RFQ issued by the District will also be posted to this website location.

Interested firms or individuals are required to identify any potential or perceived conflict of interest (personal and/or property interest in the subject scope of work). Pre-qualification is not required. All interested firms and individuals responding to this RFQ are required to comply with all applicable provisions of federal, state, and local law.

The District reserves the right to (1) reject any or all responses, (2) waive informalities in a response, (3) select a firm or individual who has submitted a fully responsive Statement of Qualifications and who is determined by the District to be a professional, qualified firm or individual to be in the best interest of the District, or (4) take whatever action or make whatever decision it determines to be appropriate. The Haywood County School District assumes no obligation in this general solicitation of Statements of Qualifications and all costs and expenses of responding to this RFQ shall be borne by the interested firms or individuals.

SECTION 2. BACKGROUND

Schools districts across Tennessee are losing faculty and staff in larger numbers than ever before. Employees who choose stay in the field education are looking to neighboring districts for better benefits and stronger compensation packages. To increase retention rates and ensure employees are competitively compensated, the Haywood County Board of Education is interested in conducting a study to ensure the district is functioning in a manner that retains employees and remains competitive in terms of salary and benefits.

SECTION 3. SCOPE OF STUDY

The following items are the fundamental products that shall be produced:

A comprehensive written report for the Haywood County School District (TN) that includes responses to the following:

Provide information that assists with the development of compensation plans that attract and retain the best qualified personnel to serve the students at all levels in the school district.

SECTION 4. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

The firm or individual ultimately selected is expected to hold the following minimum qualifications and will be evaluated on the following criteria:

A. Demonstrated knowledge of Tennessee educational standards and regulations.

B. Demonstrated knowledge of Tennessee school district financial operations.

C. Experience in assessing school district educational program effectiveness and operating efficiency.

D. Ability to bring a complete, competent team required to address all required study topics, including 
instructional issues, human resources issues, operational issues, school construction issues, and/or 
financial issues.

E. Quality of the information presented in the Statement of Qualifications and completeness, relevance, 
and organization of the information and materials presented.

F. Response of references.

G. The Haywood County School District Board of Education members, or a selection committee appointed by the Director of Schools, will review the Statements of Qualifications submitted in response to this RFQ and may request interviews with some firms or individuals. The selection committee will rank the top firms and individuals based on Statements of Qualifications and interviews (if conducted).

SECTION 5. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS: RESPONSE FORMAT

The Statement of Qualifications should include the following information in the following order and format, describing the prospective consultant’s availability, interests, qualifications, and current relevant experience. Concise reports are preferred with a maximum limit of 15 pages, not including prior work product(s) referenced in item B below.

A. Consulting firm or individual’s information:

a. Cover letter indicating the RFQ due date and title, the firm or individual’s name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email contract address(es);

b. Firm or individual profile;

c. Identify and provide bios for each team member to be involved in the study. Identify the agents 
and subcontractors (if any) that the firm or individual anticipates assigning in conjunction with this project. Include a discussion of the expertise of the individuals who will be assigned to the project team, along with a description of their individual roles;

d. Describe why the firm or individual is the best qualified to perform the scope of services in a timely and responsive manner;

e. Provide at least three (3) public entity references (with contact name, address, and telephone number) for which the firm and proposed key personnel have performed (or are performing) that represents work of a similar scope and complexity.

B. Prior Work Product: Provide at least one example of a prior work product that reflects a similar complexity to the scope of work as expected in this study.

SECTION 6. NEGOTIATIONS

Once the most qualified firm is selected and a final scope of work is identified, a cost proposal will be requested. If negotiations cannot produce a contract, the District shall declare an impasse and open negotiations with the second ranked firm. If agreement cannot be reached with the second ranked firm, contract negotiations are begun with the third ranked firm. This process continues until all interviewed firms are exhausted, a firm is awarded a contract, or the District chooses not to proceed further

SECTION 7. RECORDS AND FINANCIAL DATA

All correspondence with the District, including responses to this RFQ, will become the exclusive property of the District upon receipt and will become public records under the Tennessee Public Records Act. All documents submitted in response to this RFQ will be subject to disclosure if requested by a member of the public. There are a very limited number of exceptions to this disclosure requirement. During this selection process, until the District selects a firm or an individual, it will not disclose proposals (or any parts thereof), except as required under applicable law. This means that, depending on the nature or timing of the request, the information submitted in a response to this RFQ may be publicly disclosed.

SECTION 8. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Each prospective firm or individual submitting a Statement of Qualifications in response to this RFQ agrees that the preparation of all materials for submittal to the District and all presentations are at the firm or individual’s sole cost and expense. Under no circumstances will the District be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by a prospective firm or individual. In addition, each prospective firm understands and agrees that all documentation and materials submitted with a Statement of Qualifications will remain the property of the District will become a public record; the District will assume ownership of all documents and deliverables submitted by prospective firms and individuals.

Release of this RFQ does not commit the District to the selection of a firm or an individual and does not commit the District to enter into any agreement with a firm or an individual identified by the District through this process as the most qualified to provide the services described in this RFQ.

To the extent applicable, prospective firms and individuals are responsible for making necessary investigations and examination of any public records deemed appropriate. Failure to do so will not act to relieve any condition of a potential professional services agreement or the requirements set out in this RFQ. By submitting a Statement of Qualifications, the submitter acknowledges that the prospective firm has made such examinations and investigations. No request for modification of a Statement of Qualifications shall be considered after its submission on the grounds that the prospective firm or individual was not fully informed as to any fact or condition.

A prospective firm or individual may withdraw their proposal at any time prior to the date and the time which is set forth herein as the deadline or submittal of Statements of Qualifications.

The District reserves the right to request additional information at any time from any prospective firms or individuals as deemed necessary by the District to evaluate the proposals. This process may not be used, however, as an opportunity to submit missing documentation or to make substantive revisions to the original Statement of Qualifications.

Without limiting its liability, the selected consultant shall maintain, during the life of the contract: Consultant’s Professional Liability Insurance. This coverage may not be canceled, reduced or allowed to lapse without written notice to the District.

All Statements of Qualifications will remain in effect and legally binding for at least one hundred twenty (120) days from the date of submission.

Anything to the contrary notwithstanding in this Agreement, any dispute arising out of this RFQ shall be decided in the Chancery Court of Haywood County, Tennessee, as the sole and exclusive venue and jurisdiction for the resolution of any said claims. The parties may voluntarily agree to a non-binding mediation in Haywood County, Brownsville, Tennessee, to resolve dispute prior to litigation, but are not obligated to do so. Each party shall be responsible for its own fees and costs.

The deadline for technical questions is 5:00 p.m. local time, Monday, March 6, 2023. Unless otherwise directed, all communications regarding this RFQ, including all questions, shall be submitted in writing to Amie Marsh, Director of Schools, via e-mail at amie.marsh@hcsk12.net. No answers will be given over the phone. Written answers to any technical questions shall be provided as an amendment to the RFQ, and will be posted for all interested parties on the Haywood County Schools website no later than close of business on Friday March 10, 2023.

SECTION 9. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

The following is the District’s tentative schedule for selection of a consultant:

Wednesday, March 1, 2023      RFQ Release Date

Monday, March 6, 2023           Deadline for Submittal of Questions or Requests for Clarification

Friday, March 10, 2023           Posting of RFQ Amendments, if necessary

Friday, March 17, 2023           RFQ Response Submittals Due to District

Monday, March 20, 2023         Review of Statements

Thursday, March 23, 2023       Interviews (as necessary)

Friday, March 31, 2023           Contract Negotiations with District Team

Thursday, April 13, 2023         Recommendation to the Haywood County School District Board of Education to enter into contract with selected firm.

Deadline for Submittal of Questions or Requests for Clarification Posting of RFQ Amendments, if necessary
RFQ Response Submittals Due to District
Review of Statements
Interviews (as necessary)
Contract Negotiations with District Team

Recommendation to the Haywood County School District Board of Education to enter into contract with selected firm.