Methodology Preview:Functional families and class counts are modeled to Isle of Wight County's ~280 full-time / ~300 part-time positions per RFP-2026-308. Salary, benefit, and pension figures shown here are illustrative, with production data populated from the County HRIS, the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), The Local Choice, and the 12 named comparator jurisdictions' adopted pay plans at engagement award.

HSG Methodology Demo

Isle of Wight County · RFP-2026-308

Methodology · 6-Phase Project Plan

September 2026 to March 2027 · ~6-month engagement, calibrated to the County's FY2028 budget development cycle

The RFP §GENERAL REQUIREMENTS is explicit: a comprehensive timeline, regular progress reports to the HR Director, employee engagement, a detailed implementation plan, and a final report to the HR Director. Our six-phase methodology maps directly to RFP §CLASSIFICATION STUDY and §COMPENSATION STUDY items A through G. Every phase below cites the specific RFP requirement it satisfies.

  1. 01

    September 2026

    2 weeks

    Project kick-off, data intake, & stakeholder engagement design

    Maps to: RFP §GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: initial kickoff meeting with the HR Director, HR staff, and County Administrator

    Activities

    • ▸Kickoff meeting with the HR Director, HR staff, and County Administrator to finalize scope, comprehensive timeline, dedicated personnel, and progress-reporting cadence
    • ▸Schedule department-head briefings (1 per major department, 14 total)
    • ▸Schedule employee briefings (one per department, recorded for absent staff)
    • ▸Pull authoritative source data: ~205 current job descriptions, FY2027 Adopted Budget personnel schedule, current pay plan, FLSA designations
    • ▸Pull VRS plan designations per incumbent: Hybrid vs. Enhanced Hazardous Duty (sworn deputies and certified career firefighters/medics)
    • ▸Stand up secured project folder + portal credentials for the HR Director

    Deliverables

    • ◆Kickoff Memo
    • ◆Stakeholder Engagement Plan
    • ◆Comprehensive Project Timeline
    • ◆Project Risk Register v1

  2. 02

    October 2026

    4 weeks

    Classification audit & evaluation across ~205 classifications

    Maps to: RFP §CLASSIFICATION STUDY: assess current system, review job descriptions, compare job functions

    Activities

    • ▸Employee engagement: classification questionnaire issued to all incumbents plus structured interviews; 100% return targeted (RFP §GENERAL REQUIREMENTS)
    • ▸Department-head structured interviews (14 sessions) to validate questionnaire data
    • ▸AI-drafted classification profile generated for each of ~205 classes (using HSG's reconciliation methodology)
    • ▸Each AI-drafted profile reconciled by Certified Job Evaluator (Gilda Weech-House) against the questionnaire, Hampton Roads peer descriptions, and DOL O*NET
    • ▸Functions-not-titles benchmarking: we compare actual job functions rather than titles, per RFP §CLASSIFICATION STUDY
    • ▸Internal hierarchy & relative-worth assessment using point-factor methodology; recommend consolidation or expansion of classes

    Deliverables

    • ◆Classification Questionnaire inventory (~205 returns)
    • ◆Draft Class Specifications (~205 classes)
    • ◆Internal Hierarchy Memo
    • ◆AI/Expert Reconciliation Log

  3. 03

    November 2026

    4 weeks

    Comparator survey & external market data collection

    Maps to: RFP §CLASSIFICATION STUDY (market analysis, all departments/levels) + §COMPENSATION STUDY items B to E

    Activities

    • ▸RFP-named comparators surveyed: the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Norfolk, Newport News, and Hampton, plus county peers Gloucester, Prince George, Powhatan, and Dinwiddie
    • ▸Each comparator's adopted pay plan pulled (authoritative public records). The core of the RFP §BACKGROUND problem is that neighboring cities out-pay the County
    • ▸Targeted private-sector benchmark for non-public-sector comparable roles across the Western Tidewater / Hampton Roads labor market
    • ▸VML/VACo salary data and the comparators' adopted pay plans cross-referenced for regional percentile
    • ▸Isle of Wight-equivalent role mapping by job function (broad benchmark coverage anticipated; flagged where unique)

    Deliverables

    • ◆Comparator Database (Excel)
    • ◆Market Position Report
    • ◆Compression Analysis Brief
    • ◆Regional Percentile Memo

  4. 04

    December 2026 to January 2027

    8 weeks

    Pay structure design & compression analysis

    Maps to: RFP §COMPENSATION STUDY items A through G (range spread, midpoint-to-maximum, placement, movement, compression)

    Activities

    • ▸Pay grade design: minimum, midpoint, maximum, and range spread for each grade (RFP §COMPENSATION STUDY item A)
    • ▸Senior-management / department-head grade ladder built to analyze supervisory compression (RFP §COMPENSATION STUDY item G)
    • ▸Recommended placement of all jobs in pay ranges, actual pay vs. market (RFP §COMPENSATION STUDY items D and E)
    • ▸Compression analysis run on every classification, INCLUDING supervisory compression; remediation plan tiered (immediate / FY2028 / structural)
    • ▸Internal-equity / external-competitiveness reconciliation against the named Hampton Roads comparators
    • ▸Movement-through-ranges guidance: COLA, off-cycle, step, and merit processes (RFP §COMPENSATION STUDY item F)

    Deliverables

    • ◆Recommended Pay Plan v1
    • ◆Supervisory-Compression Ladder Memo
    • ◆Compression Remediation Plan
    • ◆Career Ladder Map

  5. 05

    February 2027

    4 weeks

    Recommendations, cost impact, & HR maintenance approach

    Maps to: RFP §COMPENSATION STUDY (cost implications, ongoing maintenance) + §CLASSIFICATION STUDY (maintenance approach)

    Activities

    • ▸Tiered recommendation package (immediate / FY2028 / structural)
    • ▸Cost-impact model: base + VRS pension rollup (Hybrid and Enhanced Hazardous Duty) per classification per position
    • ▸Ongoing classification & compensation maintenance approach so County HR can keep the system current after award (RFP §CLASSIFICATION STUDY + §COMPENSATION STUDY)
    • ▸Detailed implementation plan with communications, procedures, and training (RFP §GENERAL REQUIREMENTS)
    • ▸Special-pay guidance: career-development, certification (DCJS / OEMS / water-wastewater license), bilingual, acting/out-of-class, and longevity differentials

    Deliverables

    • ◆Tiered Recommendation Package
    • ◆Cost Impact Model (Excel)
    • ◆HR Maintenance Approach (documented)
    • ◆Updated Pay Plan (electronic)

  6. 06

    March 2027

    3 weeks

    Final delivery, Board presentation, & HR training

    Maps to: RFP §GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: final report to the HR Director + implementation plan with training

    Activities

    • ▸Comprehensive final report to the HR Director: full study plus each grade and class before/after with reasons
    • ▸Presentation to the Board of Supervisors, pre-rehearsed with the HR Director and County Administrator
    • ▸HR-staff training executed: 2 sessions over 2 weeks, covering classification administration, market-data refresh process, and the maintenance approach
    • ▸FINAL DELIVERY: March 2027, ahead of the County's FY2028 budget development cycle

    Deliverables

    • ◆Final Report (PDF + DOCX)
    • ◆Board Presentation Deck
    • ◆HR Training Program (recorded + slide deck + reference manual)
    • ◆Maintenance Approach Documentation

On-Time Delivery Commitment

March 2027, locked in writing.

We hold this date because the final report must land before Isle of Wight County's FY2028 budget development cycle opens. Every phase above carries a hard buffer to absorb data-availability slippage from comparator jurisdictions or HRIS pull delays without compressing the final review-and-approval window. We do not negotiate the March 2027 commitment in kickoff. It is the commitment.