Grants Pass awards $27,500 compensation-study contract to Logic Compensation Group after debate over report format

Grants Pass City Council on May 6 selected Logic Compensation Group to conduct a nonbargaining salary and compensation study, approving a $27,500 award after extended discussion about presentation format, reference checks and value for money.

Staff outlined the RFP process and listed four remaining respondents after one bidder withdrew: Evergreen Solutions, Logic Compensation Group, CBIZ and Gallagher. Several councilors said some proposals were difficult to interpret and urged consultants to present data in a simple, left-to-right table that lets council compare job classes and jurisdictional benchmarks easily. Rob and others favored awarding to a firm willing to produce a readable format; Joel and others favored Gallagherfor clarity though noting Gallagher's higher cost.

After debate, Councilor Joel moved to award the contract to Logic Compensation Group at $27,500 and direct the firm to work with staff and the council to present results in an easily interpretable format. That motion passed 4-3. The award includes a workshop and a seven-day protest window before contract signature, and staff said the grant of award is contingent on the consultant meeting the council-directed formatting guidance.

Councilors said the study is important to ensure defensible pay decisions and to address pay-equity and compression issues; several councilors emphasized the desire for extensive council involvement on the project's internal team given potential conflicts of interest among city employees who are subjects of the study.