Request for Proposals (RFP) #201718-B for: Mastery Charter ... · of this RFP. Mastery is also soliciting proposals for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), but on a separate timeline;

Talent Management System – Core HR and Payroll RFP Page 1 of 25

Request for Proposals (RFP) #201718-B

for:

Mastery Charter Schools

Talent Management System – Core HR and Payroll

RFP ID: 201718-B Issued: January 19, 2018

Bidder’s Conference: January 24, 2018 at 1 PM Eastern

Deadline for Intent to Submit: January 29, 2018 at 5 PM Eastern

Deadline for final submission of questions: January 31, 2018 at 5 PM Eastern

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 5 PM Eastern

Finalists Announced (tentative): February 22, 2018

Finalist Presentations (tentative): February 26 – March 6, 2018

Award Announced (tentative): March 19, 2018

Questions may be submitted by email to: Tracey Geller at [email protected] with RFP #201718-B

Questions in the Subject line.

Questions will be answered within 2 business days via email with a return reply acknowledging receipt of the

email requested. Questions and answers will be shared with all bidders.

Questions can be submitted prior to the Bidder’s Conference; however, no answers will be provided and/or

circulated prior to that date.

ALL QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THIS RFP MUST BE SUBMITTED BY: January 31, 2018

This RFP is also available online at: www.masterycharter.org/public-notices.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.masterycharter.org/public-notices

Request for Proposals (RFP #201718-B)


Bidder’s Conference

There will be an optional opportunity for prospective Bidders to meet with Mastery Charter Schools staff via

webinar for a Question and Answer session.

Date: Wednesday January 24, 2018

Time: 1 PM Eastern Time

Participation at the Bidders Conference is not mandatory; however, if you are intending to participate please

send an RSVP to Tracey Geller at [email protected] with RFP #201718-B Bidders Conference

RSVP in the Subject line. Please provide us names and titles of those attending by 12:00 PM Eastern on

Tuesday, January 23rd. After you RSVP, you will be provided with login information for the webinar.

Intent to Submit

Bidders who intend to submit a proposal should notify Mastery by emailing Tracey Geller at

[email protected] with RFP #201718-B Intent to Submit in the Subject line by January 29, 2018

at 5:00 PM. The Intent to Submit is highly recommended but is non-binding and has no effect on the scoring of

your proposal; its purpose is to help Mastery prepare for the review of proposals. Bidders may still submit a

proposal even if they do not send an Intent to Submit.





TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................4

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................5

III. PROPOSAL OUTLINE .....................................................................................................................................6

IV. RATING AND SCORING OF PROPOSALS ........................................................................................................8

V. REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................................................................9

A. SECTION 1: GENERAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................................9

B. SECTION 2: CORE HR AND PAYROLL REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... 13

VI. USE-CASE SCENARIOS ................................................................................................................................19

A. SCENARIO 1: THE END-OF-YEAR PROCESS ........................................................................................................ 19

B. SCENARIO 2: THE SEPARATIONS PROCESS ........................................................................................................ 20

C. SCENARIO 3: POSITION CONTROL/REQUISITION PROCESS ................................................................................. 21

VII. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS .......................................................................................................................22

VIII. AWARD NOTICE AND PROTESTS ............................................................................................................23

IX. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT ....................................................................................................................23

X. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS ..............................................................................................................23



I. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Mastery Charter Schools opened its doors in 2001 as High Tech High, serving 100-9th graders on one campus.

Over the past 16 years, Mastery has grown to become a non-profit network of 24 public charter schools located

in both Philadelphia and Camden. Mastery serves 13,500 students in grades K-12.

Mastery currently employs approximately 1735 staff. Of the 1735, the approximate breakdown by geography

and employee type is as follows:

1435 employees work in Philadelphia, 300 work in Camden

175 are part of Mastery’s Network Support Team, or NST (located in Philadelphia), and the remainder

are based within schools

1485 employees are full-time and 250 part-time

Mission: Mastery’s mission is that all students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly

prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams.

Core Values: Mastery’s values are infused in the everyday life of the organization - in the recruitment criteria

for new staff, in staff evaluation and promotion decisions, in the organization’s growth strategy, and in the way

staff interact with each other and the parents and students Mastery serves. Mastery’s core values are:

Student achievement – above all

We serve

The high road

Grit

Joy and humor

Straight talk

Continuous improvement

One team

Most of Mastery’s schools are turnarounds of struggling district schools (Philadelphia or Camden) and we

purposefully seek to serve neighborhoods in the greatest need of quality schools. We tend to be located in and

serve communities that have historically been, and continue to be, racially isolated and economically distraught.

The student population for each turnaround remains the same as it was under district management, as we

prioritize welcoming all children from the neighborhood in student recruitment and enrollment.

A national study on school turnaround models conducted by the Parthenon Group in 2014 found that Mastery

has experienced the strongest growth in proficiency rates for students in reading and math from year one to

year five in turnarounds than any other operator of multiple turnarounds in the country (Parthenon Group,

February 2014). After turnaround we continue to operate those schools as the neighborhood public schools,

making Mastery as close a proxy to urban public districts in the charter sector.



Today, Mastery is the nation’s largest operator of turnaround public schools. Incredible effort on the part of our

teachers, leaders, students and families contribute to improve student learning through data-informed

instruction and social-emotional support systems. Student achievement is our top priority with key decisions

made around student needs. Using formative assessments, teachers work with students and develop individual

plans to ensure academic development. Student achievement shapes our every action, and all involved are

driven to help students reach their potential.

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

As Mastery continues to grow each year, we need a more sophisticated set of data tools driving our Human

Capital Management System. A broad range of research on talent in the education sector points to a need to

harness human capital data to make talent management a proactive strategy for aligning talent to outcomes and

that we cannot truly provide effective teachers in every classroom until we understand and use our human

capital data in strategic ways.

Mastery currently uses a patchwork of different purchased and self-created systems to create what should be –

but in practice is not – a seamless system of employee identification, performance based compensation-capable

payroll systems, recruitment and retention data, performance management, and talent tracking systems. In

addition, we have a separate system for linking student academic outcomes to teachers and school leaders that

does not connect with other parts of our Talent Management System (TMS).

In addition to our current systems landscape lacking integration and overall alignment, some of our other challenges include:

Current core HRIS lacks value proposition (poor customer service, limited reporting, limited self-service) Current applicant tracking and learning management systems lack desired functionality Current systems are not user-friendly, resulting in workarounds and reliance on manual processes

Mastery intends to implement a new Talent Management System that will launch in phases and ultimately be

able to provide all Mastery schools with a comprehensive set of web-based tools to manage the full life cycle in

our Human Capital Management System.

To start, Mastery is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide the first part of our Talent Management System solution—Core HR and payroll. The scope of functionality for this RFP includes HR, Payroll, Time and Attendance, Benefits Management, and other functionality described within the Requirements section of this RFP. Mastery is also soliciting proposals for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), but on a separate timeline; vendors with ATS functionality should reference Mastery’s Applicant Tracking Systems RFP (#201718-C ) for ATS-specific requirements and details.

Our main priority is to build a solid data model with supporting processes to ensure data integrity and delivering

system functionality to efficiently automate these processes; this will result in a shift in focus for HR from

transactional/tactical to strategic. Other key objectives include:

● Formulating a consistent, right-sized data model supported by systems and processes that will ensure data integrity;

● Eliminating inefficiencies and inconsistencies in processes;



● Providing a central point to access data and initiate processes for all stakeholders (employees, supervisors, leaders, and HR); and

● Engaging managers in a self-service model.

Vision Statement

Our project team developed the following vision statement to guide our Talent Management System initiative:

The TMS Initiative will empower all Mastery team members to have access to the information they need to be

engaged, joyful and invested members of the Mastery family. There will be transparency for applicants during

their hiring process, and employees throughout their professional journey at Mastery. Performance,

compensation, development and other HR and talent data will be complete, accurate and readily available to

employees and their managers. This project will drive us toward a great teacher in every classroom - and

ultimately, toward student achievement.

III. PROPOSAL OUTLINE To simplify the review process and to facilitate maximum comparability, each proposal should include the

following:

1) A 1-2-page cover letter to be signed and dated by an authorized agent of the bidder.

The cover letter should include:

The legal and authorized name of the Vendor submitting this bid

Federal Identification Number (FIN)

Contact information for the point of contact for the bid

Summary outlining the vendor’s understanding of the work and general information

regarding the vendor

Please refer to section X.B. for representation of accuracy statement.

2) Table of Contents

3) Proposer Overview and Qualifications

Please include answers to the following questions:

For how many years has the system you are offering been released?

How many HRIS clients do you have?

For how many years have you been supporting payroll clients? Please describe your experience with and understanding of payroll tax reporting.

Do you provide full tax filing processes?

What is the average size (employee workforce) of your customers?

Describe recent experience with implementing an integrated HRIS solution for organizations of a similar industry and size to Mastery.

Describe your customer service-level agreement.

What are your practices for informing customers of new features and releases of your product?



How do you differentiate yourself from your competition?

Who are your product partners?

Are you in compliance with the registration and permit requirements to do business in Pennsylvania?

Please include three client references, preferably organizations similar in size and industry to Mastery. If possible, please indicate at least one reference based in Pennsylvania. These references must have worked directly with the Contractor, know firsthand the quality of the Contractor’s work, and be willing to provide a phone reference on your work if you are considered for a contract.

4) Implementation Information

Please include answers to the following questions:

How long is a typical product implementation?

Do you utilize professional services for any part of the implementation/system configuration process, or is it handled entirely in-house?

Describe the typical implementation project team.

Please list the full suite of additional services available.

Please describe the major phases within implementation.

Please include a sample implementation timeline with the responsible party listed next to each step.

What is your process for moving from implementation to customer maintenance?

How long does the implementation team stay with the client before transferring to customer service?

5) Cost of Services

Please estimate of all costs for product, implementation, and servicing/support. Please make sure the following are included:

o License Fee:

o Annual Maintenance:

o Implementation costs:

o Professional services costs:

o Training costs:

o Customization costs:

o Interface/feed development costs:

o Monthly hosting fees:

o Monthly processing fees:

o Monthly service fees:

o Other monthly fees:

o Other one-time fees:

o All third-party costs:

o The frequency and timing of the billing process



If the fee is proposed under a different methodology (e.g., a fixed price for all services) please provide a

basis for the proposed fee.

6) Completed tables from the Requirements Section (General and Core HR/Payroll) with codes and

comments, and narrative responses to the open-ended questions under each section.

Each vendor must submit 5 hard copies of the proposal in a sealed envelope. Please do not include any

additional appendices or attachments.

Contractors must also submit an electronic copy of the entire RFP response, either via email to

[email protected] or on a USB drive. Please check the electronic version to ensure the file opens

correctly prior to sending in your proposal.

All transmissions must be either hand delivered, sent by express delivery, or mailed through the USPS in a

method that requires a receipt that is returned to the Contractor verifying that the bid package arrived on time.

Any responses received after the due date and time may not be reviewed or considered. Mastery is not

responsible for any packages that are not physically received after the due date and time. We suggest that you

track your delivery to ensure timely arrival or hand deliver and request a delivery receipt. All proposals must be

physically received by Wednesday, February 7 at 5 PM Eastern time.

IV. RATING AND SCORING OF PROPOSALS Your proposal may be evaluated and your offer accepted without any discussions, negotiations, or prior notice. Ordinarily, nonresponsive proposals will be rejected outright. Mastery Charter Schools may elect to conduct discussions, including the possibility of limited proposal revisions, but only for those proposals being considered as finalists for the award. Final selection will include a formal contracting process including the RFP response and any mutually agreed upon revisions as an Exhibit to the master agreement. Mastery Charter Schools may conduct negotiations, beginning with the highest ranked Respondent, or seek best and final offers. Please keep in mind that cost is one of multiple variables being considered in this RFP. Note that the Contractor is responsible for paying all its local, state, and federal taxes. Mastery Charter Schools may reject a bid as nonresponsive if the prices bid are materially unbalanced. A bid is materially unbalanced when it is based on prices significantly less than cost for some work and prices which are significantly overstated in relation to cost for other work. If there is a reasonable doubt that the bid will result in the lowest overall cost to Mastery, even though it may be the low evaluated bid, or if it is so unbalanced, Mastery Charter Schools may reject the offer.

Mastery will perform an initial review of the proposals and assess the following, in this order:

Whether the system solution meets Mastery’s minimum requirements, as designated in the tables in Section V. (Requirements). Mastery may reach out to vendors with clarifying questions to determine whether minimum requirements are met. Vendors unable to meet Mastery’s minimum requirements will not be considered.

Vendor’s cost of services is competitive and within Mastery’s budget.

The extent to which the system solution meets Mastery’s other priority requirements, as designated in the tables in Section V. (Requirements).




After assessing the items above, Mastery will select 2-3 finalists to participate in an onsite demonstration day. Vendors invited onsite will be evaluated on demonstrations of the requirements in Section V and the critical use-case scenarios described in Section VI. More information will be provided to finalists in order help facilitate demonstrations.

V. REQUIREMENTS

Proposers should use the following as a key for responding to the requirement tables within this section of the RFP.

Y – Yes Feature exists in the current standard version of the software, and vendor can demonstrate its functionality.

N – No Requirement cannot be met. Feature is not available in the current standard version of the software, and there are no plans to develop the feature in the future.

Enter a specific date to indicate the timing of the rollout

Feature does not exist in the current standard version of the software, but it will be included in a future release. Please indicate the approximate timeframe for rollout.

C - Client Customization Client customization is available; tools are provided for client at an additional cost.

V - Vendor Customization

Vendor customization is available; vendor would provide customization at an additional cost

T - Third Party Third Party Feature is provided by a third party partnering arrangement. Indicate any preferred partner agreements.

O – Other Code is not included above; please explain in comments section.

In Sections 1 and 2, please note that those line items marked as Minimum Requirements are non-negotiable

for Mastery, and those marked as Priority Requirements are considered very important.

A. SECTION 1: GENERAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Open-ended questions

1. Describe the process for mass uploads of data. Are there limitations to the quantity/type of information clients can import/upload?

2. Provide an overview of your reporting tools and how they are integrated with your HR and payroll system.

3. Describe the ad-hoc report writer that is delivered with your product.



4. How does a user build reports within the system? What level of skill is required to build reports? 5. Describe the product’s back-end architecture. What is the back-end database that runs the application? 6. What technology was used to develop the back-end database? 7. Describe the scalability of the system. Provide any specific requirements for scalability on those

dimensions that are deemed important. 8. Describe the backup methods and software employed. How frequently are backups taken? How far

back can data be recovered? 9. What security practices and protocols are used to safeguard the system and data? 10. Describe the workflow capabilities provided by your product. 11. Which modules have workflow capabilities? 12. When was this workflow product developed? Was the product developed in-house or purchased? 13. Please describe the workflow setup including where custom programming is required. Do you supply

any predefined workflow processes? How much flexibility does the client have in building workflows? 14. Can you have multiple levels of approvals for your workflow? Is there a limit to the number of levels?

# Category Description Minimum Reqt

Priority Reqt

Vendor Code

Vendor Comments

1 Data Architecture

Back-end data architecture is flexible and supports the addition of any number of user defined fields to any functional area.

Yes Yes

2 Data Architecture

User defined fields can be restricted to a specific set of values via picklist or built-in data validation.

Yes Yes

3 Data Architecture

User defined fields can support effective dating.

Yes Yes

4 Data Architecture

Default data model is published and documented.

Yes Yes

5 Data Architecture

Has audit tracking capability. Can track date and time of which user made what changes to which data fields.

Yes

6 Data Access Has full support for outbound data access.

Yes Yes

7 Data Access Data access available via direct ODBC, or API connection, or via recurring scheduled flat file extracts in the UI.

Yes Yes

8 Data Access All client data is directly accessible or extractable by Mastery at all times. Direct connections or extracts are not limited to default data

Yes Yes



model only and include any user defined fields.

9 Data Import Has full support for inbound data imports or uploads.

Yes Yes

10 Data Import Data imports can be directly performed by users via UI or API.

Yes Yes

11 Data Import Data imports can be performed to any portion of the data model, including user defined fields, and will not be limited to specific tables or data sets.

Yes

12 Workflow Application has fully integrated workflow in all modules.

Yes Yes

13 Workflow Workflow approvals can be routed based on defined rules by role and hierarchy.

Yes Yes

14 Workflow Workflow approvals can be routed based on conditional rules and transaction attributes.

Yes Yes

15 Workflow Workflow approvals can be routed through an unlimited number of approval layers.

Yes Yes

16 Workflow Workflow approvals can handle parallel routes requiring only one route to approve (“either/or” approval).

Yes Yes

17 Workflow Workflow transactions and approvals are available for reporting in native reporting module.

Yes Yes

18 Workflow Workflow transactions and approvals are available to direct data connections and/or data extract functionality.

Yes Yes

19 Permissions Application uses role-based access control model.

Yes Yes

20 Permissions Supports an unlimited number of permission sets.

Yes Yes

21 Permissions Users may be assigned one or more roles/permission sets and will inherit

Yes Yes



permissions based on the union of their assignments.

22 Permissions Application supports manager delegation. A user other than an employee’s manager on record may be designated to see an employee’s data and workflow transactions.

23 Permissions Application supports a matrix manager organization. More than one manager may view and act upon one employee’s data and workflow transactions.

24 Security Supports single sign-on and connects to Mastery Active Directory user accounts.

Yes

25 Legal Entities Supports specific Mastery need to manage multiple legal entities, each with separate corporate tax IDs.

Yes Yes

26 Legal Entities Fully supports data and transaction flow within and between the legal entities, including but not limited to: employee transfers, approvals, and reporting.

Yes Yes

27 Legal Entities Supports persistent, shared, and unique employee identifiers across the separate legal entities.

Yes Yes

28 Legal Entities Supports pro-ration of payroll and taxes to each legal entity.

Yes

29 Reporting End-user data reporting tool with GUI that allows quick and easy access to real-time data.

Yes Yes

30 Reporting Users can easily create reports with minimal specialized training and no prior SQL knowledge.

Yes Yes

31 Reporting Reports can be configured to run on a predetermined schedule

Yes



32 Reporting Reports can be designed and then pushed out to consumers.

Yes

33 Integration Supports automated data integration with the Applicant Tracking System and other third-party solutions and vendors (e.g. benefits interfaces).

Yes Yes

34 Integration Full integration between all software modules provided by vendor.

Yes Yes

35 Implementation Solution provides separate production and test environments for testing software updates and other risky changes.

Yes Yes

B. SECTION 2: CORE HR AND PAYROLL REQUIREMENTS

Open-ended questions

1. Describe the process for transferring an employee between legal entities and how the resulting employment history is stored.

2. How is historical information, such as job title, salary and custom fields stored within the system? Is there a limit to the number of years’ worth of data stored?

a. Explain how your system creates and retains salary history. 3. Describe how your system manages incentive/bonus or other additional pay. 4. Explain how the system allows managers to plan salary increases online, process approvals via

workflow, and automatically implement increases on the effective date. 5. If a candidate is hired to fill a position that is different than the approved requisition, how are attribute

changes to the position control object handled at that time of hire? 6. Describe the integration between benefits and payroll. When a change is made to an employee’s benefit

election (e.g., single to family coverage), how does the deduction amount get changed in payroll or other outside systems?

7. How does your product recover deduction amounts that have not been withheld from an employee’s pay?

8. Please provide an overview of the key compensation features of your system. How are the compensation features integrated with the HRIS and payroll functions?

# Category Description Minimum Reqt

Priority Reqt

Vendor Code

Vendor Comments

1 Onboarding Ensures that completion of EEO survey is part of on-boarding.

2 Onboarding Has the ability through onboarding for new hire to



enter I9 information and upload supporting documentation.

3 Onboarding Can send verification reminder for administrator at onboarding stage.

4 Onboarding Forms and employee documents can be uploaded in electronic personnel record by the employee.

Yes

5 Onboarding Forms and employee documents can be uploaded in electronic personnel record by the employer.

Yes Yes

6 Onboarding Has automated tracking of all pre-employment activities.

7 Core HR Can support many to many relationships between positions and requisitions.

Yes Yes

8 Core HR Has a qualifications/certifications data model that is customizable to store specific credentials per user.

Yes Yes

9 Core HR Has a qualifications/certifications data model that tracks expiration dates.

Yes

10 Core HR Handles contracts or employment periods with multiple paying companies/entities relating back to one personnel record.

Yes Yes

11 Core HR Provides an easy way to show combined employment history across all paying entities for an employee (each school location will be a unique payroll entity).

Yes

12 Core HR Ability to manage labor distribution process by capturing allocation percentages.

13 Core HR Contains customizable compensation planning allocation and approval module.

14 Core HR Has the ability to produce



compensation statements which can be a basis for Annual Offer Letter/Contract.

15 Core HR Has the ability for employee to electronically affirm receipt of documents (e.g. offer letter, employee handbook)

16 Core HR Contains approval workflow of compensation elements with automated integration to payroll (schools often pay teachers additional compensation amounts for taking on responsibilities beyond their day-to-day role).

Yes

17 Core HR Employee self-service address change triggers tax change workflow.

Yes

18 Core HR Has the ability to manage multiple address record types (e.g. mailing address and home address) for one person.

19 Core HR Has the ability for employee to initiate personnel data change workflow (e.g. emergency contacts, address, etc)

Yes Yes

20 Core HR Contains the ability to conduct employee surveys, such as exit survey.

21 Core HR Enables storage of salary bands and automatic calculation of the comp ratio of a given individual relative to salary bands

22 Core HR Progressive disciplinary actions can be tracked and reported.

23 Core HR Enables effective- dating of personnel transactions and events, such as address changes, salaries, terminations, etc.

Yes Yes

24 Payroll /Time

The payroll process respects the effective dating of personnel transactions (e.g. entering future terminations and hires).

Yes Yes

25 Core HR Has a mechanism to flag



tenure-eligible employees (employees working in New Jersey for 5 years).

26 Payroll /Time

Has robust self-service for W4 updates, bank verification and bank account changes.

Yes

27 Payroll /Time

Employees can request PTO/leave within the system.

Yes Yes

28 Payroll /Time

Employees and managers can view PTO/leave plan balances.

Yes Yes

29 Payroll /Time

Ability to configure and administer a complex PTO policy that:

29a Payroll /Time

Allows employees to carry over a portion of their PTO from year to year.

Yes

29b Payroll /Time

Allows employees to maintain a negative PTO balance.

Yes

29c Payroll /Time

Prohibits an employee from requesting PTO when he/she has a negative balance.

Yes

29d Payroll /Time

Enables employees to receive partial payout of their PTO on an annual basis.

Yes

29e Payroll /Time

Deducts retroactively approved PTO from employee’s bank

Yes

30 Payroll /Time

Ability to configure and administer complex retirement eligibility rules based on geography and role type.

Yes Yes

31 Payroll /Time

Ability to configure the following specific retirement eligibility rules:

31a Payroll /Time

In Pennsylvania, part-time employees become eligible to participate after working 400 hours.

31b Payroll /Time

In New Jersey, employees working over 20 hours per week are eligible to



participate in the retirement plan.

32 Payroll /Time

Has taxation reciprocity across work and resident tax authorities (states and localities).

Yes

33 Payroll /Time

Workflow to assign a new PTO approver and supervisor is triggered when a manager is terminated.

Yes

34 Payroll /Time

Ability to prorate taxes and/or pension based on multiple job functions (e.g. when an employee receives pay for additional responsibilities, the pension and FICA burden should be able to follow the applicable earning category instead of remaining in the employee’s home department).

Yes Yes

35 Payroll /Time

Can pay employees from multiple tax entities (e.g. campuses) in the same pay period.

36 Payroll /Time

Enforces the proper pairings of taxes, earning and deduction groups including but not limited to factors such as employee’s state of work/residence, status and job title.

Yes Yes

37 Payroll /Time

Can handle staff transferring between separate legal entities.

Yes Yes

38 Payroll /Time

Can handle staff working concurrently in multiple legal entities.

39 Payroll /Time

Exception reporting with customizable tolerances within the system to flag issues for correction prior to payroll run (e.g. exceeding allowable overtime hours.

40 Payroll /Time

Simulation runs with the ability to publish and approve simulations within the system (e.g. payroll previews can be



run and approved by stakeholders).

41 Payroll /Time

Enables retroactive calculations to be triggered from entry of back-dated transactions (e.g. for salary increases and benefit deductions)

42 Payroll /Time

Allows retroactive updates to key fields, such as position/job changes and salary changes, without intervention from vendor’s support desk.

43 Benefits Has a benefits administration module.

44 Benefits Can configure push notifications to remind employees of key milestones (e.g. to finish benefit elections).

45 Benefits Has benefits module integration such that Eligibility Census data is sent to Benefits TPA or is determined within the application, and payroll instructions/plan elections are provided directly back to the application.

Yes

46 Benefits Changes in benefits eligibility status (e.g. from Part-time to Full-time, 10.5 month to 12 month) triggers benefit change workflow.

47 Benefits Ability to automatically accept inbound plan election updates and resulting payroll changes from TPA (without going through helpdesk).

48 Benefits Tracks workers’ compensation claims.

49 Benefits Tracks and reports cumulative FMLA time taken with effective dating.

50 Benefits Maintains leave of absence (LOA) history.

51 Benefits Calculates the planned LOA duration, based on expected start and end dates.

52 Benefits Supports multiple types of



leaves of absence (e.g. personal leave, family medical leave, etc).

53 Benefits Supports flexible spending accounts (FSA).

VI. USE-CASE SCENARIOS

Our most heavily weighted criteria for evaluating a TMS is the system’s ability to handle Mastery’s non-

negotiable requirements. Vendors chosen as finalists will be asked to demonstrate these requirements—both

the items listed in the preceding tables, as well as three use-case scenarios important to Mastery’s HR talent

operations: (A) the End-of-Year Process, (B) the Separation Process, and (C) Requisition/Position Control

Process. Each scenario has an overview of the process, specific pain points Mastery is currently experiencing,

and a visual process flow. Vendors selected for a demonstration will be expected to provide Mastery with a

detailed walkthrough of how these particular scenarios could be handled within the software (Mastery will

provide additional details, context and supporting materials to vendors chosen to demo).

A. SCENARIO 1: THE END-OF-YEAR PROCESS

Overview: The End-of Year (EOY) process encompasses the following components: performance evaluation and

communication via 1:1 meetings; compensation (e.g. salary and bonus) and outcome determination (e.g.

separation, transfer to another campus, promotion, performance category change, status change, benefits

eligibility change, etc.); renewal offer letter distribution; and HR/payroll system maintenance in accordance with

the next year’s compensation and outcomes. It is one of Mastery’s more complex HR processes; it lasts almost 6

months, spans multiple departments, involves almost ~1500 staff members, encompasses numerous data points

and documents that change hands frequently.

Challenges: Mastery’s pain points related to the End-of-Year Process include:

End-of-year staff data for ~1500 staff members is maintained manually in 50+ excel spreadsheets.

Changes to end-of-year data throughout the EOY process are frequent; tracking these changes is cumbersome and error-prone. Updates to salaries, bonuses and other staff outcomes are communicated to HR via individual emails; HR then makes these updates manually in the individual excel spreadsheets.

At a defined point in time, the individual spreadsheets are combined into a master spreadsheet, opening further opportunity for human error. The master spreadsheet is used to prepare renewal contracts.

Renewal contracts are issued through an electronic signature platform with limited functionality and reporting, and no connection to our current HRIS. Approximately 100 contracts need to be reissued manually due to errors, salary changes or other updates.

Due to Mastery’s current HRIS limitations on data imports, HR must prepare multiple import templates based on data type in order to ensure the EOY outcomes are updated in the system.

Changes that cannot be imported (approximately 150) need to be entered manually by the payroll team. These include updates to payroll groups, benefits eligibility, PTO eligibility and PTO payout. Additionally,



changes to employee jobs and home locations create a new employee record making data tracking and analysis challenging.

Mastery’s current HRIS has limits on effective-dating transactions; payroll must enter staff changes into the system during a small window of time.

Overall, there is lack of workflow; communications and notification of each step in the process happen manually/via email.

KEY:

NST = Network Support Team, Mastery’s central office

EOY = End-of-Year

B. SCENARIO 2: THE SEPARATIONS PROCESS

Overview: Employee terminations, both voluntary and involuntary, happen throughout the year with the highest concentration occurring at the close of each school year on June 30th. Separation policies and procedures at Mastery likely mirror those of other organizations; voluntary terminations require written documentation to the supervisor/HR, and HR manages employee close-out activities. Involuntary terminations are typically preceded by warnings and/or a performance improvement plan. Mastery’s separations process



was selected for a use-case scenario due to the current manual nature of the steps involved and desire to implement a technology that can aide in automation.

Challenges: Mastery’s pain points related to the Separations Process include:

Manual notifications must be sent to multiple departments.

The flow of data out of Mastery’s current HRIS and into other 3rd party systems (e.g. benefits, COBRA) is slow and requires manual intervention at times.

Final pay and PTO calculations are cumbersome due to HRIS limitations.

Overall, there is a lack of workflow; communications and notification of each step in the process happen manually/via email.

C. SCENARIO 3: POSITION CONTROL/REQUISITION PROCESS

Overview: Mastery’s position control and requisition process has been a major friction point between

HR, recruitment and finance. We do not currently maintain position control in a platform, nor do we

have a source system or reliable tracking mechanism for current or historical position

control/management data. As a result, position control is only truly accurate at the start of the school

year, and changes made throughout the year are not captured in a central location causing issues when

trying to assess vacancies. We also lack reliable baseline headcount and corresponding position

information for annual budget conversations.

Mastery recognized the need to align around a position control process that will work for all

stakeholders. The workflow below represents our planned position control process, and the Core HR



system we select must be able to facilitate this process as displayed. Most importantly, the system

should support many to many relationships between positions and requisition, and maintain position

objects separately from person objects. Additionally, the Core HR system (where positions will be

housed) must have two-way communication with the Applicant Tracking System (where requisition

counts will be housed) to ensure both systems remain up to date.

VII. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Mastery Charter Schools Contact Information Organization: Mastery Charter Schools- NST Contact person: Attn: Tracey Geller, Project Manager Street Address: 5700 Wayne Avenue City: Philadelphia State: Pennsylvania Zip Code: 19144 E-mail: [email protected]



You have the right to withdraw your submission prior to the final decision provided the Contractor’s authorized agent does so via a request in writing with signature to the Mastery contact. Once your proposal is submitted, no additions or revisions may be made or submitted unless requested by Mastery.

VIII. AWARD NOTICE AND PROTESTS By submitting your bid or proposal, you are offering to enter into a contract with Mastery Charter Schools. Without further action by either party, a binding contract shall result upon final award. A proposal or response to this RFP may be submitted by only one legal entity. All Contractors who responded to this RFP will be advised of the outcomes of the award within a reasonable amount of time. Any prospective bidder who is aggrieved in connection with the RFP solicitation of a contract shall protest no less than five (5) business days in advance of the due date of the applicable RFP solicitation. Any actual bidder, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award of a contract shall protest within ten (10) calendar days of the date award notification. A protest shall be signed by an authorized representative, in writing, shall set forth the specific grounds of the protest, and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. Mastery Charter Schools reserves the right to review, consider, or reject any appeals or concerns based on the content of the request for consideration.

IX. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT Payment and performance obligations for succeeding fiscal periods shall be subject to the availability and appropriation of funds. When funds are not appropriated or otherwise made available to support continuation of performance in a subsequent fiscal period, the contract shall be canceled. In the event of a cancellation pursuant to this paragraph, the Contractor will be reimbursed the resulting unamortized, reasonably incurred, nonrecurring costs. Mastery Charter Schools may cancel this solicitation in whole or in part and/or reject any or all proposals in whole or in part.

X. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A. RFP not an Offer

This RFP does not constitute an offer by Mastery. No binding contract, obligation to negotiate, or any other obligation will be created on the part of Mastery unless Mastery and the Contractor execute a Contract. No recommendations or conclusions from this RFP process concerning the Contractor will constitute a right (property or otherwise) under the Constitution of the United States, case law, or statutory law Pennsylvania.

B. Requirement for representation as to accuracy and completeness of proposal

Each Contractor will make the following representations and warranty in its Proposal Cover Letter, the falsity of which might result in rejection of its Proposal: “The information contained in this Proposal or any



part thereof, including its Exhibits, Schedules, and other documents and instruments delivered or to be delivered to Mastery, is true, accurate, and complete. This Proposal includes all information necessary to ensure that the statements therein do not in whole or in part mislead Mastery as to any material facts.”

C. No Collusion or Conflict of Interest By responding to this RFP, the Contractor will be deemed to have represented and warranted that the Proposal is not made in connection with any competing Contractor submitting a separate response to this RFP, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud.

D. Subcontracting

In the event of a subcontracting relationship, the Contractor will remain the prime Contractor and will assume all responsibility for the performance of the Services that are supplied by its sub‐Contractor. Additionally, Mastery must be named as a third party beneficiary in all subcontracts. Subcontractors must provide to Mastery copies of all required insurance and certificates of insurance.

E. Certification Regarding Debarment and Other Responsibility Matters By submitting a bid, the Contractor certifies, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that: Contractor and/or any of its Principals:

Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for the award of contracts by a state or federal agency;

Have not, within a three-year period preceding this offer, been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for: commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain or performing a public (federal, state, or local) contract or subcontract; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes relating to the submission of offers; or destruction of records, making false statements, tax evasion, or receiving stolen property; and

Are not presently indicted for, or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity with, commission of any of the offenses enumerated in this provision.

Contractor has not, within a three-year period preceding this offer, had one or more contracts terminated for default by any public (federal, state, or local) entity. “Principals” for the purpose of this certification means officers, directors, owners, partners, and, persons having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager; head of a subsidiary, division, or business segment, and similar positions). Contractor shall provide immediate written notice to Mastery Charter Schools if, at any time prior to contract award, Contractor learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances. If Contractor is unable to certify the representations stated within, Contractor must submit a written explanation regarding its inability to make the certification. The certification will be considered in connection with a review of the Contractor’s responsibility.



Failure of the Contractor to furnish additional information as requested by Mastery Charter Schools may render the Contractor non-responsible. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render, in good faith, the certification required. The knowledge and information of a Contractor is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings. If it is later determined that the Contractor knowingly or in bad faith rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available, Mastery Charter Schools may terminate the contract resulting from this solicitation for default.

F. Drug Free Workplace Certification By submitting an Offer, Contractor certifies that, if awarded a contract, Contractor will comply with all applicable provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act.

G. Equal Opportunity The successful bidder will comply with all federal and state requirements concerning fair employment and employment of the handicapped, and concerning the treatment of all employees, without regard or discrimination by reason of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or physical handicap. Contractor shall comply with all applicable provisions, if any, of Title 41, Part 60 of the Code of Federal Regulations, including but not limited to Sections 60-1.4, 60-4.2, 60-4.3, 60-250.5(a), and 60-741.5(a).

Documents

Request for Proposals (RFP) #201718-B for: Mastery Charter ... · of this RFP. Mastery is also soliciting proposals for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), but on a separate timeline;