Exhibit A §3.8 · All 14 tasks, in order

Three phases, fourteen tasks, one connected record

Our plan follows the RFP's own task structure so evaluation, contracting, and delivery all speak the same language. Dates below are our proposed pace against the April 30, 2028 completion requirement, with float held where OC San decisions are on the critical path.

Phase I — Project Initiation and Planning

Proposed: September – November 2026
Task 1 · Review and Finalize Work Plan

Kickoff with HR; confirm end products, decision points, and the weekly-meeting cadence required by §4.1.2. We deliver a living project plan HR can see, not a static Gantt attached to a status email.

Deliverable: Finalized Project Work Plan
Task 2 · Understanding of Other Study Needs

Working sessions with HR on the issue inventory accumulated since the 2022 study: suggested classification revisions, employment standards, series and progression questions, alignment and compaction items per §3.2.5. The PDQ instrument is customized here, before any employee sees it.

Deliverables: HR issue-inventory sessions; customized PDQ and instructions
Task 3 · Conduct Orientation Meetings

Minimum four live online sessions per the published Q&A: Managers/Supervisors, Bargaining Unit Representatives, and two all-employee sessions covering both halves of the work week, each recorded and available on demand for night-shift staff, absences, and new hires. PDQ distribution with live walkthrough.

Deliverable: Orientation meetings for employee organizations and all employees

Phase II — Classification Review and Recommendations

Proposed: November 2026 – August 2027
Task 1 · PDQ Review, Employee Interviews, Follow-Ups

Per the published Q&A, HR collects, tracks, and completeness-checks all PDQs; HSG performs the formal review and analysis of every one. Interviews for all single-incumbent classifications (our Workforce Analysis shows how many that really is), sampled interviews across multi-incumbent classes, and HR-approved employee-requested interviews, documented per §3.2.3.

Deliverables: PDQ analysis; employee interviews; management follow-ups
Task 2 · Draft Classification Recommendations

Position allocation recommendations and revised specifications in editable Word, with rationale for every change: families, series, levels, titling per OC San conventions, ADA physical demands, and FLSA exemption-relevant essential functions per §3.2.7.

Deliverables: Allocation recommendations; draft specifications; HR-input revisions
Task 3 · Employee and Stakeholder Review

Structured review windows for employees, management, and the recognized employee organizations, with written-comment and discussion-meeting formats. HR holds final content decisions; we make sure every comment has a documented disposition.

Deliverables: Division-management and HR discussion meetings
Task 4 · Final Recommendations and Classification Manual

Finalized specifications compiled into a standardized classification manual documenting goals, process, recommendations, and level distinctions, built for HR's daily use after we leave.

Deliverable: Classification Manual for HR use

Phase III — Compensation Analysis and Recommendations

Proposed: mid-2027 – early 2028, timed with HR for market-data freshness
Task 1 · Confirm Survey Methodology

Benchmarks, survey elements, and labor-market policy directives confirmed with HR before collection begins, against the Board-adopted 17-agency comparator framework.

Deliverable: Finalized benchmarks, survey scope and elements
Task 2 · Collect Survey Data

Salary and total compensation collected from the 17 comparators, with collection timing set jointly so data lands when OC San needs it, not when it is convenient to gather. Draft and final workbooks in Excel, structured for HR reuse.

Deliverables: Market data collection; draft and final Excel data sheets
Task 3 · Internal Relationship and Alignment Analysis

Compaction and internal-relationship review within and across job families, integrated with survey results. The Compaction Lab on this portal demonstrates the analytical machinery on illustrative data.

Deliverables: Internal salary structure review; recommendations and discussion
Task 4 · Draft Reports

Separate classification and compensation reports: process, analyses, data, observations, recommendations, each with implementation-ready rationale.

Deliverables: Draft Classification Report; draft Compensation Report
Task 5 · Final Reports

Revisions from HR review incorporated; presentation materials prepared for each audience: Board, Steering Committee, employee organizations.

Deliverables: Final reports; draft presentation materials
Task 6 · Present Final Reports

Minimum three final presentations per the published Q&A: HR (may be virtual), plus Bargaining Unit Representatives and the Board of Directors in person per Addendum 1, and any committee sessions requested under §4.1.4.

Deliverable: Presentations to the Board, committees, and employee organizations
Task 7 · Market Position, Current and Projected

Current percentile position for salary and total compensation, overall and by employee group, plus forward projections under OC San-specified increase scenarios with subsequent updates. Delivered as a model HR can drive, demonstrated in our Market Method module.

Deliverables: Current market position findings; scenario projections

Management commitments the RFP asks for, answered directly

Weekly HR meetings with written progress reports (§4.1.2, §4.2). Key personnel locked absent prior written OC San concurrence (§6.1). Virtual meetings recorded and available on demand (Addendum 1). Completion by April 30, 2028 with milestones mutually set at kickoff (§5.0). Each commitment appears in our proposal with the person accountable for it.