REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Compensation Study Consultant

Project Overview

NASTAD seeks a Human Resources consultant to update its total rewards program to reflect NASTAD’s progressive values, culture, and organizational policies/procedures. The new total rewards system should incorporate Human Resources best practices and operationalize trauma informed approaches, diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and related principles. The consultant should also have experience with the successful roll-out and implementation of an updated compensation system, including training all staff on complex compensation-related concepts. Experience working with unionized organizations is preferred.

Project Background

NASTAD’s last full compensation study was completed in 2019. Since then, we’ve experienced rapid inflation, a radically changing job market, shifting views on remote work, and changing expectations from employees. NASTAD’s workforce has doubled in size, unionized, shifted to remote work, and distributed across the country. Additionally, the previous compensation program was not well understood by staff and front-line supervisors. The new program should accurately reflect our new context, stay true to NASTAD values, and educate staff to ensure deep understanding and buy-in. The consultant, managed by NASTAD’s HR Director and collaborating with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as well as a Compensation Study Committee, will develop:

• A comprehensive, clear, and detailed compensation philosophy
• A compensation structure, including associated policies and procedures such as:
  • A structure for job leveling
  • Competencies and expectations by level
  • Pay bands, salary ranges, etc.
• Policies, systems, and structures for salary increases such as:
  • COLA increases
  • Merit-based increases
  • Promotions
  • A pay equity review process
• A comprehensive benefits evaluation
• A comprehensive DEI/equity evaluation
• A bonus program
• A communication and training plan to roll out the program ensuring that it is transparent and well-understood by all staff members on an ongoing basis.

NASTAD Background

Our Name National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, dba: NASTAD

Our Mission, Vision & Values

NASTAD is a leading non-partisan non-profit association that represents governmental public health officials who administer HIV and hepatitis programs in the U.S. Our mission is to advance the health and dignity of people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics by strengthening governmental public health and leveraging community partnerships. Our vision is a world committed to ending HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics such as with people who use drugs. We want to center racial justice, anti-racism and anti-white supremacist principles as we think about, approach and conduct our work.

Our Work

NASTAD is a $25 million membership association. Our members are comprised of health departments’ HIV/AIDS and hepatis program directors in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, seven local jurisdictions, and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Island jurisdictions.

NASTAD’s programmatic teams interpret and influence policies, conduct trainings, offer technical assistance, and provide advocacy mobilization for health departments to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV and hepatitis. NASTAD’s operations team supports program teams to advance NASTAD’s mission and values. NASTAD is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors comprised of our members.

NASTAD is primarily funded by federal cooperative agreements from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We have 70 staff members across 22 states, with about half located within commuting distance from our headquarters in Washington, DC. NASTAD follows a flexible remote work policy allowing staff to work from the office, telework, and work remotely at the choice of the employee.

Unionization

NASTAD voted to unionize in September of 2024. In early 2025, NASTAD and the union reached agreement on the staff who are part of the bargaining unit (i.e. the union represented staff). However, we have yet to begin the discussions which will result in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Timeline

We anticipate that the consultancy will begin in the summer of 2026, with an engagement that is expected to last 6-12 months. This timeline can be negotiable. 

Proposal Requirements

Racial justice, equity, and anti-white supremacy are essential to the success of our work. We are seeking a consultant who has demonstrated experience working with diverse groups of people and perspectives. We will prioritize proposals from individuals and organizations that share these values, value those with lived experience, and actively implement strategies to support NASTAD’s desire for a Total Rewards program that reflects current world realities.

Please provide the following in your proposal:

• Organization information: Share your name, address, email address, and telephone. Please include a brief description and history of your experience and note whether it possesses any of the following attributes.
  • Person of Color-led organization/business
  • Woman-led organization/business
  • LGBTQ+ -led organization/business
  • Organization/business certified as minority-owned or woman-owned
  • Strategies to support workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/business
• Project approach: Explain your project approach, style, and process.
• Staffing: Provide a summary of experience of all additional staff or consultants, if applicable.
• Experience: Proposals should include a list of projects that are similar in scale to ours. Where possible, highlight work for member-driven, national organizations, governmental public health, and/or organizations that focus on HIV, hepatitis, and overdose prevention. Include URLs and/or copies of your work where applicable.
• References: Please provide at least two recent references who can speak to your creation of Total Rewards programs.
• Schedule and timeline: Proposals should include the estimated project duration, broken down by phases and/or deliverables.
• Cost: Proposals must include the estimated cost for all work and list anticipated expenses. Please break out the costs by phases and/or deliverables.

Other requirements:

• NASTAD requires that all independent contractor consultants/vendors carry professional liability insurance. Prior to contract execution, the selected consultant must provide proof of insurance.
• The selected vendor will be required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement.

Deadline and Contact Information 

The deadline to receive proposals is 11:59 pm on Monday, June 15, 2026. Please send proposals to Andrew Whiting, Director of Human Resources at awhiting@nastad.org. Please direct any questions to Andrew via email.