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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20- RFP - Equity Indicators & Gaps AnalysisRFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 1 of 16 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) EQUITY INDICATORS AND GAPS ANALYSIS CITY OF BOZEMAN Bozeman, MT City of Bozeman PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771-1230 October 2020 RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 2 of 16 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the City of Bozeman (City) is seeking proposals from firms to conduct a community-wide data collection process on racial and socioeconomic inequity, conduct a gaps analysis of services to address inequities, and develop a set of equity indicators that will allow the City to establish a baseline and track change over time. Copies of the Request for Proposals are available on the City’s website at http://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink8/Browse.aspx?startid=26&dbid=0. All proposals must be provided as a single, searchable PDF document file and be submitted digitally as an email attachment to the RFP Recipient email address below. Respondents are advised that Recipient’s email attachment size limit is 25MB and that only one PDF file will be allowed per response. The subject line of the transmittal email shall clearly identify the RFP title, company name and due date/time. File sizes greater than 25MB in size may be uploaded to bzncloud.bozeman.net upon special arrangement of the Recipient; however, it is the respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure the file upload is completed, and that the Recipient is separately notified via email of same, prior to the given deadline. Deliver RFPs via email to the City Clerk by 3:00 p.m. MST November 20, 2020. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing time as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. The email address for submission is: agenda@bozeman.net NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY The City of Bozeman is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Discrimination in the performance of any agreement awarded under this RFQ on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability is prohibited. This prohibition shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the awarded entity’s employees and to all subcontracts. As such, each entity submitting under this notice shall include a provision wherein the submitting entity, or entities, affirms in writing it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and which also recognizes the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and that this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, pursuant to City Commission Resolution 5169, the entity awarded a contract under this RFQ and any subcontractors must abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and affirm it will abide by the above and that it has visited the RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 3 of 16 State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to: Mike Maas, City Clerk (406) 582-2321, agenda@bozeman.net. Questions relating to the RFQ should be directed to: Dani Hess, Neighborhoods Program Coordinator, (406) 582-2274, dhess@bozeman.net. DATED at Bozeman, Montana, this Sunday, October 25, 2020. Mike Maas City Clerk City of Bozeman For publication on: Sunday, October 25 Sunday, November 1 RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 4 of 16 I. INTRODUCTION The City of Bozeman’s Strategic Plan reflects equity and inclusion as organizational and community-wide values in Vision Statement 3: A Safe and Welcoming Community. In light of nation-wide and local calls for public agencies to address their role in upholding systems of inequity, the City of Bozeman acknowledges the need to examine internal policies and procedures, as well as its responsibility to plan and implement strategies to reduce community- wide barriers to equity and inclusion. In June of 2020, City staff conducted an internal review of existing policies, procedures, training protocols, and hiring practices as they relate to diversity of the City’s current workforce. The review resulted in 24 recommendations to further diversity and representation of the community in its workforce, anti-discrimination in its policies and practices, and continual improvement in the delivery of equitable services. A key recommendation from the review is to develop a City Equity & Inclusion Plan to guide efforts that ensure all persons in Bozeman thrive regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, or socioeconomic status. In order to create this plan, a data collection effort that engages stakeholders in the process of identifying and characterizing inequities in our community is needed. Data-informed approaches to mitigating barriers to equity and inclusion have contributed to successful and ongoing efforts in municipalities such as Oakland CA, Tacoma WA, and Asheville NC. Data gathered through quantitative and qualitative means will define the disparities faced by underrepresented groups and provide a basis to assess the gaps in services available in the community. The process will also include the development of a set of equity indicators that will allow the City to establish baseline data and track change over time. The City intends to enter into a contract with the selected firm that will include a community- wide data collection process on how race, ethnicity, and gender identity affect people’s ability to thrive in the Bozeman area. The selected firm will also conduct a gaps analysis to evaluate the capacity of existing City services and community partners’ services to address inequities found during data collection. Finally, the selected firm will develop a set of equity indicators and recommendations to guide the City’s efforts to mitigate inequities and establish baseline data to track progress over time. The City of Bozeman understands that one firm alone may not be able to complete all of the components of the analysis. With this in mind, the City will accept proposals from a collaboration of more than one firm as long as one firm is considered the lead and partner firms are subcontracted by the lead firm. This RFP shall not commit the City to enter into an agreement, to pay any expenses incurred in preparation of any response to this request, or to procure or contract for any supplies, goods or services. The City reserves the right to accept or reject all responses received as a result of this RFP if it is in the City’s best interest to do so. RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 5 of 16 This procurement is governed by the laws of the State of Montana and venue for all legal proceedings shall be in the 18th Judicial District Court, Gallatin County. By offering to perform services under this RFP, all Submitters agree to be bound by the laws of the State of Montana and of the City, including, but not limited to, applicable wage rates, payments, gross receipts taxes, building codes, equal opportunity employment practices, safety, non-discrimination, etc. Project Objectives 1. To better understand how Bozeman residents experience the community as correlated to their identities by collecting community-wide data along various indicators such as mental health, educational attainment, employment, income, housing affordability, criminal justice, access to City services and current infrastructure gaps (e.g. parks, sidewalks, recreation centers, natural areas) and more. 2. Commitment to extensive community engagement throughout the process, guided by internal (ie: City staff, partners in other community orgs and institutions), and external stakeholders (individuals and groups in the community). 3. To obtain data sets disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender identity when possible, to better understand how identity and circumstances impacts a person’s ability to thrive in Bozeman. 4. To better understand the capacity for institutions and community organizations in Bozeman to address inequities uncovered in the process through a gap analysis. 5. To develop equity indicators created in conjuction with internal and external stakeholders that enable the City to track progress in advancing equitable outcomes and share progress over time. 6. To compile and share equity indicators and datasets that are compatible with visualization tools such as data dashboards and story maps. 7. The project work aligns to the following data collection framework: i. Transparent communication of the intention, process and feedback loops of the data collection process ii. Data collection and outreach methods that are sensitive to the needs, circumstances, and values of underrepresented groups iii. Analysis methods that embrace anecdotal evidence (especially within small groups) iv. Measures are taken to ensure the stories told from the data collected are accurate to the demographic and honor individual agency relative to emergent themes (strengths-based) II. SCOPE OF SERVICES A. Overview The selected firm will collect data on community-wide equity outcomes as well as gaps in services available from the City and community partners. Data will be disaggregated by race and ethnicity to determine any disparities people of color are experiencing, as well as by gender identity, when possible. A final report will be crafted and will include graphic representation of RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 6 of 16 data detailing existing disparities and inequities. The selected firm will also develop key equity indicators the City can use to track ongoing progress and recommendations to mitigate inequities. The data collection and indicator development work will be managed by the selected firm, who will work with internal City staff and community members throughout the process. The selected firm will demonstrate cultural proficiency, engaging diverse and representative groups of internal City and external community stakeholders to cultivate an inclusive and equitable process. Community members will be involved throughout the process in a variety of non-traditional methods (such as through the formation and guidance of a stakeholder advisory group, focus groups, meetings in places of trust and safety, etc.), and assist in everything from helping select which data sets to include, to the analysis subsequently performed and development of equity indicators. B. Phase 1: Data collection and stakeholder mapping Task 1.1: Project Initiation Review the scope of work, timeline for completion, identify major issues to be addressed in the project, identify which previous efforts and studies contain information relevant to this project, and identify points of City staff contact, as well as work with City staff contacts to begin to list out stakeholders, individuals and organizations, that should be engaged throughout the process. Task 1.2: Background Research Identify existing data sources, including those from local agencies and organizations. Identify gaps in existing data and identify new data sources. Begin crafting potential framework for ethical data collection, storage, usage, analysis, and reporting. Task 1.3: Stakeholder Engagement Using a stakeholder mapping framework that highlights differing levels of influence and impact, plan inclusive engagement processes for community member participation in the following key processes: · Data collection process and framework; · Identification of which data sets to collect; · Framework for data analysis; · Development of equity indicators Task 1.4: Data Collection Implement data collection process as planned in coordination with community stakeholders. RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 7 of 16 C. Phase 2: Data Analysis Task 2.1: Analyze Data Sets to Determine Equitability of Experience Analyze existing and newly collected data to determine any existing inequities or disparities in community experience. Compile and disaggregate by race, ethnicity, and gender identity comprehensive data sets across various equity indicators, including but not limited to: · Mental health burden · Education · Economic opportunity and inclusion · Social inclusion and belonging · Environmental justice · Food security · Affordability (including housing stability, attainment, and housing location relative to employment/economic opportunity) · Criminal justice · Accessibility · City Services Task 2.2: Perform Gap Analysis Perform gap analysis to ascertain the City’s internal capacity and that of community partners to address any inequities that are uncovered. Task 2.3: Draft Final Report Draft a preliminary report early in the process documenting findings of data, gap analysis, and present to City staff. The final report will include methodology, framework, visual representations of data, the results of the gaps analysis, and record of public engagement methods and results. D. Phase 3: Develop Equity Indicators Draft a list of equity indicators the City should track to monitor progress based on emergent themes from data collection process and what community has expressed an interest in tracking. Project Deliverables 1. Final Report summarizing: a. Findings of data in visual and engaging formats b. Results of gaps analysis c. Data collection and public engagement methodology, framework, and records 2. List of equity indicators and sources of corresponding data sets disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender identity where possible 3. Recommendations for addressing gaps in services and advancing progress in equity indicators RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 8 of 16 Deliverables must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To comply with the ADA, documents posted online, including, but not limited to, Adobe PDF files, Microsoft Word documents, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and online flipbooks, must be screen-reader friendly. Accessible documents are often part of web-based information or used for support documents. Therefore, under Section 508 standards and WCAG accessibility guidelines, it is critical to ensure all support documents made available to end users can be accessed by people with disabilities. Therefore, any digital material created for the City of Bozeman and its websites will maintain the requirements outline in WCAG 2.0 AA Convention guidelines, Section 508 "Electronic & Accessibility Standards" of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act, the Usability.gov accessibility Guidelines, and ADA Title II State & Local Government nondiscrimination requirements. III. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Firms interested in providing the services described above are requested to submit the following information. Responses to each item should appear in the same order as in this RFP and should identify the item to which the responses applies. For co-Respondents, please include information for all firms responding. a) Title Page The title page shall include the name of the firm(s), address(es), contact(s), telephone number(s) and email address(es) to contact for information regarding the proposal. The title page must bear the signature of authorized representative of the Respondent and designates, by name, not more than two individuals authorized to sign agreements with the City on behalf of the Respondent. b) Executive Summary This section shall provide an overview of the proposal and the Respondent’s understanding of the City’s needs. The summary should also include any experience the Respondent wishes to highlight, as well as any relevant conditions or restrictions. c) Firm Profile & Project Personnel Provide information about firm(s), including: 1. Location, number of employees, and ownership. 2. Describe the firm’s history. Include information on how many years the firm has worked in this topic area. Identify the firm’s annual volume of business, and speak to the firm’s current workload. 3. Brief resumes shall be provided for each key project individual (no longer than one page). Any proposed subcontractors should be clearly identified and their profiles described. 4. Primary contact information for each firm including contact name(s) and title(s), mailing address(s), phone number(s), and email address(s). RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 9 of 16 d) Experience If more than one firm is included in the response, specify which firm brings the relevant experience as requested in items 1-6. If all firms have relevant experience in a given item, each firm may provide a response. 1. Describe firm’s experience collecting data used to inform community-wide efforts to advance equity and inclusion for a local government entity. Please provide examples from at least two previous projects. 2. Describe firm’s approach to ethical data governance, including collection, usage and storage, and proficiency ensuring the process does not inadvertently perpetuate further inequities. 3. Describe firm’s approach to conducting inclusive public engagement with historically underrepresented populations and a local government entity. 4. Describe firm’s experience performing a gap analysis similar in scope. 5. Describe how the firm demonstrates equity, inclusion and diversity frameworks, learnings, and concepts in their work. 6. Describe firm’s experience crafting engaging and visual representations of data. e) Scope of Proposal 1. Provide a detailed narrative of the services proposed if awarded the contract per the Scope of Services outlined above. Describe the methodology and framework for data collection, community engagement, data analysis, visual data reporting, and development of equity indicators. Include assumptions used and the limitations of the analysis. 2. Describe the methods and technical tools used to reach and include community members. Touch on relevant experience conducting inclusive and accessible community engagement virtually or modified to account for COVID-19 safety precautions. 3. Describe the methods and timeline of communication you will use with the City’s Project Manager and other parties including anticipated site visits. 4. Provide an outline of the schedule for completing tasks. Include deliverable milestones. 5. Include a description of the software and other analysis tools to be used in data collection, analysis, data visualization and reporting. 6. Identify what portion of work, if any, may be subcontracted. f) Budget The budget for this proposal is not to exceed $75,000, therefore applicants are invited to submit proposals with the tasks prioritized to aid the City in working together with the selected firm to identify and implement core tasks within the budget available for this project. In your response to this proposal, please provide the following: RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 10 of 16 a. Estimated Hours by Task: Provide estimated hours for each proposed task by job title and employee name, firm, including the time required for meetings, conference calls, etc. b. Cost by Task: Provide the cost of each task identified in the Scope of Proposal section detailed by employee/job position and number of hours. Provide a total not to exceed figure for the Scope of Proposal. Price all additional services/deliverables separately. c. Schedule of Rates: Provide a schedule of billing rates by category of employee and job title to be used during the term of the Agreement. This fee schedule will be firm for at least one (1) year from the date of the Agreement. The fee schedule will be used as a basis for determining fees should additional services be necessary. A fee schedule for sub-consultants, if used, shall be included. d. All direct costs (i.e., travel, printing, postage, etc.) specifically attributed to the project and not included in the billing rates must be identified. g) References Please provide name and contact information for at least three references for similar projects completed in the last two years. h) Affirmation of Nondiscrimination (see Appendix A) Non-completion of the Affirmation of Nondiscrimination is cause for disqualification of firms. IV. TIMELINES, DELIVERY DEADLINE, AND INSTRUCTIONS EVENT DATE/TIME Publication dates of RFP Sunday, October 25 Sunday, November 1 Deadline for receipt of questions Monday, November 9 Deadline for receipt of proposals No later than 3:00 p.m. November 20, 2020 Evaluation of proposals completed by December 4 Interviews (if necessary) and Selection of consultants completed by December 7-11 With the exception of the advertising dates and advertised due date, the City reserves the right to modify the above timeline. Deliver RFPs via email to the City Clerk (agenda@bozeman.net) by 3:00 p.m. MST November 20, 2020. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing time as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 11 of 16 All proposals must be provided as a single, searchable PDF document file and be submitted digitally as an email attachment to the RFP Recipient email address agenda@bozeman.net. Respondents are advised that Recipient’s email attachment size limit is 25MB and that only one PDF file will be allowed per response. The subject line of the transmittal email shall clearly identify the RFP title, company name and due date/time. File sizes greater than 25MB in size may be uploaded to bzncloud.bozeman.net upon special arrangement of the Recipient; however, it is the respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure the file upload is completed, and that the Recipient is separately notified via email of same, prior to the given deadline. V. AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION Any interpretation or correction of this request will be published on the City’s webpage. The deadline for questions related to this document is 5:00 p.m. MST on November 9. VI. CONTACT INFORMATION Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to: Mike Maas, City Clerk, (406) 582-2321, agenda@bozeman.net Questions relating to scope of services should be directed to: [Dani Hess, Neighborhoods Program Coordinator, dhess@bozeman.net, 406-582-2274]. VII. SELECTION PROCEDURE A review committee will evaluate all responses to the RFP that meet the submittal requirements and deadline. Submittals that do not meet the requirement or deadline will not be considered. The review committee will rank the proposals and may arrange interviews with the finalist(s) prior to selection. Selection may be made directly based on the written RFP submission. If interviews occur, the selection of finalists to be interviewed will be made by a selection committee representing the City of Bozeman and several partner organizations. The selection of interview candidates will be based on an evaluation of the written responses to the RFPs. All submitted proposals must be complete and contain the information required as stated in the "Request for Proposals.” VIII. SELECTION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated by a Selection Committee who will individually score them out of a total of 100 possible points based on the criteria below: RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 12 of 16 • [5 points] Executive Summary • [30 points] Proposal Requirements • [20 points] Capability of the Firm • [20 points] Assigned Personnel • [15 points] Cost and Work Hours • [10] Related Experience with Similar Projects IX. FORM OF AGREEMENT The selected firm will be required to enter into a contract with the City in substantially the same form as the professional services agreement attached as Attachment B. X. CITY RESERVATION OF RIGHTS / LIABILITY WAIVER All proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the City and public records and, as such, may be subject to public review. A SUBMISSION IN RESPONSE TO THIS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS CONFERS NO RIGHTS UPON ANY RESPONDENTS AND SHALL NOT OBLIGATE THE CITY IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER. THE CITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE NO AWARD AND TO SOLICIT ADDITIONAL REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AT A LATER DATE. A. This RFP may be canceled or any or all responses may be rejected in whole or in part, as specified herein, when it is in the best interests of the City. If the City cancels or revises this RFP, all Respondents who submitted will be notified using email. B. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals; to add or delete items and/or quantities; to amend the RFP; to waive any minor irregularities, informalities, or failure to conform to the RFP; to extend the deadline for submitting proposals; to postpone award for up to 60 days; to award one or more contracts, by item or task, or groups of items or tasks, if so provided in the RFP and if multiple awards or phases are determined by the City to be in the public interest. C. The City of Bozeman reserves the right to reject the proposal of any person/firm who previously failed to perform properly to the satisfaction of the City of Bozeman, or complete on time agreements of similar nature, or to reject the proposal of any person/firm who is not in a position to perform such an agreement satisfactorily as determined by the City of Bozeman. D. The City of Bozeman reserves the right to determine the best qualified Contractor and negotiate a final scope of service and cost, negotiate a contract with another Contractor RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 13 of 16 if an agreement cannot be reached with the first selected Contractor, or reject all proposals. E. The professional services contract between the City of Bozeman and the successful Contractor will incorporate the Contractor's scope of service and work schedule as part of the agreement. F. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract. The City assumes no liability or responsibility for costs incurred by firms in responding to this request for proposals or request for interviews, additional data, or other information with respect to the selection process, prior to the issuance of an agreement, contract or purchase order. The Contractor, by submitting a response to this RFP, waives all right to protest or seek any legal remedies whatsoever regarding any aspect of this RFP. G. The City reserves the right to cancel, in part or in its entirety, this RFP including, but not limited to: selection procedures, submittal date, and submittal requirements. If the City cancels or revises this RFP, all Contractors who submitted proposals will be notified using email. H. Projects under any contract are subject to the availability of funds. XI. NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY POLICY The City of Bozeman requires each entity submitting under this notice shall affirm, on a separate form provided, that it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, sexual preference, gender identity, or disability in fulfillment of a contract entered into for the services identified herein and that this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and to all subcontracts it enters into in the fulfillment of the services identified herein. Failure to comply with this requirement shall be cause for the submittal to be deemed nonresponsive. The City also requires each entity submitting under this notice shall affirm it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. XII. MISCELLANEOUS A. No Oral Agreements. No conversations or oral agreements with any officer, employee, or agent of the City shall affect or modify any term of this solicitation. Oral communications or any written/email communication between any person and City officer, employee or agent shall not be considered binding. RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 14 of 16 B. No Partnership/Business Organization. Nothing in this solicitation or in any subsequent agreement, or any other contract entered into as a result of this solicitation, shall constitute, create, give rise to or otherwise be recognized as a partnership or formal business organization of any kind between or among the respondent and the City. C. Employment Restriction and Indemnity. No person who is an owner, officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of a respondent shall be an officer or employee of the City. No rights of the City’s retirement or personnel rules accrue to a respondent, its officers, employees, contractors, or consultants. Respondents shall have the responsibility of all salaries, wages, bonuses, retirement, withholdings, worker’s compensation and occupational disease compensation, insurance, unemployment compensation other benefits and taxes and premiums appurtenant thereto concerning its officers, employees, contractors, and consultants. Each Respondent shall save and hold the City harmless with respect to any and all claims for payment, compensation, salary, wages, bonuses, retirement, withholdings, worker’s compensation and occupational disease compensation, insurance, unemployment compensation other benefits and taxes and premiums in any way related to each respondent’s officers, employees, contractors and consultants. D. Accessibility. Upon reasonable notice, the City will provide assistance for those persons with sensory impairments. For further information please contact the ADA Coordinator Mike Gray at 406-582-3232 or the City’s TTY line at 406-582-2301. E. Procurement. When discrepancies occur between words and figures in this solicitation, the words shall govern. No responsibility shall attach to a City employee for the premature opening of an RFP not properly addressed and identified in accordance with these documents. F. Governing Law. This solicitation and any disputes arising hereunder or under any future agreement shall be governed and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Montana, without reference to principles of choice or conflicts of laws. XIII. ATTACHMENTS The following exhibits are incorporated in this RFP: Appendix A: Non-Discrimination Affirmation END OF RFP RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 15 of 16 RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 16 of 16 Attachment A NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. ______________________________________ Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter