We use optional, cookieless analytics on public pages to understand traffic and improve InkDraft. There is no advertising or cross-site tracking. Read our Cookie Policy.

InkDraft

HR consultancy or people advisory firm

Free HR Consulting Proposal Template

A free HR consulting proposal template with compensation benchmarking, org design, change management support, implementation plan, and milestone payments.

Direct answer

A free HR consulting proposal template with compensation benchmarking, org design, change management support, implementation plan, and milestone payments.

Best for

  • HR consultancy or people advisory firm creating a client-ready proposal
  • Service teams that need hr scope, pricing, timeline, and terms in one document
  • Visitors who want to fill a proposal template before creating an account
Talk to us about this template
Equitas People Advisory
Proposal / Jul 30, 2026
Prepared for Trailmark Software

Compensation and Org Design Proposal

A structured engagement to benchmark compensation, redesign the leveling framework, and align organizational structure with Trailmark Software's growth trajectory.

Goal
All roles mapped to levels with pay bands, and a remediation plan for outliers
14 weeks
Prepared for
Sage Olsen
VP People, Trailmark Software
Valid until
Aug 29, 2026
Summary

Clear levels and pay bands for a growing team

Trailmark Software has grown from 40 to over a hundred employees in two years, and the compensation practices and organizational structure that worked at the earlier stage are now creating friction: inconsistent pay decisions, unclear career progression, and reporting lines that no longer reflect how work actually gets done. Equitas People Advisory will benchmark compensation against market data, design a leveling and pay framework, recommend organizational adjustments, and support implementation so the changes land cleanly with managers and employees.

Your situation

Ad hoc pay decisions are costing offers and tenured staff

The Challenge

Compensation decisions are made ad hoc by individual managers without market data or internal equity analysis, resulting in pay compression between levels, offer rejections from competitive candidates, and attrition among tenured employees who discover newer hires are paid more for similar roles.

Solution Overview

Equitas People Advisory will collect and analyze market compensation data for all roles, design a leveling framework with pay bands tied to market percentiles, identify organizational structure gaps, and support the People team through rollout including manager talking points and FAQ documentation.

Success Metrics

  • Internal pay equity
    Current
    No structured analysis exists; anecdotal compression reported
    Target
    All roles mapped to levels with pay bands, and a remediation plan for outliers
  • Offer acceptance rate
    Current
    68 percent trailing twelve months
    Target
    Above 80 percent within two quarters of framework rollout
  • Regrettable attrition
    Current
    19 percent annualized, with compensation cited as a top factor
    Target
    Below 12 percent annualized within twelve months
Approach

Each phase ends with a leadership review of the findings

Methodology
The engagement runs in four phases: discovery and benchmarking, framework design, implementation support, and review and handoff. Each phase ends with a working session where findings and decisions are reviewed with the leadership team, so the final framework reflects both market data and internal context rather than a generic model applied from the outside.
Description

A data-driven compensation and org design approach that pairs external market benchmarking with internal equity analysis and hands-on implementation support.

Client Dependencies

  • Access to current employee data including titles, compensation, tenure, and reporting structure
  • Participation from department heads in discovery interviews
  • Executive alignment on target market positioning before framework design begins
  • Timely review of the draft framework and organizational recommendations
Scope

Every role mapped to a level and a pay band

In Scope

  • Market compensation benchmarking for all roles using published survey data
  • Internal pay equity analysis identifying compression and outliers
  • Leveling framework with defined career levels and pay bands
  • Organizational structure review with recommendations for reporting and span of control
  • Implementation support including manager communication guides and employee FAQ
  • Remediation plan for pay outliers with budgetary impact analysis

Out of Scope

  • Benefits program design or vendor selection
  • Executive compensation or equity plan design
  • HRIS implementation or payroll system changes
  • Ongoing compensation administration after handoff

Success Prerequisites

  • Complete and accurate employee data is exported from the HRIS in the first week
  • Executive team agrees on the target market percentile positioning before framework design
  • A remediation budget is identified before the implementation phase begins
Plan

Framework by week seven and handoff by week fourteen

Duration
14 weeks
Phases
4
Start
Aug 4, 2026
End
Nov 3, 2026
Deliverables by phase
Phase
Deliverables
01
Discovery and benchmarking
Wk 1-3 · 3 wks
  • ·
    Benchmarking and equity report
02
Framework design
Wk 4-7 · 4 wks
  • ·
    Leveling and compensation framework
03
Implementation support
Wk 8-12 · 5 wks
  • ·
    Implementation toolkit
04
Review and handoff
Wk 13-14 · 2 wks
  • ·
    Review and handoff package
Why us

Past client offer acceptance rose from 65 to 84 percent

Team Members

Riley Marchand
Managing Consultant

Leads the engagement, stakeholder alignment, and executive-level recommendations on compensation strategy and organizational design.

Finley Sato
Compensation Analyst

Owns market data analysis, pay equity modeling, employee mapping, and framework documentation.

Case Studies

Series B software company

Designed and implemented a leveling and compensation framework during a period of rapid headcount growth.

Offer acceptance rate increased from 65 to 84 percent, and compensation-related attrition dropped by a third within two quarters.
Mid-market professional services firm

Conducted an internal equity audit and redesigned the pay structure after a merger created overlapping roles with inconsistent compensation.

Resolved pay compression across all levels with a remediation budget under the client's initial estimate, and delivered the rollout without a single escalation.

Differentiators

  • Frameworks are built on the client's actual data and market position, not a templated structure applied to every company
  • Implementation support is included in the engagement, so the framework is rolled out rather than just delivered as a document
  • Organizational design recommendations are grounded in how work flows today, not an idealized org chart
Investment

One fixed fee with survey data included

Total investment
$38,000
Pricing model
Fixed
Engagement term
Aug 4, 2026 to Nov 17, 2026 (16 weeks)
Payment terms

Net 15

Expense policy

Pre-approved travel and expenses are billed at cost. Market compensation survey subscriptions used in benchmarking are included in the engagement fee.

Fees

01
Discovery and benchmarking

Employee data collection, market benchmarking, internal pay equity analysis, and organizational structure observations.

One-Time
$8,000
02
Framework design

Leveling framework, pay bands, employee mapping, and organizational structure recommendations.

One-Time
$12,000
03
Implementation support

Manager communication guide, employee FAQ, remediation plan, and rollout support.

One-Time
$13,000
04
Review and handoff

Post-rollout review, framework adjustments, and administration documentation.

One-Time
$5,000

Payment schedule

01
On engagement start
25
$9,500
02
Framework design approval
30
$11,400
03
Implementation support complete
30
$11,400
04
Engagement completion
15
$5,700
Next steps

Employee data export and validation in the first week

  1. 1
    Accept the proposal and sign the engagement agreement
    Trailmark Software
  2. 2
    Send the employee data extract requirements before kickoff
    Equitas People Advisory
  3. 3
    Export current employee data from the HRIS in week one
    Trailmark Software

Source ledger

ScopeMarket compensation benchmarking for all roles using published survey data Internal pay equity analysis identifying compression and outliers Leveling framework with defined career levels and pay bands
DeliverablesBenchmarking and equity report Leveling and compensation framework Implementation toolkit
Pricing$38,000 across 4 priced line items.
TimelineDiscovery and benchmarking: 3 weeks Framework design: 4 weeks Implementation support: 5 weeks
TermsEither party may terminate with 14 days written notice. Work completed through the termination date remains payable. Any pre-paid amounts for undelivered phases are refunded within 30 days.

What's inside this free HR consulting proposal template

This HR consulting proposal template is a complete, editable example for HR consultancies and people advisory firms scoping a compensation and org-design project. It covers discovery and benchmarking, framework design, implementation support with change management, and a structured handoff.

  • Discovery: stakeholder interviews and compensation benchmarking
  • Framework design: compensation bands, leveling, and org structure
  • Implementation support with manager briefings and communication plan
  • Review and handoff with documentation and training
  • Milestone payments across the engagement

How to use this HR consulting proposal template

Preview the full example above, then open it in InkDraft to make it yours. Replace the sample scope with your actual project, adjust the benchmarking approach and implementation plan, and set the milestone payments. When the proposal reads the way you want it, send it for review and signature or export a PDF.

Template questions

What should an HR consulting proposal include?

A strong HR consulting proposal covers the discovery and benchmarking phase, the deliverable framework (compensation bands, org structure, policies), implementation support, and a review and handoff. Pricing should be tied to milestones rather than open-ended hours.

How do you price HR consulting?

Price by project phase: discovery, framework design, implementation support, and handoff. Fixed-price per phase is standard because the deliverables are well-defined and the client can budget against them.

Should an HR consulting proposal include change management?

If the deliverable affects how people are compensated, promoted, or organized, change management is not optional. Include communication planning, manager briefings, and a feedback loop in the implementation phase.

What should be out of scope in an HR consulting proposal?

Typically legal review of employment contracts, benefits administration, payroll system implementation, and ongoing HR operations. These are specialist engagements that deserve their own scope.