Category: State Government Projects

Evergreen is retained by the North Dakota Court System to conduct a Compensation and Classification Study. Evergreen will complete the following tasks:

• Meet with the North Dakota Court System Personnel Policy Board via electronic means to discuss how the project will be conducted.  
• Regularly provide progress reports to the Program Administrator assigned to the project.  
• Hold focus group discussions or individual interviews as needed to collect or verify information, gather input or develop consensus. 
• Attend a meeting of the North Dakota Court System Personnel Policy Board to present study findings.  
• Provide a written final report summarizing all project steps, findings and recommendations. 

Evergreen Solutions was retained by the Arizona Supreme Court to conduct a salary survey and analysis. Evergreen’s consultants conducted a market study to determine the level of salaries needed to attract and retain positions within the probation departments in 15 counties in Arizona; surveyed comparable agencies for the salary ranges and job descriptions for four position classifications (i.e., probation officer, probation officer supervisor, surveillance officer, and juvenile detention officer); identified public sector contemporaries within similar markets for sustainable, accurate, position benchmarking; and establish a competitive salary range by position classification, including the starting salaries required for each position classification in order to set competitive pay standards for Arizona’s Probation Departments. 

Evergreen Solutions was hired by the Florida State Courts System (SCS), through the Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA) to develop and implement a comprehensive position classification and compensation system for the SCS. Evergreen deliverables included an analysis of the SCS’s current position classification and compensation system; an analysis of comparable classification and compensation systems in the local, regional, and state markets, including private and governmental sectors; and recommendations for improvements to and a redesign of the current SCS classification and compensation system.

Evergreen Solutions was retained by the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) to conduct a Salary Study. Pay ranges were analyzed in the public and private sector for 30 unique positions within SEANC to determine appropriate pay levels for the included jobs. Recommendations were provided to improve the fairness and equity in the current pay system.

Evergreen Solutions was selected by the State of Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs to develop a business case analysis of three options to determine the most cost effective structure to ensure the highest quality of care to operate the state veteran’s long-term healthcare facilities. The objective was to ensure high quality of care by utilizing current professional standards of practice, ensuring resident and staff satisfaction, measuring the ability to meet the physical and clinical needs of the residents, and achieving the desired health outcomes as specified in individual care plans. Evergreen conducted operational forecasting in combination with analyzing the current operating environment of the department.

During the analysis, Evergreen measured nursing home quality by assessing staff levels, health inspections, and quality measures as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Through this process, Evergreen determined the most effective and efficient ways to deliver services. In the end, a recommended option for providing the most efficient and effective services was made by Evergreen to ensure financial sustainability based on current levels of revenue and expense at the department.

Evergreen Solutions was retained by the Florida Department of Management Services to review the EEO reporting methods, formulas, and business requirement document for its automated HR tool. Each measure was compared to best practices and the computational elements reviewed and verified for accuracy.

The Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) contracted with Evergreen Solutions to update its compensation and classification system to ensure that internal and external equity was maintained. As part of the update, Evergreen Solutions reviewed the current structure that was established in 2006; determined the impact of compression since new employees were being hired further into the range than before; verified overall grade placement and internal equity for the organization as a whole; and ensured external equity with the marketplace utilizing primary and secondary data collection techniques.

The Florida Department of Education retained Evergreen Solution’s to evaluate the performance of the Florida Ready to Work (RTW) Program. Established in 2006, the Ready to Work Program is a statewide workforce education and economic development program. The goals of the Florida Ready to Work Program were to provide students and jobseekers with a standard credential that certifies their workplace readiness and ability to succeed on the job; save employers time and money by taking the guesswork out of the hiring process; help educators and workforce development partners prepare today’s students and jobseekers for tomorrow’s jobs; and help attract businesses with high-wage jobs to Florida which would grow Florida’s economy.

Evergreen Solutions conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the program throughout the State of Florida which involved visiting sites to obtain data and performance information from RTW shareholders. These shareholders, including job seekers, site administrators, and employers, provided real time feedback on how they felt the RTW Program was performing. In addition to administering surveys and conducting onsite visits, Evergreen Solutions analyzed data collected through the program, such as courseware utilization, performance of those taking assessments, employment rate for those with Ready to Work certifications, as well as overall success rate in varying geographic areas around the state.

In March 2009, Evergreen Solutions launched a comprehensive Operations and Process Review and Assessment of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Human Resource functions for the State of Nebraska. In addition to conducting the review, Evergreen Solutions also assisted with the implementation of our proposed recommendations.

Our team worked for approximately seven months through the four-phased study. Each phase was designed to meet the state’s objectives. Phase one, Project Initiation, included the finalization of the work plan and collection of data. During phase two, Environmental Scanning and Stakeholder Involvement, Evergreen Solutions’ consultants analyzed and evaluated different business processes, conducted interviews, and identified organizational obstacles or barriers to service delivery. The third phase, Development of Department Structure and Service Delivery Strategy, included tasks to meet the state’s objectives to identify opportunities and strategies for improving the service delivery process, as well as identified processes that can be streamlined, and conducted a cost-benefit analysis of services. Finally, in phase four, Development of Department Structure and Service Delivery Strategy, our consulting team created an overall implementation plan and delivered recommendations for the functional and process transitions.

The State of Nebraska’s DHHS has six divisions: Behavioral Health, Children and Family Services, Developmental Disabilities, Medicaid and Long-Term Care, Public Health, and Veterans’ Homes.

In October 2008, Evergreen Solution began a project with the Program Evaluation Division of the North Carolina General Assembly, as part of the Appropriations Act of 2008, to conduct a Policy Analysis of Education Governance in North Carolina. This analysis included a review of the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction.

The study included, but was not limited to:

• analysis of the roles of agencies and individuals;
• analysis of governance structure;
• review of oversight and accountability;
• peer state education agency size and output comparison;
• analysis of Department of Public Instruction organization problems;
• analysis of Department of Public Instruction accountability and quality; and
• best practices assessment of similar organizations.

The study concluded with a comprehensive report and implementation plan, multiple presentations to the General Assembly, and draft legislation.