3 questions from the package
From the RFI round. The first shows part of the guide each question carries; the workbook adds follow-ups, how to verify the answer, a priority and a weight.
1. Does your payroll calculation read worker, position and compensation data directly from the core HR database, or from a copy kept in sync by an interface?
Why it matters. When payroll runs on a synchronized copy, a hire, termination or pay change approved in HR can miss the payroll cutoff or be paid at the old rate. Someone then has to find and correct it by hand.
Good answer
- States plainly whether payroll and core HR share one database or are linked by an interface
- If an interface is used, states its frequency and shows the error queue for records that fail to sync
- Explains how a change approved shortly before the payroll cutoff is picked up in the current run
Red flags
- Describes the products as 'fully integrated' without saying whether the data is shared or copied
- Discloses a batch sync only when asked, with failed records reconciled manually
2. For each country in [country list], state whether gross-to-net calculation runs on your own pay engine, on a partner's engine connected to your product, or outside your product through an aggregator.
Why it matters. If the buyer assumes native payroll in a country that runs on a partner engine, the data flows, support path and filing responsibility differ from what was scoped. The gap often surfaces only during implementation.
3. Can one person hold concurrent employment in two or more legal entities under a single person record?
Why it matters. If each employment needs its own person record, the buyer gets duplicate people and split histories. Headcount reports then count the same person more than once.
Capability areas
Payroll Calculation & Gross-to-Net (15)
The pay engine itself: earnings and deduction rules, gross-to-net calculation, retroactive pay, off-cycle and correction runs, garnishments, multi-currency and multi-entity payrolls, earned wage access, and payroll audit trails. Country coverage and statutory update delivery are covered in PLC.
Payroll Localization, Country Coverage & Statutory Updates (12)
Which countries run on the vendor's own engine and which run through a partner or aggregator, how statutory and tax-rate changes reach production, statutory filings and year-end processing, and who owns a filing error. Generic contract liability terms are out of scope.
Core HR & Workforce Data Model (12)
The system of record for people, positions and organizations: effective-dated and future-dated changes, position management, matrix and multi-entity org models, contingent workers, global versus local data fields, and employee document records. Security over this data is covered in ACC.
HR Data Access & Segregation of Duties (9)
HR-specific security: role-, organization- and geography-constrained access to worker data, field-level restrictions on compensation and sensitive data, delegation, and segregation of duties between HR data changes, payroll processing and finance. Platform security such as encryption, MFA and pentesting belongs to the security module.
Recruiting & Onboarding (13)
Requisitions, applicant tracking, candidate experience, offers, background checks, and pre-hire to day-one onboarding, including how a candidate becomes a worker record. AI screening and matching are evaluated in AIA.
Talent Management: Performance, Compensation, Succession & Learning (12)
Goals and performance reviews, compensation planning cycles and budgets, succession and talent pools, learning assignment and tracking, and the skills model that links them. Recruiting is covered in REC.
Time, Absence & Scheduling (12)
Time capture, pay rules for shifts, overtime, premiums and union agreements, scheduling for hourly and frontline workers, leave and absence accrual, and the handoff of approved time to payroll.
Benefits Administration (9)
Plan setup, eligibility rules, open enrollment, life-event changes, and the deduction handoff to payroll. Carrier and provider file exchange is covered in HIN.
HR & Payroll Integrations (9)
HCM-specific data flows: payroll results to the general ledger and ERP, benefits carrier feeds, time-system and third-party payroll interfaces, best-of-breed talent tools, and how worker changes are published to downstream systems. Generic API, SDK, SSO and SCIM questions belong to the integration module.
Employee & Manager Self-Service and HR Case Management (8)
Self-service transactions for employees and managers, approval workflows, pay statement access, HR help-desk cases and knowledge content, and mobile access for frontline workers. Conversational AI assistants are covered in AIA.
Workforce Planning, Analytics & Reporting (9)
Headcount and workforce planning, operational and audit-ready payroll reporting, workforce analytics, point-in-time reporting on effective-dated data, and statutory workforce reports. Payroll filings themselves are covered in PLC.
AI in HR and Payroll Processes (8)
How embedded and agentic AI operates on HR and payroll processes, such as candidate matching, skills inference, assistant-initiated transactions and payroll anomaly detection, and which HR actions require human approval. Generic model governance, bias testing and AI safety belong to the AI cross-cutting modules.
Questions about this package
How many Human Capital Management (HCM) RFP questions are there?
128 solution questions in 12 capability areas: 26 for the RFI, 68 for the RFP and 34 deep-dive questions for the finalists. The workbook adds 80 due-diligence questions on security, integration, implementation and exit.
What comes with each question?
Why it matters, good-answer signals, red flags, follow-up questions, how to verify the answer (a demo step, a test or a document), and a suggested priority and weight for scoring.
Can I edit the questions?
Yes. The workbook is an ordinary Excel file. Change, add or remove questions, and change the weights; the scorecard recalculates.
Which license do I need?
The Enterprise License covers any number of evaluations inside one organization. The Consultancy License covers use with any number of clients. Neither allows reselling or republishing the questions.
