OurAdvisoryBusiness
ADP Strategic Plan Services, LLC (“SPS,” “we,” “us,” “our”) is a Registered Investment Adviser headquartered in Roseland,
New Jersey. SPS is registered through and regulated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
SPS was organized as a Delaware LLC on December 8, 2016. SPS is 100% owned by ADP Atlantic, LLC (“ADP Atlantic”) which
in turn is 100% owned by Automatic Data Processing Inc., which is a publicly traded company whose common stock is
listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. SPS provides investment advisory and management services primarily to
retirement plans that receive recordkeeping and administrative services from ADP, Inc. (“ADP, Inc.”). ADP, Inc. is a
comprehensive global provider of human capital management (HCM) solutions that unite HR, payroll, talent, time, tax and
benefits administration, business outsourcing services, analytics, compliance expertise, and also investment advisory and
management services through SPS.
Services
SPS provides investment advisory and management services to retirement plan sponsors (“Plan Sponsors” or “Clients”) or
other plan fiduciaries appointed by Plan Sponsors. SPS assists Clients in establishing and/or maintaining a consistent and
ongoing documented process of prudent investment oversight and due diligence. We provide services to Clients that
sponsor a retirement plan that is qualified under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”), and/or that
is subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), e.g., 401(k) plans (collectively
“plans”). Generally, services offered to Clients include benchmarking of underlying investment fund expense ratios, plan
design strategies, investment analysis, investment fiduciary consulting and oversight, plan level investment advice and
investment fund selection and fund performance monitoring services, and certain educational services. “Investment
funds” as used herein include mutual funds and collective investment trusts (“CITs”). Our advisory and management
services are limited to investment funds that are available on the ADP, Inc. retirement platform and there may be other
funds or types of investments with comparable investment strategies and lower expense ratios that we do not select or
recommend.
SPS offers investment advisory and management services to Plan Sponsors who retain ADP, Inc. as their plan’s
recordkeeper. ADP, Inc. offers plan administrative, recordkeeping and other participant account services that are
purchased separately from the investment advisory and management services offered through SPS.
SPS does not act as, and has not agreed to assume the duties of, a plan trustee or “Plan Administrator,” as defined
under Section 3(16) of ERISA nor does SPS act as a trustee or custodian of Client assets as described by SEC Rule 206(4)-
2. SPS has no discretion to interpret any Client’s plan documents, to determine plan participant eligibility or
participation under the plan, to provide participant disclosures or communications, to ensure contributions are timely
received by the plan or to exercise any other action with respect to the management, administration or any other aspect
of the plan.
3(21) Custom Service and 3(21) Auto Execute Service - (“Non-Discretionary 3(21) Fiduciary Services”):
When a Client engages SPS to perform Non-Discretionary 3(21) Fiduciary Services, SPS acts as a co-fiduciary “investment
adviser” that provides “investment advice” (as defined under Section 3(21) of ERISA). SPS offers the following advisory
services:
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3(21) Custom Service: This investment advisory service is available to Clients with retirement plan assets generally
above $10 million. SPS offers this direct co-fiduciary service, customized to the Client, including a custom investment
policy statement and access to any funds available on the recordkeeper’s platform. (Please see the section Fees and
Compensation for the fee schedule).
3(21) Auto-Execute Service: This investment advisory service is available to Clients with retirement plan assets of $3
million or more. For this service, SPS acts as a co-fiduciary when the Client has also contracted with Mesirow Financial
Investment Management, Inc. (MFIM) to provide co-fiduciary services. SPS consults with the Client to build a plan
investment lineup from funds on which MFIM provides fiduciary coverage. SPS also consults on MFIM’s
recommendations, working with the Client on whether to accept those recommendations or select another covered
fund in the MFIM program. If the Client does not select an investment alternative different from MFIM’s
recommendation, the MFIM recommendation will go into effect (“automatic execution feature”).
Under both the 3(21) Custom Service or the 3(21) Auto Execute Service, the Plan Sponsor or other plan fiduciary
identified by the Plan Sponsor will retain final decision-making authority with respect to removing and/or replacing plan
investment funds. SPS does not have any further responsibility to communicate instructions to any third-party, including
the custodian, and/or third-party administrator. SPS generally communicates directly with ADP, Inc. regarding
administrative and recordkeeping matters arising under an SPS investment advisory agreement (“Services Agreement”)
with the Plan Sponsor, or more generally in connection with ADP, Inc.’s services to the plan. SPS provides advisory
services pursuant to a final Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”) statement, if adopted, for each retirement Plan Sponsor.
SPS may provide the Plan Sponsor with a sample IPS or may rely on a separate IPS developed and adopted by a Plan
Sponsor. ADP, Inc. provides administrative and/or recordkeeping services to plans and communicates instructions to any
third-party custodian and/or third-party administrator on behalf of SPS. ADP, Inc. is not a registered investment adviser.
ADP, Inc. provides administrative services on behalf of SPS to facilitate SPS services. However, ADP, Inc. is not a party to
any investment advisory agreement or investment management agreement between the Plan Sponsor and SPS and does
not
provide any investment advisory or management services.
SPS offers the following fiduciary advisory services:
· Investment screening,
· Fund “mapping” assistance (i.e., the selection of replacement funds to which existing plan balances may be
transferred),
· Recommending an investment lineup to a Client for use in the Client’s qualified retirement plan,
· Assisting Clients with selecting a “qualified default investment alternative” as defined in Section 404(c)(5) of
ERISA,
· Cost management analysis, through benchmarking of underlying investment fund expense ratios and
· Periodic plan review meetings – including review of Investment Fund Line-up
SPS provides an electronic communication to any Plan Sponsor confirming its recommendations of either (1) maintaining
the existing plan investment options, or (2) replacing one or more of the plan’s investment options with an alternative
investment. The Client will receive a plan investment review document that provides them with quarterly evaluation.
SPS provides to the Plan Sponsor the agreed upon services as set forth in the Services Agreement.
In performing 3(21) Fiduciary Services, SPS is limited to recommending and advising upon the investment options
available through the plan recordkeeper’s platform and does not have the authority or obligation to select any
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investment options that are not available through the platform. The Plan Sponsor is responsible for the selection of the
recordkeeper and the recordkeeper’s platform.
Discretionary3(38)FiduciaryServices
When a Client engages SPS to perform 3(38) Fiduciary Services, SPS acts as an “investment manager” (as defined in Section
3(38) of ERISA) with respect to the performance of discretionary fiduciary investment services. SPS reviews the investment
options available to the plan on the plan recordkeepers’ platform or through documents provided by the Plan Sponsor.
Subsequent to this review, SPS notifies the plan’s recordkeeper and/or the Plan Sponsor as to SPS’s instructions to the
recordkeeper to add, remove and/or replace investment options (from among those available to the plan on the plan
recordkeepers’ platform) offered to plan participants and/or used for administrative purposes under the plan, according
to the criteria set forth in the guideline selected by the Plan Sponsor. The Plan Sponsor retains all authority, responsibility,
and decision-making for investment options not available on the plan recordkeeper’s platform (i.e., investment options
such as employer stock, plan loans, self-directed brokerage accounts, frozen guaranteed investment contracts, and life
insurance (“Covered Investments”).
SPS provides an electronic communication to any Plan Sponsor confirming its recommendations of either (1) maintaining
the existing plan investment options, or (2) replacing one or more of the plan’s investment options with an alternative
investment. The Client will receive a plan investment review document that provides them with quarterly evaluation.
SPS provides to the Plan Sponsor the agreed upon services as set forth in the Services Agreement.
SPS retains final decision-making authority with respect to removing and/or replacing covered investments in the lineup.
ParticipantGuidanceServices
ADP, Inc. also may make available, or SPS may advise that Plan Sponsors obtain, advisory services for certain plan
participants from an independent third-party registered investment advisory firm (“Participant Guidance Services”). The
Participant Guidance Services are intended to provide a retirement strategy (based upon the plan participants’ personal
data and information) and a recommended asset allocation for available asset classes within the plan. Each plan
participant utilizing Participant Guidance Services selects the funds in which to invest his/her own account from among
the investment options made available by the Plan Sponsor and the amount to invest in each fund. SPS performs due
diligence, research, and monitoring of the funds available in the plan, pursuant to our contracted appointment as an
investment fiduciary under our Non-Discretionary 3(21) Fiduciary Services or Discretionary 3(38) Fiduciary Services for
plan participants using Participant Guidance Services. SPS’ investment services under Non-Discretionary 3(21) Fiduciary
Services or Discretionary 3(38) Fiduciary Services to plan Clients, whether using Participant Guidance Services or not,
do not involve SPS providing advice to any plan participant about individual investments in or among the investment
funds available in a Client-sponsored plan.
ClientCommunications
Plan Sponsors who hire SPS for 3(21) Fiduciary Services receive periodic updates on the economic and financial markets
applicable to Plan Sponsors. In addition, we review the plan's portfolio's investments at least annually and keep the Plan
Sponsor apprised of regulatory developments that may affect them on a timely basis. We may also discuss new investment
options, suggest alternatives to existing investments or provide portfolio review reports as we feel may be appropriate in
each Client situation.
Plan Sponsors who hire SPS for 3(38) Fiduciary Services receive quarterly reports setting forth the performance of the
investment funds in their plan, as well as an evaluation of the investment funds in their plans based on the proprietary
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methodology of a sub-adviser or consultant as discussed further below under Item 8, “Methods of Analysis.” SPS makes
available Client service representatives to answer inquiries and provides phone-based reviews as we feel may be
appropriate in each Client situation.
On a quarterly basis, all Plan Sponsors receive a communication that provides a market update and its outlook, information
on topical subject matters related to investing, and a brief business update.
AssetsunderManagement
With respect to those Clients for which we may be deemed to provide continuous and regular supervisory management
services, SPS's regulatory assets under management as of September 30, 2023 was 13,032,552,656.43.