CREJ

50 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / September 2019 ELEMENTS Contractor Selection Qualifications-based Selection: Securing the Best Value, Putting Design Front & Center I n an era when transparency and clarity of information are constantly making head- lines from “fake news” to underhanded selection processes for projects, how can the architectural and engineering community join forces to ensure a more equitable outcome for owners and the resulting building projects? One solution lies in the selection process itself, and how educating owners about the benefits and ef- fects of using qualifications-based selection for professional design services. • What is QBS? QBS is certainly not a new term, nor an avant-garde process in the A/E industry. In fact, the first U.S. law encompass- ing the procurement of A/E services came about in 1949 and was amended by the Brooks Act of 1972. This law governs the procurement process for public agencies to select architec- tural and engineering services so that compet- ing firms first submit qualifications to the own- er to evaluate the most effectual firm. The owner then negotiates the final scope, budget and con- sultant fee with the selected firm. Although the process may sound quite simple, the crucial component is that price is not consid- ered when choosing the initial firm to provide the professional design services. Price is obviously a consideration under the QBS process, but not the determinant of the most qualified A/E team. Fees for services will be negotiated, but only after the firm is selected and before the final project con- tract is signed. • Design services vs. hard-bid commodity pricing. Al- though the design process is a critical part of the overall construction process, it cannot be procured in the same manner. Part of the impetus for QBS resulted from the lack of a formalized procure- ment process for creative services, such as build- ing design. Design services are not commodities and should not be treated as such. According to a whitepaper published by QBS Colorado Coalition, a group made up of representatives from several A/E industry associations and that advocates for QBS of design services, “An architect or engineer can hardly ‘hard bid’ (submit a firm price for) a project when part of the cost to the architectural or engineering firm (and therefore its needs for compensation) will be determined later in the process of discovery of the owner’s needs and in- tentions.” In addition, professional A/E services are com- prised of several factors that cannot be hard-bid. These include critical thinking skills, detailed in- vestigation of project parameters, problem-solv- ing and incorporation of best practices acquired over several years. These creative and innovative My Do, AIA Architect, Stantec Bill Green, PE President, The RMH Group Frank Ooms The city of Fort Collins implemented QBS to select the architect, Stantec, as well as the general contractor, Adolfson & Peterson Construction, for its Utilities Administration Building that resulted in a building energy use reduction and provided abundant daylight and thermal comfort for its occupants.