May June 2018

21 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org Government Relations continues T At the Capitol in Salem During the February 2018 Legislative Session, PLSO joined forces with Archi- tects and Engineers to oppose House Bill 4127, which would have dramatical- ly undercut Oregon’s statute requiring local governments to use Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) when contracting for the services of a design professional. With the help of many surveyors contact- ing their local lawmakers, HB4127 died after a hard fought battle. Legislation impacting QBS is perennial. In 2017, local governments introduced legislation increasing the QBS threshold from $100,000 to $500,000. This year, their proposal would have permitted local governments to simultaneously negoti- ate with the five most qualified bidders rather than only the most qualified. They amended their own legislation, chang- ing from the top five to the top three, in a failed effort to move the bill forward. QBS opponents didn’t rest long after an- other defeat. State Rep. Susan McLain (D-Hillsboro), who is leading the charge in Salem to gut QBS standards, is al- ready chairing a new interim workgroup in search of a “solution” to local govern- ment complaints about QBS. PLSOwill be an active participant in the work group. Our goal is to find solutions to the com- plaints expressed by vocal opponents of QBS, without fundamentally departing from the essential benefits provided to local governments when a QBS selection process is used. Surveyors who contract with local gov- ernments through a QBS process are strongly encouraged to reach out to them in an effort to ensure we are being re- sponsive to their concerns. They are our customers. We need them to vocally sup- port the QBS process with us. PLSO’s delegation to the NSPS Legislative Conference spent some time “seeing the sights” while visiting Washington, DC, to lobby on issues important to land surveyors. Here, they pose in front of the White House after dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill, a famous local eatery. (Left to Right: Brandie Peterson, Randy Povey, Nancy Povey, Oregon’s NSPS Director Bob Neathamer and PLSO Lobbyist Darrell Fuller)