May June 2018

24 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 41, No. 3 QBS Qualifications Based Selection Defending A s you may have heard, Qualifica- tions Based Selection (QBS) is a hot topic this year as we lead up to the 2019 legislative session. Teamed with representatives from American Council of Engineering Companies of Or- egon (ACEC) and from American Institute of Architects (AIA), your PLSO lobbyist, legislative committee and others are working hard to look out for the best interests of surveyors around the state. With all those acronyms flying around a brief primer onQBS is important for those who may not be familiar with it. Think QBS doesn’t apply to you? Do you pursue public survey contracts over $100,000, there are a few of them out there? Do you team with engineers and architects that do? Would you like to tackle a huge public survey project with an adequate budget to do it right without cutting any corners? If you answered “Yes” to any one of these questions or you think you ever answer yes to them then this is an important topic to you as well. For those chapters who intend to follow through on Darrell Fuller and Pat Gay- lord’s challenge to adopt a legislator or at least invite one to your meeting then the following primer is extremely import- ant to be able to speak from an educated point of view on this important topic. Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) is the ideal procurement method for the hiring of qualified design professionals. It is the best process to emphasize public safety and client satisfaction. What is QBS? QBS is a competitive procurement pro- cess that requires a project owner to first evaluate design professionals (en- gineers, land surveyors, architects, etc.) based on their qualifications and their competence. After ranking the firms and identifying the most qualified firm, only then may the public agency begin to ne- gotiate a fair and reasonable price with the top firm based on the scope of the project. This is different than contractors, who are selected at lowest bid because construction documents already exist on which bids are based. What is the QBS Process? QBS is required in both federal and California law; it is also considered an international best practice. While there may be some small variations in imple- mentation, QBS does have a uniform, step-by-step procedure to be followed by the soliciting agency: 1. Develop an information packet and issue RFO/RFP, including a clear schedule of deadlines. Any required cost proposals should be included in a separate, sealed envelope. 2. Review and evaluate responses based on qualifications and invite a short list of firms to interview. 3. Conduct panel interviews. 4. Rank firms based on their qualifications for this project. 5. Begin negotiations for the complete scope of services at a fair and reasonable price with top firm. If a cost proposal was required, the selected firm’s envelope may be opened to begin negotiations. (If a price cannot be agreed upon, negotiations are closed and the client moves to negotiations with the second ranked firm.) 6. Approve the negotiated agreement and issue a notice to proceed. 7. Return unopened cost proposal envelopes to unselected firms. Does Not Include Cost Proposal Like lawyers and doctors, design professionals are procured for best service Pick Right Firm for Right Project Objective criteria reveals best firm for specific project Negotiate a Fair Price After collaborating on scope of ser- vices with selected firm Enjoy Professional Relationship QBS creates high satisfaction among clients and professionals-increasing chances of working together again QBS Process