May June 2018

Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org 25 QBS QBS is a competitive procurement process that requires a public agency to hire design professionals (engineers, land surveyors, architects, etc.) based on their qualifications and competence. 93% High Owner Satisfaction Nearly 70% ranked “very high” Projects Are High Ouality 100% of projects in study ranked highly for quality Designers Perceive Success Professionals satisfied with process and outcome Lasting Professional Relationships Clients and designers often willing to partner in the future QBS Benefits Does QBS Increase Client Satisfaction? QBS is widely recognized as a way to promote a better business relationship between the contracting parties; largely, because OBS provides better quality and better value for public agency clients and, ultimately, for the taxpayers by helping to avoid cost overruns. Because QBS requires that firms are ranked based on their qualifications, experience and demonstrated compe- tence—wandnot the lowest bidder—public agencies are empowered to select design professionals that are best suited to the project. After identifying the best-qualified firm, only then may a public agency enter into negotiations for a reasonable price. A quantitative study found that QBS proj- ects exhibit a wide variety of positive outcomes-ranging frombetter-controlled costs and on-time schedules, increased creativity in the design, andmore enduring quality. In fact, 100% of surveyed cli- ents gave top marks when ranking their projects’ quality. Further, 93% of project owners rated their overall satisfaction of the projects as “high” or “very high.” Notably, the study found that the design professionals were also satisfied with the collaboration that occurs through the QBS procurement process. This ap- pears to correlate with reports of higher levels of earned trust between the pub- lic clients and the professionals, as well as an increased likelihood that they will continue to have an ongoing profession- al relationship, in which they collaborate on future projects. A competent, qualified design profession- al will deliver the results a public agency needs and wants for a fair price.