July 2011 - New QBS law passed!

HB 3316 will expand qualification based selection (QBS) to more projects in Oregon after unanimously passing the House and Senate. Governor Kitzhaber signed the bill into law on June 21, 2011.

Prior to HB 3316, local governments were not required to use QBS unless the total project cost including design fees was estimated to cost more than $900,000 and had a minimum of 10 percent of state fundning. HB 3316 removes these thresholds. Now, all projects will be required to use QBS when they are above $100,000 in estimated design fees.

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ABOVE: Governor John Kitzhaber signs the new QBS bill. ACEC Oregon members witnessed the event. Pictured from left, are: ACEC Oregon Past President Mel Sears, Parsons Brinckerhoff; ACEC Oregon Secretary/Treasurer Kay Van Sickel, Mead & Hunt, Inc.; ACEC Oregon Vice President Jay Lyman, David Evans and Associates, Inc.; ACEC Oregon Legislative Committee Chair Sue Laszlo, HDR; ACEC Oregon Legislative Committee member Paul Heydenrych, Hatch Mott MacDonald; ACEC Oregon President Andy Vessely, Cornforth Consultants, Inc.; Governor Kitzhaber (seated); ACEC Oregon Immediate Past President Troy Bowers, Murray, Smith & Associates, Inc.; ACEC Oregon Lobbyist Marshall Coba; AIA Lobbyist Cindy Robert; ACEC Oregon Past President Mike Schmid, KPFF Consulting Engineers; and ACEC Oregon Executive Director Alison Davis.

Thank you to Sue Laszlo and the Legislative Committee, the ACEC Oregon Board of Directors and Marshall Coba for all their hard work getting this bill passed!

Click here for a 52-page report (PDF) of "An Analysis of Issues Pertaining to Qualifications-Based Selection," a national study developed at the request of ACEC in collaboration with the American Public Works Association (APWA).

The QBS law, HB 3272, became effective January 1, 2006

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE QBS LAW
As of January 1, 2006, Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) will be required on all state agency projects and on local government projects that meet the following project size thresholds:

HB3272-A will:
Require QBS for all local government projects in Oregon that are more than $900,000 and have at least 10% state funding participation in the projects overall cost. If the project falls below these thresholds then local governments may use any selection process they deem appropriate.

The passage of HB 3272-A is a significant step in the evolution of QBS in Oregon. In 1997 ACEC Oregon passed the requirement for QBS at the state agency level; in 2001 the local government provision with a sunset clause was added and in 2005 the sunset was removed and slight changes were made to the funding thresholds. We need to continue to educate local governments and other partners about the value of this procurement selection process.

WHAT IS QBS and How Does it Work? Click here for "How to engage design professionals*....to achieve quality and cost effectiveness in public projects using Qualifications Based Selection (QBS).

Read House Bill 3272.

Link to Oregon Administrative Rules.