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of project success. Focusing first on the needs of theproject ensures expectations and requirements will bemet or exceeded.QBS AT WORKThe QBS process is straightforward, easy to implement,objective, fair, well documented, and designed to be opento public scrutiny (an essential element for publicallyfunded projects).The process consists of these steps:••The owner prepares and issues a project description••The owner requests statements of qualification••The owner evaluates qualifications received, based onspecific, predetermined criteria••The owner identifies the short list of preferred firmsand conducts interviews••The owner ranks the firms based on predeterminedinterview criteria••The owner negotiates scope of work and design feewith the highest ranked firmIf an acceptable agreement cannot be reached with thetop ranked firm, negotiations would then begin with thenext most qualified firm.WHY USE QBS?There are a number of reasons why QBS shouldbe considered for all building projects. Federallaw requires QBS through the Brooks Act of1972. Indication is that the requirement will beexpanded to include a broader range of projects,given the success realized to date. In addition, 44states, including Michigan and hundreds of localmunicipalities, have endorsed QBS as their preferredprocurement procedure.QBS is endorsed by the American Public WorksAssociation (APWA), which represents owners whoprocure engineering services. APWA’s publicationsstate, the “public’s best interest is served whengovernmental agencies select architects, engineers, andrelated professional technical consultants for projectand studies through QBS procedures. Basing selectionon qualifications and competence (rather than price)fosters greater creativity and flexibility, improves thedelivery of professional services, increases the value tothe owner in construction and life cycle expenses, andminimizes the potential for disputes and litigation.”QBS is also endorsed by the American BarAssociation (ABA). ABA’s model procurement codestates, “The principal reasons supporting this selectionprocedure for architect, engineer, and land surveyingservices are the lack of a definitive scope of work forsuch services at the time the selection is made, and theimportance of selecting the best qualified firm…thequalifications, competence, and availability of the mostqualified architect, engineer, or land surveyor firm isconsidered initially, and price negotiated later.”The health and welfare of communities is bestprotected when design is performed in the mostcompetent and efficient manner possible. Themost qualified firms will be able to meet projectrequirements and properly safeguard society and itslimited natural resources. Cheap design is expensive.Selections based on fee alone often result in projectswith contentious team relationships, poor designquality, more change orders, higher construction costs,and higher operating and maintenance costs.Another proven reason to use QBS is that it works.When the owner works with an engineer who is atrusted advisor and partner, the project is specificallydesigned to address the need, with appropriateconsideration for safety, flexibility, performance, energyefficiency, construction budget, and schedule.FINAL THOUGHTEngineering is a professional service, not a commodityitem. Owners are best served by searching for thebest VALUE when selecting their engineers. Fee iscertainly part of a firm’s qualifications; it just shouldnot be the only consideration. A qualified firm withan understanding of your business, specializeddesign expertise, and cost-effective problem-solvingcapability will actually deliver a higher quality projectat less cost.ENDNOTES1. www.qbs-mi.org.2. “Qualifications-Based Selection,” publication of theAmerican Council of Engineering Companies3. “Kentucky Engineer,” official publication of the KentuckySociety of Professional Engineers, Volume 45, Fall 2008.Michael F. Cooper, PE, F<strong>ESD</strong>, is aPrincipal with Harley Ellis Devereaux.He has 17 years of experience in thedesign and management of complexbuilding projects, including a numberof LEED-certified facilities. Mr. Cooperholds a BS in mechanical engineeringfrom the University of Michigan and anMBA from the University of Phoenix. Heis a licensed professional engineer in 14 states and has servedas a construction site field engineer.22 | Technology Century | AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2009
Tackling Business Challengesat Michigan TechBy Dennis Walikainenlen Archer takes a hands-off approach whenit comes to his students’ hands-on education.And that’s a good thing. “Blue Marble Securityis run as a business, and by that I meanthe student team gets to manage all theday-to-day operations, make all the decisions,and the project managers just report to mewith updates,” said Mr. Archer, a seniorlecturer at Michigan Technological University’sElectrical and Computer Engineering Department.Blue Marble is one of numerous Enterprise teamsthriving at Michigan Tech, where engineering studentscan learn the realities of the business of engineering.Enterprise students find industry sponsors, solvereal-world problems, manage their money, and learnimportant business practices, all while getting hands-onexperience with some intense engineering. “They trulyown the entire project,” said Mr. Archer.In the case of Blue Marble, one important aspect of thework involves simplifying, improving, and often rewritingcomputer coding. A couple of these code warriors tooktime out from their studies to discuss some of their manyprojects, which run the gamut from improving a strollerfor handicapped children to creating a better camera forstudying wildlife.Paul Hillert, a computer science major, likes the “agiledevelopment” of the Enterprise. “We have to keep gooddocumentation, since we have high student turnover,” heexplained. “It’s better to have a bunch of eyes looking atany one problem.”Mr. Hillert is one of a cadre of specialists, said Mr.Archer. “Blue Marble [with some 60 members] is runningseven to nine projects at once, and it’s the studentleadership that orchestrates the processes.”Casey Demars, an electrical engineering major, workedon the aforementioned stroller for handicapped kids,dubbed Rock and Stroll. To encourage the children towalk more, Mr. Demars and his team engineered musicthat would play when the youngsters moved forward.The prototype has been well received by the children andtheir parents.Rock and Stroll is a great example of what Mr. Demarslikes about Blue Marble. “As a project manager, I’minvolved in all aspects of a project like this,” he said.“From brainstorming to ordering parts to putting itthrough the tests, to making sure it all works.” Studentsalso learned a demanding but important lesson with Rockand Stroll: Michigan Tech’s Institutional Review Boardinsisted on exhaustive safety verification before allowingthe tiny human subjects to test the stroller for usability.The challenge of creating a small battery with a long lifefor the stroller also proved daunting, but that hurdle, too,was cleared. “I kept holding up the icon Hallmark as anexample,” Mr. Archer said. “If they can make greeting cardsthat play songs with a battery that lasts for years, then BlueMarble should be able to create a battery smaller than abreadbox that lasts longer than two hours!”ECO-FRIENDLY BIRD WATCHINGThe wildlife camera project, with four cameras nowdeployed for a faculty researcher, is another venture withbroad business lessons…and another battery problem.The scientists wanted a camera with a long battery lifeso they wouldn’t have to go back out into the woods toooften, possibly disturbing the ecosystem. In this case,it was the nesting of the Western warbler, which is onthe endangered species list. “The deadline pressure wasintense,” Mr. Archer said. “The researchers only had asmall window of opportunity since they were trying tophotograph the warbler during the nesting season, andthey don’t always know when that is going to happen.”In their on-campus lab, Mr. Archer and his Enterprisestudents unveiled a prototype of the camera and otherequipment that is currently helping the researcher watchand record the birds’ world without disrupting it. It wasanother example of the business end of an engineeringproblem, Mr. Archer said. “In this case, the projectmanager was really out in the trenches. He had to get thewww.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 23
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