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STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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PRESENTERS

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HOUSEKEEPING

  • We invite you to ask questions at any time during the program.
  • We hope to keep this session interactive and engage our full audience.

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TODAY'S TAKEAWAYS

  • What is QBS, RFQ and SOQ
  • How to Develop Preliminary Scope of Services
  • Project Timeline Checklist
  • Qualifications Evaluation Assistance
  • Selection Committee Considerations
  • Scoring Best Practices
  • Sample Interview Questions
  • Selection Process Wrap Up

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Slide Deck

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VIDEO EXPLANATION

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UNDERSTANDING THE LAW

  • Federal Brooks Act Law- 1972
    • (P.L. 92-582)
    • Requires that the U.S. Federal Government select engineering and architecture firms based upon their competency, qualifications and experience rather than by price.�
  • Indiana Local Projects
    • (IC 5-16-11.1-5)
    • A public agency may make all contracts for professional services on the basis of competence and qualifications for the type of services to be performed and negotiate compensation that the public agency determines to be reasonable.

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WHAT MAKES ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING DIFFERENT THAN CONSTRUCTION?

  • Architecture & Engineering
    • Require innovation to advance project solutions as well as develop better solutions for clients.
    • Turn a concept into a set of plans and specifications.
    • Appropriate to review qualifications and past experiences to select the best team for the project.

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  • Construction
    • All major aspects of the project are defined, including the type and amount of construction materials required to complete the project.
    • Take plans and specs provided by A/E and turn it into a physical reality.
    • Appropriate to use lowest responsible bidder.

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QBS PROCESS

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RFQ VS. SOQ

  • Request for Qualifications
    • Focus on identifying qualified firms

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  • Statement of Qualifications
    • Focus on identifying a qualified firm with specific experience with that type of project

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HOW TO DEVELOP A PRELIMINARY SCOPE OF SERVICES

  • Compare apples to apples
  • Define project cost, complexity and disciplines required
  • Detailed scope is what you arrive at with your selected firm during negotiation
    • Not all details are known upfront, rely on the experts to identify full project needs and the finalized scope

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Template Forms

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TIPS

Plan Ahead/ Before RFQ Goes Out

  • Give firms a minimum of 3 weeks to respond, to allow for thorough submissions.
  • Ensure you don’t schedule a deadline before, during or right after a holiday.
  • Consider setting a page count limit for the design professional’s submittal.
  • Determine if you want to set any diversity business requirements for the project.
  • Plan your method of advertisement to ensure widespread distribution. (i.e. website, newspaper, email blast, etc).
  • If requesting hardcopies, have an afternoon deadline, to accommodate delivery Guaranteed morning delivery can be expensive.
  • Consider a strategy for responding to questions that come in after RFQ is sent out. (Deadline for submitting questions, no conversation after disseminated, etc.)
  • Identify your selection committee and consider sharing those individual’s roles so the design professionals know if the scorers are technically-minded or elected officials etc.
  • Include anticipated RFP selection schedule and short list interview date (if known). Put calendar holds for those dates with your selection committee.

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TIPS

Concise Requirements

  • Include project schedule/date for bid (some funding mechanisms have very specific timelines that MUST be met).
  • Be clear on if you are looking for specific approach vs want your consultant to come up with the solution.
    • Do not expect submittals to include 25% preliminary engineering for the proposal process.
  • Only ask for information that is consistent with the scoring process.
  • Don’t include a lot of extraneous forms that could be included in the contracting process.
  • Include maps and or other background materials for your project.
  • Do offer the opportunity for a site visit and/or pre-proposal meeting.

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TIPS

Cost

  • Client to include rough anticipated construction cost if available.
  • Don’t ask design professionals for fees or costs as these can’t be compared apples to apples at this point in the process.

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SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

  • Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Prep
    • Establish scoring criteria.
    • Develop a preliminary scope of services in general terms.
    • Determine if the interview process is necessary, or if firms will be evaluated by their RFQ submittal.
      • Simpler, less complex projects= evaluation of submittal only
      • More costly, complex projects= evaluation of submittal and interview
      • Consider your time as well as the firm's time invested.
    • Identify firms to receive RFQ.
    • Send out RFQ.

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SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

After RFQ Submissions are Collected:

  • **Notice: on smaller projects, scoring is often based on the submittal alone.**
  • Develop a short list of three to five firms to be interviewed.
  • E-mail shortlisted firms advising them of the date for interview and pre-interview tour of site, if appropriate. Include interview questions and score sheet.
  • E-mail non-shortlisted firms expressing appreciation for their interest.
  • Tour of site, if appropriate, should be scheduled at least 10 days prior to date of interview to allow for preparation.
  • Check references prior to the interview.
  • E-mail short listed firms not selected, informing them of the results of the interviews and expressing appreciation for their involvement.

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Template Forms

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EVALUATION COMPONENTS TO CONSIDER

  1. Quality of firm’s Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) in relationship to information requested.
  2. Firm’s apparent knowledge of your project and your specific needs.
  3. Firm’s individual team member’s qualifications.
  4. Firm’s experience in projects that are similar to your project.
  5. Firm's experience with communities comparable in size.
  6. Firm’s familiarity with local conditions, needs and requirements.
  7. Analysis of the firm’s overall approach to your project.
  8. Diversity business requirements.
  9. Public awareness approach.

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SCORING CONSIDERATIONS

  • Ranking vs. scoring options
  • Emphasis on transparency, scoring sheets can be requested by the public
  • Consider throwing out outlier high/ low scores (for larger committees)

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SELECTION COMMITTEE MAKEUP

  • Typical: 3 minimum, 5 maximum; based on size, cost, complexity

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  • Stormwater Project Example
    • Someone with technical experience (utility director, city engineer)
    • Owner’s Rep/ Project Manager
    • Elected officials who want to participate

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OPTIONAL REFERENCE CHECK

  1. What was the scope of this firm’s services? (soils investigations, design work, construction phase services, studies, other (specify)
  2. Who was this firm’s Project Manager or primary contact?
  3. When was the project completed?
  4. Was the project completed on time? If not, why?
  5. Was the project completed within budget? If not, why?
  6. Did this firm and you (the owner) work well as a team?
  7. What is your overall evaluation of this firm based on your experience?
  8. Would you use this firm on a future project?

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SAMPLE E-MAIL TO SHORTLISTED FIRMS

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SAMPLE E-MAIL TO NON-SHORTLISTED FIRMS

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INTERVIEW PREP

  • Include interview questions with shortlist interview announcement so the firm will prepare to address these questions/ scoring components.
  • Consider weighting different components based upon importance to your community.
  • Develop interview questions:
    • Standard questions directed to ALL short listed firms.
    • Specific questions generated from short listed firm’s RFQ submittal.

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POST EVALUATION SCORECARD

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POST SCORING

  1. Enter into negotiations with top ranked firm. Finalize the project scope as part of the negotiation process with selected firm.
  2. If you can't come to terms with your top ranked firm, you can go to your second ranked firm and continue the process listed below.

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POST SELECTION E-MAIL TO FIRM(S) NOT SELECTED

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QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION

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CONCLUSION��STATEMENT OF QUALICATIONS ALLOWS FOR:

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CALL TO ACTION

  • Utilize QBS on your community's next project!
  • Reach out to ACEC Indiana for guidance on a Statement Of Qualifications and more information on the QBS process at staff@acecindiana.org.

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RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Template Forms

Slide Deck