NYSQBS Home Page
Qualifications Based Selection
NYSQBS Council
14 N. Marvine Ave.
Auburn, NY 13021
Sponsors
ACECNY NYSAPLS APWA NYSCLA AIA NYSSPE AWWA
Real World Testimonials
Roof Collapse
On April 23, 1987, shortly after the official opening of the new mega Sav-On Foods Store at Station Square in Burnaby, British Columbia, an area of the building roof-top parking lot of approximately 6400 square feet collapsed into the food store, injuring 20 people. A Commissioner's Inquiry by the Canadian Government determined that one of the major factors that led to the ultimate collapse of the structure was the selection of the Structural Engineer on the basis of competitive bidding …
Skyway Collapse
In July of 1981, two elevated walkways over the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed during a party, killing 111 people and injuring 188 others. The engineering services on this structure had been awarded on the basis of low bid, and the design professional services were limited by contract …
Kaye Henderson Memo
Memo from Kaye Henderson, Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation from 1987-1990. "As Secretary, I inherited a system of selecting design professionals on the basis of competitive bidding. The results were uniformly negative. Price-based selections for design services don’t work. It didn’t work for the public, the agency administrators, contract managers or even office holders."
Just the Faqs
Q. How long has QBS been in use?
A. Legislation mandating QBS has been in place for 30 years on the federal level, and for over 20 years in New York State.

Traditionally and historically, qualifications-based selection has been used to select engineers and architects for design of the nation's public works - including monumental New York projects such as the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the New York City water supply system, the New York City public library system, the New York State highway system, the Foley Square Court House, and the JFK Airtrain. In 1972, QBS was officially mandated for federal projects through the passage of the Brooks Act. Similarly, in 1980, New York State passed Section 136-a of the State Finance Law to codify a QBS process that had been used in the state for many years.
Real World
On April 23, 1987, shortly after the official opening of the new mega Sav-On Foods Store at Station Square in Burnaby, British Columbia, an area of the building roof-top parking lot of approximately 6400 square feet collapsed into the food store, injuring 20 people. A Commissioner's Inquiry by the Canadian Government determined that one of the major factors that led to the ultimate collapse of the structure was the selection of the Structural Engineer on the basis of competitive bidding …
Quotables
… selection of an Architect or Engineer solely on price-competition basis provides the potential for reductions in quality due to initial underestimation of the costs and resources required to adequately perform the work.
U.S. House of Representatives Report 98-621