The American Council of Engineering Companies has released what it says is a “landmark” study of how qualifications-based selection (QBS) for design, rather than low-bid, can ensure positive project outcomes, particularly on large and technically complex jobs. The detailed, university-conducted analysis of 41 projects in 23 states, all but 5% of which were public-sector jobs, says the approach resulted in only 3% construction cost growth and virtually universal owner satisfaction in buying engineering services. But researchers noted limits in the survey as well as cost-linked challenges to QBS in some states. The American Public Works Association collaborated in the $90,000 survey.

The survey, released on Jan. 11, was co-managed by Paul S. Chinowsky, associate professor in the Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Gordon A. Kingsley, associate professor in Atlanta-based Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy. They drew from a database of nearly 200 public and private projects across multiple markets, with transportation respondents the largest group at 44%. Projects ranged from $25,000 to $900,000 in construction cost.