Pima County Acquisition of Architectural & Engineering Services

1. Pima County Acquisition of Architectural & Engineering Services Presented by Chris Barnhill & Terri Spencer Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

2. Agenda-- • Governing Authorities (the law) • Qualifications-Based Selection Process • Implementation Objectives: • Rigorous Evaluation • Transparent Application • Local Preference (SBE) • Assistance to Community • Summary and Questions Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

3. What is the law? - Governing Authorities: • Title 34, Arizona Revised Statutes • Pima County Procurement Code • Pima County Minority and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise Code • Board of Supervisors Policy D29.1 Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

4. Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) • The law (Title 34) mandates the process for A&E selection: • For Projects (generally > $250,000) • To establish Qualified Consultants Lists (<$250,000). • Objective is to select the best qualified firm. • May not consider cost. Note: A.R.S. 34-103 authorizes ‘direct selection’ for A&E services without competition. Under Board policy, we may use this authority but only as a rare exception to the general rules and for a compelling business reason which is in the best interest of the project. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

5. QBS Process…Advertise, Evaluate & Award • Public Advertisement • Advertise a public Solicitation For Qualifications (SFQ) (newspaper, internet). • Interest parties may submit questions regarding the solicitation’s scope, award criteria and weighting or even file a pre-submittal protest. Larger projects may hold a pre-solicitation meeting. • Anyone can respond with a Statement of Qualifications(SOQ)for the County’s evaluation. • Evaluation • Procurement Officer distributes proposals to the evaluation committee (typically 3-5 professionals), and instructs them on the evaluation factors and scoring methodology. • Procurement Officer chairs the evaluation committee, and conducts all meetings.Larger projects may include an interview phase with a short list of respondents. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

6. QBS Process…(Cont.) • M/W/SBE Evaluation Process - Title 20.20.010 • Requires that MBE/WBE/SBE Participation be assigned weight in the evaluation. • MBE/WBE/SBE participation is evaluated by the M/W/SBE Program rather than the Evaluation Committee. • Program may award points (ten percent of the available points) for the participation of certified local minority, woman-owned or small business enterprises, and/or affirmative action compliance. • Scoring • Procurement Officer receives all scoring information, ensures that the scores are supported through constructive comments (strengths, weaknesses & deficiencies). • Each evaluators’ scores are combined to determine final consensus ranking. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

7. QBS Process…(Cont.) Award • Top three firms selected for the “Final List” and faxed to all respondents at least five business days before award. Any interested party may formally protest the award decision. • County negotiates scope and fee with the top ranked firm. If unsuccessful, County may terminate negotiations with that firm and initiate negotiation with the next ranked firm on the list. • Upon completion of negotiations and execution of a contract, the proposals, evaluation comments and scores are available for a debrief by the Procurement Officer. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

8. Assisting the Community -- the debrief process What is provided in a County debrief? • Evaluation tabulation sheet • Includes evaluator scores + M/W/SBE scores, both written and interview (if applicable) • Evaluator comments • Strengths, weaknesses, and deficiencies, for each criterion • Consultant Performance Inquiries • Opportunity to review references’ scores/ comments • Proposals and Interview materials • Proposals from all offerors and any interview materials (if applicable) can be copied for future reference Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

9. QCL Program(est. March 2003) Program attributes: • Provides a simplified method to procure consulting services • Covers a wide range of A&E disciplines from General Services Administration (GSA) Standard Form 330 (35 QC Lists in place) • For single, as-needed Architectural & Engineering consulting projects <$250,000 • Consulting firm may be awarded up to $500,000 per QC List / per calendar year Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

10. QCL Program - Creating the QC Lists • Solicitation for qualifications (SFQ) is generated with scope, and evaluation criteria • Determine anticipated A&E needs County-wide • Work with departments to identify appropriate evaluation criteria and relevant weights such as: • Professional Experience • Team Capability • Past Performance • Evaluation must be based solely on qualifications - cost is prohibited.M/W/SBE Participation is a required criterion (10% of available points). Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

11. Creating the QC Lists…(Cont.) • Q&A period is available for approximately 3 weeks so firms may inquire about or even protest any aspect of the solicitation. • SOQs are evaluated and scored by panel; M/W/SBE participation is scored by that Program. • Firms are recommendedfor inclusion on the QC List that meet the evaluation criteria and are approved by the Procurement Director. • Firms may receive work and debriefs are available once the List is approved. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

12. Summary of QCL Differences • For projects < $250,000 • Q&A period vs. pre-submittal conference • No interviews • Leads to the creation of a List vs. a contract Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

13. QCL Program - Current State of Affairs • During 2009, the usage of QCL declined to $1.7M vs: • 2008 = $3.2M • 2007 = $5.8M • 2006 = $8.4M • Of the 35 QC Lists, only 4 lists had significant activity: • Biological Services, Cultural Resources, Geotechnical Services & Traffic Engineering Services • Consultants expend a great deal of time and resources to respond (approx $5-10k for a QCL). As a result, the renewal of the QC Lists are currently on hold due to this reduced volume and difficult economic times. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

14. QBS Objectives and Outcomes • Communicate • Encourage – Identify the key attributes that the County desires. This allows firms both large and small to propose on future County projects with better success. • Assist – Process allows multiple opportunities to offer insight for improved proposals – and SFQ’s. • Educate – Explain how proposals were scored and why a firm was or was not selected by providing scores and detailed comments. • The Best Qualified Firm = Project Success • The QBS process focuses the committee and the consultant community on the needs of the project and the desired strengths of the firm necessary to achieve project success. Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division

15. QUESTIONS? Pima County Procurement Design and Construction Division, M/W/SBE Division