Quebec gaining ground on quality-based selection

Quebec — which is often out of stride with the rest of the country — has been enjoying a good economy in the past year, with lots of investment in infrastructure, said Johanne Desrochers, executive director of l’Association des ingenieurs-conseil du Quebec (AICQ). She was reporting at the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada annual meeting in Jasper on June 26.
Desrochers was happy to report that “quality based selection” is being used as a procurement system by major public clients in the province, although municipalities continue to hold out.
The Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada, Consulting Engineers of Ontario and other organizations have been aggressively promoting quality based selection methods in an attempt to reduce the importance placed on fees and price during the hiring of consulting engineering firms.
Ms. Desrochers also commented on the issue of full order books and how these should lead to higher fees: “We have to learn to say No,” she said, “especially when we are busy … and it should pay.”
Meanwhile, also in an attempt to secure fair fees and avoid the downward spiral of firms competing too heavily on price, Consulting Engineers of Alberta has issued a fee guideline for engineers and technicians and technologists in the province. The hourly rates listed vary from $85 for a Member-in-Training, to $$105 for a Project Engineer, to $180+ for a Senior Manager or Senior Specialist engineer. Consulting Engineers of Alberta only supports Quality-Based Selection when sole sourcing is not appropriate.