British Columbia engineering firms advised not to use salaries as basis for quoting fees

Consulting Engineers of B.C. has been advising its member firms not to quote fees on the basis of salary multipliers. Salary multipliers are a method commonly used by consulting engineering firms to calculate the prices they charge clients. The fee is based on the salary rates paid to the consulting firm’s staff.
The association’s board made the decision last year after the province passed the Personal Information Protection Act, which forbids employers from disclosing the personal information of employees to others.
If clients request proposals from consulting engineering firms based on salary multipliers, the firms are advised to suggest other forms of pricing to the clients and to refer the client’s requests to Consulting Engineers of B.C. The association will inform the client of its policy and recommendations.