When and Why to Use Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS)
Rethinking Procurement Strategy
Lowest price is easy to compare, but it does not always represent the lowest total project cost. When procuring architectural, engineering, program-management, commissioning, or other professional services, the quality of the team can influence coordination, decision-making, risk identification, and the performance of the completed project.
Qualifications-Based Selection, commonly called QBS, evaluates firms on capability and fit before negotiating compensation with the highest-ranked team. The objective is not to disregard price. It is to identify the team best equipped for the assignment and then establish a fair, well-defined commercial agreement.
QBS can be especially useful for occupied renovations, specialized facilities, multi-phase programs, accelerated schedules, complex stakeholder environments, and assignments in which early professional judgment will shape the project’s direction.
When Another Method May Be Appropriate
QBS is not the only valid procurement approach. A fee-based competition may be reasonable when the scope is standardized, deliverables are readily comparable, project complexity is limited, and the owner can define the required level of effort with confidence.
Public owners and regulated entities may also be subject to specific procurement laws, funding requirements, or internal policies. Those requirements should be confirmed before establishing the selection process.
The procurement method should reflect the risk and complexity of the service—not be selected by habit.
Build an Evaluation Around the Project
A strong QBS process begins with criteria tailored to the assignment. A sample scoring framework might include:
Relevant project and sector experience — 25%
Qualifications of the proposed team — 25%
Understanding and technical approach — 20%
Capacity, availability, and schedule commitment — 10%
Quality-control and risk-management approach — 10%
References and demonstrated performance — 10%
The percentages should change when project priorities change. For an occupied healthcare renovation, phasing and operational-continuity experience may deserve greater weight. For a fast-track project, availability and decision responsiveness may be critical.
Use Interviews to Test the Actual Team
Written proposals demonstrate credentials; interviews reveal how the proposed team thinks and works. Owners should ask the individuals who will perform the work to address project-specific scenarios, explain how they resolve disagreement, and describe how they communicate emerging risk.
Interview questions might include:
What do you see as the three greatest risks in this assignment?
How would you validate the owner’s budget and schedule assumptions?
Who will lead day-to-day coordination, and what is that person’s availability?
Describe a comparable challenge and what your team learned from it.
How will you identify and communicate issues before they affect the work?
References should be checked using consistent questions tied to the evaluation criteria.
Negotiate Scope and Fee With the Preferred Firm
After ranking, the owner should confirm scope, staffing, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, schedule, reimbursable costs, and fee. If a fair agreement cannot be reached, the owner may follow the established procurement procedure for discussions with the next-ranked firm.
The negotiation should focus on value and clarity. A low fee paired with inadequate staffing or unclear deliverables can create downstream cost and conflict.
Owner Checklist
Confirm applicable procurement requirements.
Define outcomes and risks before drafting criteria.
Publish the evaluation method and weighting.
Require disclosure of the actual proposed team.
Use a consistent scoring and reference-checking process.
Document the basis of selection.
Negotiate a clear scope, staffing plan, and fee.
The Result
QBS helps an owner select for competence, judgment, and alignment—the qualities most likely to influence successful delivery—while preserving a structured fee negotiation. An owner’s representative can develop the solicitation, facilitate scoring, lead interviews and reference checks, document the process, and support scope and fee negotiations.
Strategic procurement is not solely about what a service costs. It is about selecting the team capable of managing the complexity the owner is asking it to solve.