Wisconsin Legislator introduces bill to require qualifications-based selection whenever a local government hires a consultant, including architects, engineers and land surveyors, to plan a project with a value of at least $250,000 and using any amount of state money.

Published: January 11, 2010
By Paul Snyder

Dailyreporter.com: Architectural and engineering selection based on qualifications rather than bids is a great option but a dangerous law, according to municipal leaders opposing a bill that would force the issue.

Hiring discretion should be left to municipalities because they are more qualified than the state to make decisions for local projects, said Larry Bierke, Mount Horeb village administrator.

“The bottom line is they can’t manage themselves,” he said of state lawmakers, “so why the hell should they be managing us instead?”

The bill would require qualifications-based selection whenever a local government hires a consultant to plan a project with a value of at least $250,000 and using any amount of state money. QBS is used to select architects, engineers and land surveyors based on qualifications for a project, not merely on the low bid.

To read the rest of the story, click to dailyreporter.com/blog/2010/01/11/local-leaders-chafe-at-qbs-bill/.