The New York Building Congress is a membership coalition of the
design, construction and real estate community. Building Congress
members promote responsible design and development and are committed
to working with government to ensure the delivery of quality products
and services. We support steps to encourage quality-based selection
of design services by City agencies and strongly endorse Intro 523-A.
The Building Congress endorsement is based on two important considerations:
QBS Costs Less in the Long-term – The services of architects and engineers are highly-specialized
and do not lend themselves to the "lowest responsible bidder"
procedure. The scope of work is often difficult to determine up
front, and the project requirements are not always well-defined.
Therefore, the low-bid proposals are usually not comparable in
scope. Lower cost designs often do not take into account the full
scope of the project and can result in higher construction costs.
The current low-bid system, put into effect during the 1989 charter
revision, discourages creativity and flexibility in the design
process, and ultimately costs the city in time and money.
QBS is Good Public Policy –
This bill is modeled after a federal law called the Brooks bill,
which requires the federal government to select firms and individuals
for architectural, engineering and related services on a best
qualified basis and competitive negotiation. In addition, qualifications-based
selection is in effect in more than 25 states, including New York
and New Jersey. Government has a responsibility to ensure that
projects are designed in a manner that is safe, innovative, environmentally
sound and cost-effective. By selecting proposers based on experience
— the City can encourage the use of innovative technology, creative
solutions, and make the construction process more predictable
in terms of time and costs.
We urge the City Council to pass this legislation. It will be a
major step forward for the City of New York and will foster a more
productive relationship with the design profession.
The New York Building Congress is a membership coalition of the
design, construction and real estate community. Building Congress
members promote responsible design and development and are committed
to working with government to ensure the delivery of quality products
and services. We support steps to encourage quality-based selection
of design services by City agencies and strongly endorse Intro 523-A.
The Building Congress endorsement is based on two important considerations:
QBS Costs Less in the Long-term – The services of architects and engineers are highly-specialized
and do not lend themselves to the "lowest responsible bidder"
procedure. The scope of work is often difficult to determine up
front, and the project requirements are not always well-defined.
Therefore, the low-bid proposals are usually not comparable in
scope. Lower cost designs often do not take into account the full
scope of the project and can result in higher construction costs.
The current low-bid system, put into effect during the 1989 charter
revision, discourages creativity and flexibility in the design
process, and ultimately costs the city in time and money.
QBS is Good Public Policy –
This bill is modeled after a federal law called the Brooks bill,
which requires the federal government to select firms and individuals
for architectural, engineering and related services on a best
qualified basis and competitive negotiation. In addition, qualifications-based
selection is in effect in more than 25 states, including New York
and New Jersey. Government has a responsibility to ensure that
projects are designed in a manner that is safe, innovative, environmentally
sound and cost-effective. By selecting proposers based on experience
— the City can encourage the use of innovative technology, creative
solutions, and make the construction process more predictable
in terms of time and costs.
We urge the City Council to pass this legislation. It will be a
major step forward for the City of New York and will foster a more
productive relationship with the design profession.
The New York Building Congress is a membership coalition of the
design, construction and real estate community. Building Congress
members promote responsible design and development and are committed
to working with government to ensure the delivery of quality products
and services. We support steps to encourage quality-based selection
of design services by City agencies and strongly endorse Intro 523-A.
The Building Congress endorsement is based on two important considerations:
QBS Costs Less in the Long-term – The services of architects and engineers are highly-specialized
and do not lend themselves to the "lowest responsible bidder"
procedure. The scope of work is often difficult to determine up
front, and the project requirements are not always well-defined.
Therefore, the low-bid proposals are usually not comparable in
scope. Lower cost designs often do not take into account the full
scope of the project and can result in higher construction costs.
The current low-bid system, put into effect during the 1989 charter
revision, discourages creativity and flexibility in the design
process, and ultimately costs the city in time and money.
QBS is Good Public Policy –
This bill is modeled after a federal law called the Brooks bill,
which requires the federal government to select firms and individuals
for architectural, engineering and related services on a best
qualified basis and competitive negotiation. In addition, qualifications-based
selection is in effect in more than 25 states, including New York
and New Jersey. Government has a responsibility to ensure that
projects are designed in a manner that is safe, innovative, environmentally
sound and cost-effective. By selecting proposers based on experience
— the City can encourage the use of innovative technology, creative
solutions, and make the construction process more predictable
in terms of time and costs.
We urge the City Council to pass this legislation. It will be a
major step forward for the City of New York and will foster a more
productive relationship with the design profession.