ACEC Research Institute Study Shows QBS Saves Clients Time and Money

ACEC News / Advocacy

March 11, 2022

ACEC Research Institute Study Shows QBS Saves Clients Time and Money

The ACEC Research Institute released a comprehensive study today that found federal and state projects using Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) procurement methods had lower project costs and better on-time delivery versus selecting firms based on the cheapest bid. The study, conducted jointly by Paul S. Chinowsky of the University of Colorado Boulder and Gordon Kingsley of the Georgia Institute of Technology, builds upon previous research which found similar benefits in the use QBS by government agencies in terms of cost savings and project success. Key findings include:

• QBS saves money—projects where QBS was used to procure engineering services experienced less cost growth (3 percent) versus the national average (6 percent).
• QBS saves time—QBS projects perform better in terms of project delivery time, experiencing less schedule growth versus the national average (7 percent with QBS versus 10 percent without).
• QBS produces higher levels of client satisfaction—(89% of QBS projects receiving “high” or “very high” satisfaction ratings from project owners).
• QBS promotes innovation—Projects incorporating QBS have a greater likelihood of producing innovative solutions.

Click here to view the free report. All comments to blog posts will be moderated by ACEC staff.