Engineers urge municipalities to adopt qualifications‑based selection for large, state‑funded projects; towns resist mandate

Representatives of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Connecticut told the Planning & Development Committee that House Bill 71 49 would improve procurement for large, state‑funded municipal projects by requiring a qualifications‑based selection (QBS) process for engineering services where design fees exceed $100,000.

Testimony from ACEC noted that engineering fees are a small share of overall project costs but that low‑bid selection methods can encourage firms to under‑specify work and rely on junior staff to make a low bid attractive. ACEC speakers described QBS as a process in which the municipality and the selected firm develop a detailed scope of services before price is set; proponents said the shift produces better long‑term outcomes and lower life‑cycle costs.

Municipal witnesses, including the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and town officials, opposed a statutory mandate. They argued towns are already free to use QBS where appropriate, and a statewide requirement would remove local discretion over procurement processes, potentially matching a highly qualified firm that exceeds a municipality’s budget. CCM told the committee small towns and charters vary in how they procure services and that a mandate would be an unfunded obligation that could slow projects.

Legislators questioned the bill’s $100,000 trigger, with proponents saying the threshold is a pragmatic rule‑of‑thumb tied to typical design fee‑to‑construction ratios, but municipal representatives warned that the threshold may need indexing for inflation or regional project differences. Committee members asked whether QBS would disadvantage small or sole‑practitioner firms; ACEC witnesses said sole practitioners can win QBS work where they are the best fit for a project. The bill remains under consideration with committee members asking for revised language about thresholds and local options.