April 2014

PE REPORT
South Carolina Society Backs QBS

The South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers is supporting legislation that will require qualifications-based selection for public projects and align engineering practice in the state more closely to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s Model Law.

The bill (H. 3832) will add a provision to the engineering practice act that requires public agencies and entities to procure engineering and surveying services based on qualifications, not price. Design firms will be prohibited from quoting the price for a job before they are selected for their services. Agencies will be able to negotiate contracts only with the most-qualified firms.

NSPE believes qualified engineers, on the basis of design ability, experience, and integrity should perform all engineering services. The Society supports the procurement of design professional services on the basis of qualifications and strongly supports the Brooks A/E Act of 1972, which requires federal agencies to use qualifications-based selection procedures when obtaining design professional services. NSPE also supports the adoption of “mini-Brooks” laws at the state and local level.

If passed, the legislation will also add the following provisions:

• The state licensing board will allow engineers licensed out of state to practice in South Carolina without obtaining a PE license for 90 days when an emergency is declared at the state or national level. The waiver will include engineers hired for their services and not just to perform volunteer work;

• The definition of the practice of engineering is modified to reflect the activities professional engineers are asked to perform and the areas they have been covering, such as chemical engineering, environmental engineering, and commissioning. Language is also clarified to outline the requirements for obtaining an engineering license in the state; and

• The requirements for re-examination for candidates who don’t pass the PE exam the first time.