Qualifications-based selection (QBS) is a procurement method where the agency picks the most qualified firm first, then negotiates a fair price with that firm. Price is not part of the initial ranking. It is required for federal architecture and engineering work under the Brooks Act, and used by the federal government and most states.
If you respond to public A/E solicitations, you already work inside QBS whether or not you call it that. Understanding how it works changes what you put in a proposal, because price, the thing most firms fixate on, often is not a factor until after the agency has already decided it wants you.
What Is Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS)?
Under QBS, an agency evaluates firms on demonstrated competence: relevant project experience, the qualifications of the people who will do the work, capacity, past performance, and sometimes location. The agency ranks the firms on those factors and selects the most qualified one. Only then does it open fee negotiation, and only with that top-ranked firm.
The logic is specific to professional design services. For an A/E project, the cost of getting the design wrong (a flawed structure, a failed system, a rework cycle) dwarfs the design fee itself. So the public agency buys competence first and treats fee as something to settle with the best firm, not a way to choose between firms. That is the opposite of how construction or commodities get bought, where price is scored directly.
How QBS Works, Step by Step
The process is consistent across most federal, state, and local A/E procurements:
- The agency announces the project and its evaluation criteria. QBS requires the selection factors to be public, so you know in advance how you will be scored.
- Firms submit qualifications. That is an SF330 for federal work, or an SOQ or agency-specific form for state and local work. No price is requested yet.
- The agency evaluates and ranks firms on the published criteria. Experience relevance and key personnel usually carry the most weight.
- The agency shortlists and often interviews the top few firms.
- The agency selects the most qualified firm and asks that firm, and only that firm, for a fee proposal.
- The two negotiate a fair and reasonable price. If they agree, the firm gets the contract. If they cannot agree, the agency formally ends negotiations and moves to the second-ranked firm.
Why QBS Means Price Is Not Your Lever
Here is the part that should shape how you write. Because price enters only after you have been ranked first, you cannot buy your way onto the shortlist by being cheap. In the first phase, your qualifications package is the entire evaluation. The score comes from how relevant your experience is, how well your key personnel fit the scope, and how strong the evidence behind your past performance is.
A firm that would have submitted a lower fee but ranks third never gets to use that fee. The number is irrelevant until selection, and by then the firm is out. This is why a tightly tailored, well-evidenced qualifications package matters more than almost anything else in an A/E pursuit, and why the difference between an SOQ, an SF330, and an RFP is worth getting right.
| Qualifications-based selection (QBS) | Low-bid / best-value | |
|---|---|---|
| What's ranked first | Demonstrated competence and qualifications | Price, alone or weighted with technical score |
| When price enters | After the top firm is selected | At evaluation, as a scored factor |
| Typical use | A/E design services (federal and most states) | Construction, commodities, some non-design services |
| What wins | Most relevant, best-evidenced experience | Lowest responsible price or best price-technical tradeoff |
| Your main lever | The qualifications package | The number on the bid |
Where QBS Applies (and Where It Doesn't)
Federal work. The Brooks Act (Public Law 92-582, enacted 1972) requires QBS for federal A/E services. It is implemented through FAR Subpart 36.6. For federal design work, QBS is not optional.
State and local work. Most states have a "mini-Brooks Act" that applies the same principle to state-procured A/E services. The American Council of Engineering Companies counts roughly 46 states with QBS statutes. Coverage varies. Some states apply QBS to all A/E procurement, some only above a dollar threshold, and some let local agencies set their own rules.
Where it bends. Design-build and some alternative delivery methods blend qualifications with price. A handful of states and many private owners are not bound by QBS and may weight fee directly. The procurement method is always stated in the solicitation, so read it before you assume. It tells you whether price is a factor and when it enters.
There is evidence the model works. A Georgia Tech and University of Colorado study of project delivery (Chinowsky and Kingsley) found that A/E projects procured through QBS showed lower cost growth, fewer schedule overruns, and higher owner satisfaction than projects selected on price. ACEC cites that research as the case for keeping QBS in place. For your firm, the practical takeaway is simpler: the system is built to reward the most qualified firm, so the work is in proving you are it.
What QBS Changes About How You Write Proposals
Once you accept that qualifications are the whole game in phase one, a few priorities follow:
- Compete on relevance, not breadth. Three projects that match the scope closely beat ten that are loosely related.
- Lead with the people who will actually do the work. Key personnel fit is scored heavily, so a resume that proves the named project manager has done this exact kind of work is worth more than a longer firm history.
- Mirror the published criteria. QBS requires the agency to publish how it will score. Structure your response to those factors, in that order, so evaluators can find each point where they expect it.
- Make your evidence current and specific. Roles, outcomes, dollar values, and dates score. Vague claims of being responsive and collaborative do not, because every competitor claims the same thing.
- Reinvest the time you would have spent on price. Since fee is not your lever in phase one, the return on a sharper qualifications package is higher than anywhere else in the pursuit.
The firm with a structural advantage under QBS is the one that can surface its most relevant staff and project evidence quickly and tailor it to each agency's criteria. That is a firm-data problem more than a writing problem. RFPM.ai keeps staff and project records as structured data, so a qualifications package can be assembled and tailored per pursuit instead of rebuilt from old PDFs each time, which is what lets a small team put its best evidence forward on more pursuits without adding headcount. If you are weighing how your firm assembles these packages, it helps to understand what proposal software does for firms that run SF330s and SOQs.
QBS also sharpens the go/no-go decision. If your firm is not genuinely among the most qualified for a scope, no price advantage will rescue the bid, so honest qualification fit is the first filter to apply before you commit a team to the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is QBS required in every state?
No. The federal government and roughly 46 states require QBS for A/E services, but coverage and thresholds vary, and some local agencies and private owners are not bound by it. Always check the procurement method named in the solicitation.
Does QBS mean price never matters?
No. Price matters, but only after you are ranked first. The agency negotiates a fair and reasonable fee with the top-ranked firm. If the two cannot agree, the agency ends negotiations and moves to the next firm on the list.
What is the difference between the Brooks Act and a mini-Brooks Act?
The Brooks Act is the 1972 federal law (Public Law 92-582) that mandates QBS for federal A/E work. Mini-Brooks Acts are the state statutes that adopt the same principle for state-procured A/E services.
Is the SF330 the same thing as QBS?
No. QBS is the selection method. The SF330 is the federal form you submit into a QBS process. State and local QBS procurements use SOQs or agency-specific forms instead of the SF330.
Why is price excluded from the initial evaluation?
Because for professional design services, the cost of a poor design far exceeds the design fee. QBS is built on the premise that selecting the most competent firm protects the public better than selecting the cheapest one. That premise is why your qualifications, not your fee, decide the shortlist.