From the Canadian Consulting Engineer:
Since October 1, consulting engineers in Quebec have been accorded the right to be selected on the sole basis of their competence and qualifications — not price — for government projects related to health, education or transportation.
This is an interesting concept for the consulting industry. In some ways, the consulting industry sees less competition. As long as you are a well-known consultant with a valid price, you could easily win a contract without stretching yourself thin at all. A consulting firm no longer needs to maintain prices that are as low as another, less reputable firm. The truth is, a lower bid does not always mean the project ends in the most cost effective manner. In fact, one might argue that the largest savings in a contract would be in part due to the way in which the consultants treat a certain situation. A good consultant has the opportunity to save the client much more than just the price difference in an initial bid.
On the other side, this policy would make it significantly harder for a new company to break through and make a name for itself. No longer would the new company be able to simply “buy” a contract in order to make a positive impression on a new client. The client does have the option to allow this sort of occurrence if they so choose, but it will not be enforced.
All-in-all, this sort of thing puts a bit more pressure on results and diplomacy. Is this good or bad? Well it’ll keep the consultant on their toes for sure. However, one only hopes it does not become exclusive to the point that most competition is eliminated.
[Quebec engineers face post-project evaluation]
Let me know your take in the comments.
