June 20, 2006

CEO recognizes London engineer Steblin for pioneering efforts

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

TORONTO

Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) has paid tribute to London city engineer Peter Steblin for his pioneering efforts to promote adoption of qualifications-based selection (QBS) of engineering consultants.

London city council last year approved a policy dealing with principles for hiring of consultants that emphasizes such criteria as overall quality of proposals and past performance. That policy was put forward by Steblin.

“We emphasized the positives of the QBS model, such as long-term value to the community,” Steblin said in an interview with Daily Commercial News. “In effect, price was taken out of the equation.”

“The broad principles were approved a year ago.”

Peter Steblin

London engineer

The city is about to award a group of eight engineering assignments involving street reconstruction projects on the basis of QBS.

QBS is a process for procurement of professional services based on qualifications, rather than low bid.

Steblin, who is also the city’s general manager of environmental and engineering services, said city council still reserves the right to approve individual contract awards.

“But the broad principles were approved a year ago.”

London is believed to be the first municipality in the province to adopt the QBS approach, the consulting engineering industry’s recommended model for procuring professional services.

At its recent annual meeting, CEO presented an award of recognition to Steblin for procurement of services using QBS principles, his recognition of consulting engineering as a value-added professional service, and his “long-time advocacy within the public sector of procurement policies that emphasize innovation, sustainability and long-term value to taxpayers.”

The association also lauded Steblin’s continued leadership within the engineering profession. Active in the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, Steblin also chairs the InfraGuide committee that is drafting a best practice document for selecting professional consultants.

That guide, which is expected to be finalized imminently, is “entirely consistent” with the principles of QBS, said CEO president John Gamble.

Print | Email | Comment