CALL TO ACTION: AIA California Council Encourages Architects to Support SB 1424

Last Updated: April 11, 2012

Dear AIA Member,

I am writing to ask you to send a letter to State Senator, Curren Price, asking him to vote for a bill that supports California's Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) law.

State Senator Curren Price happens to Chair the State Senate Committee that is voting on the bill next week.

The bill, SB 1424, is sponsored by the AIACC.

It is written to protect the QBS law by requiring architects, engineers, and land surveyors to follow the law when competing for state and local government projects.

The QBS law requires design professionals, for public projects, to be chosen based on their qualifications and demonstrated competence, with the scope of the project and fees to be discussed and negotiated during contract negotiations. This law recognizes that the success of a project, and the protection of the public investment, depends on the quality of the design, and that design professionals cannot be selected by a low-bid method as the detailed scope of the project is not known.

Unfortunately, the AIACC is hearing from Members that more public entities are selecting design professionals based on fees.

SB 1424 empowers design professionals to reject efforts to select design professionals for public projects according to price.

Write a Letter to State Senator Curren Price:

Please prepare a letter to your State Senator in support of SB 1424.

If possible, please use your firm's letterhead.

Also include your residential address so that your Senator will know you are a constituent.

Below is sample language you can use in part or whole.

April 12, 2012

The Honorable Curren Price
California State Senate
State Capitol
Room 2057
Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax: (916) 651-4026

RE: SB 1424 (Harman) - SUPPORT

Dear Chairman Price:

I am writing as an architect and constituent to ask for your support of SB 1424, which is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on April 16th.

This bill requires architects, engineers, and land surveyors to follow California's law that spells out how public entities select and contract for those services. That law is known as the Qualifications-Based Selection law, and is modeled after the federal Brooks Act.

Importantly, that law recognizes the selection of qualified design professionals is needed to protect the public safety and the public investment in the project. For example, you would want only a qualified design professional with experience and demonstrated competence to design a bridge, dam, hospital, or school.

SB 1424 further protects the public by requiring design professionals, when competing for a public project, to follow the state law on the selection of design professionals.

I respectfully ask for your support of SB 1424.

Sincerely,

Name [residential address - please include]

Email your letter to me at mark@aiacc.org by this Friday. I will deliver your letter to your Senator.

Please feel free to call or email us if you have any questions.

For a copy of the bill, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

For more information, please contact:

Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA
Director, Government & Public Affairs
AIA Los Angeles
(213) 639-0764
will[@]aialosangeles.org

Mark Christian, Hon. AIACC
Director of Legislative Affairs
AIA California Council
(916) 642-1708
MChristian[@]aiacc.org

Photo: Henry Madden Library/ AC Martin & Hillier Architecture