Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC Illinois) is proud to announce the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) has received the 2025 Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) Merit Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
The award recognizes organizations that promote and make exemplary use of QBS methods to procure the professional services of consulting engineers at the federal, state or local level.
QBS is a procurement process that prioritizes experience and technical expertise rather than relying on the lowest bid. Through this process, submittals are prescreened by one group before submittals and a preliminary ranking is provided to the selection committee for consideration.
Teams are then considered based on their experience and expertise before a final ranking of the top three firms is determined. The top-ranked firm is then contacted for fee negotiations, with the goal of reaching a fair and reasonable cost for professional services. If an agreement is not reached, negotiations shift to the second-ranked firm.
In a recent press release, President and CEO of ACEC Illinois, Kevin Artl, said “This National QBS Award recognizes organizations and individuals who champion and consistently apply the gold standard for delivering high-quality public projects and safeguarding taxpayer dollars. The Illinois Capital Development Board has demonstrated exceptional leadership in its commitment to QBS and is truly deserving of this national recognition. ACEC Illinois and our member firms are grateful for CDBs dedication to quality, transparency, and integrity, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership to protect and advance this vital process.”
In the same press release, Capital Development Board Executive Director, TJ Edwards, stated “We are honored to receive this award, which recognizes our commitment to securing the highest-quality professional services for the people of Illinois. At CDB, excellence, transparency, and stewardship of taxpayer dollars guide everything we do. The QBS process is central to delivering safe, durable, and well-designed public facilities across the state, and our selection committees made up of both CDB staff and external experts work diligently to uphold those standards with integrity.”
Kim Robinson, executive director of the Engineering Society of Illinois also stated in the press release “We’re fortunate to have a partner in the Capital Development Board that truly understands the vital role professional engineers play in delivering safe, resilient public facilities for communities across Illinois. We thank Executive Director TJ Edwards for her leadership and commitment to quality-based selection, and we congratulate her and the entire CDB team on this well-deserved recognition.”
The award was presented at the ACEC Illinois Fall Conference in Springfield on Tuesday, November 18.
