Negotiating and contracting for professional engineering services

This synthesis will be of interest to designers, highway administrators, and others concerned with hiring consultants to prepare designs or perform construction inspection. Information is presented on the procedures and processes used by the states in negotiating and contracting for professional engineering services. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the use of consultants by the states for design and for the inspection of construction. This report of the Transportation Research Board describes the processes used by the states in negotiating and contracting for professional engineering services, including determining needs, listing qualified firms, evaluating qualifications, negotiating terms and prices, and evaluating performance.