Best Practices for Procurement and Management of Professional Services Contracts

Abstract

The ongoing climate of fiscal limitations coupled with increased infrastructure demand poses significant challenges for state DOTs. Most face continuing pressure to meet the increasing infrastructure demands of their state with limited resources. Professional services consultant procurement and contract administration are significant and important components of the infrastructure delivery process. How these professional services contracts are procured and managed can have a substantial impact on organizational resources, personnel efficiency and effectiveness, consultant performance, and infrastructure cost and quality. This paper investigates the current practice of the departments of transportation in seven states, interviews subject matter experts, evaluates scholarly work by industry and academic professionals, and examines previous studies to develop 12 best practices for the procurement and contract administration of professional services consultants. The study identified 12 best practices in the following areas: strategic planning; quality management; professional services management structure; standardization; operations manual, training and certification; automation; contract-specific procurement plans; indefinite delivery contracts; lump sum contracting; and performance metrics.