The view from the other side: What clients look for in consulting engineers

Looking ahead

The keys to securing work with the City of Toronto (or any other public sector entity) are: submission of high quality proposals that accurately capture the scope and level of effort required; provision of seasoned key staff with guaranteed availability; project references that meet required criteria in terms of size and complexity; and relevant staff references.

Consortia, partnerships and other teaming arrangements for proposals may be employed. As with a single entity submission, owners will look for a clear chain of command in the team and a reporting structure that clearly reflects the relationships between companies, team members and the owner.

We encourage consultants to seek debriefings following unsuccessful selection. They can help identify areas where improvement might make a difference in future submissions.

Cities, towns and regions need consultants, and consultants need the public sector. We have a great opportunity before us to forge new alliances. As we move forward, it’s my expectation that owners can, and will, work more closely with their consulting industry counterparts to collectively enhance capital project and program execution.

Bill De Angelis, P.Eng., is Director of Engineering & Construction Services Design & Construction, Major
Infrastructure, City of Toronto. He worked as a consulting engineer for nearly two decades. This article appears in ES&E’s November/December issue, as part of the Consultants’ Forum.