ACEC’s Statement on the 50th Anniversary of The Brooks Act

October 27, 2022

ACEC’s Statement on the 50th Anniversary of The Brooks Act

The American Council of Engineering Companies celebrates the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Brooks Act, which codified Qualifications-Based Selection for public works projects. The following statement is from ACEC Board Chair W. Arthur Barrett, II: 

“For 50 years, the Brooks Act has established an environment where engineering firms compete for public works projects based on their skills and capability. As a result, QBS has safeguarded scarce taxpayer dollars and saved lives by choosing qualified and skilled design teams.

“As we celebrate the anniversary of QBS becoming law, the engineering industry looks forward to implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill under this framework, ensuring projects will be led by qualified engineering firms with the qualifications, innovation, and expertise to fulfill the promise of the largest-ever investment in American infrastructure — projects that improve safety and uplift communities across the country.”

ACEC was fortunate to have had the opportunity to celebrate the anniversary of this important law during its recent 2022 Fall Conference in Colorado. Jeb Brooks, the son of bill’s namesake Congressman Brooks and the Chair of the Jeb Brooks Foundation joined us to honor his father’s legacy and present the 2022 ACEC & NSPE QBS Award for the State and Local Government Sector to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Watch the video of Jeb’s presentation and the QBS award ceremony and listen to the Engineering Influence podcast episodes here. 

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