Program Goals and Features

Opportunities for Design Excellence contracts are listed on the government procurement website, Contract Opportunities on SAM.gov. Each opportunity listed describes the project (location, scope, estimated award range, and production schedule), the information required, and PBS evaluation criteria. Firms usually have 30 to 45 days to respond.

Design Excellence procedures for selecting architects and engineers usually involve two stages.

In Stage I, interested firms submit portfolios of accomplishment that establish the design capabilities of the Architect/Engineer (A/E) firms and their lead designers. Depending on the nature of the project, the lead designer may be an architect, an engineer, or both.

PBS evaluates submissions and prepares a short list of firms for further consideration in Stage II, which focuses on each firm's entire project team. For some projects, the shortlisted teams may be required to submit actual design schemes.

For each project, PBS appoints a panel to review applications, interview top candidates, and make a final recommendation. The same panel is used in all stages of the selection process.