ASPRS Certification Program

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Guidelines for Procurement of Professional Aerial
Imagery, Photogrammetry, Lidar and Related Remote
Sensor Based Geospatial Mapping Services
Developed by
In Consultation With
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Background

• Existing document, Guidelines for Procurement of
  Photogrammetric Services from Private
  Professional Sources adopted in 1986, published
  in 1987
• May 2006 ASPRS Board votes to update existing
  Guidelines
• Professional Practices Division (PPD) tasked with
  leading ad hoc work group
• October, 2006 Ad hoc committee formed to
  includefederal/state government, MAPPS and ACSM

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Procurement Guidelines Committee

• ASPRS Committee Members
• Chair (PPD Director) Doug Smith, David C. Smith
  Associates, Inc.
• Co-chair (Past PPD Director) Dan Paulsen,
  Wilson Company
• Federal government George Lee, USGS
• State government John Tull, Washington Dept.
  of Transportation
• MAPPS Representatives
• Marvin Miller, Aero-metrics, MAPPS President
• Mike Ritchie, Photo Science, Inc.
• ACSM Representatives
• John Matonich, ROWE Engineering, Inc.
• Curt Sumner, ACSM Executive Director

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Charter

• Deliver an updated, revised document which
• Includes updated technological references
• Maintains consistency with references to
  professional services included in recent
  modifications to the NCEES Model Law and Model
  Rules
• Addresses professional services vs. products
• Includes guidance for organizations procuring
  mapping services to assist in determining when
  qualifications-based selection processes should
  be used

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Work to Date

• Numerous meetings
• Initially focused on defining characteristics of
  professional service related to
  photogrammetry/remote sensing
• Submitted initial draft summary at ASPRS Tampa
  conference
• Introduced draft to Excom, Board and at Hot
  Topic session
• Feedback from conference received through early
  summer
• Re-initiated meetings in Fall 07 to incorporate
  feedback and resolve key issues

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Current Status

• Revised Executive Summary to address key issues
• Better address NCEES distinction between
  survey/not survey
• Include supporting matrices with a specific list
  of professional vs. technical services
• Address Best Value and other procurement methods
  that include qualifications as a primary
  selection criteria
• Seeking Feedback from this session
• Has not been reviewed by ASPRS Board

DRAFT
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Current Status
DRAFT
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Schedule

• Full draft has been submitted to ASPRS Board for
  discussion at Fridays Board Meeting
• Incorporate feedback from conference and submit
  final draft for Board approval
• Send out accepted/approved document for review by
  broader geospatial mapping community
• Target Final submitted for Board approval at
  ASPRS Fall conference
• Publish in PERS and distribute to educate
  agencies and procurement personnel

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Licensure/NCEES Considerations

• Initially considered issues related to Licensure
• State licensing laws vary too widely to serve as
  a guide
• National Council of Examiners for Engineering and
  Surveying (NCEES) Model Law and Model Rules
• National Multi-Organizational Task Force (MAPPS,
  ACSM, ASPRS, NSPS, URISA, others)
• Authoritative Location Final word and basis
  on which all other determinations are made

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Professional Services

• Determined Professional Services for
  procurement purposes is much broader in scope
  than for Licensed Services
• Licensing
• Minimum level of competence
• Serious harm / Public health, safety and welfare
• Procurement Guidelines
• Recommendations / guidelines, not law or policy
• Need to consider broader scope of public
  interest, not just serious harm
• Goal is to provide guidance to help organizations
  best meet project needs

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Professional Services

• Professional Services require
• Specialized knowledge/skill
• Independent judgment
• Expectation of overall ethical conduct and
  quality of performance to protect public or
  recipients best interests

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Professional Services

• Includes all photogrammetry or remote sensing
  services that
• Interpret, process or analyze remotely sensed
  imagery to determine geospatial positions or
  produce maps and
• Have an expectation of accuracy that could
  influence decisions that affect public
  welfare/interests
• Focused primarily on measurement science, though
  recognize professional nature of other analytical
  remote sensing work
• Professional services does not include
  technical services or product sales

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Matrix Attachments

• Matrix attachments compare Professional Services,
  Technical Services and Products
• Distinguishes between NCEES surveying/not
  surveying to address concerns and feedback from
  Tampa conference
• Vast majority of photogrammetry/remote sensing
  geospatial mapping services are listed here as
  professional services
• IMU/GPS and geo-referenced aerial
  photography/imagery
• Orthophotography
• Lidar, radar
• Feature extraction
• Digitizing or cadastral mapping if interpretation
  is required

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Matrix Attachments

• Standardized / automated processes still
  considered professional
• Ultimately a professional is responsible for the
  reliability of the information
• Technical Services include
• Conventional or resource photography that is not
  geo-referenced
• Image mosaics for display only purposes
• Direct digitizing / no interpretation
• Products include off the shelf and other
  products whereprovider offers a set of standard
  features and sets specifications
• Definition of Product derived Product vs.
  Services Matrix developed by MAPPS

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Matrix Attachments

• Example Orthophotography
• Rectification/processing imagery for
  representation as an orthophoto is a professional
  service
• Imagery rectified to existing USGS DEM, solely
  for referential/GIS overlay purposes and
  accompanied by an appropriate disclaimer is not
  surveying by NCEES definition
• Orthophotography produced to meet a specific
  stated or implied accuracy is surveying by NCEES
  definition

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Matrix Attachments

• Example Feature Extraction
• Always a professional service
• Features digitized or extracted to meet a
  specific accuracy statement are surveying by
  NCEES definition
• Inventory maps, GIS centerlines, resource
  management boundaries and similar features when
  used solely for referential purposes are not
  surveying by NCEES definition
• Example Lidar, Radar and Terrain Modeling
• Always professional service
• Surveying if represented to meet a specific
  accuracy
• May be exceptions, but could not identify any
  reasonable examples where a stated /
  authoritative accuracy would not be required

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QBS Procurement

• Qualifications, not cost, should always be the
  primary factor
• Recommends Brooks Act as best procurement model
  for qualifications based selection
• Brooks Act Process
• Rank firms on qualifications alone cost is not
  submitted or considered in initial ranking
• Negotiate final scope and fair and reasonable
  cost with top ranked firm
• Solicit cost and negotiate with next highest
  ranked firm, if an only if a fair and reasonable
  cost cannot be agreed on with top ranked firm

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QBS Procurement

• ADVANTAGES OF BROOKS ACT PROCESS
• Carefully constructed process to ensure public is
  protected from sub-standard services influenced
  by cost based selection
• Public gets best services at a fair price through
  cost negotiation
• Encourages competition. Best qualified firms may
  not compete if low cost is a factor some states
  prohibit licensed professionals from submitting
  cost
• Encourages innovation and fosters relationship of
  trust. With cost competition service providers
  may limit proposals to only what is asked for
• Widely accepted as the standard for survey
  related services
• Many non-survey geospatial mapping services are
  of similar professional nature and deserve
  similar treatment

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QBS Procurement

• Current Guidelines Draft
• Recognizes Brooks Act is not always required by
  law many jurisdictions use other methods
• Emphasizes that Brooks Act is only appropriate
  method for services that meet definition of
  surveying
• Provides recommendations/alternative guidelines
  when internal rules/policy require cost to be
  used as a selection criteria

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QBS Procurement

• MINIMUM CRITERIA IF COST SUBMITTAL IS REQUIRED
• Qualifications should always be the primary
  selection factor.
• Qualifications rankings should not be influenced
  by cost.
• The scope of work must be well defined and have
  been developed by a professional who has
  extensive knowledge of the work to be performed
  and is qualified to ensure that the scope of work
  will best serve the clients interests.
• Projects that have a significant element of
  design, and where the service provider's
  professional judgment is relied on to develop the
  scope of work, methodology or approach, should
  always use QBS and should not include cost as
  selection criteria.
• A registered, certified or otherwise qualified
  professional with specific knowledge or expertise
  with the services being procured (either on the
  client's staff or hired as a consultant) should
  have a significant role in the review of both the
  technical proposal and any cost proposals in
  order to ensure that the work best meets the end
  user and public interests.
• If cost data is to be considered in the selection
  process, it should be submitted separately and
  considered only after firms are ranked based on
  qualifications.

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Other Recommendations

• Research and comply with State licensing laws
• Research and comply with State mini-Brooks Act
  laws
• Consider NCEES Model Law/Model Rules as best
  definitive guideline for determining surveying
  vs. not surveying
• Apply general principals outlined for all future
  technologies
• Apply principals outlined to all mapping
  procurement, including incidental or
  subcontracted services

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SUMMARY

• Professional services are not limited to licensed
  services. Includes vast majority of geospatial
  mapping services.
• Professional Services vs. Technical Services vs.
  Products(Matrix attachments)
• Low bid is never appropriate
• Brooks Act processes often required by state or
  federal law Even when not required by law,
  Brooks Act is best model and is
  recommended/endorsed
• Alternative methods are not appropriate for
  survey services
• Alternative methods for non-survey services, when
  required by agency rules/policy, should include
  minimum guidelines to ensure cost is secondary
• Guidelines / QBS also apply to subcontracts

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We Want Your Feedback!
Web page http//www.asprs.org/society/divisions
/ppd/guidelines/guidelines.htm Send comments
to guidelines_at_asprs.org