The Professional Technical Advisory Board (PTAB)

The New Mexico Procurement Code (Section 13-1-117.2) states that if the local public body does not have licensed professional staff, i.e. engineers, architects, surveyors, etc. that a professional technical advisor be appointed by the appropriate New Mexico professional society. The Professional Technical Advisory Board was created for this reason.

PTAB is made up of professionals from:

• American Consulting Engineers Council of New Mexico (ACEC/NM)
• National Society of Professional Engineers/Professional Engineers in Private Practice
• American Institute of Architects, (AIA) Albuquerque Chapter
• New Mexico Society of Architects
• New Mexico Professional Surveyors
• New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (NM ASLA)

The PTAB was formed to provide assistance, at no cost to the Community, to successfully complete the Qualification-Based Selection (QBS) process. The PTAB assigns a technical advisor to answer questions and provide references to other sources of assistance if needed.

The PTAB and its trained Professional Technical Advisers offers assistance to public owners in implementing a QBS program. Professional Technical Advisors are licensed professionals: engineers, architects, surveyors or landscape architects that meet stringent criteria.

PTAB serves as a clearinghouse to receive requests for assistance from communities throughout New Mexico. Once a request is received, a Professional Technical Advisor (PTA) is assigned to the Community to educate and provide assistance with Qualification-Based Selection and Requests for Proposals.

A Community must allow sufficient time for the PTA assignment process to be completed. A minimum of four weeks prior to the advertising date is suggested. This allows for the selection of the appropriate PTA for a specific project.

Remember, all PTAs are professionals who are volunteering their time and whose firms are excluded from proposing on the project because of their role as the PTA.

Helpful information, guides and forms are available in the “Orange Book”, the Owner Manual.

PTAB MANUAL: The Owner Manual for Qualification-Based Selection (Orange Manual) (recently revised to include the Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form) is available to assist communities in the selection and hiring of design professionals in compliance with the New Mexico State Procurement Code. It contains a complete explanation of the QBS process and guidelines for proceeding from project inception, to concluding a contract for professional services.

Also available is a sample Request for Proposal (PDF download, Word Document download) to be used with modification by the Owner to suit the individual circumstance and evaluation criteria (Sample Evaluation Criteria).

Assistance by the PTAB, for either the Orange Book or the services of the Professional Technical Advisor, is available at no cost to the owner. Send requests for assistance to ptab@acecnm.org, call 505.881.1257, or fax your RFP to 505.830.1670.

For more information on QBS or to request a presentation on QBS, contact ptab@acecnm.org.

For a summary about the PTAB and Quality-Based Selection Process, Click Here.

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