Rick Allen, PE, PLS has been elected Chairman of the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services, COFPAES, for 2008.
Allen currently works for Sherlock, Smith and Adams, Inc., an AE firm based in Montgomery, Alabama, involved in major design projects nationally and internationally. He came to the firm after more than two decades in private practice in Land Surveying and Engineering. Allen graduated from the University of Georgia in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering (BSAgE) and holds professional licensure registrations in four states. Over the past three decades, he has practiced as Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and as Licensed Professional Engineer in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.
Throughout his professional career, Allen has been an active member of his state society, Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors (ASPLS) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). He has served his state and national organizations in many different capacities, including as Secretary to the NSPS Board of Governors and member of the NSPS Private Practice Committee. In 2004, he was nominated to represent the American Congress on Surveying (ACSM) on the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services in the capacity of Alternate Delegate. He was ACSM COFPAES Delegate until October 2007, when he was elected to the position of Chairman.
The Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services was organized in anticipation of a report to Congress issued by the Controller General of the United States in April 1967. The Council has since become one of the most durable and effective coalitions in Washington focused on ensuring quality and competence in procuring professional services. COFPAES serves the American public in that it assists Congress and federal agencies in ensuring that projects to satisfy the building, infrastructure, resource, defense, and security needs of our Nation are conducted in an efficient and quality manner. The Council is the major policy advocate for the “Brooks Act” (40 U.S. Code 541 et. seq. and part 36.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)), the qualifications based selection (QBS) process that governs Federal procurement of A/E services. While acting as a sounding board on federal procurement procedures, policies, and regulations, COFPAES has stimulated the development of SF254 and SF255 questionnaires and published guides to contracting with the federal government.
Four organizations formed COFPAES in late 1966: the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Consulting Engineers Council, the Professional Engineers in Private Practice division of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Later, COFPAES was joined by the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS), the Planning and Design Division of the American Road and Transportation, and the American Society of Landscape Architects. COFPAES also has individual A/E and geospatial firms as corporate members.
ACSM has been an active member of COFPAES for decades, promoting sound architectural and engineering procurement practices and, hence, recognition of the professional nature of A/E services. The election of Rick Allen as COFPAES chairman for 2008 and the appointment of Laurence Socci, ACSM Staff to COFPAES, as COFPAES Secretary for 2008 reflect the long and effective engagement of ACSM in COFPAES activities.