Designer Selection Process

• DSP Meeting Result Chart (2025-2026) (Excel)
• 2019-2024 Results
• 2015-2018 Results
• 2010-2014 Results
• 2007-2009 Results

• Beth McDougal, AIA, MSBA Designee, Registered Architect, Chair
• Rachel E. Shanley, PE, LEED, MSBA Designee, Professional Engineer, Vice-Chair
• Jess Baccari, AGC-MA Designee, Registered Architect
• Russell Bartash, MA Building Trades Council Designee
• Ruth Bennett, MSBA Designee, Registered Architect
• Eric Bernardin, ACEC Designee, Professional Engineer
• Karl Brown, AIA, MSBA Staff, Registered Architect
• John S. Ferrante, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts Designee
• Jennifer Gonzalez, MSBA Executive Director Designee
• Eric LeBeau, Public Member
• Joseph McDonough, Public Member
• Alan Slater, MSBA Designee, Professional Engineer
• Robert Zverina, MA AIA Designee, Registered Architect
• Neil Cronin, MSBA Staff
• Utsavi Gadani, MSBA Staff
• Arlin Medina, MSBA Staff
• Diane Sullivan, MSBA Staff
• John F. Jumpe Jr., Professional Engineer, MSBA Staff

*Mr. Jumpe will serve as an alternate to one of the three MSBA staff members positions associated with project management, design and/or construction oversight in the event one of the three positions are absent.

In addition to the above, for each project considered by the DSP, the Panel includes three members who are representatives of the respective city, town or regional school district for the specific project under consideration. Of the three local members, one member is designated by the school committee, one member is designated by the superintendent of schools and one member is designated by the chief executive officer of the city or town.

Advertisement and Request for Designer Services (RFS)

Each contract for designer services for a project within the jurisdiction of the MSBA’s Designer Selection Panel is publicly advertised by the respective city, town or regional school district in a newspaper of general circulation in the area in which the project is located and in the Massachusetts Central Register at least four weeks before the deadline for filing applications. Using the MSBA’s model Request for Designer Services (RFS), the city, town, or regional school district then should prepare an RFS and distribute it upon request. The RFS will contain:

1. A description of the project, including the specific designer services sought, the time period within which the project is to be completed, and, if available, the estimated construction cost;
2. If there is a program for the project, a statement of when and where the program will be available for inspection by applicants, and when and where a briefing session will be held for applicants and if there is not a program for the project, a statement to the effect;
3. The qualifications required of applicants for the projects;
4. The categories of designers’ consultants, if any, for which applicants must list the names of consultants which the applicant may choose to use;
5. Whether the fee has been set or will be negotiated, and if the fee has been set, the amount of the fee;
6. The deadline for submission of applications;
7. The person and address from which application forms may be obtained and, when completed, to whom they may be delivered;
8. Any other pertinent information deemed appropriate by the District or the DSP.

Master File Brochure

Prior to filing an application for any project, designers must first file a Master File Brochure (MFB) with the MSBA. The MFB utilizes the same form required by the Commonwealth’s Designer Selection Board (DSB) when applying for DCAM projects. Download the Master File Brochure Form from the DSB. Please note that an MFB must be filed separately with the MSBA even if one has already been filed for DCAM projects.

MFBs contain the following information:

1. Certification that the applicant, if applying to perform design services other than preparation of studies, surveys, soil testing, cost estimates or programs, is a designer as defined in M.G.L. Chapter 7C, Section 44, paragraph (b);
2. The names and addresses of all partners, if a partnership, of all officers, directors and all persons with an ownership interest of more than five per cent in the applicant if not a partnership;
3. The registration number and status of each such person in every jurisdiction in which such person has ever been registered as an architect, landscape architect or engineer;
4. A list of all projects for all public agencies within the commonwealth for which the applicant has performed or has entered into a contract to perform design services within the five year period immediately preceding the filing of the information required in this section;
5. A list of all current projects for which the applicant is performing or is under contract to perform any design services; and
6. If the applicant is a joint venture, the information required in this section shall be required for each joint venturer, as well as for the joint venture itself.

Master File Brochures must be updated on an annual basis and are sworn to under the penalties for perjury.

Project Specific Applications

In addition to the Master File Brochure which a potential applicant must file with the MSBA at least once per year, a designer must file a project specific application for each project for which the designer is applying. The project-specific applications are on a standard form developed for cities and towns by the Designer Selection Board of the Commonwealth. Click here to download the Standard Designer Application Form for Municipalities and Public Agencies not within the DSB Jurisdiction. Unlike the Master File Brochure, the project specific applications must be filed with the respective city, town or regional school district.

Designer Qualifications and Selection Criteria

Minimum qualifications for designers include:

1. Applicants must be a qualified Designer within the meaning of M.G.L. Chapter 7C, Section 44, employing a Massachusetts registered architect or engineer responsible for and being in control of the services to be provided.

2. The Project Architect/Engineer for the Designer must have successfully completed the Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official Program seminar “Certification for School Project Designers and Owner’s Project Managers” as administered by the Office of the Inspector General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and must maintain certification by completing the “Recertification for School Project Designers and Owner’s Project Managers” seminar every three years thereafter. Proof of recertification or registration in the next recertification seminar for which space is available must be provided. View more information for Certification for School Project Designers and Owner’s Project Managers from the Office of the Inspector General.

3. Pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 7C, Section 6 and the Municipal Construction Affirmative Marketing Program (MCAMP), Municipalities must incorporate Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE)/Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SDVOBE) goals into both their design and construction procurements for municipal contracts for the construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling, repair, or demolition of any public building by any city or town that includes funding provided in whole or in part by the Commonwealth, such as funding under the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), funding in any legislative appropriation, grant awards, reimbursements, municipal commitments to use state funds, and the like. To count towards participation, the business must be a Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) certified WBE, MBE or VBE/SDVOBE at the time of contract execution. Please see: https://www.mass.gov/doc/affirmative-marketing-program-mcamp-general-guidelines/download

Other criteria for selection of finalists include:

1. Prior similar experience best illustrating current qualifications for the specific project.
2. Past performance of the firm, if any, with regard to public, private, DOE-funded, and MSBA-funded projects across the Commonwealth, with respect to:
   1. Quality of project design
   2. Quality, clarity, completeness and accuracy of plans and contract documents.
   3. Ability to meet established program requirements within allotted budget.
   4. Ability to meet schedules including submission of design and contract documents, processing of shop drawings, contractor requisitions and change orders.
   5. Coordination and management of consultants
   6. Working relationship with contractors, subcontractors, local awarding authority and MSBA staff and local officials.
3. Current workload and ability to undertake the contract based on the number and scope of projects for which the firm is currently under contract.
4. The identity and qualifications of the consultants who will work on the project.
5. The financial stability of the firm.
6. The qualifications of the personnel to be assigned to the project.
7. Geographical proximity of the firm to the project site or willingness of the firm to make site visits and attend local meetings as required by the client.
8. Any other criteria that the DSP considers relevant to the project.

Communication Between Applicants and Districts

Districts can and should hold informational pre-proposal conferences prior to the deadline for receipt of applications, provided that invitations to such conferences are publically advertised and open to all interested parties.  Districts should record all questions raised, along with the answers provided, and distribute them and any other information offered at the conference to all parties that requested copies of the Request for Services.  Any and all questions raised outside of these pre-proposal conferences should be submitted in writing and addressed to the designated District contact person. These questions, along with the answers provided, should also be distributed to all parties that requested copies of the Request for Services.  Private meetings and other communication between individual potential applicants and District representatives prior to the deadline of receipt of applications that are not open to all interested parties are prohibited.  Please see below regarding applicant interviews.

Panel Meetings

Meetings are generally held at MSBA’s offices in Boston. The DSP’s meetings are open to the public, and all discussions relating to applicants and the selection of designers for specific projects are conducted in open session. (To encourage discussion, however, competitors are asked to voluntarily leave the room when designer candidates are being interviewed by the DSP for specific projects.) Executive sessions (i.e., sessions closed to the public) are rare and would only be warranted under certain circumstances. Designers who have responded to the RFS for a Project and other interested parties are welcome to attend the DSP’s meeting and listen to the DSP’s discussion.

Each applicant for each project is reviewed and discussed by the Panel, typically moderated by the chairperson. All Panel members, especially the Panel members representing the school district, are welcome and encouraged to make comments and ask questions during the DSP’s meeting as each applicant is discussed.

At the conclusion of the DSP’s discussion of all of the designer applications for the Project, each member of the DSP, including the Panel members representing the school district, will have an opportunity to vote on the applicants, assigning three (3) points to their first choice, two (2) points to their second choice, and one (1) point to their third choice. After the points are tallied, the DSP then will decide whether to rank the top three choices and authorize the community to begin negotiations to award a contract to the top choice, or to interview the top-ranked firms.

If the DSP votes to interview the finalists, the interviews will be scheduled for a subsequent meeting date.  Once it has been determined that interviews will be conducted, all communication regarding the potential project must be forwarded in writing to the MSBA DSP staff.  Communication relative to the project before the DSP between applicants and any individual associated with the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM), District or MSBA other than the DSP staff is strictly prohibited. Failure to observe this rule will result in disqualification of the applicant. After each finalist is interviewed, each member of the Panel votes once again, assigning three (3) points to their first choice, two (2) points to their second choice, and one (1) point to their third choice.

After the points are tallied, the DSP then will vote to rank the top three choices and authorize the community to begin negotiations to award a contract to the top choice.

• Panel Procedures

• Designer RFS Template
• Master File Brochure Form
  • If you have any questions or want to submit the Master File Brochure form, please click here.
• Standard Designer Application Form for Municipalities and Public Agencies not within the DSB Jurisdiction – Updated July 2016
• Designer Services Base Contract for Design/Bid/Build and CM-at-Risk, Revised January 2026
  • Designer Services Contract Amendment for Design/Bid/Build (PDF) Revised January 2026
  • Designer Services Contract Amendment for CM-at-Risk (PDF) Revised January 2026
  • Designer Services Base Contract Pages 1-2 and Attachments A, C, D, E, and F (Word), Revised February 2025
• MBE/WBE/VBE/SDVOBE Participation Goals
• MCPPO Certification

• Designer Construction Cost Chart (PDF)
• Designer Construction Cost Chart (Tableau)
  • The Designer Construction Cost Chart includes projects approved by the MSBA Board of Directors between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025, and is based on reconciled construction budgets submitted by districts at the conclusion of schematic design. The direct construction costs per square foot above includes estimated direct building costs plus the applicable portion of the design and pricing contingency. The following is not included in the direct building cost: Special Construction, demolition, hazardous materials abatement, sitework, subcontractor bonds, insurance, general conditions, overhead and profit, GMP fee, GMP contingency, escalation to mid-point of construction, and alternates, if applicable.

Qualified firms interested in providing designer services for Massachusetts K-12 public school projects funded through the MBSA are invited to present their qualifications to the Designer Selection Panel in a non-project-specific informational interview. These interviews are not mandatory but are offered as an opportunity for designers to introduce themselves to the DSP and present information about their overall qualifications, experience and approach. Firms will be provided approximately 15 minutes for their presentations followed by a 15 minute period of questions and answers led by DSP members. MSBA asks that interested firms review the MSBA Designer Selection Procedures and verify that they meet the minimum qualifications as a Designer in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 7C Sections 44 before requesting an informational interview. The DSP is most interested in firms that can apply for an MSBA project as the prime consultant, typically an architectural firm or A/E firm, rather than as a sub-consultant to the Designer. Please click here for additional information and to request an interview.