PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
August 2015
605
The new “ASPRS Guidelines for Procurement of Geospatial
Mapping Products and Services” is an important piece of work
for all procurers and providers of geospatial data. Federal
and State agencies are required to follow regulations when
purchasing geospatial products and services and these
regulations are written with terminology such as professional
service, licensure, product sales, etc. It is critical to define
these terms and differentiate licensed activity, professional
services, technical services, and commercial products so that
the best procurement methodology can be applied.
ASPRS committees have worked on procurement guidelines
beginning in 2008 with publications of guidelines for
procuring professional services in 2009 and guidelines for
procuring commercial products in 2012. The current “ASPRS
Guidelines for Procurement of Geospatial Mapping Products
and Services”, adopted in 2015, combines and supersedes the
previous documents. Volunteers working on these guidelines,
beginning back in 2008, have included representatives from
the private sector, state, and federal government. In addition,
input was solicited and incorporated from other geospatial
professional organizations.
One of the cornerstones of this guideline isASPRSendorsement
of Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) for procurement
of professional services. The QBS process requires the
procurer of professional services to select a provider based
solely on an evaluation of qualifications with subsequent cost
negotiation. The QBS method of procurement of professional
services is endorsed by the majority of geospatial professional
organizations. ASPRS maintains that QBS provides the best
means of promoting fair and open competition, guaranteeing
that only skilled, experienced, and able professionals are
selected before price is negotiated and determined.
Does this guideline promote QBS for the procurement of
all geospatial products and services? No, it does not. The
guideline provides distinction between technical and
professional geospatial services as well as differentiating
between products delivered under a professional services
contract and those purchased as commercial off-the-shelf
geospatial products.
Intro to the ASPRS Guidel ines for Procurement of
Geospatial Mapping Products and Services
Visit
to view the new standards in its entirety.
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Commercial geospatial mapping products are becoming
increasingly prevalent. These data are geospatial content
provided “off-the-shelf” by a data provider with a set
specification and product licensing requirements. This
category of geospatial product may also include the category
of hosted, online data, often referred to as Data as a Service
(DaaS) and may be provided under a Software as a Service
(SaaS) application. The ASPRS Guidelines for Procurement
of Geospatial Mapping Products and Services provides
recommendations for development and evaluation of source
solicitation packages for commercial geospatial mapping
products.
The guideline goes into great length defining terms and
making distinctions to assist the reader in determining the
best method of procuring geospatial services and products, but
for the reader that prefers to get immediately to the heart of
the issue the guideline provides an excellent table comparing
professional services, products, and product support in
Appendix 1 (adapted from the MAPPS Products vs. Service
Matrix). Basic categories of distinction on the comparison
table include the level of standardization, specifications,
ownership, certification and warranty, protection of public
welfare, procurement methodology, and pricing.
This guideline is must-have for all procurers of
geospatial mapping products and services!
Appreciation is extended to all of the volunteers who
contributed to this work, including: Doug Smith, James
Plasker, Charles Mondello, Mark Baker, Brant Howard, Alan
Mikuni, Kari Craun, George Southard, Paul Pope, Stephanie
Boerman, Marvin Miller, Mike Ritchie, Paul Harwig, Anne
Hillyer, Becky Morton, Michael Zoltek.
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Vol. 81, No. 8, August 2015, pp. 605
0099-1112/15/605
© 2015 American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing
doi: 10.14358/PERS.81.8.605
