Pat Olson Elected COFPAES Chairman

Reston, VA, October 20, 2008 — The Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services (COFPAES) announced the election of Patrick M. "Pat" Olson, PE, PLS, CP (Aero-Metric, Inc., Sheboygan, WI) to the position of Chairman.

Olson was elected to a one year term by the delegates from the five COFPAES member organizations on October 14 during the council's fall meeting in Washington, DC. He succeeds Rick Allen, PE, PLS (Sherlock, Smith and Adams, Inc., Montgomery, AL) who completed his one-year term at the helm of the organization.

Olson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Aero-Metric, Inc. a professional geospatial services firm headquartered in Sheboygan, WI with nine locations throughout the United States. He has been the COFPAES delegate representing MAPPS since 2005 and most recently served as COFPAES Treasurer. Olson earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He was the owner and chief operating officer of a professional engineering practice in Oshkosh, Wisconsin from 1972-1977 and worked for Donohue & Associates, a large civil and environmental engineering firm from 1977-1991. An active MAPPS member, Olson serves as Chairman of the MAPPS-USGS agency liaison committee and is a member of the MAPPS Political Action Committee (PAC).

"The COFPAES delegates have made a wise choice in electing Pat as Chairman," said John Palatiello, COFPAES Administrator and MAPPS Executive Director. "His knowledge of Federal procurement procedures, his professional dedication to qualifications based selection, and his leadership skills will serve COFPAES and the community well."

John Voycik, AICP, PMP (Greenhorne & O'Mara Corporation, Laurel, MD) was appointed to succeed Olson as the MAPPS delegate to COFPAES.

COFPAES was formed in the 1960s to serve as the unified voice of the architectural, engineering (A/E) and related services profession on issues related to Federal contracting. Member organizations are the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) and National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). Throughout its history, COFPAES has focused on ensuring quality and competence in the procurement of professional A/E (including surveying and mapping) services. COFPAES serves the American public by assisting Congress and Federal agencies with policies to ensure that projects to satisfy the building, infrastructure, resource, defense, and security needs of the Nation are conducted in an efficient and quality manner. COFPAES is the unified voice of the community in support of the Brooks Act (40 USC 1101 and part 36.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation(FAR)), which provides for Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) of professional firms. More than 40 states have also enacted "Mini-Brooks Acts" for state government (and in some cases local government) procurement. The QBS process in the Brooks Act is also endorsed by the American Bar Association in its Model Procurement Code for State and Local Government, and client groups such as the American Public Works Association, the Associated General Contractors of America, and the Airport Consultants Council (ACC) - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) best practices document. For information, visit the COFPAES web site, www.cofpaes.org.

Contact: Nick Palatiello
COFPAES
Marketing Communications Manager
703-787-4748
nick@cofpaes.org