Streamlined Engineering Appraisal

A ‘Streamlined Engineering Appraisal’ system was developed in 2020 for use on Preliminary and Detailed Design Engineering Assignments. This new appraisal is a ‘streamlined’ version of the existing ‘Engineering and Related Services 3 (ERS 3)’ appraisal, currently used for all Engineering assignments. The existing ERS 3 appraisal has fifteen (15) performance categories whereas the ‘streamlined’ version has five (5). The objective of the ‘Streamlined Engineering Appraisal’ process is to reduce administrative burden and assist the ministry with ensuring higher rates of appraisal completion.

A review of the new ‘Streamlined Engineering Appraisal’ was carried out in 2020-21 to compare it to past assignment appraisal values. The result of the review showed that there was no significant difference in the resulting appraisal values. The end result was a more user-friendly and shortened form which is more simple for project managers to complete, while also capturing service provider performance in activities that are most relevant to design assignments. Therefore, the proposed streamlined appraisal system is deemed effective and suitable to fulfill the objectives. Consultations with ACEC-Ontario were initiated prior to the implementation of the Technical Consultation Portal. Comments received were considered and the appraisal was revised as appropriate.

The implementation of the ‘Streamlined Engineering Appraisal’ (attached Excel form) is planned for early 2023.

The ministry is in the process of developing the training material for ministry staff. The updates of the Appraisal Guide, Generic Document Library and RAQS ESP User Guide will also follow.