Why Cultivating Value Matters

Over the last 20 years, clients in the A/E/C industry have become more sophisticated in their approach to procuring services and partners. Although some laws and regulations require a lowest price approach, many public and private clients have adopted a ‘best value’ process to procuring services and partners to work with on their projects. Price is not the only deciding factor. Often past and current project experience, team synergy, and quality play a role in the decision-making process. In this scenario, the client is looking for optimal value for the money they are spending.

We often seek to balance how we spend our time and money with the perceived value derived. The leadership of SMPS, from the local board to the Society board and HQ, do not take for granted that each member and volunteer has a choice as to where they spend their time and money. I was curious as to how SMPS members and volunteers would describe the value they get from SMPS so I made a simple request: Use three words that describe the value you get from being a member and/or volunteer of SMPS. The word cloud below sums it up nicely. Whether SMPS members and volunteers are in the U.S. or Canada, are members of large or small chapters, or work for large or small firms, the value derived is connected to one’s experience and the opportunity to learn from other SMPS members. Words such as community, network, education, connections, collaboration, impact, and growth were used multiple times by survey participants and underscores how engagement with one another is a powerful driver of value at SMPS. This is why cultivating value matters.