Bureau of Qualification

I propose the creation of a "Bureau of Qualification" to issue "Person of Qualification" certificates.  Let me explain:

During the engineering process, you often need a product you can purchase to accomplish a function.  Now, how the search goes, viewed from an engineer perspective.

I know I need a product that will do "x" in my design.  I know someone is currently producing this product, but I don't know who.  I know it is something we haven't had in a design before so I can't just look at a legacy design.  I will search the internet for information and try to find a supplier that looks legitimate and has a nice website (we all think bad websites indicate a lack of technical competence or a certain stuck-in-their-way-edness).  I find a company I like the looks of, and click on the contact page because I HAVE to talk to a real person.  Here is where it gets sticky.  I call the 800 number most companies list that gets you an operator.  I ask for someone in engineering.  90% of the time, this stuns the operator, and they direct you to someone in sales. I get connected and it is apparent within a few seconds if you have hit a dead end.  If I get lucky, I get someone who can direct me to a product that truly meets my needs.  This is very rare.  The fundamental problem, I feel, is that I don't know exactly what I want, and companies are not set up to help people like me.  What do I know?  I know EXACTLY what function the product needs to perform, in what environment, and I have a general feeling for how robust or light the product needs to be.  It takes the right person on the other end of the line to make the connections, understand the mental sketches used to communicate concepts, and interpret the parameters.

The reason I only pass along parameters and functional descriptions is: if you tell someone exactly what you want, you will get exactly what you ask for.  Dictating exactly what you want takes any expertise or experience the other company could offer out of the equation, and often produces an inferior or flawed solution.  How do we solve this problem?

Create a certification "Person of Qualification".  When I call a company, I would ask for a "Person of Qualification" immediately. I do not need a PoQ if all I need is a price or a quote, but can ask for one if I need some genuine creativity or direction.  PoQ certifications could be field specific, but I think think a general PoQ would cover most of what you need.  Someone who is a PoQ doesn't have to be an expert on everything, but would at least know what they don't know (often as valuable and much less dangerous).

I am kidding of course.  But man is it frustrating dealing with people who just cannot contribute!  All my engineer buddies here are backing my concept :)