Most public projects involve engineering services to some extent. Feeling comfortable with hiring someone to perform a service that can appear mysterious or seem unnecessary can leave elected officials with an uncertain feeling ...

What do engineers do anyway?

Engineers apply science and professional experience to develop solutions to a specific problem or challenge you are facing. As with any other endeavor, there are many different ways to solve any given problem. Engineers develop an approach to solving your particular need that works best for you. Consulting engineers serve as your agent.

Consulting engineers will:

  • Evaluate your problem

  • Identify and evaluate possible solutions

  • Discuss the possible solutions with you

  • Recommend a solution that, in their professional judgment, best addresses your needs

  • Design a project that will address the difficulties you are dealing with, at as fair a price as the construction industry can produce

  • Guard your best interests and finances throughout the process

  • Protect public health, safety, and welfare as their primary professional obligation while handling your project

What do engineers “not do”?

First. engineers do not perform the construction of your project. The contractor you hire is responsible for this work.

Consulting engineers do not:

  • Work for the contractor

  • Get paid by the contractor

  • Get paid any portion of the construction price

  • Dictate or direct the contractor's operations

  • Guarantee that the contractor builds the project as intended by the design

  • Guarantee that the project will be built for no more than the original bid price

  • Guarantee that the project will be completed on time

  • Guarantee there will be no difficulties once the project is put in service

  • Assure all regulatory stipulations will be met during completion of the project

Misunderstandings can result without a clear concept of the responsibilities that the engineer, the contractor, and you as the owner have in developing and building a project that successfully meets expectations.

What should you expect from your consulting engineer?

Much like medical, legal, educational, accounting, and other professional services, it is difficult to quantify the work completed by your engineer. This is mainly due to the fact that an engineer's work is an intellectual, creative process. Like doctor's services, you may wonder what you got for your money. For this reason, it is very important to have open discussions with your engineer about the services they will provide and the work they will complete on your project.

Engineering, by its very nature, requires you and your engineer, just like you and your doctor, to have a thoughtful conversation about what it is that you are dealing with and what you would like to see as an outcome. Developing mutual expectations is the key to completing a successful project. If a thoroughfare is suffering from traffic overload, developing an alternative traffic route or completing a road widening might provide a better solution than completely reconstructing the entire road. This decision is something you and your engineer must come to agreement upon, based on your anticipated needs, your budget, and the desired results.

American Council of Engineering Companies of Wyoming
This content is from ACEC Wyoming and used with their permission.

The Role of the Consulting Engineer

Public Works Projects

Public works projects are generally divided into five basic phases:

1. Planning

2. Design

3. Bidding and contracting

4. Construction administration

5. Project closeout

PLANNING PHASE SERVICES

During the planning phase, you have usually already identified a specific problem and you are now working to find a solution. Some problems are straight forward and do not require a lot of planning. Others are more complicated, and you may need to look at several different options before choosing one.

Your consulting engineer can complete a variety of tasks to assist you with these decisions. The engineer can produce preliminary engineering reports, environmental assessments, cost estimates, and feasibility studies for each option you have identified. These services help you, the client/owner, with issues such as understanding the cost of different solutions, dealing with right-of-way (easement) acquisition, obtaining environmental clearances, and identifying other planning issues so a contractor can build a project to meet your intended results. The engineer may also identify possible solutions for your project that you have not previously explored. Their work with other clients and similar projects in the past will provide the engineer with additional informa­tion to help you decide on the best approach to address your needs.

Once you have decided on the design approach for your project, your consulting engineer can assemble a conceptual level set of plans and supporting cost estimates. They can also assist with funding applications. This work in the planning phase will help you prepare your budget and set the timeline for completing the project. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss the engineer's scope of services for the remainder of the project.

DESIGN PHASE

Once you have completed the project planning phase and are ready to move forward with the solution you have selected, your consulting engineer will begin the actual design work. This work usually includes one or more of the following tasks: field work such as land surveying; evaluation of existing systems or infrastructure; traffic counts; operations analyses; soils investigations; and preparation of permit applications for regulatory approvals. Once the regulatory permits are approved, the engineer can proceed to prepare final plans and specifications for your project.

You, the owner, need to be thoroughly involved in the review of the engineer's design and suggest changes that will make the project fit your needs.

With your involvement, the engineer can address your suggested changes to meet your expectations. For instance, you may be designing a water pipeline project to extend your existing system to new users. If you use a specific water meter for each of your existing customers, it is important to talk with your engineer to make sure the new project will use the same type of meters. This will simplify your system operations and maintenance, and improve your satisfaction with the completed project.

BIDDING AND CONTRACTING PHASE SERVICES

The consulting engineer will help you advertise for bids, assist with opening the bids, review the bids to determine if they are complete and accurate, check the contractor references, and make a recommendation to you regarding which contractor should be awarded the project. The recommendation is only a recommendation. You, as the owner of the facility to be constructed, are ultimately responsible for the selection of the contractor.

After you have made your selection, the consulting engineer will assist you in developing an agreement with the contractor. This assistance normally includes compiling and reviewing submittals to be included in the agreement, such as a schedule of values, list of subcon­tractors, bonds, insurance, and similar documents.

CONSTRUCTION PHASE SERVICES

The best prepared plans and specifications are of no value if they are not judiciously followed during construction. Your consulting engineer will serve as your representative if you contract with them to provide construction administration services. The engineer, or an engineer's representative, will regularly visit the project site during construction to assure that the contractor builds the project in accordance with the plans and specifications. As construction proceeds, that person addresses construction questions, works out details with materials and installation, and strives to safeguard your investment and assure that you get the project quality to which you are entitled.

While the engineer works closely with the contractor during construction, they actually work for you, the client/owner. In the event the contractor is not meeting specifications, the engineer can reject the work on your behalf and insist that it be corrected in order for payment to be made.

During construction, the engineer will receive, review, and process the contractor's material and equipment submittals to assure conformance with the project requirements. The engineer will also review and process the contractor's requests for payment. The engineer works as your agent to assure you are only paying for work the contractor has successfully completed.

During the course of construction, issues may arise resulting in the contractor submitting a claim for additional compensation and/or an extension of the project schedule. When that happens, the consulting engineer will receive and evaluate the claim, and make a recommendation to you for action on the claim. Furthermore, the engineer will, if necessary, make recommendations for needed changes to the work for your consideration. The recommendation will explain why the change is needed, what the change involves, and the financial and schedule impacts of the change. If the recommended change is approved by you, the consulting engineer will prepare and process a change order to the agreement which allows the contractor to proceed with the approved change.

PROJECT CLOSEOUT SERVICES

At the end of your project, the consulting engineer will work with you to review the entire process and tie up any loose ends. The contract documents with the contractor need to be completed and any regulatory permitting or licensing should be finalized. The engineer will make sure you have all of the necessary owner's manuals, warranty documents, record drawings, and other paperwork you will need to use and care for your new investment.

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) logo