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Irwin Speizer

Guide to Finding an Engineering Consultant

The right professional can ensure the success of your project

By Irwin Speizer, Freelance Writer

With about two million professional engineers practicing in the U.S. today, finding the right one for your needs can be a complicated task. The field is broken down into 19 practice areas and includes well-known specialties such as civil, computer and electrical, as well as others like agricultural, biomedical and fire protection.

Picking an engineering consultant can be a time-consuming process that often takes two months or more, and false starts can be costly. Finding and hiring the right engineer quickly and effectively can:

  1. Save you time and money
  2. Help you complete a technical or complex project
  3. Help you meet regulatory approvals
  4. Provide you with specialty expertise
  5. Help you solve a problem
  6. Insure that a design is safe and will perform as expected

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done


Determine what type of engineer you need

Deciding what engineering specialty to call is not always easy. Electrical engineers are not the same as electronics engineers. If you're looking for a civil engineer, is it a general civil engineer or a structural engineer? Start your search by matching the job you want done to the correct engineering specialty.
I recommend: Review the Women in Engineering Organization's chart listing types of engineers and what they do to determine which one is right for your project.

Contact consulting engineers in your area

Contact several engineers in writing, providing an overview of your project and your timetable. Ask engineering consultants to describe their expertise and how it would apply to your job.
I recommend: Perform a free search for engineering consultants in your state at Emcate.com. You can also post a job on the National Society of Professional Engineers Web site or at IHireEngineering.com.

Select finalists

Select a few consultants who seem to match your needs. Ask for detailed cost estimates, fees, completion time estimates and scope of services to be provided.
I recommend: Professional engineering societies and organizations advocate using a Qualifications Based Selection process to choose the right engineering consultant.

Negotiate a contract

If you're unable to come to terms with your first choice, move on to your second. You should notify those you did not hire that you picked someone else.
I recommend: You can review and purchase sample consulting contract agreements at AllBusiness.com. The American Council of Engineering Companies also provides numerous client/engineer agreements for a fee.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

  • Check references: Ask consulting engineer candidates for a list of recent jobs and contacts. Call them up and ask if the customers were satisfied with the work and the costs.
  • Check degrees and licenses: Consulting engineers should have education degrees in their fields and the necessary licenses to practice in your area. Check with your state licensing board to make sure licenses are current.
  • Ask for referrals: People you meet or do business with may have had occasion to hire consulting engineers themselves. Ask them for referrals.
  • Get it in writing: Make sure your contract specifies that the job will get done at the price you agree upon and in the proper time frame.
  • Change engineers if necessary: If you feel that things aren't going right, don't be afraid to call in a second engineer for an opinion, and don't be afraid to fire your original engineer if serious mistakes were made.
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Recommended Solution Providers

KJWW: Engineering Consultants
Engineering services offered to healthcare, educational, corporate, government, community, arts, and industrial clients.

PEC: Professional Engineering Consultants
This company provides a broad range of engineering consulting services, covering transportation, water, wasterwater, land development, electrical, structural, geotechnical, inspection, and surveying issues.

DBR: Engineering Consultants
DBR offers provides traditional mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) consulting and design services for new construction, rehabilitation and renovation of existing buildings.

KJWW: Engineering Consultants
KJWW supplies structural, mechanical, electrical, and technology engineering services to healthcare, educational, corporate, government, community, arts and industrial clients.

E Work Markets: Consulting Services
Find the engineering consultant that you need for your project by posting a free listing to a comprehensive network of consulting firms.

Best Sites to Learn More

IET: The Institution of Engineering & Technology
Formed in spring 2006 by the coming together of the IEE and IIE, this IET aims to serve the engineering and technology community worldwide by providing an open knowledge network, which includes



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