CASE BIM Seminar June 22, 1-5pm, Chicago, $149, hear the latest from CASE BIM users and meet BIM vendors. Contact kcarpenter@acec.org for registration information.

A Casual Review of Shop Drawings
Several astute observers of the SE profession have noted that too many design professionals are treating the review and approval process casually. There appears no clear understanding of the extent of the review or an appreciation of the significance of the review process. There seems to be a wide diversity of opinion of what steps should be taken to accomplish a professionally adequate review. Frequently submittals are allowed to pile up rather than being processed as received. Owners are entitled to expect more when they employ the engineer to review the contractor’s submittals. When estimating compensation the engineer should consider the time and personnel required to carry out a professional review and approval process.

Avoid Use of the Word “Inspect”
Unless you plan to provide the actual services you should avoid the use of the word inspect in describing your basic role of observation. If the owner has it in the contract, delete it and insert observation. If that cannot be done then carefully define the word in definitions or scope of service so it clearly means observation. Clients have been known to use the word inspection when they really mean the normal level of contract administration. Inspections connote a more detailed examination and consequently more obligations than you bargained for. It could raise the standard of care and the liability implications are huge.

An Interest Frequently Overlooked
Of all the parties involved in the design and construction of a project, the most important one is the general public. They will be using the project long after it is completed and probably long after the original owner ceases to own or use it. While contracts can limit professional responsibilities of engineers to owners and contractors, it cannot limit the duties to the general public. A licensed professional engineer is held to a higher standard of care than a layman and law does not look favorably on efforts to avoid responsibility properly to be assumed by the professional.

Absolute Assurance to the Owner
The job of the engineer during construction is to interpret and clarify for the contractor the requirements of the contract documents and work with the contractor in developing the details to supplement the design documentation. The engineer undertakes to monitor various aspects of the work as it is completed. However, the engineer does not have control over the contractor’s work and is only able to review or spot check it as it is performed. The engineer is unable to give the owner absolute assurance that the contractor has done the work in accordance with the contract documents. The only real assurance the owner has is the integrity of the contractor. Owners should not expect engineers to protect them from the consequences of contractors that lack integrity.

Click here to return to Newsletter Archives