Hiring Civil Engineering Consultants

5 Questions to Ask when Hiring a Civil Engineering Consultant

5/23/2016

When choosing a civil engineering consultant, many businesses focus on the most cost-effective proposal. However, often the lowest price doesn’t ensure your needs are met. When the consultant understands and meets your needs, the result can be a long-term working relationship. So what should you ask when hiring a consulting engineer?

Do you foresee any unique challenges with this project? Foreseeing challenges before they become problematic and including workable solutions into the process sets apart the best consultants from the average ones. Look for a firm that acknowledges the unique challenges of your project.
Is my input welcome during the development process? Because you know your system better than anyone, it is essential to identify incorrect information and address the issues early. The result is a better design and smoother construction process.
What are your response times to my emails and phone calls? Response times between projects and phases differ, so be sure to clarify your expectations. If you expect fast responses, reach an agreement with the engineer prior to hiring them.
How often should I expect communication from you? The frequency of regular feedback on your project’s progress will vary but should include weekly or monthly updates, timelines, milestones, and budget.
What do you bring to the table that other engineers don’t? Many engineering firms can provide the services you need, so it is important to look for characteristics that distinguish them from others.

Selecting the best civil engineering consultant facilitates open communication throughout the project while soliciting your input on each step.

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15 Comments

Ben Allen link

2/13/2017 07:30:21 am

I appreciate the information on questions you should ask when hiring an engineering consultant. I agree that it is important to find out what the response time to emails and phone calls typically is. Knowing this can be a deal breaker and it can be very hard run a successful project without any good communication. I would imagine that most engineers are great communicators because they need to give updates on projects often.

Harold link

5/18/2017 12:45:03 am

By far the most important of these is being available. Thus making the question: What are your response times to my emails and phone calls? one if not the most important. And it is also expected that engineers constantly communicate the state of the project.

Ashley Turns link

9/6/2017 08:55:08 pm

The company I work for is planning on hiring a civil engineering consultant to help us with the building we are creating. So I really like the idea of asking the consultant about how fast they plan to respond to emails or phone calls, so you can be on the same page. I'll be sure to mention that we should make sure our civil engineer knows we would like to have our messages answered within 24 hours since we really want to move fast on our project.

Tiffany Locke link

11/17/2017 06:14:28 pm

Your advice to ask a potential consulting engineer that will acknowledge your project's unique challenge is a great idea. This could show that they know what problems could arise and have the skill and knowledge to help you work through them. You might also want to ask them about what solutions they can think of to these problems and the best way to try prevent them so that you can make sure the consultant will be an asset to the project.

Callum Palmer link

1/3/2018 06:00:13 pm

These are some great questions, especially about whether or not your input will be accepted. If you are hiring a civil engineer then you are likely the business owner after all. If this is the case, then you want to make sure that you opinion will be taken into consideration when the civil engineer is working out the details of their project.

Gerty Gift link

11/13/2018 10:59:29 am

I liked your suggestion to ask what characteristics they offer over other engineers. I think that it's a smart way to find out what to expect from them. It's important to stand out from the crowd and I think that this is a great way to accomplish that.

Gillian Babcock link

3/14/2019 05:50:40 pm

My sister wants to have a new building for her business and she wants it to be well-built. It was explained here that when hiring engineers, she should ask them on what problems they may encounter during the project. Moreover, it's recommended to hire professionals from a good civil engineering firm services for quality work.

Kate Welling link

4/4/2019 02:44:41 pm

I'm happy that I found this article about hiring a civil engineer. I now understand how it would be important to ask how often we should expect communication from them, as you mentioned. Communication is so important, and being open with those you work for is crucial! My husband has been thinking about getting his own business. This is something that he has always wanted. I will let him know this information so that he can remember these questions when he finds a construction company.

Jocelyn McDonald link

4/18/2019 06:58:07 am

My sister wants to start her own industrial business, and I suggested she work with an engineer to do this. Your article had some great tips for choosing someone like this, and I liked how you said if fast response is expected, my sister should each an agreement with the engineer regarding this prior to hiring them. Thanks; I'll share this with my sister to help her hire an engineer for her future business.

Dean Phillips link

4/30/2019 03:50:07 pm

I thought it was interesting how you said to ask a prospective consultant if they acknowledge any unique challenges with your project. My brother works for a construction company that accepts contracts from the government and other private entities. It seems like it might be a good idea for them to work with a consultant before they begin any large projects.

Amy Winters link

6/6/2019 04:27:19 pm

Thank you for pointing out that a great consulting agent can foresee challenges with a building design project before they become problematic. My boss has been thinking about updating our offices. It's good to know that there are professionals out there that can help him plan out how to do it.

earthmovers link

12/26/2019 02:44:03 am

I really appreciate your work especially the research part questions to ask when hiring a civil engineering consultant of it which made the whole point very easy to understand.

energy assessment link

1/14/2020 05:25:35 pm

This is really good post. Hiring a civil engineer is very crucial, it will cost time,effort and a lot of money. <a href="https://glotechps.com.au/">environmental engineering</a>, mechanical engineering, etc. engineers should give their best shot.

Rosie Beckett link

8/31/2020 10:32:41 am

My favorite part of this article is when you talk about finding an engineering company that provides regular updates about your project. I was talking to my best friend yesterday, and he told me that he is planning to hire a civil engineering company to help him build a walkway between the two buildings at his accounting firm. He wants his employees to feel more connected, and building a safe walkway would make it easier for them to coordinate on projects.

kate hansen link

1/12/2021 12:58:24 pm

It was really helpful when you said to see if they can see any challenges. My husband was telling me a couple of nights ago at dinner about how he is needing to find a civil engineering service, and he wants to make sure that he can find the right one to help him. I'll make sure to pass these tips along to him as he searches for a civil engineering service.

5 Questions to Ask when Hiring a Civil Engineering Consultant

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