An engineering services firm is a project-based business that offers specialized consulting services to assist clients in bringing products or technology to market. Depending on the scope of the project, engineering services will be specialized in a variety of ways.
What exactly do Engineering Services Firms do?
Early in their studies, engineers must declare their discipline or professional practice area. This will influence the highly specialized training they receive as part of their engineering degree and practicum. The scope of the engineer's professional license will also be determined by the engineering discipline.
A mechanical engineer, for example, is unlikely to be qualified or licensed to approve an electrical engineering design or drawing. Professional engineers are typically only trained in one discipline, which means they only put their "stamp" on designs that fall within their professional practice area.
All engineering disciplines will be covered by in-house specialists at a well-established engineering services firm. This enables client organizations to keep engineering teams small and outsource product or project requirements to engineering services firms. The engineering firm provides multidisciplinary consulting services related to the asset's design, simulation, evaluation, and investigation.
What types of services do engineering firms provide?
Engineering firms differ in the scope of services they provide, as well as in their size, structure, and capability. That is why, before agreeing, it is critical to validate that an engineering firm's capabilities and services align with the needs of the project. This vetting is typically accomplished through a lengthy request for proposal (RFP) process.
Some engineering services firms offer comprehensive consultation as well as management of subcontractors while taking overall responsibility for the project. This approach enables firms to specialize in specific engineering areas, such as civil, mechanical, geotechnical, structural, or electrical engineering, and to bring on additional resources as needed.
These are the services that an engineering firm provides:
Consultation and investigation
Drafting and design
Construction management
Forensic engineering and expert witness testimony
Consultation and investigation involve carrying out research, studies, and investigations to collect data that will be interpreted and reported. Then, for the client company, to be able to reach a conclusion and make a recommendation. This usually necessitates the engineers consulting with key people in the industry in which they are working. This category may also include inspecting and testing materials and equipment required for a project to ensure compliance with established codes and standards.
Engineering drafting and design services include the work of specialized draughtsmen. This is where the design is detailed in 2D drawings and diagrams before being converted into a 3D model using a computer-aided design (CAD) program. The drafting and design team, like the engineering disciplines, can be divided into specialized practice areas.
Many engineering firms also offer project construction management services. This entails communicating with the construction contractor to answer any questions about the IFC drawings and plans. This service entails final design and specification coordination. It could also entail assisting the construction contractor with field inspections and governmental requirements for design approval.
Forensic engineering and expert witness services are also provided by some engineering firms. This could include sampling, analysis, tests, and demonstrations to provide an expert report on a specific investigation. If the investigation is connected to a court case, a designated engineer may also provide expert witness testimony in court to support the report's findings.
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