Ethical Dilemma/Use of PE Stamp 1

[jonathanearle]

I am a licensed PE working for a municipality. We have roughly 90% drawings for a street reconstruction and stormwater separation project, which need some minor adjustments prior to being put out to bid. I've been asked by my boss to make the minor adjustments to the design and stamp the drawings prior to them being put out to bid.

My question: Is it ethical to stamp drawings which the lion's share of the work has been done by an outside consultant? This type of work is certainly in my area of expertise, having stamped similar projects in a previous life while working for a consultant. My thought is that if I complete a review of the design and make the modifications, then it should be ethical to stamp the drawings myself and not have to hire the consultant to complete and stamp the design.

Any feedback from either the private or public sector would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RossABQ]

I think EddyC is correct. A multi-discipline sheet frequently has electrical and mechanical seals (possibly others)on it. Adding a statement as to the limitation of Jonathan's seal is appropriate. An alternative would be to add a sheet to the drawing set that has only Jonathan's work on it.

Obviously the cleanest from all perspectives is to have the original engineer incorporate the changes. The supervisor's request sounds like a move to save a few bucks.

 

[TXiceman]

I had to review a vendors drawings and stamp them for Coast Guard submittal. I reviewed the mechanical design and excluded the thermal design and the welding specs provided by the vendor. Where I stamped, I added a note stating that the stamp was only for the mechanical design and excluded the fabrication and thermal design.

Ken

Ken
KE5DFR

 

[JAE]

RossABQ -I think you are right on the multi-discipline thing...if there are different engineering disciplines then yes, there would be multiple seals.

But the original post was about one discipline and with that, you would normally just have one seal, not two.

The only time you'd have more than one is if one engineer did one part of the project (i.e. the main building) and the other engineer did something else (the separate garage).

 

[JStephen]

"I had to review a vendors drawings and stamp them for Coast Guard submittal."

Note that Texas rules have prohibited the review-and-stamp for a number of years.

 

[registeredpe]

Greetings:

Check with the governing board in the state in which you reside.

In Arizona no person may alter a registrant's sealed professional document except under the following circumstance:

Another registrant may, when employed to check the documents, modify the documents. However, the registrant shall clearly delineate all modifications, seal those changes, and be fully responsible for the changes made and the impact of those changes on the original design.

Best regards, registeredpe in AZ