Examples of Signed and Sealed Letters

[briancpotter]

Lately I find myself having to put together signed and sealed letters stating that some construction condition as-built is acceptable.

I'm never quite sure exactly how thorough these need to be. I find myself endlessly adding verbiage to try to cover myself from certifying something beyond the extremely narrow scope of my intent.

Does anyone have any examples of what they think are well-crafted letters, or tips for writing one? How often do court cases end up turning on their contents?

Possibly relevant information: I currently work for a subcontractor which provides a structural system that's a small portion of the overall building. My main worry is "accidently" taking responsibility for some larger aspect of the building beyond our product.

 

[capeengineerma]

I use a statement at the end of the letter that is a CYA coverall. My review always references the stamped plan that the letter addresses.

The CYA text is "To the best of my knowledge and belief, based on limited observation, the observed construction generally meets the requirements set forth in the permitted plans and specifications. Since the observations were not performed on a full time basis, there may be non-compliant items that were not readily observable and cannot be attested." I do this because we usually make one or two site visits during framing but cannot see all the connections, some of the shearwall nailing, etc (this is mostly engineered residential construction)

 

[JAE]

Similar thread topic (recent) here: thread765-427544


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[IFRs]

Rather than try to exclude every possibility that is beyond your scope, how about wording the letter so it specifically and exclusively addresses the very specific item you commenting on. It may be easier to describe and limit the scope of certification to those specific items or conditions, as seen on those specific days or times. You can't say the sun will come up tomorrow but you can certify that you saw what appeared to be the sun today.