PE Rates in California 1

[curvyrace]

My company based in Kansas City is preparing to quote design and construction of an extensive hydraulic system for a civil project in California. Review and sign off by a registered PE in California is required should we win the bid. Can anyone out there share any PE consulting rates for California with me, so I know what to bid for this portion of the project? Thanks!

 

[dhengr]

Why don’t you find one and ask him/her. You may want to include their thinking in your bid and design; before the bid, not after the fact, a day before construction starts and you’re both under the gun. They may want more than 3 or 4 hours to bless your work and put their neck on the line for you, never having worked with you before. Are you a registered engineer anyplace, what kind? Why don’t you become registered in Calif. instead of assuming you can buy someone’s stamp, on the spur of the moment? That way you get to keep all of the fees. Now days, it seems that even engineers of different disciplines don’t respect the duties and responsibilities of other engineers. It’s all a commodity like tons of 24" pipe, or kegs of bolts and nuts.

 

[curvyrace]

I did not ask if I could buy someone's stamp. I did not ask for someone to put their neck on the line after 3 or 4 hours of work. I most certainly did not ask for project or career management advice. What I did ask for is information regarding the going rate for PE consulting in California(specifically the LA area) for a project of the type and scope I outlined. If anyone has that information and is willing to share it with me I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[cvg]

you really did not define a scope well, I have no idea what type of work you need performed. suffice to say the rates will be significantly higher than your local rates. however it is highly dependant on the consultant you hire. there are a lot of california registrants living in other states. you could find one in KC that might work cheaper

 

[francesca]

What you need is YOUR licensed KC engineers to become licensed in CA. Cheaper and ethical/legal.

 

[JedClampett]

Another alternative is to estimate the effort yourself, and use your rates multiplied by the difference in the cost of living. You might want to add a fudge factor just in case.
As far as the other suggestions (get a CA PE; use a local engineer with a CA PE, etc.), those are all good, but if you price it based on having the work done in CA, you'll be safe.

 

[eea]

Are the California PE requirements for conducting work different than other states? In Illinois the work must be prepared by, or under the direct supervision of, the PE themselves.

From what I (and others have read), you are preparing a bid for professional services. Apparently California has no QBS also? Then you are asking for a ballpark rate for a yet to found California PE to throw into your bid. This because your firm is in Kansas City with no apparent licensed engineers in California. You then intend to proceed to artificially set a maximum price in your bid for this yet to be found California PE's review of your work.

Maybe try this approach: A local key client of ours is expanding into California. We don't have a presence there but would like to team with a local firm to support our client. This should be mutually beneficial to both companies for this project and others moving forward.

 

[brandonbw]

eea, has a good point. Teaming up would probably be pretty easy as so many Civils got hit hard during the depression in California.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

http://bwengr.com

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http://bwstructuralengineer.com

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http://bwcivilengineer.com

 

[boo1]

IEEE Consultants report fees,
2004 (pp21) CA Median Fee Reported in $/Hour 125

http://www.ieeeusa.org/business/files/2004feesurvey.pdf

2011 (pp23) Pacific Region Median Fee Reported in $/Hour 140

http://www.exality.com/files/ConsultantFeeSurvey2011.pdf

 

[cvg]

what does IEEE have to do with hydraulics?