Responsibilities of applying the latest codes

[piping2003]

I am doing a project for which we have received all the piping specifications from client.
The client specifications have a line which mentions " the latest edition of all the relavent codes shall be used."
We had so far not checked if the client specs meet the latest B31.3 2010 requirements. We were simply following cleint's specifications. Now the client has raised a question asking us to confirm if we are following the requirements of latest code.

Our answer to this was that it was client's responsibility to verify if their stanadrads and specifications are updated. We could have done it and added to our price if the client had indicated so. Since we are only doing detailed engineering we can not go and verify all the client specifications and their correctness with respect to all relevant codes. The client does not seem to be satisfied with this answer and agian comes back to the one line mentioned in their specification.

I would like to add that this is a service contract where we are doing a lot of smaller and some medium size detailed engineering projects for last three years.

I feel we have met our contractual requirements and if client wanted us to validate their specifications they could have told us and we could have done that for a fee and that shall have covered all the piping specifications not a few selective one as all the specifications shall be aligned.
Need your views on this.
thanks
Piping2003

 

[metengr]

There is not enough information to really provide specific recommendations because I have no idea what documents were submitted and your agreed upon T&C's (terms and conditions).

Here is how I could view your position based on your limited information. The client turned over their piping specifications/information for your use. I take this to mean that the piping specifications are process parameters that are used in piping design. If the contract you agreed upon required use of the latest codes and standards and you use their process information, this is part of your responsibility to perform piping design work to the latest codes and standards mandated by local regulatory requirements or client requirements.

If the client specifications are more than just process parameters and in fact are design requirements maybe based on earlier edition codes and standards, you would need to verify this information to the latest edition of the codes and standards, and this would be part of the contract cost paid for by the client. They wanted you to use theor information and you agreed to review and update to the current codes and standards. If you forgot to add this work into your scope of work for services provided, you have to eat the cost.

 

[stanweld]

The "latest Code" requirement is common in engineering specifications. It is generally the Code in use at the time of initial design after Contract award or the Code in use during the proposal stage. It does not change when a new Code Edition/Addenda occurs during the Engineering design phase of the Contract.

It has nothing to do with further updating of the Client's specifications. As the Engineer, it is up to you to request clarification when a specification requirement violates the Code.

 

[piping2003]

Thanks for your replies.
When I mentioned client specifications I meant their design requirements like piping material specification, NDT requirements etc.
As I had mentioned we do several small projects for this cleint and for each project we submit a manhr estimate indicating the activities we will perform.Some of the projects are as small as 100 hrs involving a few isometrics. Here we have used the latest codes when the information was not available in client specs ( for example blind calculations). For all other cases we have used client specs as such.
Any further views?

 

[stanweld]

ASME B31.3 is part of the Contract. Do the additional Customer specification requirements violate B31.3 or do they supplement B31.3? If they violate the Code, it is up to your Company to point this out to them. For example, I once had a major Oil Company violate ASME Section IX and B31.3 in it Welder Performance Qualification requirements. I notified the Owner of the violation in writing and stated that my Company would not be responsible for the welds made in violation thereof. Note that my company was not the Contractor performing the actual welding work but we did have Construction Management responsibility.