Unpopular opinion: I love it when contractors or electricians screw up

[LockeBT]

By not following my plans/details they basically just handed me a get-out-of-jail-free card on top of more $$$. I put in my proposal (and my notes) that any additional work resulting from contractors or subcontractors deviating from my details without prior approval is an additional fee charged at a (high) hourly rate. If something happens to the building, it's documented and I know it's not me. Also the contractor is usually desperate to fix the mistake to meet his deadline so they will pay whatever to get it fixed (because it's cheaper to pay the engineer than to do a change order). One detail in response for an RFI with the stamp on it will be 400-500 buckaroos if it's a simple fix. So my fellow SEs, sometimes it's a blessing in disguise.

So yeah keep cutting, notching and boring joists and studs wherever you want without looking at my typical detail. It isn't going to pass the (competent) city inspector's eyes or mine during structural observation.

 

[271828]

I've worked as an EOR and in delegated design. I think more EORs need to do what you've typed.

When I started working in delegated design, I was surprised to see how folks downstream from the EOR think. When a detailer finishes the drawings, he thinks he's done -- period, and any change coming down the line will cost somebody some dough. I remember misreading a detail and sending a certain moment connection to the detailer. A little while later, I realized my mistake and sent a new version with fairly minor modifications. Shortly after, I was cc'd on an email to the fabricator (our mutual client) with a $500 fee for the change. He "adjusted" how I think about stuff I send to him: next time make darn sure it's right. Everybody at all levels could do more of that.

EORs have always been gluttons for punishment. Design an area twice and now the architect is changing it again? No problem, we'll eat that one and design it a third time. It'll always be that way until enough EORs "adjust" how the EOR-architect relationship works. Similar with EOR-GC.

 

[WARose]

Depends on what it is. If they've really done some damage, the jackwagon PM thinks I know off the top of my head a fix.

 

[EcoGen]

I agree with all of the above. We shouldn't be fixing Contractor issues for free regardless of how much fee or how many hours we have left in the job. We should make it clear to our clients in writing but also in person, that any deviation from details, construction issues caused by the contractor, but also any unforeseen field conditions uncovered during renovation projects are clearly not in our base job scope of work.

That being said, we do eat the cost of a couple hours here and there as a favor to our clients that we have the best relationships with. But we make it clear to them that we have spent x amount of hours or $x,xxx fixing the issue as a favor. Just in case further down the line in the same project people expect more of the same.

EcoGen Consultants LLC
Structural Engineers
ecogenconsultants.com

 

[LockeBT]

WARose,

I have been fortunate enough that most of the PMs have background in Civil Engineering since there is a large portion of us going into Construction Management or Project Management. Most of them tend to listen to our propositions over the GCs since they, having some overlapping fundamentals, have an idea about the technical aspects and the complications of SEs focused discipline.

There has been times when I was asked for a fix and they didn't like what they saw or disagreed and I replied with "Then why do you even ask me? Unless you have seen a similar fix from a different engineer for a similar scenario then please share, if not this is it"

 

[rowingengineer]

We charge for engineering services, I don't up or lower my fee depending on who is paying.

 

[LockeBT]

rowingengineer,

My fee isn't "up'ed" randomly if it's agreed upon in the contract. Also, it's "up'ed" due its nature; being additional work and usually work that requires a quick turn-around.

So I'm not sure where you got that notion that we are uppping or lowering our fees based on who is paying. It's more so "what is happening" rather than "who is paying"