What does a PE stamp get you?

[jchumley]

My firm sold an industrial system with some heat exchangers, ladders, and platforms, along with the support structure that runs to the ground pads. We had an outside engineer, who is a PE review the designs. All drawings were provided to him in Autocad format. He made a number of required changes to support member sizes and locations and added additional supports. He also changed the way some of the connections were made, making some connections welded and upgrading the hardward grade used for bolting.

So we make all the changes and he approves the final drawings. Then some of our internal management gets involved and determines that we need a PE stamp for the state that the equipment will be installed in, which ends up costing us 50% more just to get the stamp. The PE seriously did nothing but take the same drawings and stamp them.

I should mention that the PE was already located in the same state as the installation job site.

So, did that stamp actually serve any real purpose? Why hadn't we done our due diligence by contracting and paying the PE for his services?

 

[jchumley]

Yes, we felt it was reasonable. He is a friendly engineer who we've worked with for years, so I guess we got the friend discount.

I'll say that you guys have been great and I've learned a lot. Going forward, we'll pay the extra money for the "stamp" and I'll keep my wrong opinion to myself, since I didn't think it mattered and I was clearly wrong.

Thanks again to all of you.

 

[rbulsara]

Count us among friends too. I believe that you are a very reasonable person with a big heart. I am sure I will learn a thing of two from you as well.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[Ron]

As hokie66 noted, he is responsible for his engineering work, with or without the seal; however, jgailla correctly points out that with the seal, the path to his responsibility is shorter. On some projects, sealing is not required. If this happened to be one of those projects, then he could effectively hide under your company's umbrella....with the seal, he doesn't get that luxury.

 

[brandoncdg]

I would gladly pay $1500 per project stamp for any of my projects to an outside PE. That limits our liability a lot. Having a PE stamping plans is a pretty big deal. We have had a lot of people ask for us to sign their plans and we don't even piggy back on jobs with someone with a bad design, because a can of zombie worms will open up on you. These zombie worms feed on money.

Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com

http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com/blog

 

[GregLocock]

From an fantasy island where Shakspeare set his Stormy play, I'd hobserve that being able to shove off the entire liability for the faults in a design to some unlucky othere, legally and forsooth, for 1500 shiny silber pieces, seems cheap and good value.





Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[xydrex]

There was no way for him to know whether or not further work/alterations/additions may be performed by someone else after he advised on what he saw.

The seal basically formally signaled the work has been finalized & no further modifications or additions would follow.

To assume a PE should not be involved in giving advise at any stage other than the absolute final stage is rather inflexible.

 

[PEinc]

Some state regulations require an engineer to sign and seal or stamp all engineering works (calcs, plans, etc.) that are prepared. If the engineer tweaked you design and drawings, he did engineering. It probably should have been signed and sealed or stamped initially.

http://www.PeirceEngineering.com