What Services are Provided by Engineering Consultants in Construction?

Engineering consultants may provide inclusive engineering services but there are consultants which are specialized in specific engineering areas for instance structural, geotechnical, and environmental.
Generally, the necessity for engineering services is based on the nature of the project and capability of the owner.
Engineering services provided by consultant add value to the project and improve its quality. Added to that, it is considerably significant that the owner clearly understands type of services that may be provided to be able to develop scope of services that serve the project properly.
So, scope of engineering services should be communicated between the owner and consultant to have a successful project. That is why various engineering services that may be provided by consultants is discussed in detail in the following sections.
Services Provided by Engineering Consultants in Construction
Table of Contents [show]

Services Provided by Engineering Consultants in Construction

Engineering services provided by consultants may be categorized into three classes:
  • Consultation, investigations and studies
  • Design and construction
  • Special services

Consultation, Investigations and Studies Services in Construction

In this consultation category, consultants commonly involve in collection, interpretation and reporting information in addition to provide conclusions and recommendations.
The main types of consultations that may be offered and fallen into this category are discussed in the following sections:

Preliminary and Feasibility Investigation and Reports

These services may include comprehensive investigation, analysis of conditions, and comparison between different solution options for the project. In addition to provide conclusions and recommendation regarding the possibility of executing the project.
Several factors such as environmental impact, risk management, sustainable development, life cycle costs, operating and capital costs, and financial considerations should be used as a base for conclusion and recommendation provision.

Planning Studies

It includes the preparation of land development plans, urban plans, regional plans, generating facility master plans, carry out corridor studies, exploring environmental condition, and conducting environmental studies.
These various planning and reports need cooperation between different engineering specialist to provide satisfactory consultations.
Consultation, Investigations and Studies Services in Construction

Public Involvement

The owner of the project need consultation to present project concept and its details to the public and representing the owner before government departments.
Public Involvement

Appraisal, Valuations and Rate Studies

These services include studying and analyzing current situations, evaluation of capital and operating costs, overhead expenses, anticipating incomes for property development of toll facilities, and studies to recommend application rate in the future.

Assistance in Financial Matters

Consultants are required to help the owner while revenue bonds are issued to finance infrastructures. Involving engineering consultant in the bond practicality analysis, estimating cost of construction, evaluating annual income requirements, and may be other services.

Materials Engineering and Equipment Tests

Consultations provided regarding materials engineering and equipment tests involves testing of materials and equipment according to applicable codes, specialized examination equipment and materials employed in the construction and other inspection and observations demanded by the project owner.
Materials Engineering and Equipment Test Services

Inspection and Evaluation of Existing Facilities and Structures

These services involve the evaluation of structure interaction with its surroundings, for example, bridge abutment and the likelihood of scouring in streambed. In addition to testing materials for projects like bridges, roadways, wastewater treatment structures, and other facilities.

Professional services

Examples of professional services are assistance in preparing for legal proceedings, appearances before boards, and investigation of technical issues need specialized engineering experience, knowledge, and judgment.

Services in Design and Construction by Engineering Consultants

Generally, the design and construction of buildings are divided into six stages including study and reports, preliminary design, final design, bidding, construction, and operation. The entire design and construction phases need engineering services which are explained below:
Services in Design and Construction by Engineering Consultants

Study and Report

The main task to be completed in study and report phase include the establishment of scope and cost of project and evaluation of viable alternatives in detail.
Professional engineering services which might be required in this phase involve discussing and explaining the purpose, need and financial requirements of the project, review available data, recommend and help the owner to achieve supplementary data.
Moreover, to analyze government regulations and make sure the design is meeting conditions of government agencies. Added to that, compare and examine different project sites and proposed solution and offer economic investigation of those proposed solutions that meet the requirements of the owner.
At the end of this stage, a report about findings of consultants, different viable solutions, and consultant recommendation should be prepared and presented.

Preliminary Design

In this phase, the general size, scope and location of the project is established. The work of consultant is revising preliminary report and available data, discussing general scheduling, decide with the owner regarding the need for supplementary information demanded in the previous phase.
Additionally, prepare documents of preliminary design such as final design requirements, initial drawing and the whole project report, present the project to the owner and other commissions like government authority and develop initial idea of the project cost.

Final Design

In this stage, preliminary design is improved and completed to an extent that construction can be assessed and executed adequately.
The main duties of engineering consultants include preparing contract plan drawings and specifications, present an idea of project construction cost, review construction practicality to specify possible problems during construction.
Moreover, to provide assistance in applying for regulatory permits from authority whether its local or state. Lastly, to prepare essential documents regarding construction contracts for review and acceptance by owner and legal consul.
Final Design

Bidding or Negotiation

Engineering service in this phase would be helping the owner in bidding achievement, receiving and processing deposits for bidding documents, explaining, expanding, and changing bidding documents as necessary, helping the owner to specify qualifications and acceptability potential contractor, subcontractor and material testing and equipment providers.
Finally, propose alternative materials and testing equipment suggested by perspective contractors if it is allowed by the contract document, and finally assist the owner in evaluating proposals.
Bidding or Negotiation

Project Construction Phase

Consultant job in this phase is to act as a representative of the project owner, and Carry out baseline survey before construction, revise erection and falsework drawings submitted by contractor for agreement with the drawings and specifications, review laboratory and test reports on materials and equipment.
Moreover, visit construction regularly as agreed to monitor both executed work progression and quality, provide construction administration services to make sure that the construction is conducted in accordance with drawings and specifications.
Furthermore, explain and clarify contract documents, provide advises regarding work acceptability, create contract variation orders, conduct specific inspection and testing, offer instruction to tackle field issues, specify progress payment based on the completed work.
Lastly, monitor performance tests and initial operation of the project, carry out final inspection and generate a report on the completion of the project and lastly provide recommendation regarding the acceptance of the final product.
project-construction-phase

Operation Phase of Completed Project

Consultants may be assigned to develop a manual for operation and maintenance requirement of the structure, determine structure deficiencies and offer recommendation to solve the problem. Perform inspection before the warranty period of the structure is expired and finally train the staff of the owner.

Special Services Provided by Engineering Consultants

Special engineering services are needed in almost all phases of project design and construction. Studies, reports, and tasks beyond the essential engineering services which are discussed in the above sections.
Special engineering services include special structural examination of building construction or existing structure, special tests, investigation and established of design requirements, geotechnical engineering services involving sampling and boring tests, analysis and recommendation, engineering and topographic surveying required for design and construction and revising the work of other consultants to specify whether the proposed solution is viable or not.
Special Services Provided by Engineering Consultants
Added to that, perform redesign for the project when needed and conduct extra investigation to realize specific conditions which may arise during construction process.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

40+ Construction Tools List with Images for Building Construction

Image
Construction tools list for building construction works such as concrete, brick masonry, leveling, wood works, floor works, slab works, brick laying, plastering etc. is provided. Every construction tool is necessary to achieve good results in the whole project. Along with these tools, the workers should also use some safety tools to prevent them from the unexpected accidents. Construction Tools List for Building Construction Some important construction tools and their uses are listed below: Bolster Boning rod Brick hammer Bump cutter/screed Chisel Circular saw Concrete mixer Cordless drill Crowbar Digging bar End frames Float Gloves Hand saw Helmet Hoe Iron pan Jack plane Ladder Line and pins Mason’s square Measuring box Measuring tape Measuring wheel Pick axe Plumb bob Plumb rule Polishers Putty knife Rammer Rubber Boots Safety glasses Safety helmet Sand screen machine Scratchers Sledge hammer Spade Spirit level Straight edge brushes Til...
Read more

Building Materials properties and their Importance in Construction

Image
Building materials or construction materials are the major requirement in this modern age of technology. There are many types of building materials used for different construction works. Properties of Building Materials For a material to be considered as building material, it should have required engineering properties suitable for construction works. These properties of building materials are responsible for its quality and capacity and helps to decide applications of these material. Such properties of building materials are categorized as follows. Physical properties Mechanical properties Chemical properties Electrical properties Magnetic properties Thermal properties Physical Properties of Building Materials These are the properties required to estimate the quality and condition of the material without any external force. The physical properties of engineering materials are as follows. Bulk density Porosity Durability Density Density index Specific gravity ...
Read more

How to Prevent Errors During Setting Out Building Plan on Ground?

Image
Setting out building plan on ground is one of the most significant steps in building constructions and any errors at this stage would cause considerable problems, if it is not tackled immediately. Errors During Setting Out Building Plan on Ground There are different types of errors that might be made when a structure is set out for example gross errors, systematic errors and random errors. These errors should be prevented and there are some measures to tackle these issues. These measures will be discussed in the following sections. Fig.1: Setting Out of Building Plan on Ground Fig.2: Setting Out Building Plan on Ground How to Prevent Errors During Setting Out of Building? Following are the different types of control that should be carried out to prevent any errors during setting out building plan on ground: Good practice in office On site control Equipment and staff Checks Marking the ground Use of grid offset Good Practice in Office To successfully set...
Read more

Factors Affecting Selection of Foundation for Buildings?

Image
Factors which affect selection of foundation for a building can be many from the soil conditions to the type of structure and loads from the building. All the factors are considered during selection of foundation for durable building construction. Factors Affecting Selection of Foundation Following are the factors which affect the selection of suitable foundations for building construction: Loads from building Type of soil Type of structures in neighborhood Type of foundations 1. Loads from Building The first factor considered is loads from building on the foundation. This load is a combination of dead load and imposed loads on the buildings. Other loads such as wind loads, earthquake loads, snow loads etc. are also considered based on location. The quantity of loads depends on the type of structure, number of floors and material of construction. As the number of floors increases, the dead load and imposed loads also increase. Choice of material for construction su...
Read more

Ceiling types used in Building Construction and their Applications

Image
Various types of ceiling are used in building construction. Applications, aesthetics, advantages and disadvantages of these types of ceilings are discussed in this article. The ceiling of a building form one of the most important structural elements it terms of functionality as well as creativity which in turn bring good aesthetics to the building interior. This document would help you understand ceilings that in turn would help you understand the most suitable options while undertaking either repair or renovation work of our building interior. The ceiling gains a definition, ” A part of a building which encloses and is exposed overhead in a room, protected shaft or circulation space.” It helps us to create an enclosure and separation between spaces. They provide perfect lighting in the room by controlling diffusion of light. It also controls the sound around a room by making the room sound proof. It, therefore, stops the passage of sound between the rooms. Now ceiling also po...
Read more

HOW TO DETERMINE DEPTH OF FOUNDATION

Image
Many factors affects the determination of depth of foundation. Calculation for foundation depth is done based on type of soil, ground water table, loads from structure, bearing capacity of soil and other factors. General factors to be considered for determining depth of foundation are: 1. Load applied from structure to the foundation 2. Bearing capacity of soil 3. Depth of water level below the ground surface 4. Types of soil and depth of layers in case of layered soil 5. Depth of adjacent foundation The minimum depth of foundation should be considered to ensure that the soil is having the required safe bearing capacity as assumed in the design. However, it is advised to carry out soil investigation before deciding on depth of foundation. Soil investigation report will suggest the foundation depth based on the type of structure, soil properties, depth of water table, and all other variable that should be considered. Soil investigation report provides bearing capacity of ...
Read more

WHAT IS VOLUME BATCHING OF CONCRETE AND HOW IT IS DONE IN FIELD?

Image
WHAT IS VOLUME BATCHING OF CONCRETE? Batching of concrete means measuring different ingredients of concrete (i.e. cement, sand, coarse aggregate and water) before mixing it. When this measurement is done on the basis of volume, we call it  Volume Batching . Below are mentioned some of important points to remember before adopting volume batching method in field. Volume batching is not a good method for measuring concrete materials. It is not applicable in case of reinforced concrete structure. This method of concrete batching may not be economical. It can be only used for unimportant concrete or for small concrete works. HOW VOLUME BATCHING IS DONE IN FIELD? Before batching concrete ingredients in terms of volume, we need to know two things. What is the relative proportion of concrete ingredients in terms of volume? What is the water-cement ratio? After knowing these two things you can proceed to batch concrete ingredients in field. The table shown below ca...
Read more

Construction Project Management Softwares

Image
Construction PM Software A new wave of web and cloud apps are streamlining communication, simplifying document management, and improving efficiency in construction management.  Here are some of top construction management tools: Smartsheet Smartsheet  is a spreadsheet-inspired work management tool with robust collaboration and communication features. With pre-built construction templates, it’s easy to create a timeline, track progress, manage documents, and organize the details. Gantt charts are automatically created and auto-adjust every time a change is made, so you can share the most up-to-date timeline with team members or stakeholders. You can upload files from your computer, Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, or add a web URL, creating a central repository for all project documentation and contracts. Team members can have discussions directly in the sheet and set reminders and alerts, so everyone is on the same page. And lastly, Smartsheet inte...
Read more

Methods of underpinning, Procedure and Applications in Foundation Strengthening

Image
Underpinning is a method for repair and strengthening of building foundations. Underpinning methods, procedures and their applications in strengthening of different types of foundations is discussed in this article. There are situations where a failure in foundation or footing happens unexpectedly after the completion of whole structure (both sub and superstructure). Under such emergency situation, a remedial method has to be suggested to regain the structural stability. The  method of underpinning  help to strengthen the foundation of an existing building or any other infrastructure. These involve installation of permanent or temporary support to an already held foundation so that additional depth and bearing capacity is achieved. Selection of Underpinning Methods Underpinning methods are selected based on age of structure and types of works involved. Structure categories based on its age: Ancient Structures :Age greater than 150 years Recent Structures : Age ...
Read more

Methods for Calculating Cost of Engineering Consultant Services

Image
here are several methods by which calculation of engineering consultant services cost can be carried out in construction. It is possible to employ various charging approach at different phase of the consultant services. The application of each method or combination of methods is dependent on nature, scope and complexity of the required engineering services. In this article, these charging consulting services are discussed. Following are the topics discussed for calculating cost of engineering services or consulting services in construction: What are the factors that affect the engineering service cost? Methods for charging engineering services What are the Factors that affect the Engineering Service Cost in Construction? There are various factors that control the cost of engineering services required for a specific project. These factors are outlined below: The conditions at project site. Degree of danger that may be encountered and exposure possibility. System of pr...
Read more