Condo Media - January 2020 - 44

How to Hire a
Condo Engineer
Make sure you actually need one, too
[by Jack Carr, P.E., RS, LEED-AP]

They don't teach you how to hire
an engineer in school. Indeed, most
folks have never had the occasion to
hire an engineer or an architect in their
whole life. This is also true for most
condominium or HOA board members.
So how does a condo board go about
successfully hiring the right engineering firm for their upcoming project?
EVALUATE THE NEED
Perhaps the first question to be asked is
"Do we even need an engineer?" Not all
projects do. Some repair projects are so
straight forward and obvious the board
can hire a contractor with the proper
skills and run the project by a committee chair or a property manager who
has expressed confidence in managing
similar repair projects. Some projects
requiring some engineering expertise,
such as replacing the common HVAC
equipment or upgrading the common
electrical systems, do not need an engineer to manage it, but rather the right
choice by the board would be to seek an
HVAC or electrical contractor capable
of providing "design/build" services for
both a timely and economically satisfactory project.
The complexity of the project and
criteria needed to be compiled will determine whether an engineer is needed.
Typical projects in this category will
include designing a new storm water
drainage system for the entire HOA,
performing a reserve fund study or
evaluation and design of a new foundation for one or more buildings in the

44

CONDOMEDIA January 2020

condo complex. It should be noted, the
term "engineer" in this article refers to
a professional engineer (P.E.) licensed
in the state of Maine. Though other
unlicensed engineers can work on the
project, only a licensed engineer can
stamp (preliminary and final) construction documents for town planning
board review, building permits and
other municipal requirements.
SELECTING THE ENGINEER
Once the need is determined, selecting
an engineer is the next major step. The
process starts with defining the project
with a clear and complete description
of the scope of work. Many property
managers have the resources to provide
considerable assistance to the board in
developing this scope of work. While
the scope of work is being prepared, a
list of two or three engineering firms
should be created. Clearly this list
should be made up of engineering firms
providing the services needed for the
subject project. Here again the condo's
property manager can be a good source
in finding the right firms. Similarly,
engineers listed in Condo Media's
directory can make this task relatively
easy because the engineers listed will
be firms with experience in not only the
technical issues involved but also are familiar with the world of condominiums
and their special needs.
PREPARING THE RFP
Once the potential list of firms is developed, a Request for Proposal (RFP) can

be prepared. This document will utilize
the defined scope of work to ensure all
interested parties are preparing their
responses with a similar understanding
of the board's objectives. Typical RFP's
have four major elements:

1

General Information
for the Engineer

2

Technical Requirements

3

Criteria for Selection

4

Scope of Work Statement

On some projects it may be necessary to invite the potential firms to
visit the site for a tour to outline the
issues or special conditions impossible
to clearly delineate in the RFP. Following the distribution of the RFP to
the listed firms, the board will screen
the proposal responses, select firms it
wishes to interview, and schedule the
interviews (45 minutes to 1 hour) to
allow both the engineering firm and
the board to clarify any questions or
concerns arising during the proposal
preparation process.
THE INTERVIEW AND
CONTRACT PROCESS
This interviewing process is most
important. Typically, the principal
or senior member of the engineering
firm attends the interview, giving the
board a first-hand impression of the
firm's approach to this project; a clear
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