• Foundation and structure design for concrete, steel, wood, fiberglass, etc.
• Evaluation of failures and development of remediations
• Adaptive Reuse, Renovations, Restorations, Upgrades, etc.
• Plant Facility Renovations/Additions

• Site planning
• Stormwater and sanitary system design and evaluation
• Surveying
• Drainage Remediation
• Pavement

• Mechanical system evaluation and design
• Structural and site inspections for new and existing construction
• Preparation of specifications
• Building envelope/roofing remedial design and restoration
• Useful life/maintenance analysis
• Energy Use Evaluations

• Phase I - Prior to Sellout: Reserve Study for the Public Offering Statement (P.O.S)
  1. A review of the Community Documents, including the design drawings, draft budget and draft Public Offering Statement (P.O.S).
  2. Preparation of the P.O.S. Reserve Study.
  3. Prior to issuing the P.O.S., a review of the documents for general conformance with the design drawings.
  4. A general analysis regarding the adequacy of the proposed budget including Maintenance and Deferred Maintenance items.
  5. Preparation of a Recommended Maintenance Schedule for the common elements.
     
• Phase II - During Construction: Risk Management Inspections
  1. A review of the completed construction to reveal material design variations.
  2. A review of on-going construction to determine if the construction methods are appropriate and to document correct practices.
  3. Preparation of a report listing the issues identified, including photo documentation.
     
• Phase III - After Completion: Risk Management Inspections
  1. A review of any corrective actions generated by the Developer during construction.
  2. A visual inspection of the Community to determine the specific locations of any required corrective work. The review will include a comparison to the design drawings and an evaluation of whether the work was performed using acceptable workmanship.
  3. Interior inspections at 5% of the units immediately prior to closing.
  4. Walk-on roof inspections of the roof surface of at least 5% of the buildings, but not less than two buildings.
  5. Documentation of the condition of the community at 100%.
  6. A written report listing the specific locations of the issues identified, including photo documentation.
  7. A review of the completed work prior to issuing the report to the Association.
     
• Phase IV - Follow Up: Consulting
  1. Attend walk-throughs or meetings with the Association and/or Sponsors representatives to present the findings of the reports.
  2. A review of completed repairs to document the corrective work.
     
• Pre-Closing Inspections
  

Specifications, Bidding, Contract Administration

There are many projects that require the use of specification, bidding and contract administration services from an engineering firm. You may be ready to take on the giant task of pavement remediation, roof or deck replacements or drainage rehabilitation. In order to properly prepare for these tasks, it is essential to have a general understanding of the process, as well as the importance of specification documents.

What are Specifications?

Specifications are a written and/or graphical (i.e. drawing) presentation of the proposed project. Simply speaking, a specification will tell a Contractor what to build and what materials to use, so that the final product will meet its intended purpose. Without specifications, each contractor will be bidding something different with no way to compare the results.

Why do you need Specifications?

1. Specifications provide the Owner with details that clearly define the Scope of Work to be performed.
2. Specifications provide other relevant information to assure that the work is performed correctly and that the application or system will function as intended.
3. Specifications provide a single package of information to contractors that allow all of the bidders to bid on the same Scope of Work and the Owner to make a decision on an equitable comparison of the bids.

Why do I need an Engineer to do the Specifications?

1. An engineer is professionally trained to design specifications for construction tasks such as pavement remediation, roof and deck replacements, and drainage rehabilitation.
2. Although contractors are very skilled in constructing these elements, they may not be able to address the causes of the presenting problem or subsequent engineering issues that may arise as the construction continues.
3. Having a set of specifications is important to assure that the work you are undertaking is necessary and correctly engineered.
4. In order to compare bids, one needs a uniform package so that contractors are bidding apples to apples. You will also know exactly what you are getting for your money.

What are Bidding Services?

1. An Engineer begins the bidding services by preparing a bid document that details the scope of work, written or graphic specifications, terms and conditions and specific itemized bid forms for the contractors to complete. Attorneys frequently use these documents as the basis of the final contract.
2. Next, contactors that are interested in performing the work are selected and the Engineer provides them with all necessary documentation necessary for preparing the bid, giving them a deadline to the return bids by.
3. Upon receipt of the bids, the Engineer prepares a bid summary spreadsheet for the Owner to compare contractor's prices along with a letter discussing the bids and giving our recommendations.
4. At this time the Owner can also request the additional service of interviewing contractors prior to making a selection.

Why do I need an Engineer to do the Bidding?

1. First and most importantly, most engineering firms have an extensive list of contractors that they have successfully worked with and evaluated on previous jobs.
2. They have a good working relationship with many of these contractors and understand what is expected of them from us.
3. Since they use these contractors on a regular basis, the likelihood of frivolous or high bids is dramatically reduced.
4. Each contractor will be provided with the same contract bid documents and as such will provide a bid that can easily be compared directly with other bids during contractor selection.

What is Contract Administration?

1. Contract administration is a service provided by Engineering firms to observe and inspect a project during its construction phase to determine whether the specifications are being adhered too. This is the final step in the process of completing a project and it is a very important step that is frequently overlooked.
2. The Engineers general role is to check contractor's work for general conformance with the specifications. The contractor is still responsible for directing the work, the overall installation and any warranties.

Why do I need an Engineer to do the Contract Administration?

1. The main benefit of this service is to prevent the contractor from disregarding the specifications and performing the project at his discretion, which may result in a failure of the project to function as intended.
2. In addition the Engineer is also on hand to deal with any unexpected occurrences, make recommendations for progress payments and to prepare a punch list at the completion of the project.