How to Choose an Engineer
“You know an extroverted engineer because, when talking with you, he looks at your shoes instead of his own.”
If we are the best fit for you, we would love to serve your needs. If we are not the best fit for you, then we would love to help you find the right engineer. No firm can be all things to all people and we want every interaction with our clients to be a win-win.
Factors to Consider when choosing an engineer:
- Experience
- Communication Style
- Timeline and Schedule
- Core Competency
- Cost of Engineering Services
- Cost of the Final Design
- History
- Flexibility
- Customization
- References/Reputation
- Knowledge
- Cross-Training
Experience
Water system design is becoming more and more of a specialized field as new regulations and health concerns come to light. If you have a utility extension project, then you likely want an engineer that offers a full suite of land development services (not NWS). However, if your project involves wells, pumps, reservoirs, planning, or a capacity analysis, you likely want an engineer that specializes in water systems design (NWS).
Communication Style
Does the engineer return phone calls, e-mails, and letters? Are they able to effectively make a presentation before a board or community meeting? Is the engineer willing to educate you enough that you can make informed decisions? We believe that communication is one of our greatest strengths. When we hire staff, we always select candidates who are naturally good communicators.
Timeline and Schedule
Is the engineer able to meet your needs?
Core Competency
Is your project in the middle of the engineer’s core competency, or on the edge? Do they have the ability to dedicate the resources necessary to provide excellence if the project is closer to the edges of what they do best? We specialize in small water system design from 1-1,000 connections.
Cost of Engineering Services
What will the project cost? Are the costs fixed, or variable? What guarantees are there against budget overruns? For standard projects with few unusual features, we generally find that water systems prefer a flat so that they have a firm budget number.
Cost of the Final Design
Spending an extra 2-5% of the project budget on engineering can often save 20% or more on the final project costs. How does an engineer provide value engineering? The fees for engineering services need to be balanced against the final construction costs. One stroke of the keyboard can cost thousands of dollars in additional construction costs. NWS strives to make every project as efficient as possible. Because we work so closely with drillers and operators, we are constantly reminded of how important costs are to water systems.
History
Who have you used for engineering in the past? Have they served you well? In general, we encourage water systems that are happy with their engineer to stay with them. We manage many water systems who continue using the services of engineers with whom they had a relationship before coming to us for management.
Flexibility
How does the engineer work with contractors? How do they handle changes? How willing are they to incorporate community input? Some engineers take a “my way or the highway” approach. This can be helpful if you just want to be told what to do. In general, we try to be as flexible as possible and incorporate community or contractor preferences whenever possible. We believe that those installing, maintaining, and operating the equipment should have input into the design.
Customization
Some engineers prefer to only work on those projects with a high percentage of “boiler plate” because they are the most profitable and carry the least degree of liability. Other engineers enjoy the challenge and uniqueness associated with custom projects. We actively pursue the unique projects for two reasons: We enjoy the challenge and we believe that “real” engineering involves finding the best solution for a given problem. We are happy to complete the standard “bread and butter” projects; however, we are always excited to complete the less profitable customized project as well.
References/ Reputation
Obviously personal recommendations and experiences are an important aspect of selecting an engineer you can trust.
Knowledge
Does your engineer have twenty years of experience, or one year of experience twenty times? Do they really understand the regulations, equipment and controls, or do they just copy cut sheets? We have an internal company policy that nothing goes out the door unless we understand the fundamental principals of “how it works.”
Cross Training
Does your engineer understand the non-engineering parameters that may affect the design? These factors include:
- Water System Operation and Management
- Cross Connection Control
- On-going Sampling/Monitoring Requirements
- Legal Requirements
- Municipal Water Law
- Limitations of Standard Equipment Used by Contractors
Our engineering staff includes people with the following certifications:
- Water System Management (Water System Distribution Manager II)
- Basic Treatment Plant Operator
- Cross Connection Control Specialist
- Backflow Assembly Tester
- Well Drilling Technical Advisory Group Member
The Washington State Department of Health has a flier that has additional information about hiring an engineer HERE.