How to Choose the Right Structural Engineer for Your Project

Hiring a structural engineer is one of the highest-leverage decisions an owner or board will make on a building project. Get it right and the rest of the project tends to run smoothly. Get it wrong and you'll spend the next two years dealing with the consequences.

Start with licensure

Confirm the firm has a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the state where the project is located. Florida and Massachusetts both maintain searchable public databases. A firm without a PE on staff in your state cannot legally seal your drawings or reports — regardless of how impressive the portfolio looks.

Match experience to your project type

A residential addition, a 22-story condominium recertification, and a hurricane-resilient new build are three completely different skill sets. Ask for project lists, not just years of experience. The right question isn't 'have you been doing this a long time?' — it's 'have you done my project ten times before?'

Look at the scope, not the fee

Read every line of the proposed scope. Make sure the deliverables, number of site visits, response-to-comments allowances, and construction-phase services are all spelled out. If a proposal is vague, the change orders won't be.

Demand direct access to the engineer

Some firms route every client communication through a junior project manager or a marketing coordinator. That's fine for status updates — but on a structural project, you need direct access to the engineer of record. Ask up front who will sign your report, and whether you can speak with them when questions come up.

Watch for these red flags

• No PE licensed in your state
• Proposal that doesn't identify the engineer of record by name
• Vague or open-ended scope language
• Pressure to sign before you've reviewed the contract
• Reluctance to share references for similar past projects
• Hourly add-ons that are not capped or budgeted

Questions to ask in every interview

1. Who is the PE of record, and will I speak with them directly?
2. How many projects of this exact type has your firm completed in the last three years?
3. What's included in the base fee, and what triggers an additional charge?
4. What's the typical turnaround on RFI responses during construction?
5. Can you share references from owners on comparable projects?