An owner’s engineer represents the owner during design, development, and construction to ensure work is done well and within legal standards. They check plans, monitor progress, and report to the owner. This job requires engineering education and continuing education to keep up with regulatory changes.
An owner’s engineer is an engineer who represents the owner of a project during design, development and construction to confirm that the work is done well and within legal standards. This third party is not directly involved in the design and construction project, but rather acts as an advocate for the owner to apply due diligence. Most landlords lack the technical training and skills to monitor projects and rely on the landlord’s engineer to perform this task for them.
Typically an entire engineering company, rather than an individual engineer, provides this service. Owner engineers may include a team of people from different engineering specialties and support staff. They start working on the project as early as possible, usually during the design and development phase. In a meeting with the owners, they can discuss the scope and goals of the project and define the needs that will be met, so they can keep this information in mind as the project progresses.
The owner engineer checks the design plans, timelines and other materials developed to support the project. If the engineer identifies the defects, they can be brought to the owner’s attention to discuss various ways to address them. A flaw could be a legal issue, such as a power plant that doesn’t appear to have enough safety equipment, or a design consideration that could become a problem later. A structure might, for example, have a very inflexible design that would make it difficult to adapt, expand or develop later.
During construction, the owner’s engineer makes regular site visits to monitor progress. The job includes inspections to make sure stated plans are being followed and workers are using the right materials. The owner engineer can also check for site safety issues, design issues that may only be apparent during construction, and other issues. The engineer generates reports for the owner to monitor progress and take action if necessary.
Site owners have a legal obligation to perform due diligence in many cases. The owner engineer can save owners money in the short and long term by ensuring that projects are performed to specification and within regulatory guidelines, with an eye to the possibility of future regulatory changes that may require changes and other adjustments . This job requires engineering education and continuing education to keep up with regulatory changes and evolving industry standards and practices.
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