Provided Services
The functions of a consulting engineer generally fall into five ranges of activity:
- Advisory services of a continuing nature or for particular projects or problems. These may include advice on management, inspection of production, testing and quality control. They may also include appearances before commissions, boards, courts, or other judicial bodies to give evidence or otherwise submit professional opinions based on engineering knowledge, experience and judgement.
- Preliminary investigations and reports on the feasibility, economic and financial justification, general layout and design, cost estimates and completion time for a given project.
- The preparation of detailed drawings, specifications and contract documents; the analysis of bids and recommendations thereon.
- Supervision of construction, management, and, sometimes, the initial operation of a project.
- Specialized design and development services. Examples of this type of service are processes and special machinery used in the treatment of raw materials or in manufacturing, and the applications of automatic controls to machinery or equipment. This type of service is sometimes provided to assist the client's own staff. Assistance may also be provided for the development of inventions and for the registration of patents.