EOR & Shop Drawing Preparer

[BatMan]

Does anyone find it odd that an engineer-of-record submitted a detail to owner and turns around and gets the same job by the fabricator to do the shop detail? Is there a conflict here?

 

[dik]

I would suggest that if everyone knows what is going on, then there is no conflict...


Dik

 

[JLNJ]

There is no conflict in my book.

What are you worried about? The fabricator “getting away with something” and the EaoR being on the take? Substituting smaller beam sizes? Not supplying all the material in the contract? Skimping on the paint spec? If the fabricator is hell-bent on fraud, I’m not sure the EOR could stop him via shop drawing review anyway.

75 years ago a lot of design houses did their own details. 125 years ago you trusted one guy to be Designer, Detailer, and Constructor (with no building code or AISC/ACI manual to guide them).

 

[jayrod12]

We have done this as well, but we made it clear to all participants what the situation was before we took on the shop drawing production work. We also ensured that the person in our office doing the delegated design was different than the person who designed the building as the EOR.

 

[phamENG]

I've seen it done as jayrod describes it. I was reviewing shop drawings for a project I did once and, when I cam to the calculations, I was surprised to see the seal of the guy in the next office over from me. But there was never any concern about conflict.

The only time a conflict of interest would arise would be if the contractor is trying to take advantage of the owner somehow. In both the original design and the "delegated" design, the engineer's foremost concern is the safety and well being of the public. But the secondary duty to the client's interest could get a little sticky. In the original design you're trying to maximize economy to save the owner money while ensuring quality. For the contractor, you're trying to maximize economy to maximize the contractor's profits. Those two things can be in line, but if you submit to pressure from the contractor to sacrifice the expected level of quality then there's a problem. You just have to be forthcoming and inform all parties - and be prepared to turn down the contractor if your original client asks you not to do it.