How should I evaluate an engineering firm's experience?

Evaluate an engineering firm's experience by asking for examples that match the technical question, building or site conditions, occupancy, scale, design phase, and coordination burden of your project. Ask what the firm actually delivered, which professionals performed the work, what information was available, and how unusual conditions or agency comments were addressed. Distinguish experience of the firm from experience of the proposed team; a general project list is not evidence that the assigned professional will handle your scope. Review examples for relevance without asking for confidential client material. Experience can inform selection, but it cannot replace project-specific investigation or judgment, and the AHJ still decides which documents and code path it requires.

The correct application of evaluating relevant engineering experience starts with the actual project, not a generic promise. Confirm the jurisdiction, adopted code, design scope, existing conditions, required deliverables, and professional responsibility before relying on a conclusion. A responsible engineer documents assumptions and identifies information that still needs verification.

Project type, occupancy, existing construction, site conditions, code edition, agency requirements, and changes made after the original design can change the work. A concise answer is useful for orientation, but the signed or sealed project record must reflect the current scope and the authority's process.

• Confirm the authority having jurisdiction and current checklist
• Use current drawings, calculations, field evidence, and equipment information
• Separate engineering decisions from owner, architect, contractor, utility, and agency decisions
• Record assumptions, limitations, and questions requiring direct AHJ confirmation