Start by defining the subcontractor’s exact scope, deliverables, project location, and jurisdictions. Then verify each proposed engineer’s license and any required firm authorization through official board records. Record who checked the information and when. A résumé or proposal statement is useful background, but it does not substitute for board verification.
Review whether the subcontractor has relevant project experience, suitable staff, a workable quality process, insurance, references, and capacity for the required schedule. Ask who will direct technical decisions, who will review the work, and who may sign or seal each deliverable. Confirm that the named people are available and that the subcontract requires notice before staff substitutions. For a specialized task, ask how the subcontractor will coordinate assumptions and interfaces with the prime firm’s design team.
Read the prime contract before issuing a subcontract. Identify approval requirements, flow-down clauses, confidentiality duties, data handling, ownership of work product, insurance obligations, and schedule dependencies. The subcontract should state scope boundaries, assumptions, client inputs, review cycles, change control, payment terms, and how the parties will handle errors or changed conditions. Clarify whether the prime firm’s review is for coordination or another purpose, and who retains responsibility for the subcontractor’s engineering decisions.
Ask the subcontractor and its insurance broker for evidence that the coverage applies to the actual services and jurisdictions. A certificate of insurance alone may not show policy exclusions, limits, or relevant endorsements. Have a qualified broker or attorney review coverage questions that could affect the firm’s exposure. Keep the executed agreement, license checks, insurance records, and approved deliverables in the project file.
Set a coordination routine before work begins. Agree on file formats, design criteria, comment tracking, meeting cadence, and escalation contacts. If a license or authorization cannot be verified, or a proposed engineer lacks the needed competence, pause assignment of that regulated work and resolve the gap with the board or qualified professionals.
This is general education; verify requirements with boards and qualified professionals, and follow licensed PE judgment and local codes.
