Choosing an Engineering Consultant

Say you have a light bulb that's blown. How many consultants will you need to change it?

Honestly I'm not sure. They never seem to make it past the feasibility study...

But of course, if they did, it would probably take six: one to change it and five to tell him how much better they could have done it.

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Feasibility and process analysis are, in all seriousness, both functions of engineering consulting. But the range of skill sets that consultants may possess is much more expansive: everything from product design and CAD work to environmental compliance, inspection, and certification. If your project needs a light bulb change, and none of your engineers can do it, you could turn to a consultant to do it for you or (more often) tell you the right way to do it.

Consultants can save a lot of money in the long run, but only if you choose primarily based on quality and not price. The most important thing is to make sure the consultant knows his or her stuff, and can do the job well. It wouldn't be very cost-effective for a consultant to take your money and have that bulb break a week later.

Finding the right consultant on the fly can be a difficult task, especially in the dark. Since the need often arises immediately, it's usually best to have pre-established relationships with a number of consultants before you need them. That way, your company will know who to call when the light goes out.

When finding a consultant for small projects, it's usually best to seek references and lean on the referrals of other companies doing the same or similar work. For larger projects, the selection should work similar to a bidding process for a construction job, except the bidding isn't about money but about competency. The client company will first send out the project details to all the possible consulting firms. Then the consultants respond with a proposal for the project to express their interest, skills, and understanding of the job. The client then selects the best one and negotiates a price for the work. If a compromise on the money can't be reached, the company can then choose the next best firm and negotiate with them.

The next time your company needs help with the "light bulb" in your project, consider hiring an engineering consultant. And when you do, check out GlobalSpec's How to Select Engineering Consulting Services and Engineering Consulting Services pages to help you with the selection process.