What is a Delegate Engineer? (Florida descriptions, but other states follow the same or similar requirements)
A delegate engineer is a Professional Engineer (PE) who undertakes a specialty service and provides services or creative work regarding a portion of the engineering project.
The delegated engineer is the engineer for that portion of the engineering project. They are responsible for signing and sealing all of their delegated tasks, such as drawings and calculations, complying with all requests from the Engineer of Record (EoR), communicating effectively with the EoR and other involved personnel on a timely basis to ensure the satisfactory design of all elements.
Is there a difference between Delegate Engineers in different states?
While there may be slight variations in specific requirements or regulations between states, a delegate engineer’s core duties and qualifications are likely to remain similar regardless of location.
These differences are usually related to licensing requirements and industry practices based on the respective state.
What is an EoR and what is their role?
The Engineer of Record is a professional engineer who is officially responsible for the design, analysis, or evaluation of a particular engineering project as a whole (such as the primary structure).
The EoR typically oversees the delegated engineering aspects of a project, ensuring that they meet applicable codes, standards, and specifications.
These include design oversight, code compliance per location, quality assurance, coordination, documentation, permitting approval, and construction support. Sometimes Architects of Record serve in this capacity.
Relationship between the EoR and the Delegate Engineer:
The EoR has no universal definition, however they have similar attributes.
An EoR is defined as “A licensed professional engineer who is in responsible charge for the preparation, signing, dating, sealing and issuing of any engineering documents for any engineering service or creative work.”
If the EoR wants something installed, such as a canopy on a building, he could hire or work with a delegate engineer, who could do the engineering solely for the desired canopy.
The delegate engineer would then create and seal the plans and calculations for the canopy.
The EoR would be responsible for ensuring that the building has the structural capacity to support the canopy.
In this case, the delegate engineer would only be liable for the canopy and its connection to the building, and the EoR would be responsible for the building’s ability to support the canopy and the integrity of the substrate the canopy is connecting to.
What is the benefit of hiring a Delegate Engineer?
The benefit of hiring a Delegate Engineer is the shared mastery of the structure.
The more expert, experienced minds attached to a project, the more likely that structure is to be properly designed, considering all aspects and history of such work.
By dispersing tasks among various professional engineers with different niches, a deeper understanding of the project can be achieved.
Some engineers, such as the EoR, may be better at understanding the dynamics of the building, while others, such as the delegate engineer, may be specialists in windows or canopies.
It is imperative that we collectively use our experience as engineers to design and innovate to the best of our abilities.
References & Resources
Florida Delegate Engineer Scope
Delegate Engineer vs Structural Engineer:
FBPE Newsletter
https://fbpe.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/october2013newsletter.pdf
Engineer of Record Article
Last Update: July 12, 2024
