Project Engineer Duties and Responsibilities

I was working as a project engineer in the HVAC construction industry for 5 years. Here is what I do as a project engineer.

As a project engineer, my main task is to execute installation work at the construction site. I need to finish the installation work at the site within the time frame given by the client. At the same time, I need to ensure good quality work to prevent reworks that can delay the completion time and increase the cost of the project.

Project Engineer Duties and Responsibilities

As a project engineer, I spent a large portion of my working hours at the construction site. The projects that I worked on are mostly high-rise residential buildings. I have to deal with the following tasks throughout the project which can last up to 3 years or more.

1. Submit and get drawings & documents approved

As a project engineer, I need to prepare and submit as many as 30 pages of A0-sized shop drawings for one project. Although my company has drafters to help ease the process, I still draw most of the drawings using AutoCAD 2D, especially for the hard part that requires technical knowledge and site observation.

As for the drafters, they are very good at drawing scale, title block, drawing number, and printing work.

I also need to submit both materials and method statements for approval where the former is for the material used and the latter is for the method of installation in the project. These submissions are usually split into about 10 to 15 documents with an average of about 15-20 pages each.

All these drawings and documents need to be approved prior to start work at the site. Without approval, works can be rejected by the client at our own cost. However, the approval of these drawings and documents can be obtained progressively based on the site’s progress.

2. Schedule and prioritize installation works

After the drawings and documents are approved, I need to decide which place to start the installation work first and when do I need to start the work as we don’t have unlimited resources and we have a deadline to follow.

Hence, I need to schedule and prioritize installation works.

In order to be aligned with the main progress of the site, I need to do multiple discussions and coordination with various parties to ensure smooth execution of the installation work.

Otherwise, a portion of our installation works may obstruct other people and we need to redo at our own cost.

3. Make sure the system is installed correctly

While our workers are carrying out the installation work, I need to make sure that they install it correctly. Thus, I need to study and understand what is the proper installation. This requires me to speak with colleagues, managers, specialists, and technicians.

Furthermore, for some of the installation work, I had to refer to the established engineering standard such as from the ASHRAE and SMACNA in order to ensure that our installation work is properly done as per the acceptable standards.

4. Clear site obstructions for work to progress

During the installation work, our team feedback to me with obstructions that are hindering their progress. Thus, it is my job to clear the obstructions for them to proceed with the work and avoid further delay.

To do so, I need to write request forms to explain what are the obstruction and what I’m requesting the relevant parties to assist me to clear the obstruction. Sometimes, I need to submit a proposal with sketch drawings and photos when an alteration of design is needed due to site conditions.

5. Get installed works inspected and approved

After our team completed the installation work, I need to send in a request to the client so that they can come and inspect and approve our work. Only with the approval of the client, our installation work is considered done.

The installation work that requires inspection and approval can be separated into small parts. For instance, we need approval on the installation of the indoor unit of the air conditioner and the copper pipe separately. Then, after both installations are approved only we are allowed to connect them.

6. Submit and get the Client’s approval on progress claims

Every month I need to prepare, submit and get approval from the client on our progress claims. This is where we get the payment from the client on what we have installed and approved so far.

Typically, I’ll need to submit my intended claim amount first. Then, I’ll do a site inspection with the client to verify the claim and the client will assess and approve it.

7. Document All Correspondences

For all my work mentioned above, I need to document them. This includes saving them as soft copies in a dedicated folder, naming them appropriately, and organize them accordingly. Moreover, some documents are stored as hard copies in files and folders. I usually keep all the hard copies in my cabinet.

The reason we need to document as much as possible is not only for tracking but also for legal purposes. There is a lot of things can delay our progress and often it is not our fault. Thus, when it is necessary, we need to present the records in order to justify our delays.

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