What is a Consulting Engineer?

We are Consulting Engineers. That means that we are a professional services company advising clients and managing projects, not a contracting company constructing Works. The separate profession of Engineering Consultancy grew up in the early part of the 20th century to distinguish the independant Professional Engineers, providing unbiased advice to clients from the contractors and manufacturers who had an interest in the chosen solution.

The profession has developed over the last 100 years, but retains the main distinctive features:

• The consulting engineer is independant of any contracting organisation or manufacturing process (or must declare his interest before acting for the client).
• The consulting engineer acts in the best interests of his Client, unless acting as Engineer under one of the standard forms of contract, when he acts impartially between the contracting parties.
• The consulting engineer is either professionally qualified, or being a company, employs professionally qualified staff. These are typically members of one or more of the Engineering Institutions (Civil, mechanical, electrical etc.)
• The consultant will normally carry Professional Indemnity Insurance.

British Consulting Engineers have worked all over the world, designing and managing billions of pounds worth of investments which affect every aspect of the modern world.

We are members of the Association of Consulting Engineers. The Association was formed just before the first World War, and comprised mainly electrical and civil engineers, who practices in a purely professional capacity and were willing to be bound by strict rules of professional conduct. A list of independant engineers was provided for the public. The first meeting of the Association was on 22 July 1912

The underlying principals of the Association continue to this day. Prospective members are vetted for their profesional standing, and a strict code of conduct applies. Membership has changed from individuals to companies, but named individuals are listed as Registered Principals of the Association, and are entitled to put FConsE on their business cards.

The Association has a web site which explains the services to members and the public, including their 'Find an Engineer' service