Most businesses that go looking for an environmental engineer don’t do so out of choice. They do so because it’s a necessity. If you’re dealing with hazardous waste management, site remediation, or need help ensuring you’re fully compliant with air, water, and soil, then hiring the right environmental engineer is essential. After all, their work will have long-lasting impacts that could last for decades.
Environmental engineers solve problems, but they can also create problems if you select the wrong one for the job. In this post, we’ll run through a few key things to focus on when assessing your options. If they score highly against the following framework, then you can be reasonably confident that they’ll be the right people for the job.
Check Online Feedbacks and Testimonials
It’s one thing to read what an environmental engineer says they can do. It’s another thing to read about how they actually work. Environmental engineering projects are usually long and impactful, which makes it essential to know as much as you can about a company before hiring.
Reviews and testimonials can tell you a lot of what you need to know. If reviews/testimonials are positive and mention things like the quality of communication, work, and ability to stay within deadlines/budget, then that’s a good sign.
Check Their Project Experience
You’ll have a particular problem that you need help with. Some environmental engineers will be perfect for your type of project; others won’t be. It’s worthwhile taking a close look at their website to see the types of projects they’ve worked on in the past. If they have experience that’s related to your project and can demonstrate it, then you can have confidence that you’re in safe hands.
Make Sure They Understand Regulations
Regulatory expertise is one of the primary assets that a great environmental engineer can bring to a project. After all, regulations can be complicated, and they also vary from state to state. The best firms take a proactive approach to keeping up with regulations, which allows them to begin working on a project fully compliant. Before selecting the engineer for the project, it’s best to check that they understand local regulations, not just federal regulations.
Look At Their Range of Services
The services offered by environmental engineers can vary in scope. Some firms only offer consultation services, which means that they’ll study the problem, create a plan, and then hand the project over to you. That’s fine in some instances, but most projects require an environmental engineer who can handle every aspect of the project from beginning to end.
Working with a full-service environmental engineer is usually more time- and cost-efficient than working with multiple firms, and can be a lot less stressful. By working with an environmental engineer who can manage everything, you can simply sit back knowing that the project is in capable hands.
Do They Have a Positive Track Record With Regulators?
Of all the things that can cause project delays, it’s waiting for permits from regulators to be approved that is probably the most widespread and impactful. There’s sometimes no other option than to wait for approval before the work can begin.
How much time that takes, however, can vary widely from one environmental engineer to the next. The ones that have established relationships with regulators and have a positive track record of quickly getting approvals granted make virtually every aspect of the project easier to manage. Before agreeing to work with a firm, it’s wise to ask about their history with regulators and how successful they are in getting permits.
How Long They’ve Been In Business
How long a business has been operating can be a trust signal in most industries, and that’s especially true for environmental engineers. There are a couple of primary reasons why it’s best to work with one that has been in the business for decades. First, it shows that they’re not going anywhere. Many projects last for years and require ongoing monitoring, and you’ll want to know that they’ll still be around in the future.
The other is that it shows that they’re genuine experts in their field. You don’t survive as an environmental engineering firm for decades, which has seen regulatory changes and economic downturns, without being extremely good at what you do.
Ask If They Provide Ongoing Monitoring
Some environmental engineers complete a project, and then you never hear from them again. The best ones provide ongoing monitoring that offers peace of mind that your site is fully safe and compliant well after the structural work of the project has been completed. You’ll need to perform ongoing operations and maintenance anyway, so it’s best that it’s conducted by the same firm that you’ve been working with throughout the project.
Can They Assist With Compliance Reporting?
Failing with any aspect of compliance can be highly consequential, which makes ensuring your compliance reporting capabilities are flawless. The best firms have tools that make tracking and reporting much easier to manage. If a firm doesn’t offer these tools or only uses outdated tools, then that should function as a red flag.
What Industries Do They Typically Work With?
Environmental engineering is a broad field, so it’s best to check that the one you’re considering working with has experience working in your sector. This is recommended because even if an engineering firm says they can complete a project, if they’re stepping into a new environment in which they have no previous experience, then there’s an increased risk that they’ll come up against issues that can delay the project or worse.
Conclusion
Most businesses only think about environmental engineering when it becomes a necessity, which increases the risk that they’ll make the wrong decision when it comes to hiring the right environmental engineer for the job. In the end, it’s best to work with a firm that has decades of experience, positive reviews, and offers a full service. That’s a tried and tested strategy for ensuring that you’re hiring a firm that you can trust to get the job done.
