What Your Board Should Ask Before Hiring an Engineer

Byline: Fortis BuildSafe Solutions

Choosing an engineer is not only a matter of comparing fee proposals. For a board responsible for an existing building, the more important questions concern scope, experience, communication, documentation, and what happens after the report is delivered.

The right firm should be able to explain the building question it is being asked to answer, the limits of the proposed work, and the decisions the board will need to make next. A clear conversation at the beginning helps the board compare proposals on substance rather than price alone.

Fortis BuildSafe Solutions is a forensic engineering firm. Fortis evaluates existing buildings to help determine what a building is doing, why it may be doing it, and what should happen next.

Start with the question the board needs answered. Is the engagement for a Milestone Inspection, a Structural Integrity Reserve Study, a building condition survey, a recertification-related assessment, a restoration investigation, a turnover review, or another form of forensic investigation? These are not interchangeable scopes. Florida law addresses Milestone Inspections separately in F.S. §553.899 and SIRS separately in F.S. §718.112(2)(g). The applicable trigger and scope depend on the building and association facts, so the board should ask the engineer to identify which requirement applies rather than relying on shorthand labels.

Ask the firm to explain:

• What areas and systems will be reviewed
• What will be observed, tested, measured, or documented
• What is outside the proposed scope
• What assumptions the proposal makes about access, records, testing, or destructive investigation
• What deliverables the board will receive

A useful proposal should make the scope understandable to a board member who is not an engineer. If the board cannot tell what question the firm is answering, it will be difficult to evaluate the proposal or understand the report later.

Ask about experience with buildings that resemble yours in age, construction, exposure, occupancy, and condition. South Florida buildings can present issues involving concrete, reinforcing steel, balconies, waterproofing, façades, parking structures, seawalls, and other components affected by moisture, salt air, deferred maintenance, or prior repairs.

The question is not simply whether a firm has designed structures. The board should ask whether the firm has investigated existing buildings and can distinguish observed conditions from assumptions about their cause.

Useful questions include:

• What kinds of existing buildings does the firm regularly investigate?
• Who will perform the assessment and who will be responsible for the report?
• How does the firm document limitations, inaccessible areas, and recommended follow-up?
• Can the firm explain the difference between an initial assessment and additional investigation that may be needed later?

The goal is not to demand that every condition be predicted in advance. It is to understand how the engineer will document what is known, what is not known, and what should be done next.

A report is only useful if the board can understand and act on it. Before hiring the firm, ask what the final deliverable will contain and how the findings will be presented.

Ask whether the engagement includes:

• A written report with photographs and identified conditions
• Clear descriptions of observed deterioration or other concerns
• A distinction between observations, professional opinions, and recommendations
• A discussion of limitations and areas that could not be reviewed
• A meeting or presentation for the board
• A practical explanation of recommended next steps

The board should also know who will answer questions after delivery. A proposal should not leave the association guessing whether follow-up communication is included, limited to a short window, or handled under a separate scope.

A useful reporting question is whether the report keeps four questions visible: What was observed? What evidence supports that observation? What does the assessing engineer recommend? What happens next? Fortis's reporting standard is intended to make those distinctions clear so the board can follow how the evidence connects to the recommendation.

Ask who is performing the work, who is responsible for the professional opinions, and how the firm handles potential conflicts. The board should understand the role of the assessing engineer and the role of any contractor, testing laboratory, restoration professional, or other consultant involved in the process.

Questions worth asking include:

• Who is the assessing engineer for this engagement?
• Who reviews and signs the final report, when a seal or signature is required, and what document is being signed and sealed?
• Are any related services proposed under a separate scope?
• Does the firm disclose any financial or other relationship that could affect the engagement?
• Will the board be told when additional testing or specialist input is needed?

A professional assessment should not be presented as a guarantee that no future problem will occur. It should explain the basis for the engineer's conclusions and identify the limits of the work.

Before selecting a firm, ask what the next step will be if the report identifies deterioration, an unresolved condition, or a need for additional investigation. The board may need to prioritize repairs, obtain testing, discuss options with counsel or management, develop a restoration scope, or commission a separate design or construction-related service.

Ask the engineer:

• How will the findings be prioritized?
• What information would be needed to define a repair or follow-up scope?
• Which recommendations can be addressed through routine maintenance, and which require further professional evaluation?
• Will repair design, permitting, bidding support, or construction administration require a separate engagement?
• How will the board be informed if new information changes the recommended path?

The most useful report is not necessarily the one with the longest list of observations. It is the one that gives the board a clear, defensible understanding of the building's condition and the decisions that follow.

Before selecting an engineer, the board should be able to answer:

• Do we understand the exact question this engagement is intended to answer?
• Does the proposed scope match the building and the board's actual need?
• Does the firm have relevant experience investigating existing buildings?
• Do we know who will perform the work and who is responsible for the report?
• Are deliverables, limitations, follow-up, and additional services clear?
• Can the firm explain findings in plain language to the board and management?
• Do we understand what happens if the assessment identifies a condition requiring further action?

A board does not need to know every engineering term before hiring a firm. It does need a clear scope, a qualified assessing engineer, understandable deliverables, and a realistic picture of what happens after the report. Those details give the board a better basis for comparing proposals and documenting its decision.

For a conversation about an existing-building assessment or related forensic engineering service, contact Fortis BuildSafe Solutions at 954-756-6876 or sales@fortisbss.com.

• Florida Statutes §553.899 - Mandatory structural inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings - verified September 12, 2026 for the Milestone Inspection definition, qualifying-building framework, phases, report requirements, and related disclosures.
• Florida Statutes §718.112 - Structural Integrity Reserve Study provisions in paragraph (2)(g) - verified September 12, 2026 for the SIRS scope, 10-year cycle after condominium creation, visual-inspection basis, and professional-performer provisions.
• Florida Statutes §471.025 - Seals - verified September 12, 2026 for the signing, dating, and sealing of final documents prepared or issued by a licensed engineer, where applicable.
• Florida Building Commission - Code resources - official code-resource page checked September 12, 2026 for the Existing Building Milestone Inspection materials and report forms.

Source-control note: Statutory references support the limited statements made in this article. They do not determine whether a particular building or association is subject to a requirement; that determination requires project-specific facts and appropriate professional review.