Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - November 2002
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Do consultants have an identity crisis?

Eric MacDonald, P.Eng.
President, MacViro
Consultants Inc.


In the last Environmental Science and Engineering Consultants' Forum, Norm Huggins, then the Chair of Consulting Engineers of Ontario, asked the question: "…Do we (engineering consultants) have an identity crisis?" The context was, does the public know who we are, what we do, etc., when we refer to ourselves as consulting engineers? The answer, at least in the fullest sense of the definition, I would suggest, is undoubtedly, no! This begs the question why don't they know and whose fault is it that they don't know? I would go as far as to say that even our clients (some, not all) don't know fully what we do, and perhaps we, as an industry, are to blame.

If we examine the word 'consultant', the definition is given by Merriam- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary as one who gives professional advice or services; expert. Yes, we do 'consulting', however I would suggest the vast majority of our engineering is not 'engineering consulting', but rather a combination of civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, etc., engineering.

Why is this important? The general public and, yes, the politicians think of consultants as being highly specialized "top guns" and very expensive commodities in their particular profession. Our industry is largely comprised of solid engineering individuals who are certainly not expensive at, say, $70/hour versus medical or financial management consulting rates of $300/hour ++!

Are we the problem, and if so, how should we convey to the public and our clients the great value and, yes, the critical need they have for solid well-thought out engineering solutions to provide for our total infrastructure?

On a different note, what are the current happenings in our industry?
  1. Continued and rapid growth in the G.T.A. is presenting a high demand for engineering services which our industry is meeting but undoubtedly with the 'seams' being stretched; we are short of engineers to deliver the goods.

  2. Federal and provincial regulation changes (water and air) are now in the 21st century. They seek to drive quality of life changes by causing political leaders at all levels of government and also industry representatives to accept change with related increased costs that do not necessarily have an economic benefit but are required to change the way we have been addressing our ecosystem. For example, the Kyoto objectives are driven by the need for an enhanced environment without consideration of the cost… a new paradigm? Will our politicians put our future ahead of their shortsighted future?

  3. Our industry today, as for most industries, is driven in many cases by computer- generated solutions. So what is new? We are perhaps in the last decade or two of engineers, who themselves generate computer solutions to engineering problems but also have the foundation of solving problems, dare I say, "the old-fashioned way". It is increasingly evident that engineering judgment is lacking without this hands-on (first principles) knowledge.
Perhaps the term 'Consulting Engineer' through an evolutionary process may develop a new meaning in the 21st century as being the young, specialized individual who brings both skills to the table, i.e. first principles and electronic solutions, and also can charge $300 per hour!

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