5 Key Questions to Ask When Choosing an Engineering Firm

When it’s time to bring in an engineer, you may be facing a critical challenge, such as a failed part on a piece of equipment or a tight deadline to produce a solution for a client. When that happens, you need to be able to quickly evaluate an engineering firm to see if they can meet your needs. Here are five important questions you should ask when choosing an engineering firm:

Do You Have Expertise in this Area? An engineer may not have worked on your specific challenge before, but the unique nature of the problem is why you need an engineer. The right engineer will be able to talk about similar situations they have seen and the plans they have for solving your problem.

Do You Have a Ready List of References? Talk with the engineer’s clients to see if they deliver on-time and on-budget. Find out whether they were responsive and willing to listen carefully to the client’s concerns.

Is Your Technology a Good Match? You may require Finite Element Analysis or CAD modeling to test your equipment, whether you are in a design project or trying to determine the cause of equipment failure. Make sure you are working with an engineer that can meet your technology requirements.

Can You Meet my Timeline? You may be surprised to find that, with the right engineering firm, your process is significantly streamlined. With the right expertise, your costs and timeline may end up reduced, but if the engineer doesn’t have time to meet your requirements, it’s better to know before you get started.

Do You Understand Our Concerns? The right engineer will be a good fit for your company culture and the priorities you have for your process. From streamlining your design timeline and budget to asking about the concerns your client has, the engineer should be meticulous and efficient, balancing these priorities to elevate your design process.

At Finite Engineering, we are a team of talented engineers and designers with a wealth of varied expertise, education and experience. Our cost-effective services are customized to fit your needs and timeline. We specialize in building lasting partnerships with our clients, embracing innovative approaches to design. Contact us to get started.