WHAT DOES A CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER DO?

Updated: Nov 21, 2024 – The Construction Engineer manages the execution of assigned projects, and ensures compliance with authority-approved plans and specifications through regular site inspections and coordination with operational departments. This role involves reviewing construction plans for necessary design changes, assessing inspection procedures for conformity, and supporting safety and quality compliance while providing progress reports and recommendations to the management team. The engineer also has daily work reports outlining completed tasks, contributing to effective project control and communication with consultants, contractors, and regulatory agencies.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Construction Engineer

1. Construction Engineer Key Accountabilities

  • Project Management: Responsible for managing the construction engineering functions on a construction project to ensure adherence to all engineering construction plans and specifications.
  • Collaboration: Collaborates with others with the ability to make autonomous decisions guided by policies, procedures, and business objectives.
  • Leadership: Receives guidance and feedback from Senior Leaders.
  • Accountability: Accountable for the results of the team or the process of establishing goals and objectives and adherence to budget.
  • Relationship Management: Facilitate design-build subcontractor relationships.
  • Coordination: Coordinate activities with the owner, architect, other consultants, and the building department.
  • Cost Control: Monitor cost controls and production objectives.
  • Risk Management: Responsibility for risk management and project safety.
  • Team Development: Recruit, hire, coach, and mentor a highly functional team of potential future leaders of the company.
  • Engagement: Attend project meetings regularly and make regular job site visits.
  • Construction Oversight: Overall responsibility to see that the construction phase of a project is carried out to meet the client’s budget, schedule, and quality goals.

2. Construction Engineer Roles

  • Technical Support: Primarily perform technician-level duties on construction project sites.
  • Collaboration: Assist and report directly to the onsite Construction Manager to support daily construction operations.
  • Documentation: Keep detailed documentation of subcontractor work activities, including the development and maintenance of daily field reports and tracking spreadsheets.
  • Project Management: Manage and support project submittals and manifesting.
  • Liaison: Work as a liaison to design and engineering teams to provide detailed and real-time information on field conditions to resolve technical problems.
  • Sampling: Perform onsite soil and groundwater sampling duties to support the project.
  • Status Reporting: Assist with status updates to the project schedule.
  • Vendor Management: Obtain vendor quotations to confirm or acquire market pricing.
  • Data Integration: Assist in managing and integrating information (program data, project data, risk register, change requests, etc.) from various sources (SharePoint, NAVFAC eProjects, MS Projects, Project RECON, etc.).
  • Presentation Preparation: Assist and prepare PowerPoint briefs, Business Case Analyses, Info Papers, Justification Papers, and reports for leadership-level audiences.

3. Construction Engineer Details and Accountabilities

  • Risk Assessment: Review the program and project risks during the planning, design, solicitation, construction, and activation stages of project development.
  • Plan Development: Assist in developing and reviewing Risk Management Plans and process revisions and updates.
  • Checklist Development: Develop risk identification checklists based on historical information and knowledge that has been accumulated from similar previous programs/projects and other sources of information.
  • Risk Recording: Assist in the recording of identified risks in the appropriate program/project risk register to achieve an increasing level of awareness of risks over time.
  • Risk Classification: Utilize the risk register’s criteria for the combination of probability and impact to assign a classification of high risk, medium risk, and low risk for assessed risks.
  • Mitigation Planning: Assist program and project managers in developing an effective plan to lessen the impact of the risk.
  • Risk Categorization: Categorize risk by sources of risk, the area of the project affected, or other useful categories such as root causes.
  • Analysis Techniques: Apply techniques, such as variance and trend analysis, which require the use of performance information generated during program/project execution.
  • Trend Monitoring: Monitor and analyze risk trends, variances, and resolution of risk response actions.
  • Contingency Recommendations: Recommend execution of contingencies and/or modifications, and support the construction contract modification process as appropriate.

4. Construction Engineer Overview

  • Adaptability: Remain calm, flexible, and positive in the face of pressure from changing conditions.
  • Technology Proficiency: Learn, use, and apply business-critical programs and construction technologies.
  • Communication: Write clear, precise, and well-organized emails, letters, documents, and proposals.
  • Documentation Management: Update and maintain all sets of drawings, specifications, and logs.
  • Material Management: Manage material deliveries per the project schedule and expedite material arrival.
  • Scope Knowledge: Maintain working knowledge of all scopes, understanding, and specs for all trades.
  • Labor Analysis: Assist with determining weekly labor production quantities.
  • Photography Organization: Maintain accurate and organized progress photos.
  • Closeout Documentation: Compile all project closeout documents and manage logs.
  • Punch List Management: Document and manage project punch lists and logs for all project stakeholders (Swinerton, subs, Owner, Architect, etc.).
  • Quality Management: Leverage technology for quality tracking and management.

5. Construction Engineer Accountabilities

  • Project Oversight: Manage and ensure that construction of assigned work is completed following authority-approved plans and specifications through frequent site inspections.
  • Inspections: Perform substantial completion and final inspections of completed work.
  • Scheduling Coordination: Ensure that systems are constructed within schedule and thoroughly coordinated with operational departments to ensure minimal impact on operations.
  • Performance Monitoring: Maintain and monitor the performance of the project against the KPIs established for both the Project Work and the Project Quality Plan and provide reports to the management team.
  • Design Review: Review plans and specifications for construction purposes, advising various required Client offices and consultants of necessary design changes.
  • Procedure Review: Review inspection procedures for conformance with established procedures. Review and recommend approval of requests for payment from contractors and others for work in place.
  • Safety and Quality Support: Support and assist the project Safety Manager and the project Quality Manager in the enforcement of safety and quality compliance.
  • Meeting Coordination: Attend or conduct project coordination meetings and quality meetings with each discipline involved to ensure effective project control.
  • Correspondence Preparation: Prepare project-related correspondence to consultants, contractors, Authority officials, and other agencies.
  • Reporting: Prepare progress reports, issue reports, and recommendations to the project management team.
  • Daily Reporting: Complete a daily work report that outlines the work completed for the day.

6. Construction Engineer Job Description

  • Mechanical Engineering Support: Provide Mechanical Engineering Support during construction and equipment inspection.
  • Scope Development: Coordinate and help develop Mechanical scopes of work, work packages, and construction schedules.
  • Field Operations Oversight: Oversee execution of field operations.
  • Field Data Collection: Participate in Mechanical surveys and other field data collection operations.
  • Payment Review: Review contractor’s requests for payment.
  • As-Built Preparation: Assist in preparing as-built drawings.
  • Site Reporting: Perform site visits and prepare reports.
  • Engineering Assignments: Perform engineering assignments with direction from experienced engineers.
  • Operations Shadowing: Spend time shadowing actual operations.
  • Fundamental Design Tasks: Perform a variety of fundamental design tasks to gain familiarity with programs and procedures applicable to public infrastructure consulting engineering.
  • Document Review: Review client-supplied documents and standards to determine existing conditions and proposed project execution.
  • Client Communication: Obtain project information from clients or other LJA personnel.
  • Design Review Coordination: Attend design review meetings and coordinate with other team members to execute multidisciplinary projects.

7. Construction Engineer Overview

  • Technical Coordination: Perform assignments involving the development, execution, supervision, and coordination of all technical aspects of a construction project.
  • Quality Assurance: Maintain first-level quality assurance to confirm that the installation of all work is in accordance with the plans, specifications, and industry standards.
  • Inspection Documentation: Ensure tests and inspections are performed, witnessed, and documented in accordance with approved procedures.
  • Hazard Mitigation: Collaborate with construction/project management to eliminate hazards associated with the work that may adversely affect the environment or the safety or health of employees.
  • Safety Compliance: Ensure that personnel of the assigned group engage in safe work practices in compliance with site-specific safety procedures and industry standards.
  • Design Liaison: Establish and maintain liaison with the discipline design engineering staff.
  • Design Review: Review and interpret design drawings and specifications to ensure current revision level and correct technical execution of the work.
  • Technical Problem Solving: Provide resolution options for technical problems, coordinate application of solutions.
  • Construction Scheduling: Develop construction schedules and monitor progress.
  • Progress Reporting: Provide schedule and progress appraisal report to the Construction/Project Manager.
  • Material Monitoring: Monitor material procurement and deliveries to ensure timeliness in support of construction activities and schedule.
  • Material Quality Assurance: Ensure that materials received meet specifications and established standards of quality.
  • Data Organization: Maintain and organize the accumulation of data for the final project turnover and report.
  • Record Keeping: Initiate and maintain records, back-charge procedures, progress reports, etc.
  • Client Interaction: May have some interface with the client and upper-level management.
  • Cost Tracking: Track project costs, contract modifications, and task orders, and assist with establishing budgets for the same.

8. Construction Engineer Details and Accountabilities

  • Specification Compliance: Understand project specifications and verify compliance.
  • Flexibility for Travel: Applicants must be willing to accept out of town projects as they come up.
  • Data Interpretation: Reading and interpreting data, information, and documents.
  • Problem Solving: Analyzing and solving problems.
  • Detail-Oriented Multitasking: Performing highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks.
  • Deadline Management: Work under intense deadlines.
  • Interpersonal Skills: Interact with staff, contractors, and the public.
  • Document Control Management: Managing field-level Document Control.
  • Work Progress Validation: Assisting with and validating work progress verification.
  • Technical Review: Technical review of subcontractor change requests.
  • Permit Assistance: Assist with permitting process, system walk-downs.
  • Technical Issue Resolution: Assist with resolving field construction technical issues.
  • Safety Promotion: Supporting and promoting Beyond Zero.
  • Pre-Construction Support: Assist with Pre-Construction Planning.

9. Construction Engineer Tasks

  • Bid Phase Support: Support the bid phase of projects by participating in labor and contractor qualification surveys, developing a construction site estimate, developing an overall construction schedule, and collaborating with construction estimating.
  • Safety Measures Review: Review the project scope and incorporate measures needed for a safe project execution.
  • Constructability Design: Incorporate constructability into the engineering and design execution strategies, including package breaks and modularization options.
  • Procurement Assistance: Support the procurement process by helping define contract strategy, supporting development of labor strategy, and assisting in defining the contractor's bid list.
  • Bid Specification Review: Review all bid specification packages and work closely with the project execution team to incorporate changes to the specific scope of work for a contract and ensure that the accurate standards are included in the construction package.
  • Mentorship Reception: Receive mentorship from the field representative if assigned at the time of review.
  • Site Staffing Development: Work closely with the project execution team to develop the site staffing.
  • Contractual Assistance: Assist field representatives with contractual issues arising in the field, ensuring that issues such as schedule delays, potential claims, authority issues, and industrial relations issues are reported to construction engineering and project execution management in a timely fashion.
  • Financial Oversight: Ensure that progress payments, invoices, construction change orders, field purchases, expense reports, and time sheets (for the field representatives) are appropriately reviewed and approved.

10. Construction Engineer Roles

  • Technical Expertise: Contributes technical expertise for reviewing project drawings and designs for the purpose of coordinating projects adjacent to Metrorail and Metrobus property, facilities, and operations as assigned by the client’s Task Manager.
  • Design Coordination and Cost Calculation: Provides coordination of design, safety, operations, constructability, and compliance with client standards, including providing support for developing cost calculations and projections.
  • Procedure Compliance: Follows procedures identified in the Adjacent Construction Project Manual to help advise the client on projects which will have impacts to the client.
  • Plan Review and Support Management: Reviews plans for the client’s assigned projects adjacent to, on, over, or under the client’s property and joint development projects to support managing the planning and design stages of subsequent improvement projects.
  • Technical Compliance: Contributes technical expertise in reviewing corresponding project drawings and designs involving facilities being built for the client to own, operate, and maintain to ensure compliance with the client’s design criteria, Administrative and Technical Specifications, Standard Drawings, Design Drawings and the JDAC Adjacent Construction Project Manual.
  • Cost Analysis: Performs cost calculations and projections to support determinations of which projects will have an impact on the client.
  • Facility Protection: Ensures the client’s facilities and operations are not damaged or affected by the proposed project.
  • Operational Integrity Assurance: Ensures the client’s operations are not impacted during and after the proposed project construction.
  • Project Coordination: Conducts proper coordination of the project, as the client’s Task Manager (TM) assigned point of contact which may involve managing project schedules.
  • Stakeholder Liaison: Serves as liaison between contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers.
  • Construction Oversight: Oversees construction engineering processes including tests on materials and procedures to ensure compliance with the client’s requirements.
  • Documentation and Record Keeping: Documents processes and keeps detailed construction logs.
  • Progress Reporting: Presents construction project progress updates to clients and senior managers.
  • Systematic Reporting: Submits daily logs in a timely manner through the client’s Procore system.
Relevant Information
What Does A Construction Project Engineer Do?