WHAT DOES A CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER DO?

Published: September 26, 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.
Relevant Information
What Does A Construction Project Engineer Do?