Engineering Firm in Florida

[LPG]

I went to my local AHJ with all the documents for my grid tied install and they said all the documents they needed where included with that I gave them but they refused to accept them for a permit due to not being stamped by a PE. So now I'm on the hunt for a PE in Florida who provides services to review (and modify if needed since it is their name/liability/reputation on the docs) and stamp documents for me to provide my AHJ.

Does anyone know anyone or a company that provides this service? All the places I've called refuse to even hear me out unless I buy the whole system from them.

[SunEagle]

Hello LPG and welcome to Solar Panel Talk

Try to look at it their way. When a PE signs off on a set of drawings they are putting themselves into a position where if something should go wrong they will be held legally for the problem and any damages associated with that problem.

Almost as bad as being a co-signer for a loan and have the other person not pay, so you are the responsible person to pay it off.

[J.P.M.]

I went to my local AHJ with all the documents for my grid tied install and they said all the documents they needed where included with that I gave them but they refused to accept them for a permit due to not being stamped by a PE. So now I'm on the hunt for a PE in Florida who provides services to review (and modify if needed since it is their name/liability/reputation on the docs) and stamp documents for me to provide my AHJ.

Does anyone know anyone or a company that provides this service? All the places I've called refuse to even hear me out unless I buy the whole system from them.

I've got to believe there are enough hired gun type P.E.s in FL willing to take a contract for the work required to review/change a design to comply with local design requirements and then stamp it.

Just expect to pay for the work, probably on a sliding schedule that's f(detail/changes required). If you did the design yourself, and you're not an engineer familiar with PV or the electrical and also mechanical engineering requirements that safe and good PV systems require, expect a few changes.

[LPG]

Hello LPG and welcome to Solar Panel Talk

Try to look at it their way. When a PE signs off on a set of drawings they are putting themselves into a position where if something should go wrong they will be held legally for the problem and any damages associated with that problem.

Almost as bad as being a co-signer for a loan and have the other person not pay, so you are the responsible person to pay it off.

Oh I'm not disagreeing with that at all. I'm more than willing to pay for any changes that he/she has to do to my documents (if any). I'm not saying sign and stamp it as is, that would be crazy for anyone to certify someone elses document if they don't agree with it.

[J.P.M.]

Oh I'm not disagreeing with that at all. I'm more than willing to pay for any changes that he/she has to do to my documents (if any). I'm not saying sign and stamp it as is, that would be crazy for anyone to certify someone elses document if they don't agree with it.

At the risk of sounding anachronistic, years ago, I'd have suggested looking in the yellow pages under "Professional Engineers". If I still had a license and/or was licensed in FL, I'd take the work on a contract basis, probably @ ~ $250/hr for a current rate and maybe a 4 hr. minimum plus any document or submittal fees.

[DanS26]

Better yet...why not go to your POCO and ask nicely who the top 2 or 3 local PE's that have done this type of work which is acceptable to them and the AHJ. If they won't provide the information just ask the AHJ. Local electrical supply house would also know reputable PE's for this type of work. How about a local university with an engineering department might provide a list of grads happy to this work.

[LPG]

Better yet...why not go to your POCO and ask nicely who the top 2 or 3 local PE's that have done this type of work which is acceptable to them and the AHJ. If they won't provide the information just ask the AHJ. Local electrical supply house would also know reputable PE's for this type of work. How about a local university with an engineering department might provide a list of grads happy to this work.

What's POCO?

[J.P.M.]

What's POCO?

POwer COompany.

[Sunking]

I went to my local AHJ with all the documents for my grid tied install and they said all the documents they needed where included with that I gave them but they refused to accept them for a permit due to not being stamped by a PE. So now I'm on the hunt for a PE in Florida who provides services to review (and modify if needed since it is their name/liability/reputation on the docs) and stamp documents for me to provide my AHJ.

Does anyone know anyone or a company that provides this service? All the places I've called refuse to even hear me out unless I buy the whole system from them.

I am licensed in FL. Send your documents to me annd I will look them over, make any necessary changes. $5000 fee

[LPG]

I am licensed in FL. Send your documents to me annd I will look them over, make any necessary changes. $5000 fee

Don't take this the wrong way, I am by no means downplaying the skills required to become an EE PE. But $5k is quite a bit, that's over a third of the overall cost of my system, I'm sorry to say your services are way out of my budget.

Thank you for the offer though.

[SunEagle]

Don't take this the wrong way, I am by no means downplaying the skills required to become an EE PE. But $5k is quite a bit, that's over a third of the overall cost of my system, I'm sorry to say your services are way out of my budget.

Thank you for the offer though.

That $5000 may be a bit high but you should see what a PE has to pay for liability insurance because of that license.

[J.P.M.]

Don't take this the wrong way, I am by no means downplaying the skills required to become an EE PE. But $5k is quite a bit, that's over a third of the overall cost of my system, I'm sorry to say your services are way out of my budget.

Thank you for the offer though.

That may be the going rate or a bargain compared to an hourly rate for what amounts to a professional review and perhaps redesign of a system originally done by someone not familiar with PV and engineering design. Maybe not.

[peakbagger]

Its a tough one. Not sure if things have changed but for years Florida was very tough market for an out of state PE to get into. One the firms I worked with in the past ended up paying someone to physically sit in the state of Florida's licensing department headquarters for several days to get a comity application approved so that their engineering firm could do work in the state. I hope this has changed. Some states make it fairly easy to keep and license active and some dont and that all figure in on the cost for a stamp. The suggestion about checking around colleges and tech schools is a good one, many professors who came out of the real world still have licenses. I am not sure aboit Florida but most states have license look up on their website and may publish listings of engineers with valid PEs. From there its time to get on the phone and start calling.

My mechanical PE stays in a lockbox and doesn't come out unless its work related and only when there is absolutely no alternative. Once that stamp goes on a plan even though the owner and installer totally ignores the design, I can get dragged into court for as long as that system exists. In theory my company or insurance will cover me, but 20 years down the road finding what firm is responsible for defending me even though I haven't worked for that employer or done any business with the firm can be major and expensive education why the stamp stays in the lockbox.

I did a lot of hairy designs while working under a company exemption in years past, stuff I would never do as an independent. Sadly but lucky for me, the vast majority of these designs got ripped down when the facility was demolished but I still have elevated railroad trestle that I designed that is still out there. Luckily its not being used these days.

[J.P.M.]

Its a tough one. Not sure if things have changed but for years Florida was very tough market for an out of state PE to get into. One the firms I worked with in the past ended up paying someone to physically sit in the state of Florida's licensing department headquarters for several days to get a comity application approved so that their engineering firm could do work in the state. I hope this has changed. Some states make it fairly easy to keep and license active and some dont and that all figure in on the cost for a stamp. The suggestion about checking around colleges and tech schools is a good one, many professors who came out of the real world still have licenses. I am not sure aboit Florida but most states have license look up on their website and may publish listings of engineers with valid PEs. From there its time to get on the phone and start calling.

My mechanical PE stays in a lockbox and doesn't come out unless its work related and only when there is absolutely no alternative. Once that stamp goes on a plan even though the owner and installer totally ignores the design, I can get dragged into court for as long as that system exists. In theory my company or insurance will cover me, but 20 years down the road finding what firm is responsible for defending me even though I haven't worked for that employer or done any business with the firm can be major and expensive education why the stamp stays in the lockbox.

I did a lot of hairy designs while working under a company exemption in years past, stuff I would never do as an independent. Sadly but lucky for me, the vast majority of these designs got ripped down when the facility was demolished but I still have elevated railroad trestle that I designed that is still out there. Luckily its not being used these days.

FWIW, mostly +1 with the exception of university types coming from the real world (those being few and far between to my experience). I mostly, but not entirely found academicians to be one trick ponies with few of them having real world experience. Smart enough in their area of expertise but, for example, a heat transfer engineer would usually knew nothing serious about structural work, and few of the ivory tower set knew anything about project engineering, project management or keeping a dozen balls in the air and balancing engineering priorities in the ways that real world professional engineering requires. Long stories on how that opinion formed.

Generally, usually, but not universally, those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.

Add/edit: To The OP: Beazley Insurance Co. used to write a lot of liability insurance for P.E.'s. Don't know if they're still doing it. Maybe they'll divulge some of their clients in FL. Just a thought.

[reader2580]

What about Solarengineering.us? The prices seem reasonable. Maybe there is good reason to stay away from them?