In brief
- A CV or a company registration tells you who exists, not who will stand on your site during a pour.
- Ask for supervision records, test certificates and references from recent jobs, then confirm them with the people named.
- Fix the named engineer, the visit frequency and the record format in the contract before work starts.
Contents
A bid can name a qualified engineer, list an office address and attach a registration certificate, yet no one with that name ever stands on the site. The gap between a named engineer and an engineer on site is where availability and competency claims break down. Availability is a schedule question, and competency is an evidence question. Paperwork answers neither. The client or procurement team has to ask who will attend, when, and what records will prove it.
What does a named engineer in a bid actually prove?
It proves the person exists on paper, not that they will supervise your work. A bid may carry a CV, a degree copy and a membership card, all genuine, while the named person sits in another town or runs three sites at once. The gap widens when a contractor lists one engineer for several concurrent jobs. Ask how many active projects that person currently supervises and in which towns, then ask for the site diary or attendance sheet from those jobs. A degree shows training. It does not show that the holder will inspect formwork before a Garowe pour or check cover on the reinforcement. Confirm what the contract says about the named person and what happens if the name changes. If the answer is vague, treat the claim as unverified capability and price your own supervision into the plan.
How do you test the claim before work starts?
Test it with records from finished work, not with assurances. Ask for three recent projects and the name of the supervisor on each. Then contact those clients or their representatives and ask two questions: did the named engineer attend, and did the work pass the checks it needed. Ask for the test certificates and inspection records the project specification requires, and check that the dates and site names match the projects claimed. Walk one of those sites if it is reachable, and look at what the supervision left behind: straight walls, tidy joints, cover blocks in place, a site that is easy to read. Ask the engineer how curing and rain protection are handled for the project's location and season. That conversation reveals more than any certificate.
What should the contract and site records require?
Put the supervision arrangement in writing before mobilisation. Name the engineer, state the expected visit frequency for each stage, and require a signed site diary with dates, weather, work done, tests ordered and instructions given. Ask for the format the client will receive weekly, and confirm who signs it. For materials, require delivery notes and, where the specification calls for testing, the laboratory report that goes with them. The testing ages and acceptance limits are set by the project specification, so confirm them against that specification rather than assuming a schedule. Check what the contract allows if the named engineer is replaced, and keep payments tied to the milestones your contract already sets. Ask the local authority which permits and inspections apply to the plot you are building on.
What to do next
Before signing, send the contractor a short written request: names and CVs of the site team, three references with contact details, and the proposed visit schedule for each stage. Give them one week to answer. If the replies name different people than the bid, or the schedule is empty, ask the local authority or the engineer's professional body which records can be checked, and budget for your own clerk of works.
Frequently asked questions
Can a contractor substitute the named engineer after award?
That depends on what the contract says. Read the clauses on key personnel and substitution, and ask for written approval terms before signing. If the contract is silent, request an amendment that names the person and the replacement process.
What records should a client keep during the build?
Keep the signed site diary, delivery notes, test certificates, progress photographs with dates, and copies of written instructions. These records let you check later whether the supervision you paid for actually happened.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Garowe and Puntland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.