Structural Engineering Proposal Template

A structural engineering proposal has to be precise about where your scope ends: which phases you cover, how many site visits are included, and what others design. This template sets out structural services for a mixed-use building from schematic design through construction, with fees by phase and the exclusions that prevent disputes.

  • Project Understanding
  • Scope of Services
  • Exclusions
  • Fee options
  • Additional Services
  • Schedule
  • Payment Terms
  • Terms
  • Acceptance
  • Signatures from you and your client
Free, no account needed to start. Not legal advice.

Use it when an architect asks you to propose structural services, once you've seen the program and preliminary drawings.

The full template

Words in brackets, like [Client Name], fill in automatically from your client's details when you use the template in Clientary.

In the editor, you can change any section and package options. Once you send it, your client picks a package and signs online. Edit this template online

Thank you for the opportunity to propose structural engineering services. This proposal sets out the project as we understand it, the services in each phase, what's excluded, our fees, and our terms.

Project Understanding

[Client Name] has asked us to provide structural engineering for [describe the project, for example: a three-story mixed-use building at 210 Main Street, with ground-floor retail and two floors of wood-framed apartments over a concrete podium, about 24,000 square feet]. We'll work from the architectural drawings you provide, the geotechnical report, and the building code in effect when the project is submitted for permit.

Scope of Services

1. Schematic Design. We review the architectural layout and geotechnical report, compare structural system options, and provide preliminary sizes for key members with a short narrative of the recommended system.

2. Design Development. We develop framing and foundation plans, size the lateral system, and coordinate column, wall, and shaft locations with you and the MEP engineers.

3. Construction Documents. We prepare structural drawings, general notes, and calculations for permit, and the structural sections of the specifications.

4. Permitting. We respond to plan review comments on the structural drawings and calculations.

5. Construction Administration. We review shop drawings and submittals, answer contractor questions, and make up to six site visits at key stages, each with a short observation report.

Exclusions

Unless added in writing, our fees don't include:

  • Special inspections, testing, and observation that the building code requires from an independent agency
  • Geotechnical investigation and recommendations
  • Temporary works, such as shoring, underpinning, bracing, and formwork
  • Design of components delegated to the contractor, such as stairs, cold-formed metal framing, and curtain walls, beyond review of their submittals
  • Surveys of existing conditions, and design for future additions or tenant improvements
  • Redesign after design development is approved, because of changes to the architectural layout

Fee options

Fees are fixed by phase and billed monthly by percent complete. Construction phase services beyond the scope below are billed hourly.

Design through permit · Phases 1 to 4
Schematic design$4,500.00
Design development$7,500.00
Construction documents$16,000.00
Permitting support$2,000.00
Total$30,000.00
Full services · Phases 1 to 5, with six site visits
Schematic design$4,500.00
Design development$7,500.00
Construction documents$16,000.00
Permitting support$2,000.00
Construction administration
Shop drawing and submittal review$4,500.00
Contractor questions and RFIs (hours) (20)$3,300.00
Site visits with observation reports (6)$2,700.00
Total$40,500.00

Additional Services

Work beyond this scope is billed hourly at $195 for a principal engineer, $165 for a project engineer, and $110 for drafting, with your written approval before we begin. Additional site visits are $450 each.

Schedule

We'll match our deliverables to your design schedule. We need current architectural backgrounds at least two weeks before each of our milestone submittals, and changes to backgrounds after that point may move our dates.

Payment Terms

We invoice monthly by percent complete. Payment is due within 10 days of your receiving the owner's payment for our services, and no later than 60 days from the invoice date. Printing, delivery, and travel beyond 50 miles are billed at cost.

Terms

  • Standard of care. We'll perform our services with the care and skill ordinarily used by structural engineers practicing in the same area under similar circumstances.
  • Instruments of service. Our drawings and calculations remain ours. You and the owner may use them for this project once our fees are paid.
  • Construction. The contractor is responsible for means, methods, sequencing, and site safety. Our site visits are to observe the work in general, not to inspect it in full.
  • Limitation of liability. Our total liability for claims related to this project is limited to the fees paid to us, to the extent permitted by law.
  • Termination. Either party may end this agreement with 14 days' written notice. You'll pay for services performed to that date.

Acceptance

Choose an option and sign below to accept this proposal and authorize us to begin. We'll be in touch within one business day to schedule a kickoff with your team.

How to use this template in Clientary

  1. Edit it online. Change any section, add your own, and add a fee table with packages the client can choose from. No account needed.
  2. Preview it as your client will see it. Fill in who it's for and pick a design.
  3. Start your free trial to send it. Confirm you'll have it reviewed, since templates aren't legal advice, and your proposal is waiting in your new account with your client's details filled in.
  4. Send it to be signed. Your client reviews, chooses a package, and signs online, and you can see when it's viewed and signed.

Learn more about proposal software in Clientary.

Frequently asked questions

How do structural engineers price a project?

Usually as a fixed fee by design phase, sometimes set as a share of the architect's fee or of construction cost, with construction phase services billed hourly or as a set number of site visits. Fees by phase let the client match payments to progress.

What do structural engineering proposals usually exclude?

Commonly special inspections and testing, geotechnical investigation, temporary works such as shoring and bracing, and components designed by others, like stairs, cold-formed framing, and curtain walls. Listing them prevents assumptions on either side.

Is this structural engineering proposal template free?

Yes. Read and copy the full text on this page, or edit it online and see it as your client will. When it's ready, start a free Clientary trial to send it or download it as a PDF.

Has a lawyer reviewed this template?

No. It's a general starting point written by Clientary, not legal advice, and it hasn't been reviewed by a lawyer for your situation or the laws where you and your client work. Have your own counsel review it before you use or sign it.

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