OWNER'S ENGINEER SERVICES

You may have a significant wastewater treatment plant project only once every 10 or 20 years. It doesn’t make sense to have full-time staff with experience and expertise in wastewater treatment planning and design. It can be confusing and time-consuming to sort through the varying advice that you get from regulators, consultants, and equipment vendors.

By engaging an experienced “owner’s engineer” you can have the equivalent of that staff member at a fraction of the cost, and can be confident that your decision-making is well-informed.

Management of a treatment project starts with effective initial planning – making sure that you are undertaking the correct project, and scoping out the best path to the goal of serving the community in the most efficient manner. Project delivery methods, treatment process selection, and public support are all key components. Selection of, and negotiation with, a design consultant is the most significant step, and it is important that the selected team has the appropriate technical expertise and the right approach to working with agency staff.

Brian Hemphill, PE (OR and WA), has worked for more than 35 years as a wastewater consultant in the Pacific Northwest. He has established connections with a variety of specialists that can be brought on to the project team to address specific issues as appropriate.

No job is too small! 

REGULATORY ASSISTANCE

Review regulatory correspondence, including draft MAOs, and assist in negotiating reasonable compliance terms and schedules.

PROJECT SCOPING/RFP DEVELOPMENT

Present your project to the consulting community in the best way to ensure that you attract the most capable firms and that the proposals are “apples to apples”.

PROPOSAL AND INTERVIEW ASSISTANCE

Assist in establishing criteria to be used for proposal analysis. Assist staff in interpreting proposal content and in developing meaningful questions. Assist with and attend interviews.

CONTRACT REVIEW

Work with staff to negotiate an appropriate and fair contract for design services.

REPORT REVIEW

Review planning documents, facilities plans, and predesign reports for technical accuracy, consistency, and completeness. Ensure that all reasonable alternatives are considered. Help you decide “is this process right for us?”

DESIGN REVIEW

Attend design meetings and review draft design documents in coordination with plant operations and maintenance staff to provide a system that is easy and economical to operate.