This forum has always been a wealth of knowledge on tips and tricks to increase workflow.

I am a new Electrical Engineer at a small MEP firm. Most of our projects are done in AutoCad and the new engineers are the only ones using Revit.

I want to make a document/excel sheet that will auto-update when its changed, potentially checks for errors, and will flag or highlight when information has been changed.

Our current coordination system is walking to the other person's cubicle and asking for a cutsheet. Asking if the item will need a DC furnished by us or will it come with the equipment. Its tedious and when the information changes, if its not communicated, it can often lead to addendums or bulletins.

Please help!

Hello all, burner account here. I've been working in commercial HVAC equipment sales for almost 3 years. Not a ton of time, but not nothing. I still don't get written specs, especially how they're enforced when alternate equipment is being provided.

Often times, the written spec is a long list of conflicting requirements either copy / pasted from the last job or from the BOD manufacturer. I understand that the alternate manufacturer needs to adhere to a minimum standard, but wouldn't it be ideal to be more concise? Maybe just a small list of the absolute requirements for a job? I've even had to submit an RFI on a spec we couldn't meet as the BOD.

I'm pretty sure the written specs are ignored on about half of the jobs I do, and I think they're often used as a CYA in case any equipment doesn't work.

Any insight into this, and any advice as to how I could approach the alternate process to make the MEP's life a bit easier?

Hi everyone,

I've been working in the engineering field for several years, and after struggling for a long time with the ups and downs of the industry, I finally decided to start my own engineering services business in India.

I'm putting everything I have into building this from the ground up, but honestly, getting a consistent flow of clients and projects has been much harder than I expected. That's why I'm reaching out to this community for some genuine advice, guidance and support.

We provide on-demand engineering support for companies that need additional delivery capacity without the cost and delays of permanent hiring.

What we offer:

• MEPF engineering
• ELV/ICT/IBMS design & commissioning — Honeywell EBI, Schneider EBO, Niagara & Johnson Controls Metasys
• BIM & CAD services — Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, ACC etc.

Our key advantages:

• Flexible resources — scale up or down based on workload
• 7 days/week, 365 days/year working
• Start projects without recruitment delays
• Lower recruitment, training and overhead costs
• Centralised project delivery rather than depending on individual freelancers
• Ability to support projects across different time zones
• Experience supporting projects across India, USA, Middle East, Canada, Europe and APAC

The technical capability and delivery team are there. What I'm struggling with is getting in front of the right people and converting that capability into consistent projects.

I'm looking for opportunities both in India and internationally.

For those who have successfully built an engineering/BIM/MEP services business:

• How did you get your first few clients?
• Which channels actually worked — LinkedIn, cold email, partnerships, referrals, industry networks, etc.?
• Are there specific platforms or marketplaces for MEP/BIM/engineering services?
• How do you approach engineering consultants, contractors, developers and EPC companies?
• For international clients, how did you overcome the initial trust/credibility barrier?
• In India, which networks or channels have actually helped you find projects?
• What mistakes should someone avoid when starting an engineering services business?
• How did you go from getting occasional projects to building a consistent pipeline?

And if anyone here works with an engineering firm that regularly needs overflow/offshore engineering capacity, I'd genuinely appreciate a referral, introduction, or even just a conversation.

I'm not asking for anyone to hand me a business. I'm trying to build something of my own after years of struggling, and I could really use some guidance from people who have already walked this path.

Any practical advice, experience, connection, lead or referral would genuinely mean a lot.

Thank you. 🙏

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I asked the wrong question in my last post and framed myself more like I was looking for someone to give me a position. What I’m actually trying to figure out is what types of companies I should be targeting for plumbing design side/overflow work.

I currently work as a plumbing designer and have experience with commercial plumbing design, Revit, AutoCAD, fixture counts, code research, equipment selection, and producing complete plumbing drawings.

I’m trying to decide where I should focus my efforts:

1. Plumbing contractors — Offer to help with overflow plumbing design, shop drawings, coordination drawings, and as-builts when their in-house staff is overloaded.

2. Small MEP/plumbing engineering firms — Offer overflow plumbing design/drafting support when they have more projects than their designers can handle.

3. Some combination of the two.

For those of you who have done freelance/1099 plumbing design work, which type of company would you pursue first? Are plumbing contractors actually a good market for outsourced design help, or would small engineering firms be more likely to consistently outsource overflow plumbing design? I’m not looking for a full-time position. I’m specifically trying to build relationships with companies that occasionally need an extra plumbing designer to help get projects out the door. Any advice on what types of companies to target, where to find them, and how you would pitch the service would be appreciated.

For those of you working on larger MEP projects, how do you typically create and populate your ventilation/airflow schedules?

Do you:

Build the schedule/data in Excel and then import it into Revit?

Populate everything directly in Revit schedules?

Use Dynamo or another automation tool?

Have a template/workflow that automatically pulls the required ventilation information from the model?

I’m especially interested in how people handle this efficiently when there are a lot of rooms/spaces and the ventilation calculations are done separately from the Revit model.

Would appreciate seeing how others approach this and any tips/workflows you recommend.

Was wondering this because I usually put in only 1 AirPod while designing, but none of the other senior engineers or associate principals in our team do that. I am relatively new so don’t want to make a bad impression. No one asked me to take it off, but I’m not sure if there’s an unwritten rule

I am an intermediate EE , 4 years in. Both design firms I've worked in have thrown around this figure of 12-18 months before a grad is even profitable. I assume based on them not coming out of uni ready to do the job from day 1, and needing to be shown/corrected a lot by seniors in the first few years. The grads I work with seem to have an attitude that it's just used as a way to justify poor pay raises. Maybe they haven't realised we're all underpaid and overworked yet idk, or maybe I am wrong?

In my experience as a grad, there was no structured training plan. It was just work under a senior and do as they assign/teach you. For those who have implemented a more structured plan, have you found that you can get grads profitable quicker?

I'm just wondering if it's worth the effort/cost to allow an hour or two a week of structured training time (e.g running a short workshop tutorial where they do an exercise)? Has anyone done this and has it been at all useful getting grads up to speed quicker?

I came to the US in my freshman year in college, and luckily, I already had a green card, which enabled me to get a job even before graduation. However, I've been continuously hearing stories that even after getting my citizenship and fully Americanized, the glass ceiling will still exist, and it will be extremely difficult for asian americans to reach high management (director, principal, partner, VP, etc.), particularly due to language barrier and politics.

I know it won't be easy, but was wondering if it's gonna be something I'd be able to overcome by hardworking, or it's an inherently, implicitly existing fact I need to take into account.

TL;DR: I wanna know if you saw any case an immigrant whose English is a second language successfully landing an upper management position in America.

Hi everyone, I am currently looking for a mechanical engineering position in the MEP field. I have around two years of experience with HVAC/MEP systems, Revit, AutoCAD, Trane TRACE, load calculations, ductwork, piping, plumbing. I am also an EIT and open to relocating anywhere in the U.S. If anyone knows of companies hiring mechanical engineers in MEP, I would really appreciate any leads or recommendations. Thanks!

I am an unlicensed electrical engineer currently working at a small EE firm. I have around three years of experience and plan to get my PE once I am eligible. Overall, I like the flexibility of working at a smaller firm, and based on conversations with the owner, there is a path toward partial ownership in the not-too-distant future once I get my PE.

Here is the dilemma I’m in: I recently received a call from an older engineer who I have some connections to and who owns a small EE firm in the defense industry. In that industry, he has typically been contracted by larger companies as a consultant. Business has been slow recently, as many of the larger players have been keeping more work in-house. As a result, he is looking for ways to diversify his business and wants to get into the MEP industry.

He reached out to me because he wants me to help him start an MEP-focused EE firm. He has some experience in the industry from decades ago and would get caught back up on current codes and practices. He believes that my experience with project management and design could help get the business off the ground, and the idea is that we would operate the firm together. We haven’t worked out all of the specifics yet, but it sounds like the company could eventually become 100% mine.

I’m honestly not really sure where I stand on this at the moment. On one hand, I’m very aware of how difficult it can be to get a small firm off the ground, especially at my age and with my level of experience. I feel pretty confident in my design skills and have good business acumen, but I also know there is still plenty for me to learn. I’m also pretty happy where I’m at currently. I get to work on some very cool projects and work under a principal who I believe is extremely knowledgeable. That’s not to say my current situation is perfect, but overall, it’s a pretty good situation.

On the other hand, this is a pretty unique opportunity. The idea of essentially running the day-to-day operations and building something from the ground up is very appealing. I just wonder if, years from now, I would look back and wish I had taken the opportunity if I passed on it now.

One last thing: I am currently under a non-compete agreement that could make this complicated if I decided to pursue the opportunity.

I’m certainly not asking anyone to make the decision for me, but I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s opinions and experiences.

I've heard good feedback about Alfatech from other engineers and was interested in applying. I was looking at some of their Senior Engineering positions and noticed the egregious salary range. Is $105k-120k really accurate for their San Francisco office? That seems unbelievably low for the responsibilities of the role.

I think most firms in NorCal would be closer to $130k-160k for a Senior Engineer with a PE.

Hi, I've been doing my research on this industry, how things work and the processes involved. But I'm not actually an engineer myself, rather a recruiter, so most of what I've learned has come from YouTube, ChatGPT and browsing this subreddit. And this industry seems to be less glamorous and less talked about than others, so I've found there's only so much I can learn that way.

I'd like to avoid being the typical recruiter who has little to no understanding of the industry they work in and is inconsiderate in their approach. Rather, I want to have a solid understanding of the industry, the issues and situations you face, and develop genuinely deep knowledge of it over time.

So I'd like to speak to some of you on the phone, just so I can hear your perspective and personal insights, ask questions and understand the industry from somebody who's actually involved in it.

With 100% transparency, I'm not selling anything, nor would I pitch you at any point. This is purely just to learn.

So if you're interested in having a conversation, let me know.

I'm an Electrical Designer for an MEP firm in my area. I have around 2 years of part-time, mostly basic CAD/Revit work, prior to becoming a full time designer.

People have been dropping like flies for other firms. I've been holding out to hope things get better but it rarely does, and the red flags keep popping up more:

Cons:
- Team Lead says that as an engineer, even though I am told to work 9-5, I am "expected" to work until 6-8 most of the time. There is no overtime, they said my bonus is my overtime, but my bonus was very very small (under 1k).

- Every time someone quits, instead of hiring more people, the firm scrambles to redistribute those projects to everyone who is staying, so as each person has quit, I get an extra 1-2 projects, an extra 4-5 emails weekly, and an extra meeting or two.

Now i'm stuck in meetings all week, and truly the only time I can catch back up with all my emails and projects is after hours or waking up extra extra early. I've expressed that I don't think I can do this without heavy guidance as I had just graduated recently.

- I'm now suddenly a project manager for a single project, even though I have expressed that I do not think I am fit for the position. No pay increase, no bonus. I'm just suddenly in charge of a LOT more things for that project than I am prepared for.

-Every time I request for guidance, my team lead either tells me to ask someone else, or explains it way too fast over a call (WFH) and gets upset that I did not follow his instructions completely.

- Team lead says that this is how it is for all firms, and that i should just get used to it.. but I have a hunch that is incorrect.

- I haven't had any time to study for my FE/EIT due to how busy work gets. I am way too drained after logging off at 9pm to do any sort of studying, and weekends are mostly just trying to catch up on sleep.

Pros:

- Benefits are decent.. I think? Maybe it is just the industry standard. Triannual bonuses but I rarely get anything from them as of late.

- Insurance is okay, accepted by a lot around my area.

-WFH is nice at times, but not nice if im stuck in my bedroom working from 4am to 8pm at its worst.

I’m on track to make principal in a month at the age of 36. Electrical PE. Firm size is around 230 people. My current principal is set to retire in 2.5years. Plan is for me to take over the branch office (12-15 people) when he retires.

I’m very grateful for this opportunity! Also very nervous at the same time. When it was first presented to me a year ago, my initial reaction was, Me? I have no idea what I’m doing. Haha

At what age do you see most people making principal?

I have a gas-fired rooftop unit being installed for a healthcare application. The gas has a flu that ends well within the healthcare required 25 ft intake radius of the equipment. This seems to be a very common design. How is this resolved typically? I've seen us run outside air duct work on the rooftop to get away from the flu, but this could get extremely expensive especially if wind and seismic rated supports are required. Can you just have the flu terminate above the intake? What can be done, this is a very common design in healthcare and I've never seen it explicitly solved

I see a lot of posts about getting promotions or large raises after getting licensed in MEP or Power industry. I think one thing a lot of people don’t talk about is what is expected out of you (if there is anything extra expected) after getting licensed and after getting raises.

Did your promotion/raise come with expectations that you would be signing/sealing major projects shortly after licensure? Or did your firm use YOE to help determine that? Or give you the choice?

To me a 10k raise or whatever is simply not worth it if you are expected take on liability for the company. (And yes I know EITs can be roped into liability but not even close to the same degree as EOR)

I live in MCOL. It would take an absolute ton of money to get me to actual USE the license in our litigious society.