Sean Carter
Whether for architectural, electrical, or other processes, outsourcing the engineering on your project can prove to be a smart move. That being said, it's most certainly not a job you want to skimp on, as quality results are imperative. If you find an electrical engineering company that's significantly more inexpensive than the others, you need to do your research and find out why before making the hire.
It goes without saying that you want your engineering job to be high-quality. This is something that is likely going to be around for several more decades, if not centuries, and you want it to be as functional and usable as possible. Therefore, if you can afford to, don't shy away from hiring the best talent you can find. Do plenty of research and visit your engineers' other projects to ensure that you'll be satisfied.
Hiring a third party for your engineering should not be an impersonal or hands-off endeavor. Instead, you should thrive for direct involvement with their actions and ideas; otherwise, you may not end up with exactly what you want. Therefore, when looking for a company to hire, make sure that you find one that allows direct interaction with the technicians and engineers on site as well as plenty of communication throughout the entirety of the project by phone, video conference, et cetera.
Whether or not you're outsourcing the engineering on your project, documentation should be of concern. It's doubly a concern if you're working with a third party. Make sure any promises they make are on paper; make sure they keep a detailed list of their expenses; make sure any and all data they collect is kept on file. You never know when the measurements they take are going to be necessary for a project in the future, and of course, you want to make sure you're getting what you paid for. The only way to fully ensure that this will be the case is by keeping a file of secure documents.
