Concrete Restoration Project Owners' Guide

Considerations When Choosing an Engineer and Contractor for Your Concrete Restoration Project

Step 1 - Interview Engineers

  1. Stop in to the City Building Department to obtain the list of engineers who have been associated with permits pulled for concrete restoration projects in Daytona Beach Shores.
  2. Contact at least three engineers (from the above list or otherwise) to compare their answers to the following questions:
    1. Scope of Work: Will our engineering scope of work include the following:
      1. A job scope with a detailed explanation?
      2. Plans and specifications (with copies as needed for permitting)?
      3. A good faith estimate for the expected total repair cost?
      4. Bid specifications to be used when choosing a contractor?
      5. Assistance with evaluating and ranking the contractor bids?
      6. Evaluating change orders from the contractor?
    2. Inspections: Will the engineer be on site for inspections or will inspections be completed by a representative? How often? If a representative will be conducting the inspections, is he/she a licensed contractor or inspector? How many jobs has he/she completed?
    3. Budgeting: Will the engineer be able to prioritize the work required according to our available budget (phasing) and how will this affect the overall cost?
    4. References: May we have a list of comparable-job references from similar work you’ve completed in the area? Will you give us the name of a contact person from each property?
      1. Questions to ask references:
        1. Was there effective communication between the engineer, contractor, and your building reps?
        2. How close was the estimated cost (given by the engineer) to the contractor’s bid amount?
        3. Were there change orders (extra costs) required? Did it seem reasonable that the costs were not foreseen during the initial budgeting?
        4. Looking back, were there any big surprises or was there anything you would have done differently with your project?

Step 2 – Choose and Hire an Engineer

This decision is an important one. A good engineer is an invaluable aide in all other phases of your project – from finding the right contractor at the right price to making accurate assessments of the contractor’s work along the way.

Step 3 – Interview Contractors

  1. Call the City Building Department for an up-to-date list of contractors who have pulled permits for concrete restoration projects in Daytona Beach Shores.
  2. Contact as many contractors as possible (from the above list or otherwise) to compare their answers to the following questions:
    1. Supervision: Will the on-site employees have daily supervision? Who will this supervisor be? How many jobs like this has he run? Will he be our on-site contact? Will the owner of the company be on-site?
    2. Scope of Work: Will we be provided with a detailed scope of work?
    3. Budgeting: How will change orders (extra costs) be handled? Can we be provided with a comprehensive list of pre-determined additional costs (ex: additional window removal, additional square footage of concrete removal and replacement, rebar replacement or additions, etc.) if any are necessary?
    4. References: May we have a list of comparable-job references from similar work you’ve completed in the area? Will you give us the name of a contact person from each property?
    5. Questions to ask references:
      1. Was there effective communication between the contractor, engineer, and your building reps?
      2. How close was the final cost to the contractor’s bid amount? Were there change orders (extra costs) required? Did they seem reasonable?
      3. Did the contractor staff with sufficient manpower to complete the project in a timely manner?
      4. Did they work around your desired work hours and schedule?
      5. Looking back, were there any big surprises or anything you would have done differently with your project?

Step 4 – Put your Project Out To Bid to as many contractors as possible

  1. Call the contractors who answered your questions from Step 3 favorably and let them know that you’d like them to bid on your project.
    1. For small bid specification packets (the engineer prepared this) you might make copies and ask the contractor to pick them up.
    2. For larger bid spec packets, you might leave a set with a printing business and advise the contractors that they may pick up a set for the cost of the copies.
    3. For some larger jobs, the engineer will host a pre-bid meeting at your site for the contractors you’d like to work with, pass out bid specs, and discuss the job’s scope of work.
  2. Advise contractors about the DBS waste removal requirement – in Daytona Beach Shores, all construction debris must be removed by haulers with approved franchise agreements only – the current list of providers is available from the Building Department – (386)763-5377.
  3. Set a bid-return date – typically 1 week to 30 days depending on the job size 

Step 5 – Choose a contractor with the assistance of your engineer

Step 6 – Consider hiring an independent project manager or third-party engineer to oversee larger projects. 

This can be an invaluable independent review of the work being performed and the nature and cost of any change orders being submitted.

Step 7 – The contractor pulls permits before beginning any work on your property.

Additional Assistance

Please feel free to contact the Building Department with any questions you may have along the way. Concrete restoration is often a long-term, costly project and, while we cannot make recommendations of specific providers, we are here to assist you in any way we can.