How to Select a Seismic Design Team

How to Select a Seismic Design Team

Seismic designs are not only expensive but also extremely important. Because of this, you want to work with a skilled team that you trust.

But how do you find that team? There are certain steps you can take to find them. Here’s how to select a seismic design team.

Step 1: Define Your Seismic Performance Goals

You want to begin by clarifying what level of earthquake performance you expect from your building.

Think about it. Do you need to meet the minimum requirements, or do you have higher resilience goals like immediate occupancy or minimal downtime?

As some guidance, general building codes focus on preventing collapse and preserving life safety. They do not, however, take into consideration building damage. Therefore, the building may not collapse, but it may become unusable after an earthquake.

If you want performance above this “standard”, then you’ll need to pursue performance-based seismic design. Frameworks like the FEMA P-58 work great, as they allow engineers to align building design to specific outcomes.

For example, let’s say you own a hospital, and after an earthquake, you need immediate availability. Engineers can then develop a plan that can meet these requirements.

This step is very important, as it’ll narrow down your choices of available seismic design teams. Therefore, really think about your seismic performance goals before moving forward.

Step 2: Check Licensing, Credentials, and Experience

Regardless of your performance goals, you need to choose a construction firm or engineer who’s properly licensed in your state.

In California and other seismic regions, you’ll want to look for a licensed Structural Engineer or licensed Contractor familiar with Seismic Retrofit Designs (when engineering is not required).

Unlicensed or uninsured contractors will expose you to risks. Contractor tax or insurance fraud is a real thing, so be careful.

Alongside all of this, you want to ensure that the engineer or team you choose has experience with similar seismic projects (think about your performance goals here).

You’ll find that some specialize in certain fields more than others. For example, seismic retrofit design, performance-based seismic design, or code-based seismic design.

Most “free estimate” contractors do not specialize in any of the above.

Ideally, you want someone who’s an expert in your performance goals. This will ensure they have the experience, knowledge, and credentials required to carry out the work.

Step 3: Look for Local Code & Permitting Expertise

Seismic requirements aren’t one-size-fits-all. Earthquake building codes and ordinances vary widely by location.

Your design team must be knowledgeable about the local seismic code amendments and any special ordinances in your city or county. For example, California often has their own rules, San Francisco has a mandatory soft-story retrofit program for older buildings, etc.

The last thing you want is a team learning the local code while performing the work, or, even worse, overlooking requirements. This could stall your project massively and may even lead to non-compliance fines.

Worst of all, you may only discover non-compliant work during a strong seismic event as many severe deficiencies are often missed by the building inspectors as they rarely actually inspect the work. View some examples here.

A quality team should take care of the permitting process. They should be familiar with your local building department’s processes and have experience in getting seismic plans approved.

Beware of contractors asking you to obtain the permit as an “owner-builder.”

Additionally, a business knowledgeable in such areas should be aware of any local incentive or grant programs. For example, California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB). Such opportunities allow you to offset some costs. 

Step 4: Evaluate Their Assessment Process

While interviewing different seismic design teams, see how each firm evaluates your building’s seismic needs.

An initial conversation regarding your performance goals is a good start. With this, the team you choose will understand your building’s situation and expect seismic goals.

Afterward, they should be able to review any existing plans and perform an on-site visit. Either way, a comprehensive overview is required to get a full understanding of your current building’s situation and future expectations.

What you want to look out for here is how they perform the assessment. What you are looking for is comprehensiveness.

You want them to have documentation of findings, itemized recommendations, and, ideally, multiple retrofit options.

Just a quick note, be very careful of any team that offers “free estimates”. Proper seismic retrofit analysis takes time. No team will do it for free if it’s fully compliant. Therefore, be careful of anyone offering such things. Your home and loved ones deserve better than a free estimate.

Step 5: Review the Proposed Solutions

Once the assessment is done, the design team should propose specific solutions to meet your seismic requirements.

During this time, you want to compare how different firms approach the same problem. Pay attention to the quality and creativity of the solution as well as the customer service provided. Do not only look at the total cost of the project.

You can even take this a step further. Consider asking each firm to walk you through their retrofit strategy. This will really help you see the good from the bad. The “good” firms will take local codes, performance goals, local environment, etc., into consideration during the design.

This is the time you’ll be able to spot the differences in quality. While some will throw a quick solution together, others will listen to your situation and develop a personalized plan.

Step 6: Look for Transparency in Proposals

When you get the seismic design proposal, you’re looking for two things: transparency and information. This means you should see a clear breakdown of what they plan to do and how much each part will cost.

As an absolute bare minimum, it should include:

• Scope of Work: A list of measures and tasks that are included in the price.  
• Detailed Cost Breakdown: Rather than a simple, lump-sum price, the costs should be itemized by task or component.
• Materials/Hardware List: The proposal should list key hardware or materials as well.
• Timeline and Process: Look for notes on how long each phase will take, what the permitting process involves, and an overall construction schedule.
• Assumptions or Exclusions: someprojects have unknowns (consider demolition of concealed areas required to carry out the earthquake retrofit work for example), so a transparent proposal will state what is not included or certain assumptions, such as “assuming the foundation is in good condition”, etc.

If you encounter a proposal that is vague or overly generic, consider it a red flag. You want to see the entire plan in writing and nothing less.

Step 7: Confirm Ongoing Support & Communication

Once the design is done, the job isn’t finished. The best seismic design team should stay involved through the permitting, construction, and final inspection stages. This is to ensure the project succeeds.

Before you hire a firm, find out what level of ongoing support they provide. For example, permit support, construction phase involvement, final sign-off and inspection coordination, and post-construction evaluation.

Step 8: Validate Reputation & Integrity

Finally, before making a decision, check on the firm’s reputation and business integrity.

When doing this, perform the following:

• Read Testimonials and Reviews: Check the company’s website for client testimonials and case studies. Look beyond this as well on third-party review websites.
• Ask for References: A confident firm will provide contact info for one or two past clients. Contact them and ask them questions about working with the firm.
• Check for Any Complaints or Litigation: See if they’ve had any major complaints or legal action taken against them.
• Verify Insurance and Employee Practices: Make sure the firm has active coverage and that it follows proper employee hiring practices.

Be very aware of a firm that cannot provide a reference or has a lot of unresolved negative reviews. This is a major red flag.

Conclusion

After reading the above, you should know how to select a seismic design team for your project.

Just as a recap, these are the steps:

• ​​Step 1: Define Your Seismic Performance Goals
• Step 2: Check Licensing, Credentials, and Experience
• Step 3: Look for Local Code & Permitting Expertise
• Step 4: Evaluate Their Assessment Process
• Step 5: Review the Proposed Solutions
• Step 6: Look for Transparency in Proposals
• Step 7: Confirm Ongoing Support & Communication
• Step 8: Validate Reputation & Integrity

Take the first step today by reaching out to a reputable firm. Schedule a meeting with our team at Avant-Garde and see how we can support your project.