Good practice in structural design - Dr. Ing. Massimo Penasa

Quality Control in Structural Design
Kvalitātes kontrole būvkonstrukciju
projektēšanā
Dr. Ing. Massimo Penasa (Italy)
massimo.penasa@caemate.com

2EM iepirkums „Apmācību semināru cikla “Būvkonstrukciju kvalitatīva projektēšana” organizēšana un norises nodrošināšana” ID Nr. EM 2019/105
Structural design – Requirement of Eurocode 0 – Annex B
• Design according to Eurocode
• Reliability differentiation
• An appropriate degree of reliability for the majority of structures is obtained by design
and execution according to Eurocodes 1 to 9, with appropriate quality assurance
measures
• EN 1990 provides guidance for obtaining different levels of reliability in Annex B

EN 1990 Annex B (informative)
Management of Structural Reliability for Construction Works
B1 Scope and field of application
(1)This annex provides additional guidance to 2.2 (Reliability
management) and to appropriate clauses in EN 1991 to EN 1999.
(2)The approach given in this Annex recommends the following procedures for the
management of structural reliability for construction works (with regard to ULSs, excluding
fatigue) :
a) In relation to 2.2(5)b, classes are introduced and are based on the assumed
consequences of failure and the exposure of the construction works to hazard. A
procedure for allowing moderate differentiation in the partial factors for actions and
resistances corresponding to the classes is given in B3.

b) In relation to 2.2(5)c and 2.2(5)d, a procedure for allowing differentiation between
various types of construction works in the requirements for quality levels of the design and
execution process are given in B4 and B5.
NOTE Those quality management and control measures in design, detailing and execution
which are given in B4 and B5 aim to eliminate failures due to gross errors, and ensure the
resistances assumed in the design.
c) The procedure has been formulated in such a way so as to produce a framework to allow
different reliability levels to be used, if desired.

B2 Symbols
In this annex the following symbols apply:
KFI

Factor applicable to actions for reliability differentiation
Reliability Index
B3 Reliability differentiation
B3.1 Consequences classes
For the purpose of reliability differentiation, consequences
classes (CC) may be established by considering the
consequences of failure or malfunction of the structure as
given in Table B1.

Table B.1 – Table B1 - Definition of consequences classes

(2) The criterion for classification of consequences is the
importance, in terms of consequences of failure, of the structure or
structural member concerned. See B3.3
(3) Depending on the structural form and decisions made during
design, particular members of the structure may be designated in
the same, higher or lower consequences class than for the entire
structure.
NOTE At the present time the requirements for reliability are
related to the structural members of the construction works.

E
R
Z = R-E
Effect of actions (for example bending moment)
Resistance
Safety margin
E and R follow Normal laws characterized by their mean value
and their standard deviation
β is the
reliability
index

B3.2 Differentiation by  values
(1)The reliability classes (RC) may be defined by the 
reliability index concept.
(2)Three reliability classes RC1, RC2 and RC3 may be
associated with the three consequences classes CC1, CC2
and CC3.
(3)Table B2 gives recommended minimum values for the
reliability index associated with reliability classes (see also
annex C).
NOTE A design using EN 1990 with the partial factors given in annex A1 and EN
1991 to EN 1999 is considered generally to lead to a structure with a  value greater
than 3,8 for a 50 year reference period. Reliability classes for members of the
structure above RC3 are not further considered in this Annex, since these structures
each require individual consideration.

Table B2 - Recommended minimum values for
reliability index  (ultimate limit states)

B3.3 Differentiation by measures relating to the partial factors
(1)One way of achieving reliability differentiation is by distinguishing classes of F
factors to be used in fundamental combinations for persistent design situations.
For example, for the same design supervision and execution inspection levels,
a multiplication factor KFI, see Table B3, may be applied to the partial factors.
NOTE In particular, for class RC3, other measures as described in this Annex are normally preferred to using KFI factors. KFI should be
applied only to unfavourableactions.
(2)Reliability differentiation may also be applied through the partial factors on
resistance M. However, this is not normally used. An exception is in relation to
fatigue verification (see EN 1993). See also B6.

Table B3 - KFI factor for actions

(3)Accompanying measures, for example the level of quality
control for the design and execution of the structure, may be
associated to the classes of F. In this Annex, a three level system
for control during design and execution has been adopted. Design
supervision levels and inspection levels associated with the
reliability classes are suggested.
(4)There can be cases (e.g. lighting poles, masts, etc.) where, for
reasons of economy, the structure might be in RC1, but be
subjected to higher corresponding design supervision and
inspection levels.

(1)Design supervision differentiation consists of various organisational
quality control measures which can be used together. For example,
the definition of design supervision level (B4(2)) may be used
together with other measures such as classification of designers and
checking authorities (B4(3)).
(2)Three possible design supervision levels (DSL) are shown in Table
B4. The design supervision levels may be linked to the reliability
class selected or chosen according to the importance of the structure
and in accordance with National requirements or the design brief, and
implemented through appropriate quality management measures.
B4 Design supervision differentiation

Table B4 - Design supervision levels (DSL)

(3) Design supervision differentiation may also include a
classification of designers and/or design inspectors (checkers,
controlling authorities, etc.), depending on their competence and
experience, their internal organisation, for the relevant type of
construction works being designed.
NOTE The type of construction works, the materials used and the
structural forms can affect this classification.
(4) Alternatively, design supervision differentiation can consist of a
more refined detailed assessment of the nature and magnitude of
actions to be resisted by the structure, or of a system of design load
management to actively or passively control (restrict) these actions.

B5 Inspection during execution
(1) Three inspection levels (IL) may be introduced as shown in Table
B5. The inspection levels may be linked to the quality management
classes selected and implemented through appropriate quality
management measures. See 2.5. Further guidance is available in
relevant execution standards referenced by EN 1992 to EN 1996 and
EN 1999.
NOTE Inspection levels define the subjects to be covered by
inspection of products and execution of works including the scope of
inspection. The rules will thus vary from one structural material to
another, and are to be given in the relevant execution standards.

Table B5 - Inspection levels (IL)

B6 Partial factors for resistance properties
(1) A partial factor for a material or product property or a member
resistance may be reduced if an inspection class higher than that
required according to Table B5 and/or more severe requirements are
used.
NOTE For verifying efficiency by testing see section 5 and Annex D.
NOTE Rules for various materials may be given or referenced in EN 1992 to EN 1999.
NOTE Such a reduction, which allows for example for model uncertainties and dimensional variation, is not a
reliability differentiation measure : it is only a compensating measure in order to keep the reliability level
dependent on the efficiency of the control measures.

Practical Example 1 - Residential steel building
• The influence of the target reliability index into practical design is
highlighted next.
• It is reflected in the partial factors which are a function of the
reliability level given by the reliability index.
• Whenever possible statistical data should be used for derivation of
partial factors.

• Consider for example a material strength (i.e. resistance) variable
having a lognormal distribution.
• It is assumed that its characteristic value is defined as its 5%
fractile.
• Then the partial factor for the material strength is obtained as

With:
the coefficient of variation of the material strength, α m the importance factor of the material parameter
reaching values between 0.0 (no importance) and 1.0 (maximum importance) and the acceptable
reliability index. In the examples a recommended value of =0.8 is used (EN 1990).
Consider a steel structure having the design working life T d = 50 years, for which the target reliability
index is specified as β d = 3.8 associated to a reliability class RC2 in Table 1. The material partial
factor is asked.
Using the equation the partial factor for Ta = T1 = 1 year assuming the coefficient of variation = 0,08
(corresponding to the common variability of strength of structural steel) the partial factor is given as
The partial factor corresponds consequently to the factor =1.15 used in the Eurocode steel design

Practical Example 2 - Agricultural steel building
A different task is reliability verification of an agricultural structure, for which the target reliability in-
dex can be decreased to = 3.3 associated to a reliability class RC1 (see Table 1).
It follows from the equation that the partial factor is

Practical Example 3 - Agricultural concrete building
Consider now that the agricultural structure is a con-crete structure. The variability of concrete strength is
significantly higher than the one for steel and can be reflected through a coefficient of variation = 0.25.
It follows from Equation (7) that the partial factor is
The partial factor is increased from about 1.1 to about 1.3 due to the higher variability of concrete
strength compared to the variability of the steel strength.

Structural design – The "four-eyes" principle
• The Four eyes principle is a requirement that two individuals approve some
action before it can be taken. The Four eyes principle is sometimes called
the two-man rule or the two-person rule.
• The four-eyes principle means that a certain activity, i.e. a decision, transaction, etc.,
must be approved by at least two people. This controlling mechanism is used to
facilitate delegation of authority and increase transparency.
• The processes in European civil engineering processes are based on the four-eyes
principle, which are facilitated by electronic approvals and workflows.
• This approach not only ensures the efficiency of processes by enabling fast decision-
making while ensuring effective control and monitoring, but also brings about cultural
change.

• The four-eyes principle is a requirement that two individuals approve some
action before it can be taken. The Four eyes principle is sometimes called
the two-man rule or the two-person rule.
• In construction projects different operations are needed:
• Internal review by other company engineers, important also for ISO 9001 certification
• External design review by auditing engineer, test engineer (Prüfingenieur,
ingegnere collaudatore) - checks the structural calculations and the structure prior the
construction and the putting the structure into operation
• Construction supervision during execution

• In public construction projects the four-eyes principle is important also in the
procurament phase. The following evaluation actors are reccomended in public utility
construction projects:
• A Procurement Management Team,comprised of a team of public and private employees, responsible
for directing the overall evaluation and selection process.
• A Legal Team, comprised of legal advisors, both public and private to conduct a legal pass/fail analysis
of aspects of the proposals and provide guidance throughout the procurement process.
• A Financial Team to perform a financial pass/fail review and a net present value analysis of the price
proposals.
• A Price Reasonableness Team to conduct reviews of each of the proposals and provide
recommendations regarding the reasonableness of the pricing for each of the proposals.
• A Technical Evaluation Teams to evaluate the technical strengths and weaknesses of each proposal.
• A Value Assessment Team comprised of engineers and other professionals from both the public and
private sectors, to assemble all of the reports for each proposer, and where feasible, use the
accumulated reports to quantify the technical strengths and weaknesses of each proposal.
• A Selection Committee to present a non-binding recommendation to the Selection Executives.
• A Design Aesthetic Team, comprised of artists and architects, to review the proposed bridge designs
and assist in the evaluation process.

• When is required a structural design check by an external design
reviewer engineer (in Italy)
• For all constructions that are possibly a risk for public safety
• For all new constructions (at least for concrete and structural steel
work – recent court decision about wood structure)
• Any time that seismic upgrading works are undertaken on the
structure
• The only interventions exempted from this obligation are those of
"repair or local intervention".

• When is required a structural design check by an external auditing
engineer (in Austria, Germany)
• For buildings of building classes 4 and 5 (up to 13 meters and
underground buildings)
• For tanks, bridges, retaining walls and grandstands
• other structures, other than buildings, with a height of more than ten
metres
• If it is required in accordance with the catalogue of criteria of the
implementing ordinance for the regional Building Code.

• Responsabilities and requirements of the
auditing engineer, test engineer (in Italy,
Austria, Germany ..)
• All constructions whose safety may affect
public safety must undergo a static test.
• The design review must be carried out by
an engineer or architect who has been on
the register for at least ten years and who
has not been involved in any way in the
design, direction or execution of the
work.

• Responsabilities and requirements of the auditing engineer, test engineer
(in Italy, Austria, Germany ..)
• During construction, partial tests may be carried out on the basis of
technical difficulties and the complexity of the work, without prejudice to
the provisions of specific provisions.
• For the issue of a licence to use or operate the structure, if required, a
copy of the test certificate must be submitted to the municipal
administration.

• The static test concerns the judgement on the behaviour and
performance of the parts of the work that perform a load-bearing function.
• For the issue of a licence to use or operate the structure, if required, a
copy of the test certificate must be submitted to the municipal
administration.

• The standards (e.g. NTC) contain minimum provisions for the execution
of static testing, aimed at verifying the behaviour and performance of the
parts of the work that perform a load-bearing function and that affect the
safety of the work itself and, consequently, public safety.
• The static testing of all civil engineering works regulated by these
technical standards, must include the control of what is prescribed for
works performed with both regulated and certified materials (CE mark).

• The purposes of the static test, which regulates the procedures for
normal and prestressed reinforced concrete and metal structures
only, are extended to all the structural parts of the works, regardless of
the construction system adopted and the material used.
• Static testing, except in special cases, must be carried out during
construction when structural elements are installed that can no longer
be inspected, checked and tested following the continuation of
construction.
• The structures may not be put into operation before the static test has
been carried out.

• Static testing includes the following requirements:
• technical: aimed at determining the inspector's judgement on the safety
and stability of the work as a whole, as well as on compliance with the
performance requirements indicated in the project with particular
reference to the nominal life, classes of use, reference periods and
actions on construction;
• administrative: aimed at ascertaining that the technical requirements
necessary to ensure public safety have been complied with and that the
procedures provided for by the regulations in force on structures have
been complied with.

• examination of material test certificates:
• verification of the number of samples taken and their conformity with the
requirements of the technical standards;
• checking that the results of the tests are compatible with the acceptance
criteria laid down;
• verification of the number of samples taken and of their conformity with
the technical standards and of whether the results of the calculation
correspond to the acceptance criteria laid down in those standards,
including, where appropriate, the performance of additional tests

• examination of material test certificates:
• an examination of the certificates relating to checks on steel
reinforcement (for normal and prestressed concrete) and, more generally,
of the certificates relating to checks in the factory and in the production
cycle

• Responsability of the construction supervision:
• The construction supervisor is the professional figure identified by the client (public or
private) who has the main task of assisting and supervising the works, ensuring the
regular execution in accordance with the project and the rules, giving the appropriate
instructions when necessary.
• for materials and products bearing the CE marking, it will be the responsibility of the
construction supervision, during the acceptance phase, to verify the possession of
the marking itself and to ask each supplier, for each different product, for the Certificate
or Declaration of Conformity to the harmonized part of the specific European standard
or to the specific European Technical Approval, as applicable.
• The main task of the costruction supervision is to assist and supervise the work, giving
appropriate instructions when necessary.

Structural design – An example of examination procedure
• New Linz Bridge on the Danube (A26 highway):

• A multi-year project for the construction of a suspension bridge over the Danube (span
approx. 310 m) and associated tunnels
• The bridge is characterized by the absence of pylons (first time in the world for a project of
this size)
• The bridge will be supported by reinforced concrete blocks anchored directly in the rock
(more than 100 anchors per block, with a capacity of more than 300 t each, with a length of
more than 70 m).
• The first designs for this bridge date back 100 years.
• It is indicated as a probable future symbol of the city of Linz (Austria)

• Very small tolerance on the anchorage direction

• Construction supervisor and test/controlling engineer
CLIENT
GENERAL
CONTRACTOR
CONSTRUCTION
SUPERVISION
SUBCONTRACTOR
DESIGNER
TEST/CONTROL
ENGINEER

CLIENT
GENERAL
CONTRACTOR
CONSTRUCTION
SUPERVISION
SUBCONTRACTOR
DESIGNER
TEST/CONTROL
ENGINEER

Various Traditions in Various Countries
Atšķirīgas tradīcijas dažādās valstīs
Dr. Ing. Massimo Penasa (Italy)
massimo.penasa@caemate.com

Varius traditions in various countries
Certification of civil engineers
Categories:
• Whilst in Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Liechtenstein,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and Switzerland there is only one category of civil
engineer,
• in Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia,
Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom there are several different categories of civil
engineers
• These individual categories are either being allowed to perform their activities in given
specific areas only and/or being authorized to have a limited scope of activities only and/or
being awarded various levels of responsibility.

Categories:
• For example Latvia shows a high level of specialisation with 5 types of civil engineers:
• water technology civil engineer
• transport building civil engineer
• building civil engineer
• hydro-technical construction civil engineer
• heating and gas civil engineer.
• In the United Kingdom, the only professionals with activities reserved by law are engineers
in the fields of reservoir, aviation and nuclear related facilities.
• In Denmark and Slovakia only specialised energy engineers may assess the energy
performance of buildings.

Categories:
• In Spain, there are two types of civil engineers: Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y
Puertos (Master of Engineering) with full professional competence in civil engineering and
public works and Ingeniero Técnico de Obras Públicas restricted to one of these specialties:
• Civil Construction,
• Hydraulic or
• Transport.
• It seems that no other activity of an engineer is regulated which means, for instance, that for
the construction of private buildings the intervention of a civil engineer is not required.
• In the United Kingdom, the only professionals with activities reserved by law are engineers
in the fields of reservoir, aviation and nuclear related facilities.
• In Denmark and Slovakia only specialised energy engineers may assess the energy
performance of buildings.

Categories:
• In some Member States a distinction is made between the activities of:
• design (all work related to drawing plans conceiving project, calculation, etc.) and
• construction (all work related to construction, like advising, supervision, coordination,
check of conformity, etc.).
• For example, in Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Slovenia and Slovakia the activities of
designing and construction are regulated separately.
• While in Denmark the activity of designer is regulated to a very limited extent, namely only
for the construction of buildings categorised as 'high hazard risk', there are two different types
of engineers intervening in the construction part:
• a building surveyor who is the only one authorized to prepare a report on house conditions (e.g.
visible faults and defects of the property) and
• a building site coordinator with regard to health and safety on construction sites.

Distinction based on levels of responsability:
• There may also exist various levels of responsibility depending upon the professional's experience or
qualification:
• in Bulgaria, designers are restricted according to their capability and the type of building/ size
• in Denmark for building categorized as high hazard risk;
• in Lithuania, only civil engineers with a specific authorization can intervene on structures of
'exceptional significance';
• in Poland, depending on the level of the qualification, civil engineers can access
designing/construction activities with restricted or full capacity;
• in Slovenia, responsible project designers and responsible managers of work are authorised to
work on more complex structures depending on the length of their professional experience;
• in Italy, there are two levels of civil engineers: those registered under section A (Master degree)
of the professional body register who can perform more complex tasks than those registered
under section B (Bachelor degree) of the professional body register;
• In Portugal there are also two categories of civil engineers with different levels of responsibility.
In particular, engineers with higher education of 5 years are authorised to perform tasks of greater
complexity.

Distinction based on levels of responsability:
• There may also exist various levels of responsibility depending upon the professional's
experience or qualification:
•The coexistence of unitary and fragmented systems might create barriers to cross-border
mobility especially for civil engineers moving from a country with a unitary system to a one
with a fragmented system and vice versa: for instance, for an Austrian engineer moving
to Latvia, given that in Austria a civil engineer can perform any kind of work in any
sector it is not clear to which sector of civil engineering he will have access to in Latvia
and whether it would be feasible to have access to all sectors without heavy
compensatory measures.

Reserves of activities:
• certain Member States regulate the profession by way of 'reserves of activities' linked to professional
qualification requirements, meaning that a service provider cannot exercise the profession unless he
has the qualification required or a qualification recognized as equivalent, other Member States regulate the
profession with regard to the title.
• Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom legally protect the use of the professional
title, which means that while access to the profession is free, the service provider needs to hold the
necessary qualification requirements only if he wants to use the title. In practice and depending on the
Member State, the use of the title may be necessary because of market expectations and acceptance by
the public.
• In France, the title protected is “ingénieur diplômé”. However engineers in the public service are not
necessarily “ingénieur diplomé” and there is no regulation requiring a title or a “qualification” in order to
sign an official document. In general, engineers are employees and the responsibility for the signature lies
with the company.
• In the United Kingdom, the legally protected titles MICE (Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers)
and Chartered Civil Engineer, along with Engineering Council registration as Chartered Engineer,
Incorporated Engineer or Engineering Technician. These titles may only be used by individuals who are
Members of ICE and registered with the Engineering Council at the appropriate grade.

Reserves of activities:
•A small number of Member States, i.e.
• Croatia,
• Cyprus,
• Italy,
• Malta,
• Portugal (for Engineers and Engenheiro Técnico upon registration in the professional body)
• and Spain
• not only regulate the profession by way of reserved activity but also protect the use of the title.
• Portugal has reported that due to fraudulent activity a specific declaration system has been
introduced, for the Engenheiros Técnicos by the National professional body.

Academic + professional qualification:
• All member states require an academic qualification to perform the profession of civil engineer
• a higher education qualification is required attesting studies whose duration is from 3 to 5
years:
• Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy (Bachelor of 3 years for section B and
Master of 5 years for section A), Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania (3 or 4 years), Liechtenstein,
Malta (4 or 5 years), Poland (3, 5 years for civil engineers and Master 5 years), Romania (4 years),
Switzerland (at least 3 years); Denmark - building surveyor and Iceland (210 ECTS); Luxembourg,
Spain (Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y Puertos: either Bachelor + Masters' Degree (4+2) or Pre-
Bologna integrated Masters Degree (5 or 6 years) Ingeniero Técnico de Obras Públicas: Bachelor
Degree 3 of or 4 years), Slovakia (Master of 4 years); Greece (5 years); Croatia, Hungary, Portugal,
(Master of 5 years or Degree of 3 years for civil engineers and Degree of 3 years for Engenheiros
Técnicos), Slovenia (between 3 and 10 years depending on the level of the initial qualification and the
complexity of the structure on which the engineer will work).

• a few Member States also accept qualifications which are not part of the higher education
system:
• in the Czech Republic, Slovakia (for site manager and construction supervisor) and Finland
access to the profession is also open to those holding secondary education
• Finland accepts persons who do not have any of the qualifications required but skills are
considered as adequate
• In Poland, access to the profession of manager of construction work in a limited capacity is also
opened to those holding a title of technician, or master craftsman, or a diploma at the level of
technician
• In the United Kingdom there is a specific regime in the way that qualifications of civil
engineersit is based on the assessment of competence to an internationally-recognised standard,
which is open to anyone who can demonstrate that they have met those standards, regardless
of how the competence has been acquired. This means that it is possible for someone to
leave school at 16 with no formal academic qualifications and professionally qualify as Chartered
engineer in later life.

• Professional experience is required in the following Member States:
• Austria, Slovakia (at least 3 years); Bulgaria (between 2 and 4 years); the Czech Republic
(between 3 and 5 years depending on the level of the academic qualification); Latvia (between 3
and 5 years depending on the level of the academic qualification); Lithuania (between 3 and 5
years for activities with structures of exceptional significance); Luxembourg (2 years); Malta
(one or 2 years); Slovenia (between 3 and 10 years depending on the level of the academic
qualification: higher education or not); Poland (between 1,5 and 4 years depending on the level
of the academic qualification: higher education or not, the profession performed and the level of
responsibility: full or restricted capacity), Finland and the United Kingdom.

• In the following Member States a professional examination is required to become an
engineer:
• In the following Member States a professional examination is required to become an
engineer:
•Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Poland and Slovakia.
• In some Member States there is an authorisation/certification process for some professional
categories: Denmark (for structural engineers); Lithuania (for head of constructions of
structures of exceptional significance); Czech Republic (for construction managers).

• Professional Liability:
• In almost all EU countries, there is a principle that the consulting engineer can be
held jointly and severally liable, which means that any single defendant who is held
jointly and severally liable may be requested by the claimant to pay 100% of the
damages.
• The defendant who paid the claimant has recourse against the other jointly and
severally liable defendants for their portion ofthe damages, but bears the risk of their
insolvency (the so-called ‘deep pocket’ syndrome).
• In other words, if one of the jointly and severally liable contractors or consulting
engineers goes bankrupt, the client can oblige one of the others to pay, even when
their share of the damage is small.
• In Italy the "ingegnere collaudatore" (structural design reviewer) and the "direttore
lavori" (construction supervisor), may also be severally liable.

• Professional Liability:

• Mandatory Professional Liability Insurance:

• Professional Liability Insurance:
• Some national rules dictate whether consulting civil engineers are
obliged to insure their professional liability
• Several countries have no statutory requirement onthe duty to
maintain any insurance.
• This is the case for instance in Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland,
Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, England and Ireland:
• in all these countries there is no legal requirement for the consulting
engineer to take out any professional liability insurance or for the client to
take out any project specific defect liability insurance.

• in Member States where no mandatory insurance is imposed by any statute, the
contractual provisions often require the consulting engineers to take out insurance:
• in Denmark, no statutory law imposes mandatory insurance. However,all standard
conditions of contract require the consulting firm to be insured. However, it is not possible to
generalize coverage, which depends on the project. The duration of the cover is generally 5
years following handover of the building (10 years in the case of private consumers).
• in the Netherlands, there is no statutory obligation for a consulting firmto have insurance
(see below). However, NL ingenieurs members are required to carry insurance cover for at
least €1million. Consulting firms that are not a member of NL ingenieurs or other trade
organisationshave no insurance obligation. However, clients oftenask for such an insurance
(no figures are available on this issue).

• in Finland, the statute law does not impose any mandatory insurance. However, it is
customary to find in the contract conditions a duty for the consulting engineer to be
covered by insurance.
• in Norway, the General Conditions NS8401, NS8402, NS 8403 and NS8404 also impose
on the consulting engineer a duty to be insured. The limit for the liability according to
these General Conditions NS 8401, 8402 and 8404 is 150 price base amounts,
approximately NOK 12.3 million (1.17 Mio EUR),and the duration is 5 years.

• in Sweden, according to the general conditions ABK 09, there is a duty for the consulting
engineer to be insured. The limit for the liability according to the ABK 09 is 120 price base
amounts, approximately SEK 5 million (460 thousands EUR), and the duration is 10 years.
The typical standard professional damage insurance for architects and consultants is based
on the ABK 09 and has the same limit of 120 price base amounts per assignment with a
maximum of 360 price base amounts per year.
• The insurance is renewable on a yearly basis. If the contractor requires insurance with an
insurance amount earmarked for one specific project, the consultant can subscribe to
specialproject insurance. In mostof these cases, the clientsetsa higher amount than 120
base amounts and is almost always the one who pays for the insurance, even if the
consultant is the insured party.

• in England and Ireland where standard forms of contract governing the relations between
the client and the consulting engineer generally require the consulting engineer to be
insured.
• In Ireland consulting contracts will generally contain requirements regarding the
maintaining of Public, Employers Liability and Professional Indemnity insurances. The
indemnity limit requirements on Public liability will vary depending on the contract this can
also be the case for Employers liability, but in general firms are required to maintain a
minimum cover of €13 million any one occurrence and unlimited in the period of insurance.

• in countries where there are no general conditions as such, it is less frequent for
contracts to require the consulting firms to provide insurance, except in public works:
• This is for instance the case in Belgium, Turkey and Hungary. However, even in these
countries, there is a growing tendency for contracts to stipulate a duty on the consulting
engineers to be insured, especially in the case of public works and large projects
• A similar observation is made in France, where the client often demands a decennial
insurance, also for constructions exempted of the compulsory insurance. However, the
market does not offer such insurance. The consulting firms generally have two annual
insurances: a compulsory insurance, with a limit of guarantee of €3 million, and a
professional liability insurance to cover all kinds of liability except the decennial liability,
with a cover depending on the average price of the projects studied (between €1 to 10
million).

• in countries where there are no general conditions as such, it is less frequent for
contracts to require the consulting firms to provide insurance, except in public works:
• In Germany also, despite the absence of general conditions specifically applicable to the
consulting engineers, most consulting engineers are in fact covered by professional liability
insurance. This is especially the case for the consulting engineers who intend to act as
architect, because one of the requirements prior to the registration at the BAK
(Bundesarchitektenkammer -professional body of architects) is that architects have taken
out a professional liability insurance.
• The same applies in Austria, where it is very common for contracts to require the
consulting engineer to provide insurance. This insurance is normally not connected with
a certain project but is a general coverage up to a certain liability sum. Of course, the
necessary minimum insurance sum that is required from the consulting engineer by the
client often depends on the size and complexity of the project.

• Expertise, responsability and traditions (some anectodes):
• The way of working of the structural designers strongly depends on the country
• In Serbia, often surprised by the qualification of engineers and of the quality of
structural calculations "by hand" from the 1955.
• Italian young structural engineers, because of the higher educational system, are
initially mathematically very skilled but less on a practical point of view (need
experience).
• In India, the qualification of the engineer is very variable on the person. Often the
employees are culturally less motivated and tend to "delegate" tasks.

• The way of working of the structural designers strongly depends on the country
• In Austria, the engineering companies (this is true also for other sectors) tend to work
less hours. Also workers are usually not allowed to work on Sunday unless for public
safety.
• In some other countries (Italy, Serbia..), it might happen hat close to project deadline
employees work all night until completion
• Burocracy, tendering and contracting might be tough in Italy, and also safety controls
on building site.
• In Italy, the contract negotiation can take week or months. In Germany or Austria,
contracts are mostly standard and usually negotiated in a few days.

• In more developed countries, the internal quality control (QA or QM-System) is taken
very seriously.
• The figure of the external design reviewer is also very important.
• The ISO-9001 certification is also be taken very seriously by the engineering
company.
• In less developed contries (India) there is not really a the legally recognised figure of
the design reviewer, therefore, client and contruction company tend to redistribute
responsability with multiple consultant. Very often, a Western consultant is strictly
required by the client in order to acquire the tender.

• Austrian construction companies have smaller execution related risks than Italian
ones:
• Due to very detailed BOQs, which consider prices for most of problems that can take
place (e.g. geotechnical risk, idle times etc..)
• In Italy, the geotechnical risk is most often taken by the construction company.
• This brings the projects to stop due to claims and arbitrate, and often contruction
companies to go bankrupt.

• Austrian construction companies have smaller execution related risks than Italian
ones:
• In Austria and Germany the public clients pays usually monthly invoces at 30 days
and very regularly (8% interest otherwise)
• In Italy, the invoices of the construction companies are payed with 5-6 months after
the execution.

Thank you for attention!
+371 67013100www.em.gov.lv@EM_gov_lv,@siltinam /ekonomikasministrija Brīvības iela 55, Rīga, LV-1519, Latvia pasts@em.gov.lv

Good practice in structural design - Dr. Ing. Massimo Penasa

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Good practice in structural design - Dr. Ing. Massimo Penasa