REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER - QUEENSLAND

While the Professional Engineers Act has its origins all the way back in 1930 there are a lot of misapprehesions about it even in Queensland. The points below attempt to clear out the most common ones, although it is important to note that this does not constitute legal advice and you should consult a lawyer to confirm any and all of this.

• RPEQ "Certification" - The most common by far misapprehension is that it's acceptable to get an RPEQ to go over an engineering package of work after the work has been done. This may provide reassurance to the client that the work has been done properly and that the RPEQ who has provided the "Certification" is taking responsibility for it, but does nothing to change that the original professional engineering service was likely performed in contravention to the Act.
• We're exempt - If professsional engineering services are effectively connected with Queensland, either for or by a Queensland entity, then it either has to be performed by or supervised by an RPEQ. If it's not then the professional engineering service has potentially been provided illegally.
• It's not an "Engineering Service" - If a service requires the application of engineering principle or data to design, construct or produce and is not only provided in accorance with a prescriptive standard then it's likely to be a professional engineering service. The only exception to this is for a generic product generally available to other purchasers in other jurisdictions, hence for example the engineering performed in the design of a gas turbine across many markets would not be subject to RPEQ requirements except where engineering may be performed specifically for a project.

Refer BPEQ Practise Note:4.3 (2A)

The opinion above is provided in an effort to clarify our understanding of the Professional Engineers Act Queensland as we have been engaged in this conversation on a number of occasions. It is not a warning and is not meant in any way to suggest that a registered engineer will provide a better service than an unregistered engineer, or techinician for that matter. At the industrial level the Act is likely harmful since most clients will be sufficiently knowledgable to themselves assess the qualification of those offering professional engineering services and the RPEQ requirement then only serves to restrict access to or increases the cost of external engineering services.