We structural engineer spend our lives calculating forces, loads, and safety factors. Analyse earthquakes, winds, and moments that most people can’t even visualise. We take pride in designing buildings that stand tall and keep people safe. But the real pain of being a structural engineer? It’s not the complexity of design. It’s the negotiation of our worth. “Sir, can you reduce your fees a little?” Every project, every client meeting the same question appears, sometimes politely, sometimes casually.
The irony? We are the ones who carry the responsibility if anything goes wrong. Our signatures are not just formalities they are legal liabilities. Yet when it comes to professional fees, we’re often treated as an optional expense.
An architect’s drawings can be admired. An interior designer’s work can be seen and felt. But our contribution the structure that holds it all together often remains invisible until something goes wrong.
What People Don’t See
When a client negotiates our fees, they’re not bargaining with numbers they’re bargaining with time, quality, and safety. A good structural engineering design involves:
- Detailed analysis based on soil conditions and building type
- Coordination with architects and MEP consultants
- Structural detailing that ensures constructability and economy
- Site visits and revisions based on actual conditions
All of this takes time, experience, and technical depth the very things that protect their investment and people’s lives. When fees are squeezed unrealistically, something else inevitably suffers: less time for checking, less attention to detail, fewer reviews. And that’s when safety starts slipping through the cracks.
Cheap Design Costs More
Many clients don’t realise this simple truth: A cheap design often turns into an expensive mistake. Saving a few thousand on design can later cost:
- Lakhs in structural repairs or retrofitting
- Delays in construction due to unclear drawings
- Even risk to life and property
Good civil engineering doesn’t cost it saves. It saves materials, construction time, and long-term maintenance headaches. So instead of asking “How cheap can you do it?” the better question is “How safely and efficiently can you design it?”
Why We Shouldn’t Undercut
When structural engineer themselves start lowering fees to win work, the entire profession loses. It sets the wrong expectation in the market that engineering is a commodity not a professional service. It pushes quality engineers out of business and rewards those who take shortcuts.
As professionals, we must learn to say no when our value is questioned. Our drawings aren’t just lines, they’re decisions backed by accountability. Each beam size, each column location, each reinforcement detail, it’s a choice made for safety, not for profit.
A Message to Clients
If you truly value safety, durability, and peace of mind, respect the structural engineer ’s fee. That fee represents not just hours of work, but years of learning, site experience, and responsibility. Just like you wouldn’t negotiate a surgeon’s fee before an operation, don’t bargain with the person responsible for your building’s stability.
A Message to Fellow Engineers
Let’s stop apologising for charging fair fees. We design structures that stand strong through wind, rain, and earthquakes. We ensure safety silently, behind the scenes. It’s time to remind the world and ourselves that our worth is not up for negotiation.