A Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) is an engineer who is registered by the Board of Professional Engineers Queensland to provide professional engineering services in Queensland as required under the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (Qld).
Work certification and RPEQ identification
(Source: http://cpeng.info/bpeq/whattodo.html)
All BPEQ prosecutions have been levied against RPEQ engineers personally, and not their company employers! By certifying work with your RPEQ number and signing the work, you are open to BPEQ prosecution.
Moreover, a BPEQ practice note states that - engineer RPEQs are not required to personally certify or identify themselves for work carried out on behalf of company employers!. See BPEQ Practice Note.
The original practice note has been removed from the BPEQ site 1st October 2009. You can view it below. In particular note the last 2 paragraphs.
Defence against unfair BPEQ legal action
Refuse to sign, and do not notate your RPEQ number and your identity on any government forms, drawings, computations and the like.
If actions are taken against you by the BPEQ, you should - NOT volunteer any information, NOT write any reports, and NOT answer any questions - without first obtaining legal advice.
Do not employ staff unless you are continually watching, as under the BPEQ policy you are responsible and liable for their actions.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
It is not generally known that PI insurance in Queensland does not cover the expense of actions by the BPEQ against the registered engineer. Insurance brokers claim that PI insurance costs are higher in Queensland, due to their actions. Other insurance options are available however. For assistance on this topic contact
ofni.gnepc|ip#ofni.gnepc|ip
Disband the BPEQ and repeal or revise the PE Act.
Engineers in Queensland need to bring the increasing bureaucratic oppression of their members to a stop. Heavy handed and punitive amendments to the PE act aimed at the professional engineer have recently been sanctioned by the Queensland Government. There is no good reason why Queensland Engineers should pay BPEQ subscription fees to support prosecutions against themselves and their colleagues when more reasonable processes that would serve Queensland better are possible.
To demand the repeal or revision of the PE Act and dismiss the BPEQ you can
Write to your local member of parliament
Write to the Queensland State Premier PO Box 15185 City East Qld 4002 Phone: (07) 3224 4500 Fax: (07) 3221 3631
Write to the state government minister responsible GPO Box 2457 Brisbane 4001, ua.vog.dlq.lairetsinim|tcihwp#ua.vog.dlq.lairetsinim|tcihwp Ph: (07) 4927 5299 Fax: (07) 4927 8212
Write to the leader of the opposition John-Paul Langbroek, MP Level 6, Parliamentary Annexe Alice Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 PH 07 3406 7997 Fax: 3221 1496 Toll Free: 1800 556 956 Electorate Office: 553 89833 E-mail:ua.vog.dlq.noitisoppo|redael#ua.vog.dlq.noitisoppo|redael
What useful purpose you might ask does the BPEQ serve anyway?
Your comments and experiences would be welcomed - contact the address below to leave your input.
ofni.gnepc|ylper#ofni.gnepc|ylper
The following document has been removed from the BPEQ Web Site. Why?
Note in particular the last 2 paragraphs.
PRACTICE NOTE – PROJECT CERTIFICATION BY ENGINEERING
COMPANIES
This Practice Note is issued by the board to clarify to relevant stakeholders
the board’s views on certain issues relating to project certification by
engineering companies in the context of the Professional Engineers Act 2002.
Background
Under the previous Act it was established practice for many clients and
Approval Authorities to require an RPEQ Certification of engineering work.
Typically this was provided under the RPEQ name and number of the
Registered Professional Engineering Company or Unit which contracted to
carry out the work. Under the new Act registration of Companies and Units
has been discontinued, and companies which have contracted to carry out
engineering work covered by the Act are unable to provide Certification in
their own name. As a consequence clients and Approval Authorities have
been asking for personal certification in the name of the individual engineers
involved. This practice creates the anomalous situation in which individual
staff are being asked to personally fulfil a contractual obligation entered into
by their employer. The employer may also find itself unable to complete it’s
contractual obligations as it’s existing staff have no obligation (under their
existing conditions of employment) to provide such certification.
Intent of the New Act
Section 3 of the Act states that its objectives are:
•
“to protect the public by ensuring professional engineering services are
provided by a registered professional engineer in a professional and
competent way; and
•
To maintain public confidence in the standard of services provided by
registered professional engineers; and
•
To uphold the standards of practice of registered professional
engineers.”
In his second reading speech (Queensland Hansard 1 August 2002) the
Honourable R E Schwarten, Minister for Public Works and Minister for
Housing, stated:
“The bill does not set out to regulate the practice of
engineering except to the extent necessary to ensure that
professional engineering services are only provided by
registered engineers.”
For the purposes of this Practice Note, it is important to note that the effect of
section 115 of the Professional Engineers Act 2002 is that professional
engineering services in an area of engineering must only be carried out by or
under the supervision of a registered professional engineer who is registered
under the Act in respect of that area of engineering.
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Contractual Position in Relation to the Act
It is common, particularly on larger projects, that the commercial contract for
the provision of the engineering services is with an engineering company, not
with an individual registered professional engineer. In these circumstance,
whilst the Act requires that professional engineering services in the relevant
area of engineering be carried out by or under the supervision of an
appropriately registered person, there is no statutory requirement that the
relevant registered professional engineer(s) involved provide personal
certification of the work.
The Board’s View on Certification
The Board’s view is that, in such circumstances, it is consistent with the Act
for the project certification as to compliance with the Professional Engineers
Act and any relevant code of practice under the Act to be by the engineering
company. It is consistent with the Act that an appropriate officer or employee
of the engineering company certify compliance with the Act and any relevant
code of practice. Identification of the particular registered professional
engineer or engineers on the Certificate is not required.
Issued by the Board on 26 August 2004
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