What does it mean when drawings are 'PE-endorsed'?
It means a Professional Engineer registered with the Professional Engineers Board, and holding a practising certificate in force for that branch of work, has signed the drawings or calculations as the responsible engineer. Under the Professional Engineers Act, documents that the law requires a PE to sign are invalid if signed by anyone else. The PE Code also forbids a PE from signing plans for an approval unless they were prepared, checked or verified by the PE or staff under the PE's supervision.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in PE Endorsement in Singapore: What It Legally Means and Why Engineer Independence Matters. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
A PE endorsement is a statutory signature: only a Professional Engineer registered with the PEB and holding a practising certificate in force may sign plans or certificates that the law requires a PE to sign, and documents signed otherwise are invalid. The endorsing PE owes duties to the client, the regulator and the public, which is why owners are better served appointing and paying the engineer directly.
More questions on this topic
- How do I check that an engineer is a real, practising PE?
- Is it illegal for a contractor to arrange the PE for my works?
- What is the difference between a PE and a Qualified Person (QP)?
- Can the same PE design and supervise my works?
- Can a PE give a contractor a commission for referring work?
- Who does the PE owe duties to if the contractor pays the fee?
- What happens if my QP stops acting halfway through the works?