Personal Liability of Chief Project Engineers: What Has Changed?
The topic of personal liability for Chief Project Engineers (CPEs) has recently become a major point of discussion within the engineering and construction industry. Many professionals believe these are new requirements, although the legislative changes actually came into force on 1 March 2026.
Why has the discussion started only now?
Over the past few months, the first practical experience of applying the new legislation has emerged. Design firms, state expert review authorities, self-regulatory organisations (SROs), and Chief Project Engineers themselves have begun to understand how the new requirements operate in practice.
To illustrate the changes, let's look at a simple example.
How it used to work
Previously, a project was prepared by a team of designers, while the Chief Project Engineer signed off on the documentation. If issues arose, responsibility was generally viewed as belonging to the design organisation as a whole. In many cases, the CPE's signature was regarded as little more than a mandatory formality.
How it works now
Imagine a design company preparing project documentation for an industrial facility.
The Chief Project Engineer coordinates the work of the design team, verifies that both the design and working documentation comply with engineering survey results, technical regulations, and the client's project brief, and then signs the documentation.
From that moment onward, the CPE assumes personal professional responsibility for the engineering decisions incorporated into the project.
What does this mean in practice?
The CPE's signature is no longer a formality. It is now essential to maintain documented evidence that technical issues were identified in a timely manner, comments and non-conformities were properly recorded, and the client was informed of any associated risks.
If state expert review authorities repeatedly issue negative opinions on projects signed by the same Chief Project Engineer, the consequences extend far beyond the reputation of the design company.
In certain circumstances, the engineer may face removal from the National Register of Construction Specialists (NRS) and lose the right to act as the lead engineer responsible for project delivery.
When leaving a company, a Chief Project Engineer must personally notify NOPRIZ within three working days.
This requirement is intended to eliminate the practice commonly referred to as "signature leasing", where an engineer is formally employed by an organisation but does not actually participate in its projects.
Changes made to working documentation also fall within the personal responsibility of the Chief Project Engineer. At the same time, such work may only be carried out by organisations that are members of a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO).
Company liability remains unchanged
The personal responsibility of the Chief Project Engineer does not replace the legal responsibility of the design organisation.
If a client suffers losses due to design errors, the company remains legally and financially liable. However, the Chief Project Engineer now faces additional professional risks associated with maintaining their status in the National Register of Construction Specialists.
A new approach to project governance
The legislative changes are also transforming the way engineering projects are managed.
More and more design firms are introducing robust internal quality assurance procedures, documenting engineering decisions, retaining correspondence, meeting records, document revisions, and client comments. Maintaining this project record is becoming an essential means of protecting both the organisation and the Chief Project Engineer.
A significant shift for the engineering industry
The signature of the Chief Project Engineer is no longer simply an approval confirming the release of project documentation. It now represents personal professional accountability for the engineering decisions incorporated into the project.
