Needed Architect and Engineer team

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
We would like to put ourselve in contact with an A and E team for a project in the South. The plans will be prepared in the States and signed and sealed and we are looking for someone with their S-4 to review and legalize the documents here.

Therefore, little or no experience is necessary, just an S-4 will do, ie the younger and the hungrier the better. It may be possible that some additional const admin services could be negotiated. Please only post personal references and who also charge reasonable prices.

As anyone who lives here could imagine, the proposals we have been getting from some so called professionals are off the chart if not down right ludicrous.
 

bearcat

New member
Nov 12, 2008
51
18
0
Chip,

I see that you have no responses and I really wish I could help you. As a builder I have seen what is done here and will not be party to it; this country does not even have a building code. More importantly what you have here are people that know everything and we are dumb gringo's with lots of money that they can get without working.

We had planned to solve the problem you are having by hiring people who have a ticket away from their current job. Which means you own their license and copyrights.

There is no fee for service for us there is only grind the gringo for every dime. If you can not do the abovementioned leave. Simple as that! Cuba will be open soon and this place may be a ghosttown. Castro is a SOB but he respects the rule of law. That does not happen here. Here they ripe you off and pass you on to there friends.

I was talking with an architect about some work for us and she insisted I needed an engineer "friend" of hers, who knew nothing about ICF's or for that matter framing with steel. Her inisistance on her friend costs her a job; go figure.

The skill level here is not very high and with a minor earthquake a lot of what is standing is coming down.

Good luck; I wish I could be more help.

Bearcat
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
chip, my sister in law is a young architect, she recently graduated.
please let me know if you are still looking and i will send you a PM with her phone number. she speaks english.
i have no idea about her rates but i presume they are reasonable - she did some work for my friends and they did not complain...
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
Well it actually turns out that I've been able to get in touch with some people here and have gotten from one some very reasonable preliminary prices. We are waiting for the plans to be finalized in the States and we plan on getting quotes from three other groups and I feel that we should finally get some reasonable numbers.

As I've stated in other threads about doing business here, one has to search a lot more than one would have to in the States in order to get reasonable prices for service. The problem here why the locals seem to think they can ask for the moon for services or goods stems basically from ignorance, ie as this society revolves so much about nuevaiyol the locals much have these exaggerated ideas about how much goods and services go for in the States - and when they don't have a real figure they don't hesitate to ask on the "high" side, hehe.

For example, we had one very well respected and obviously intelligent individual give us a quote for US27k for something that goes for US2.5k. I confronted an associate of his about it and the guy was coming back with all of the bs answers but I finally let it drop as I could see this guy was embarrassed. This is also too why you'll find some lawyers trying to charge US350 to US500 an hour. What these dopes fail to realize is the cost of living and running a business is significantly much less here in the DR than in neuvaiyol and there is no justifiable reason to charge such exorbitant prices for normal service - yet for some odd reason this concept just goes right over their head.

Same goes with the politicians here - why do so many people here not question the wages they make - because that is what the politicians make in nuevaiyol. They could really use some decent classes in economics here with an emphasis on free market economics, that's for sure.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i am glad you foud your man (or a woman). i know people here charge crazy prices. i'd understand if they overcharge a bit but 10 times? wow.
 

bearcat

New member
Nov 12, 2008
51
18
0
Chip,

I to have been just dumb struck by what people think they can demand for thier time and what you get for a dollar. When you pay for an lawyer you should not have to correct his spelling.

To use a baseball methpor every trun at bat does not result in a home run and the most productive baseball players are the short ball hitters who do it everyday. New York scale is paid in New York because the work in New York is sometimes the best in the world. More importantly professional in the US have license and insurance to protect us from their negligence, here there is none. Therefore why the costs

I once had a lawyer ask for $15,000 for a service that should cost $2-3,000 in this country but the worse part was that it would be four years under Dominican Law before we could move on this matter; which he either did not know or worse did not tell me.

It would be better for them and very one else to get reasonable fees (the same fees charged locally) and to produce good quality work. Not a ton on money for nothing.

There are those who will argue that we need overpay these people because they have special influnce in certain departments of government. If we buy into that they are asking us to violate US law by paying a proxy to influnce a government official. Which means we could go to jail.

That is not a good selling point.

Bearcat
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
Chip,

I to have been just dumb struck by what people think they can demand for thier time and what you get for a dollar. When you pay for an lawyer you should not have to correct his spelling.

To use a baseball methpor every trun at bat does not result in a home run and the most productive baseball players are the short ball hitters who do it everyday. New York scale is paid in New York because the work in New York is sometimes the best in the world. More importantly professional in the US have license and insurance to protect us from their negligence, here there is none. Therefore why the costs

I once had a lawyer ask for $15,000 for a service that should cost $2-3,000 in this country but the worse part was that it would be four years under Dominican Law before we could move on this matter; which he either did not know or worse did not tell me.

It would be better for them and very one else to get reasonable fees (the same fees charged locally) and to produce good quality work. Not a ton on money for nothing.

There are those who will argue that we need overpay these people because they have special influnce in certain departments of government. If we buy into that they are asking us to violate US law by paying a proxy to influnce a government official. Which means we could go to jail.

That is not a good selling point.

Bearcat

If you don't necessisarily don't need a lawyer who speaks English you can save a ton of money. Let me know as I know a couple.