Certified Engineer Process

MDOT Certified Engineer Process

MDOT maintains a four-year Engineer Certification Program, approved by the FHWA, for construction engineers, licensed assistant construction engineers, licensed consultant project engineers and licensed local agency project engineers. Engineers who obtain certification have demonstrated proficiency in the oversight, administration, and proper documentation of federal-aid construction projects.

Certified engineers in good standing may close out projects they have overseen without an MDOT Final Project Review. To maintain the integrity of the certification program, certified engineers are also subject to random audits to verify compliance with proper documentation requirements and established project administration procedures..

Engineer certification is independent of the engineer’s work location and is transferable to other projects, offices, and teams where the engineer is responsible for construction project administration . Regardless of the composition of the project team or the length of time the engineer has been assigned to the project, the certified engineer is ultimately responsible for the project's documentation and compliance.

Certified engineers must complete the recertification process before their current certification expires to maintain their certification status. They are also required to keep their contact and employment information current with the Construction Field Services (CFS) Construction Contracts Unit Certification Engineer to ensure their certification remains active.

Current Certified Engineers

See the revised record certification list (September 2026) below.

Certified Engineer Application Process

The process to apply for certified engineer status is as follows:

• Submit electronic request to the CFS Certification Engineer requesting certification application.
• Submit certification application and required supporting documents to the CFS Certification Engineer.

Certified Engineer Application Requirements

Required supporting documents for Certified Engineer Application:

• Copy of current professional engineer license as issued by the State of Michigan
• MDOT Office Technician certification. Provide either:
  • Current Office Technician Certificate of Completion OR
  • Expired Office Technician Certificate of Completion and Current Office Technician Exam (Recertification) Certificate of Completion
• The applicant must submit a list of all projects for which they have been in responsible charge during the previous two years, as well as all projects they are currently administering. Engineers will not be eligible for Engineer Certification until they can provide two completed projects and one active project for review that have occurred within the past two years. Projects submitted for engineer certification application must meet the following criteria:
  • The engineer must have been in responsible charge (including contract change orders, pay estimates, extensions of time, notices of non-compliance, and other contract administration activities.) for the majority (51% or more) of the project’s duration and through project closeout.
  • Projects must include major items of work from multiple divisions of the Standard Specifications for Construction. Projects with all major work under a single pay item or division will only be considered if the other submitted projects contain a more diverse cross section of work across multiple divisions.
  • The CFS Certification Engineer will examine two completed projects and one active project (for which the final estimate has not yet been generated) selected from the applicant's submitted list.

The CFS Certification Engineer, with approval from the CFS Construction Contracts Engineer, may waive specific certification requirements under special circumstances, such as when an engineer has been assigned to a single large multi-year project or when other unique circumstances justify an exception.

Certified Engineer Application Review Procedures

• The CFS Certification Engineer will review the applicant’s recent history of timely project closeout and evaluate the applicant’s recent Final Project Review reports.
• The CFS Certification Engineer will compare the applicants submitted project list with the central office project list and select the 3 projects for review, consisting of TWO completed projects and ONE active project
• Project reviews will be performed on the project documentation “as submitted”. Any deficient items identified during the review will receive a negative score.
• All deficiencies identified during the review must be corrected by the engineer seeking certification.
  • Appeals regarding the scoring of deficient items must be submitted to the CFS Certification Engineer. If the issue cannot be resolved, the engineer may appeal to the CFS Construction Contracts Engineer, whose decision will be final. The discovery of any major deficiency during the review will result in denial of Engineer Certification. Refer to Project Closeout Escalation of Accountability Major Deficiency section for definitions and examples of major deficiencies.
• To obtain certification, the engineer must achieve a minimum score of 80 percent on Form 1117. Applicants who do not achieve a passing score must wait one year before reapplying. Projects reviewed as part of an initial certification application may not be resubmitted as part of a subsequent application if the applicant does not successfully obtain certification.

Certified Engineer Status

• Engineers may certify only those projects for which their certification was active before the project’s contract completion date.

• Engineers may not certify projects where they were not in responsible charge for a majority (51% or more) of the project duration and through project closeout.

• Engineer certification is valid for a period of four years unless it is revoked or the engineer is placed on probation before the certification period expires.
• Engineers who are on probation may not certify any projects. Engineers whose certification has been revoked or has otherwise expired may not certify projects unless specifically authorized by Construction Field Services (CFS).

Certified Engineer Review Audits

The CFS Certification Engineer or a designated representative (consultant) will conduct periodic engineer certification review audits to verify that certified engineers are maintaining project documentation in accordance with MDOT requirements. These audits help ensure the integrity and consistency of the Engineer Certification Program throughout the four-year certification period.

The following requirements apply to Engineer Certification Review Audits:

• Review audits may be conducted on projects closed by the certified engineer within the previous 12 months
• If the certified engineer has not closed a project during the previous 12 months, the review audit will be postponed until the following year.
• Projects will be selected at random without prior notice.
• Review audits will generally be conducted no more than once per year.
• Review audits may be performed remotely through ProjectWise.

Unsatisfactory Review Audit

If a review audit identifies unacceptable deficiencies, the following actions may be taken:

• The certified engineer may be placed on probation.
• Engineers on probation may not close out projects under their Engineer Certification.

Probation

While an engineer is on probation, the following process will apply:

• The CFS Certification Engineer will re-examine the deficient project after 30 days.
  • If the identified deficiencies have not been corrected, the engineer’s certification will be revoked.
  • If the project with deficiencies have been corrected, then a second randomly selected project will be reviewed.
    • If the second project passes the review, the engineer will be removed from probation.
    • If the second project fails the review, the engineer's certification will be revoked. The engineer will not be eligible to apply for recertification for a minimum of one year from the date that their certification was revoked.

Loss of certification

If an engineer's certification is revoked:

• All projects administered by the engineer from that point forward will be subject to the standard MDOT Final Project Review process.
• Any appeals on loss of certification must be submitted to the CFS Construction Contracts Engineer.

Certified Engineer Renewal Process

• Engineer Certification remains valid for a period of four years, provided the engineer has not lost certification during that time. At the end of the four-year certification period, the engineer must successfully complete the renewal process to maintain certification.
  • To renew Engineer Certification, the certified engineer must:
    • Send a written request for renewal to the CFS Certification Engineer at least 3 months prior to the certification expiration date.
    • Submit a list of all MDOT-let projects for which the engineer has been in responsible charge during the previous two years. To be eligible for renewal, the engineer must have a minimum of two completed projects and one active project completed or administered within the previous two years, consistent with the Engineer Certification application requirements.
    • Provide project documentation for a sample of projects selected by the CFS Certification Engineer. Project selection and review will be conducted using the same criteria established for the initial Engineer Certification application.
    • Demonstrate satisfactory performance on any Engineer Certification Review Audits completed during the current certification period

In addition, applicants for renewal must submit one of the following:

• A certificate of completion for the full three-day MDOT Certified Office Technician course completed within the previous four years

OR

• An expired Certificate of Completion for the MDOT Certified Office Technician course AND a current Certificate of Completion for the MDOT Certified Office Technician Recertification.

Applicants who do not successfully complete the renewal process must wait one year before applying for certification again through the standard Engineer Certification application process. The CFS Certification Engineer, with approval from the CFS Construction Contracts Engineer, may waive specific renewal requirements when special circumstances justify an exception for renewal.

LAP Project Considerations

If a local agency engineer administers federally funded local agency projects completed by non-competitive bid contract (force account), at least one force account project must be included in the projects selected for review as part of the Engineer Certification application or renewal process

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