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In response to professional liability problems so severe that professional liability (PL) insurers worldwide withdrew coverage to geoprofessionals, geotechnical engineering firms organized in 1969 to establish the Associated Soil and Foundation Engineers (ASFE). ASFE’s mission was to learn why claims were rampant and to develop programs, services, and materials member firms could apply to improve their situations. While hardly in a position to tout “mission accomplished,” ASFE’s leaders were greatly heartened by an independent 1985 survey indicating ASFE-member firms were able to obtain PL coverage from most AE insurers at rates lower than most other AE firms. The survey also revealed that ASFE members were the most profitable of all the nation’s design and environmental firms.

The organization was prospering, too. Membership had grown considerably and, emboldened by their risk-management prowess, many member firms got into other services, including environmental, construction materials engineering and testing (CoMET), and civil engineering. This diversification prompted the group to develop a more discipline-neutral name, which it did by adopting its by-then well-known acronym — ASFE — as the group’s legal name. For clarity’s sake, the organization added taglines to explain itself. Most recently, it became ASFE/The Geoprofessional Business Association, but that change was just one of several.

The group also embraced a new purpose, “To maximize the geoprofessions’ importance and value to the marketplace.” This was viewed as a bold step by an organization widely recognized for its risk-management services. But truth be told, the organization had expanded beyond risk management more than a decade ago. Its new venue: business management, because when all is said and done, the best way to manage risk is to do things right to begin with. But still, we were focused on ourselves and not the world around us. Now, all that has changed. Today, we’re focusing on the markets where geoprofessionals are commoditized and marginalized; where we’re regarded as more or less the same; where we have little opportunity to apply what we know so we can add value to a project; where we’re just order-takers.

Regrettably, in those markets, we have no one to blame but ourselves and we’re continuing to do things wrong. For example, many of the client representatives and professional colleagues in those markets believe geoprofessionals want to evade responsibility. And all too often, the criticisms are valid. Well, a project team member who wants to evade responsibility is not a good consultant. And if too many do it, of course they’ll all be tarred with the same brush … and they’ll all be marginalized. That’s not to say that geoprofessionals or any other project-team member should accept someone else’s responsibilities and risks, but you do need to step up to the plate when they’re your own; that’s what professionals do. 

As it so happens, everything we’ve learned over the years shows that professionalism is a service business’ and profit’s best friend. Professionalism creates long-term relationships, and those are the vehicles that bring clients back. Repeat business increases profits and lowers risks, because you’re dealing with better scopes and with people you know how to please. This is demonstrated especially in those markets where ASFE-member firms have earned the respect and trust of their client representatives and colleagues and participate in project decision-making; in the heavy and light rail markets; in tunnels, levees, earth dams, brownfields, offshore work, high-rises, and so on. Most of the client representatives involved understand the importance of a solid geoprofessional service as a reliable subsurface evaluation that gives well-thought-out recommendations with the client’s needs and preferences in mind.

The markets where marginalization and commoditization are most common — residential, commercial, and institutional vertical construction — also generate the most projects. And given the marginalization and commoditization that geoprofessionals confront in these markets, it’s not difficult to understand why geoprofessional problems seem to be the most common source of construction problems, such as unanticipated subsurface conditions, delays, budget overruns, failures, claims, disputes, and litigation. Our experience shows that most of these problems are avoidable, if only owners would retain and listen to geoprofessionals who genuinely hold their clients’ interests foremost. Of course, that's not going to happen until geoprofessionals change their own behavior.

One of the new behaviors some will have to embrace is taking the time to learn about the client’s needs and the client representative’s preferences, permitting geoprofessionals to develop unique, non-commoditized recommendations with respect to scope, budget, and schedule. In that way, geoprofessionals can provide what client representatives regard as a far better service, thus helping to increase the demand for better services at the same time that ASFE works to increase the supply of more effective geoprofessional consultants. Fortunately, we have hundreds of case histories that demonstrate how an investment in a high-quality geoprofessional service saved far more than the cost of the service itself.

Somewhat ironically, our new direction may do more for risk management than anything else we’ve done before. Historically, ASFE has created umbrellas geoprofessionals could use to protect themselves from the various risks that seemed to rain down on them. The fact is, most of these risks stem from projects whose owners and design professionals marginalize geoprofessionals. If we can change those attitudes by exhibiting the kind of professional behavior we need to, we can stop the rain.

We’re embarking on that effort by building alliances with other geoprofessional organizations so we can share our knowledge and experience and thus educate more geoprofessionals about what it takes to perform what client representatives regard as an outstanding professional service. We also plan to reach out to client and colleague groups — the decision-makers and decision-influencers — so they understand how they can benefit from a better service and realize that people and firms are available right now to help them. They also have a vested interest in helping us achieve our new purpose, because focusing on geoprofessional issues focuses on the single-most risk-prone element of a construction project. Dealing more effectively with geoprofessional issues means fewer misunderstandings, more effective information about subsurface conditions, better recommendations, fewer unanticipated conditions, fewer delays, fewer budget overruns, fewer claims, and fewer disputes.

Obviously, a better service performed by a superior professional will cost more than an off-the-shelf service performed by a professional who doesn't seem to care. Will clients be willing to pay more? Absolutely, as long as that premium buys them a better service that saves time and/or money. And every time it does, we’ll have created more decision-makers and decision-influencers who understand that geoprofessional services — like just about all professional services — are not commodities unless those purchasing them and those providing them regard them as commodities. As we do that, we’ll be doing more to end marginalization.

Now the challenge is to make people understand — and that means geoprofessional people, too — that to be a professional service and not a commodity, the professional service must be performed well. That’s a lot easier said than done, but it has to be done to be effective. Not all geoprofessionals are going to buy into this approach; we know that. As in just about any area of human endeavor, there are those who are far better at getting the work than performing it; who like being selected based on what they charge rather than what they’re capable of providing. They don’t care if they’re treated like commodities, because that’s exactly how they treat their clients. They’re a big part of the problem, to be sure. But an even bigger part of the problem are those who understand all this and choose to do nothing about it. ASFE members are a big part of the solution, and they’re willing to share to help get all geoprofessionals to where they want to be. You are an even bigger part of the solution, because we won’t have a solution until you get involved, too. Please do. It will be worth your while.

James W. Martin, P.E., a vice president and principal of AMEC’s Earth & Environmental Division in Nashville, Tenn., is the 2010-2011 president of ASFE/The Geoprofessional Business Association. Also a past chair of AMEC’s Technical Council, Martin is part of AMEC’s Infrastructure Sector leading the rail services and levee groups, and is one of the principals helping to guide the firm’s geotechnical practice. Martin has more than 30 years of experience in multiple aspects of geotechnical, environmental, and civil engineering.