CWB Retained Engineers

Qualimet provides CWB Division II retained engineer solutions

CWB Division II retained engineer services keep a fabricator compliant under CSA W47.1 without adding an engineer to payroll. Qualimet provides that retained engineering day to day, on a quarterly review cadence plus phone and on-demand support between visits, backed by P.Eng. registrations across six Canadian jurisdictions. The same engineer signing your certificate sits inside Qualimet’s full welding and compliance environment.

What’s included in Qualimet’s CWB retained engineering

• Due diligence on CWB application criteria.
• Assistance with CWB applications.
• Welding Procedure Specification and Data Sheet development.
• Acting as your official Retained Engineer.
• Quarterly site visits and audit reports.
• Ongoing interpretation of CSA W47.1 and CSA W59.

Not sure whether your operation falls under Division I or Division II? We’ll get you the answer.

Division II on paper isn’t the same as Division II that holds up

CWB Division II requires a retained welding engineer under CSA W47.1, but having one on paper and having one who actually supports the work are two different things. The gap shows up when a company needs the retained engineer in place to get or keep Division II status. It also shows up when a company already has one but gets no real support when a question comes up mid-shift. It also shows up when a fabricator has been working under someone else’s CWB program and needs to build a Division II certification of its own. The second case is the one Qualimet runs into most: a program that exists on paper but has drifted from what’s actually happening in the shop. The call usually comes in once that drift has become a question nobody in the shop can answer. In both cases, the certification is only the floor, and treating it as the whole service is what lets the gap grow.

One connected support system, not an engineering relationship that stops at the certificate

Behind your retained engineer sits Qualimet’s full welding and compliance environment, including pressure welding support if your scope expands, materials engineering and in-house testing, and welder qualification and testing. A scope change doesn’t need a call to a second vendor, since the same team already covers it. That’s one connected support system, not an engineering relationship that stops at the certificate.

How Qualimet’s retained engineering actually runs

1. Set up the retained relationship. Qualimet handles due diligence on your CWB application criteria and acts as your official Retained Engineer under Division II.
2. Review on a quarterly cadence. Qualimet runs site visits and audit reports on a schedule aligned to CSA W47.1, so your program gets checked before a review forces the issue.
3. Support between visits. A welding question doesn’t wait for the next scheduled visit. Qualimet is available by phone and on demand, with same-day answers.
4. Keep procedures current. Qualimet reviews your procedures and qualifications against new scopes, materials and client requirements as your work changes.

Qualimet Case Study: A Division II program that caught up with growth

A Division II structural fabricator came in with retained engineering that had stopped keeping pace with growth. New materials and connection requirements had entered the work, procedures existed on paper but didn’t match production and shop floor questions had no clear place to go. Qualimet reviewed the program on its scheduled cadence, realigned procedures with actual job requirements and connected the updates to qualification and testing. The result was clear direction on new work, fewer open questions in production and certification requirements met without added stress. It’s the same catch-up we’d run on your program if it’s drifted the same way.

Qualimet’s credentials

A retained engineer’s authority to sign only means something if it’s backed by real credentials. We’re CWB-certified and hold an ABSA Certificate of Authorization. We’re also an APEGA permit holder, with P.Eng. registrations across six jurisdictions: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Yukon. We run our own in-house testing lab and have operated since 1973. 

Active engineering review catches scope changes before production does

Once your retained engineer is actively reviewing the work, a scope change gets checked against your procedures before it becomes a production problem. A CWB audit then confirms what’s already true about your operation. Qualimet keeps procedures, welder qualifications and materials testing aligned as your work changes. Related support: Welder Qualifications, Materials Testing and Welding Procedure Specifications.

Qualimet CWB retained engineering questions

How is CWB Division II different from Division I?

Division I means your company employs a CWB-certified welding engineer directly, as staff. Division II means you retain one instead, without adding them to payroll. Both satisfy the CSA W47.1 requirement for companies fabricating or erecting steel structures in Canada, and Qualimet acts as that retained partner for the Division II route. We handle the role across our client base rather than as a single dedicated hire.

How often does Qualimet review our welding program?

We work on a quarterly review and audit cadence aligned to CSA W47.1, so your program gets checked on a set schedule rather than only at renewal time. Between those scheduled visits, we are reachable by phone or on demand for anything that comes up in production.

What happens if a welding question comes up between visits?

You call us. On-demand support between visits is part of the same retained engineering service. A procedure question or a new scope on your shop floor gets an answer without waiting for the next scheduled review. We treat that access as part of what a retained engineer actually does.

Is retained engineering just a name on a certificate?

No. The certification alone doesn’t keep a program current. Without active review, procedures drift from what’s actually happening in production and the gap tends to surface at audit time or under a client’s scrutiny. Qualimet’s quarterly cadence exists specifically to catch that drift, and we check the program against current production at every scheduled visit.

How does Qualimet help us get our own CWB program instead of borrowing one from another fabricator?

That’s a different starting point than a first application, and we treat it that way. We handle the due diligence on what your own Division II application requires and support the application itself. We also build your program from the ground up, so it belongs to your business specifically.

We’re taking on new materials or connection types. Are we still covered?

Only if your program gets reviewed against that new work, which is exactly what Qualimet’s ongoing cadence is for. We check procedures and qualifications against new scopes, materials and client requirements as they appear, so your program stays matched to the work you’re actually doing now.