What's Included in a Foundation Engineering Package?

A complete metal building foundation engineering package isn't one drawing and a stamp — it's a coordinated set of deliverables that has to satisfy a permit reviewer, a contractor, and an inspector. If you're comparing quotes from different engineers, this is what you should expect to see in every one.

The Six Deliverables Every Package Should Have

1. PE-Stamped Foundation Plan

The foundation plan shows the building footprint, every footing location, every grade beam, every slab thickness change, and every anchor bolt group — all dimensioned, all labeled, and all referenced to the column grid.

What to look for:

• A live PE seal with the engineer's signature, license number, and the state where they're licensed.
• Column grid lines that match the manufacturer's anchor bolt plan exactly. (If they don't, that's a red flag — go back to the engineer.)
• Dimensioned footings with sizes, depths, and locations clearly called out — not just "see schedule."
• Anchor bolt layout with embedment, projection, and edge distances.

2. Structural Details

Cross-sections and detail callouts that show how the foundation is actually built. Typical details include:

• Spread footing section with reinforcement
• Pier or pile cap detail (if used)
• Grade beam detail
• Slab-on-grade detail with thickness, reinforcement, and vapor barrier
• Anchor bolt embedment detail
• Column base plate / leveling detail
• Perimeter insulation (if a heated building in cold climate)
• Construction joints and slab control joints

These details are what your concrete sub uses to build. Sparse details mean field improvisation, which means RFIs, which means delays.

3. General Notes Sheet

The general notes sheet documents the engineering basis. A complete general notes set includes:

• Adopted building code edition (e.g., IBC 2024, ACI 318-19, ASCE 7-22)
• Design loads (dead, live, snow, wind, seismic) used to size the foundation
• Soil parameters used (allowable bearing pressure, frost depth, lateral pressures)
• Concrete strength (typically 3,000 or 4,000 psi)
• Reinforcement grade (typically Grade 60 deformed bar)
• Anchor bolt material (typically ASTM F1554 Grade 36 or 55)
• Construction tolerances and inspection requirements
• Special inspection callouts per IBC Chapter 17 (mandatory in many jurisdictions for SDC C and above)

The general notes are often the first thing a permit reviewer looks at. They need to be specific to your project, not generic.

4. Calculation Package (the Big One)

This is what separates a complete package from a sketch. A proper PEMB foundation calculation package is typically 50–150+ pages and documents:

• All load combinations per IBC Section 1605
• Spread footing sizing (bearing, shear, flexure, two-way punching shear, one-way shear)
• Anchor bolt design per ACI 318 Chapter 17 (concrete breakout, pullout, side-face blowout, pryout, steel capacity)
• Shear transfer at the column base (hairpins, perimeter ties, or direct shear)
• Slab-on-grade design (thickness, reinforcement, joint spacing)
• Uplift and overturning checks where wind or seismic governs
• Foundation deflection and serviceability checks
• Soil-bearing checks against geotech recommendations or IBC presumptive values

The calc package is what a permit reviewer flips through to verify the engineer actually did the work. If you get a thin calc package — say 10–20 pages — that's a sign the engineer cut corners.

5. Anchor Bolt Design

Anchor bolt design lives at the intersection of the manufacturer's column and the foundation. It needs to satisfy both:

• Steel capacity of the bolt itself (per AISC and ACI 318)
• Concrete capacity at the embedment (per ACI 318 Chapter 17, including breakout cones, edge distance, and group effects)
• Shear transfer from column to foundation under lateral load
• Uplift transfer in wind or seismic regions

Anchor bolt design is one of the most-often-undersized elements in PEMB foundations, especially when the manufacturer's anchor bolt plan is treated as a finished design instead of a starting point. A complete package re-checks every bolt.

6. RFI Support and Manufacturer Coordination

Engineering doesn't end at delivery. A real package includes:

• RFI response during construction. When the contractor or the building official asks a question, the engineer of record responds.
• Manufacturer shop drawing review. The manufacturer produces shop drawings showing exactly how the steel will be fabricated. The foundation engineer should review these for consistency with the assumed reaction loads. If the manufacturer changed something, you want to catch it before the steel arrives on site.

If your engineer disappears after delivery, you're on your own when something comes up in the field. That's a real cost.

What's NOT Typically Included (And Shouldn't Be)

A few things that aren't part of a foundation engineering package, no matter who you hire:

• Geotechnical investigation. That's a separate scope from a separate firm (a geotechnical engineer, not a structural engineer). The foundation engineer reads the geotech report but doesn't produce one.
• Site civil / grading / drainage. Civil engineering scope.
• Utility design. Plumbing, electrical, mechanical — not structural.
• Erection drawings for the steel itself. That's the manufacturer's responsibility.

If a foundation engineer offers to bundle these in, they're either subcontracting or stretching their scope. Both are fine if you understand what you're paying for.

What to Ask Before You Hire

Regardless of which engineer you go with:

1. What's in the package? Get a written scope. PE stamp, foundation plan, details, general notes, calc package, anchor bolt design, RFI support — all of it.
2. What codes do you reference? IBC 2024, ASCE 7-22, ACI 318-19 are current. Older references are acceptable if your AHJ is on an older edition, but make sure both engineer and AHJ are aligned.
3. What happens when the manufacturer changes the loads? Get the revision policy in writing.
4. Are you licensed in my state? The PE stamp must be from an engineer licensed in the state of construction.
5. What's included in RFI support? Some firms charge hourly; some include it in the base price.

For more on what foundation engineering actually costs, see metal building foundation engineering cost. For why manufacturers don't include foundation engineering in the first place, see why manufacturers don't include foundation engineering.

What SteelReady Delivers

Every SteelReady package includes all six deliverables above — PE-stamped foundation plan, structural details, general notes, 100+ page calc package, full anchor bolt design per ACI 318, and RFI support through construction. Manufacturer shop drawing review is included. Revisions are unlimited and free.

Fixed pricing. No upsell tiers. What's published is what you get.

Ready to Get a Price?

Send us your reaction tables and anchor bolt plan. We'll send back a fixed-price quote within an hour.

Get a Quote · info@steelready.com · (435) 851-1522