What a Consulting Engineer Can Do for You   Because of their broad educational background, consulting agricultural engineers are a source of information on a wide variety of topics and can provide help with diverse technical problems. The design and management services agricultural engineers provide can be invaluable to small businesses without their own engineering departments, to agricultural producers and similar enterprises, and to large businesses or governmental agencies that want to supplement their in-house engineering departments. Consultants also can provide service to lending institutions, law firms, local units of government and planning boards, or to individuals that need expert witnesses or technical analysis. What is a Consulting Engineer? A consulting engineer is an independent contractor retained to work on a project-by-project basis.  A consulting engineer may work alone or as a member of a consulting firm. Consulting engineers can provide a high level of technical expertise, direct personal service, and highly technical advice.  Practicing consulting engineers must be licensed professional engineers in their state of residence and must qualify to obtain licensure in other states where they practice or provide services.