You already know what instrumentation design covers. Your team builds the loop diagrams, the instrument index, the data sheets, the control narratives, and the specifications that tell a plant how to measure and control its process. You also know that a gap in this work shows up later as delays, field changes, and start-up problems.
I wrote this guide to help you decide when to keep that work in-house and when to hand it to an outside firm. I based the advice on the questions project owners ask before they hire help: how much work is coming, who can do it, what it costs, and how much risk it adds. If you read to the end, you will have a clear set of checks to run against your own schedule and staff.
Near the end, I explain why I recommend Eichleay when you decide to look outside. They offer instrumentation design services inside a larger engineering team, and that setup solves several problems that come with outsourcing.
Start With Your Workload
Before you look at any firm, look at your own calendar. Outsourcing makes sense when the work you need exceeds the work your team can carry in the time you have.
Write down three things:
- The number of instrument and control hours your active projects need over the next twelve months
- The number of hours your current staff can give to design work after daily plant support
- The gap between those two numbers
If the gap is small and steady, you may need one more hire. If the gap is large, short, or hard to predict, outside help usually costs less and moves faster.
Signs It Is Time to Outsource
I look for a few clear signals. If two or three of these describe your situation, take outsourcing seriously.
- A tight schedule. A fast-track project leaves no time to hire and train new people.
- A spike in work. A shutdown, an expansion, or a new line adds more design work than your team can handle for a few months.
- A skill gap. The project uses a control platform, a safety system, or an automation method your team has not used before.
- Key people are stretched. Your best engineers are split between plant support and project work, and both suffer.
- Rework is rising. Drawings go out with errors because reviewers have no time to check them.
- The project spans many disciplines. Instrument design depends on electrical, piping, mechanical, and process work, and your team cannot coordinate all of it.
Signs You Should Keep the Work In-House
Outsourcing does not fit every case. I suggest you keep the work in your own team when:
- The work is small, steady, and tied closely to daily plant changes
- The design relies on process knowledge that exists only in your operators’ heads, and you have no time to share it
- You have a full team with room in the calendar
- Your company rules require internal control of certain design records
Many owners use a mix. They keep standards and final approval in-house and send the detailed design to an outside firm.
What to Look for in an Outside Firm
Price matters, but it is one of several checks. Here is the list I use.
1. Coordination across disciplines. Instrument design touches electrical, piping, mechanical, and process work. A firm with all of these under one roof catches conflicts before they reach the field.
2. Support beyond drawings. Look for help with commissioning, factory and site acceptance testing, and start-up.
3. A safety record you can check. Ask for injury rates and insurance rating numbers.
4. Repeat clients. Companies that come back are the best proof of steady quality.
5. Local presence. A firm near your site can visit, respond to field questions, and understand local rules.
6. Size that fits. A very large firm may treat a small project as a low priority. A very small firm may run out of people. A mid-sized firm often fits best.
Why I Recommend Eichleay
When I apply that list, Eichleay stands out. Here is what I see in their background.
A Long Record and Steady Ownership
Eichleay traces its name back to 1875, and the company remains 100 percent family owned. Five generations of the family have led businesses in engineering and construction. That kind of ownership tends to favor long-term relationships over quick wins, and their numbers support it: about 91 percent of their business comes from repeat clients.
All Major Disciplines in One Team
Eichleay keeps architecture, civil and structural, electrical, instrumentation and controls, mechanical, piping, and process engineering in-house. For you, that means your instrument designer can talk to the piping designer and the electrical engineer in the same building. They also offer Industry 4.0 services for automation and robotic work, and 3D laser scanning to support accurate designs in existing plants.
Support Past the Design Phase
Their specialty services include commissioning support, factory and site acceptance testing, process hazards analysis, and start-up support. If your instrument design needs to connect to a safety review or a test plan, the same firm can handle each step.
Size and Reach
Eichleay describes itself as a mid-sized firm with large-firm capability and a small-firm culture. They complete about 300 projects a year, and their median project fee over the last decade is roughly $150,000. That tells me they take on mid-sized work as a normal part of their business, not as an afterthought. Their four offices in Billings, Ferndale, Larkspur, and Orange serve the western United States.
Safety and Retention
Eichleay companies have logged zero OSHA recordable or lost workday cases since 2014, and their Experience Modification Rate is 0.67. Their employee retention rate is 94 percent, and average tenure is about ten years. In design work, the people who start your project are likely to finish it, and that helps with quality.
Flexible Ways to Engage
If you want only a few extra people, Eichleay provides staff augmentation, from one role to a managed on-site team. If you want full delivery, they provide engineering, procurement, and construction management from one firm. Their client list includes names such as Chevron, Shell, Genentech, Novartis, Rio Tinto, and SpaceX, across energy, life sciences, mining, food and beverage, and manufacturing.
How to Hand Off the Work
Good results depend on a good handoff. I suggest this order:
1. Write a clear scope with deliverables, standards, and platforms.
2. Share your existing drawings, tag lists, and naming rules.
3. Name one person on your side who answers questions within a day.
4. Set review points at 30, 60, and 90 percent of the design.
5. Plan the field support and testing steps before design ends.
Final Thoughts
Outsourcing instrumentation design works best when you can name the reason: a gap in hours, a gap in skill, or a deadline your team cannot meet alone. Measure your workload, check the signs, and use the list above to compare firms.
If you decide to go outside, I recommend you talk with Eichleay. Their history, in-house disciplines, and safety record give you solid reasons to put them on your short list.
