Written by STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
BOARD OF REGISTRATION FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS
COMPLAINT FOR PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT AND INCOMPETENCE
Complainant: Gregory B. Snow
Respondent: Edward C. Porcher, P.E.
Firm: Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.
Project: Water Tower Road Screen Wall, Barefoot Resort, North Myrtle Beach, SC
Stantec Project No.: 171015900
Date of Report: March 31, 2025
I. Nature of Complaint
Pursuant to South Carolina Code § 40-22-110(A), I respectfully submit this complaint against Edward C. Porcher, P.E., for violations of statutory and professional responsibilities arising from the preparation and conclusions of the above-referenced engineering report. The report contains significant professional deficiencies amounting to incompetence, negligence, and misrepresentation, particularly in its evaluation of a precast concrete perimeter wall.
II. Factual Basis
Count 1: Failure to Properly Investigate Project Documents (Negligence and Incompetence)
In his report, Mr. Porcher states:
“No tolerances are specified for wall panel to column connections.”
— Section III, Conclusion 3, Stantec Report, March 31, 2025
This conclusion appears to have been drawn solely from review of the structural drawings prepared by Elias Johannsson, P.E., without evaluating other critical contract documents that customarily define project tolerances, including:
- The AIA A101 Agreement and A201-2017 General Conditions;
- Permacast Quote No. 00000605 and attached product specifications;
- Submittals and engineering packages provided by Permacast.
These documents are known to reference industry-standard tolerances, including PCI MNL-135 and ACI 318, and yet there is no indication they were reviewed or considered in the preparation of the Stantec report. The omission raises the possibility that relevant documentation was either withheld from review or not made available to the professional tasked with rendering conclusions—an omission that should have been disclosed or addressed in the report.
Count 2: Misleading Conclusion Contrary to ACI and PCI Standards
According to ACI 318-14 §§1.1.1(h) and 26.2, construction tolerances must be specified in the complete body of construction documents, not just the drawings. PCI MNL-135 similarly emphasizes the need to include tolerance specifications in contracts, erection plans, or manufacturer instructions.
By asserting the absence of tolerances without reviewing the entire contract document set, Mr. Porcher rendered a conclusion that is unsupported and misleading, and misrepresents the completeness of his review.
Count 3: Lack of Qualifications in PCI Standards (Violation of Competence Standards)
Mr. Porcher has acknowledged that he possesses no education, training, or certification in PCI-related precast or prestressed concrete design. Nonetheless, he made authoritative judgments regarding:
- The adequacy of wall panel concrete cover;
- His personal decision not to recognize the ACI 318 Table 20.6.1.3.3 exceptions for precast exposure conditions;
- The compliance of proprietary fiber-reinforced concrete formulations.
Without qualification in these specialty systems, Mr. Porcher substituted personal opinion for documented code provisions and industry-accepted practices.
He rejected allowable code exceptions—without conducting any physical testing, requesting backup data from the manufacturer, or confirming how the cover was measured relative to exposed face geometry.
This behavior contravenes accepted engineering practice and professional ethics by:
- Issuing opinions outside his area of demonstrated competence;
- Failing to apply published standards and practices accepted within the structural engineering field;
- Drawing conclusions without full access to or review of known relevant documents.
III. Grounds for Disciplinary Action
This conduct violates the following provisions of South Carolina Code § 40-22-110(A), with specific acts as described:
- § 40-22-110(A)(1) – Fraud or deceit in applying for or obtaining a certificate of registration:
- Mr. Porcher signed and sealed conclusions as a professional engineer without confirming that the documentation and review process met minimum standards, falsely representing the completeness and accuracy of his review.
- § 40-22-110(A)(2) – Gross negligence, incompetency, or misconduct in the practice of engineering:
- He failed to examine critical project specifications, dismissed standard engineering tolerances, and issued judgments without verifying compliance with referenced codes and practices.
- § 40-22-110(A)(3) – A felony or misdemeanor adversely affecting professional performance:
- While no criminal conviction is asserted, this count is cited for completeness and potential relevance pending discovery in investigation.
- § 40-22-110(A)(4) – Aiding or abetting a violation of this chapter or regulations:
- By relying on incomplete records and issuing unsupported technical conclusions, Mr. Porcher enabled others to move forward with actions that may conflict with structural code compliance.
- § 40-22-110(A)(5) – Violation of this chapter or a board regulation:
- He violated the board’s professional conduct expectations by ignoring clearly defined industry guidance and accepted tolerances as outlined in ACI and PCI standards.
- § 40-22-110(A)(6) – Practicing in a category or tier without proper licensure:
- Mr. Porcher rendered conclusions regarding specialty precast systems governed by PCI practices despite lacking education, certification, or demonstrated experience in this field.
IV. Request for Investigation
I respectfully request that the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors initiate a formal investigation into this matter. The combination of unsupported conclusions, omission of key industry standards, potential suppression of critical project documents, and lack of subject matter qualification raises serious questions about public safety, ethics, and competency.
Supporting documentation, including excerpts from the Stantec Report, ACI 318-14, and PCI MNL-135, will be provided upon request.
Respectfully Submitted,
Gregory B. Snow