Engineering Across Borders: DTCE’s NZ–Philippines Model

romybromley
Apr 28
2 min read

Why DTCE Operates Across New Zealand and the Philippines — Especially Now?

Allow us to introduce Ronald, France, Em, Leanne, and Abby: five of the talented structural engineers who form part of DTCE’s expanding Philippines team. Although based abroad, they're fully integrated into DTCE’s workflow, sharing our systems, standards, and professional culture, just with a little better weather.

Meet Our Philippines Team

We have been building up our Philippine office for the last year, and clients of ours may have already noticed some of the projects being completed by our Philippine team.

DTCE's office in the Philippines — *DTCE's Office in the Philippines*

Given today’s increasingly complex international landscape—rising tariffs, tightening borders, and threat of recessions—collaboration across borders makes more sense than ever. At DTCE, we’ve embraced this approach, not as a compromise, but as a thoughtful strategy to maintain competitive fees and swift delivery without sacrificing quality.

Here's how it works and why it matters to our clients.

Why the Philippines?

The Philippines offers a large pool of well-educated, experienced structural engineers, many trained specifically in earthquake-resistant design. Due to the country's seismic profile, structural resilience is an integral part of engineering education, aligning seamlessly with DTCE’s core competencies.

We recruit our Philippines-based engineers directly, avoiding intermediaries. In fact, we pay approximately 50% above local market salaries, allowing us to attract highly capable engineers who feel genuinely valued within the DTCE team. This ensures quality, commitment, and continuity in our service delivery.

Faster Delivery and Competitive Pricing—Without Compromise

With expanded resources and flexible capacity, DTCE can provide faster turnaround times and more competitive fees. Crucially, these improvements do not mean cutting corners. Every single project undergoes rigorous review by New Zealand Chartered Professional Engineers, upholding the same strict DTCE standards our clients expect.

Communication is streamlined: our Wellington office remains the central hub. Calls to DTCE connect directly to our entire team, irrespective of geographic location. Collaboration, document sharing, and quality reviews are all seamlessly integrated, meaning a design reviewed by Em in Manila is just as thoroughly DTCE - approved as one reviewed by Josh in Johnsonville (Wellington)

Local Leadership for International Teams

To ensure consistent oversight, DTCE’s Director Marlo Bromley (CPEng) is based permanently in the Philippines, providing daily supervision, mentoring, and quality control to our offshore team. This arrangement allows us to maintain the personal leadership and high professional standards that define DTCE, despite geographical distances.

This is not traditional outsourcing. It is a single cohesive DTCE team, strategically positioned internationally, working in unison toward shared standards and client goals.

We welcome questions about how our international setup works. Understanding how DTCE leverages global talent can give you confidence and clarity about our methods—and the benefits they bring to your project.

We’re immensely proud of our Philippines team and believe you’ll be equally impressed!