Individuals are licensed, but firms that offer engineering or geoscience services to the public generally must also be authorized. Depending on the province this is called a Permit to Practice, Certificate of Authorization, or licence to practise.
The point is accountability at the corporate level: when a company (not just a sole practitioner) provides professional services, the regulator needs assurance that the work is supervised and stamped by licensed professionals.
- The firm must usually designate a responsible member, a licensee who accepts professional responsibility for the firm's engineering/geoscience work.
- The firm may carry professional liability insurance requirements in some jurisdictions.
- A company cannot itself be an engineer; it practises through its licensed staff under the permit.
📌 Exam tip: A corporation offering engineering services to the public needs both licensed individuals doing the work and a permit/certificate of authorization for the firm. Hiring one P.Eng. is not automatically enough. The firm itself must be authorized.
A common trap is to think individual licensure covers the company; it does not. Unauthorized firms offering services to the public can be subject to enforcement just like unlicensed individuals.