Degrees from institutions outside Canada, Mexico and the United States require a reliable evaluation. Do not replace that rule with a blanket claim that evaluations are always optional or always required.
Budget the actual profession and process
For engineers, assess the degree-or-state/provincial-licence alternative and separate U.S. practice licensing. Confirm current official charges and professional scope; payment for evaluation does not guarantee eligibility.
Separate government charges, credential work, licensing analysis, travel and optional professional help in a written budget. The review should identify which expense answers an eligibility question and which is merely logistical. There is no benefit in purchasing an evaluation before checking whether the relevant profession actually calls for the degree being evaluated.
Hypothetical example: a forestry economist pays for a broad credential package even though the employer has not settled whether the role is economist work or timber-sales coordination. The signed duty list, qualification standard and any required practice licence determine what must be obtained. A cost estimate goes wrong when it treats a commercially convenient service as proof of classification eligibility or assumes a payment guarantees admission.
Ask the provider to identify the conclusion each paid service can and cannot support. Keeping that answer beside the invoice helps prevent an evaluation, licence inquiry or filing charge from being mistaken for an immigration approval.