When you outsource steel construction drafting to us, it often involves detail drawings, assemblies and 3D models of steel structures that come back in high volume and with a lot of repetition. As-built drawings and revisions to an existing steel structure are also part of our package, as is 2D drafting where needed.
Our large, variable team works in Revit, AutoCAD and Rhino, and scales with whatever each project requires. All our work is done remotely, and everyone who works on it has more than ten years of CAD experience, while the core of our team brings around twenty-five years of combined experience.
Barry, our project manager, is your first point of contact for a new request, after which Sam, our team leader, takes over the technical side and the project supervision. Every piece goes through at least three review layers before it goes back to you. That way a detail drawing of a steel structure stays consistent with the rest of the documentation, however many variants lie in between.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
Scaling up when you outsource steel construction drafting
When you outsource steel construction drafting, scaling up is one of the biggest advantages, because our team moves with the size of the project. We start a small assignment with one drafter, and during a peak in the steel project we deploy as many drafters as needed from our large, variable team. Our team is already in place, so we lose no time recruiting and onboarding new people when demand rises. When it is urgent or a deadline cannot slip, we add extra drafters straight away, even if that means working evenings or weekends.
If a drafter is off sick or goes on holiday, we put someone else on it so the steel construction project simply carries on. You do not pay ongoing salary costs for an employee who sometimes works on steel drawings and sometimes does not. We also take on a short, well-defined assignment without it immediately being tied to a large ongoing contract. The extra drafters we add work to the same drawing conventions and go through the same review layers as the rest of our team.
That way scaling up never comes at the expense of the quality of a detail drawing or an assembly. In practice, this means we tackle a large steel project with many detail drawings in the same way as a small revision job, just with a different number of people on it. We do not fix the number of drafters in advance for the whole project; it follows whatever the project needs at that moment. That way our staffing keeps adapting, instead of you having to work with a fixed, rigid team.
Freelancer, employee or outsourced steel construction drafting
If you outsource steel construction drafting to us, you do not get a lone freelancer working only on their own piece, but a team that is already in place. A freelancer usually works alone and often simply stops when ill or fully booked, whereas we put someone else on it if someone drops out. A single freelancer's work also rarely gets a second pair of eyes, whereas with us every piece goes through at least three review layers. A new permanent employee brings ongoing salary costs, even in periods when there are no steel drawings to do, and first needs time to be onboarded.
With us, you only pay for the pure working hours we actually spend on the project, with no monthly hour subscription or prepaid hour bundle. Where a single freelancer soon hits the ceiling of their own schedule, we scale up quickly during a peak with our large, variable team. Management also stays straightforward, because Barry is the first point of contact and Sam then takes care of the technical side. With several separate freelancers you have to piece together who is working on what yourself, whereas we have already arranged that internally.
The intellectual property of the drafting we deliver belongs to you, just as it would with your own employee. We are also open to signing a non-disclosure agreement, should you want to put that in writing before the steel project starts. That way outsourcing combines the flexibility of a freelancer with the certainty and control of an in-house team.
No ongoing payroll costs and no idle staff once the peak is over. If one of our people is off sick or on holiday, we replace them and the work simply carries on.
Working together on outsourced steel drafting
Working together when you outsource steel construction drafting starts with Barry as your first point of contact, after which Sam takes over the technical side and the project supervision. That way you have one fixed point of contact throughout the project, rather than constantly changing contacts within our team. Day-to-day contact runs via email, phone or meetings, depending on what works fastest at the time. We agree the rhythm of our check-ins per project, every two days on one project and weekly on another, depending on the size and pace of the steel project. On a larger, long-running project you can log in to software where you follow the progress of the detail drawings. For more ad hoc steel construction drafting we deliver by email, without the need for a separate environment.
You are always welcome to visit our office, even though we carry out the drafting itself remotely. We also sometimes come to you, depending on what the project needs at the time. With every partial delivery we gather your feedback and process it straight away, before we move on to the next part of the steel project. That way we keep you informed throughout the project without you having to chase progress yourself. Working remotely does not mean the contact feels remote, because the lines between Barry, Sam and you stay short. If you prefer to talk things through by phone rather than email, just let us know, so our communication matches your preference.
Getting started with outsourced steel construction drafting
Getting started with outsourcing steel construction drafting begins with a conversation in which you explain which detail drawings or models you need. Usually you supply existing drawings that need revising, although sometimes it is an entirely new steel project with no previous basis. We also need the CAD standards and drawing conventions you use, so our work connects directly with your existing documentation.
Barry usually handles a new request first, after which Sam decides which drafters we deploy. We respond to a new request within 1 to 2 working days, after which it quickly becomes clear what we need to get started.
As soon as we have enough information we get going, and if there is a peak or a deadline that cannot slip, we add extra capacity straight away. We deliver the work in stages and process feedback immediately, rather than showing everything in one go at the end. We usually send files back and forth by email, and on a larger project we set up software where you can follow along.
A short phone call or the contact form on the site is enough to get things moving. How quickly the first drafting is actually ready depends on the size of the steel project and on how complete the supplied documents are. A short, small first assignment is a good way to get used to each other's way of working before a larger steel project follows.
Frequently asked questions about outsourcing steel construction drafting
Hand your steel construction drafting over to us
Send us your documents and drawing conventions and we will let you know within one to two working days what we can take on and when.