If you are looking for a technical drafting firm, you usually already have a specific type of drawing in mind. A set of working drawings that needs detailing, a series of details, a piping diagram, a production drawing or an as-built file that lags behind reality. Sometimes it is a model from which floor plans and sections need to be produced, sometimes purely 2D drafting in DWG.
That is exactly the work we do. We draft and model, in high volumes and with a lot of repetition, fully remotely from our own office.
We do not do engineering or carry out calculations, so the calculations and the decisions stay with the client. The core of our team has around twenty-five years of combined experience, and everyone who works for us has been in CAD for more than ten years. Sam, our team leader, has a background in architecture, still works as an engineer alongside his role and directs the drafting team. That means you never have to explain the trade itself.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
What our technical drafting firm delivers
A technical drafting firm is judged on what ends up in the folder, so that is where we start. We deliver 2D drafting in AutoCAD, from floor plans and sections to elevations, details, schematics and overview sheets. Where a model is needed, we build it in Revit, and for freer geometry we use Rhino, with Grasshopper where it helps. We produce part drawings and assemblies in Inventor. We also take care of as-built drawings and revision rounds on existing sets, which in practice make up a large share of the work.
Building parametric Revit families is part of it too: components that adapt to a different size or situation and in which the material schedule updates automatically. We deliver in DXF, DWG, the Revit formats and STEP, and otherwise in any common CAD format. The software versions we use are always the latest. More important than the list of packages is that the output fits in with what is already there. We draw to the client's standard and drawing conventions, including layer structure, title blocks and naming.
It also means we can clean up an existing family set or template instead of setting up a second system alongside it. If a set is very messy, rebuilding it is sometimes faster than repairing it, and we put that trade-off to you before we start. Exactly what will be delivered is agreed at the outset, right down to sheet layout and format. That way the drawing office on the other end knows precisely what is coming back.
How an assignment with our technical drafting firm runs
With us, a project starts with a conversation, not with a quote sent from a distance. In that conversation we go through what is already there, what needs to be finished, which standard applies and where the pressure lies. The client then supplies the details and usually also the existing drawings that need revising. Barry, our project manager, is the first point of contact for a new enquiry and responds within 1 to 2 working days. As soon as things get technical, Sam takes over, so there is one consistent line throughout the project.
With enough information on the table, we can get started. From then on, we deliver in stages. A first batch goes back, the client reviews it and gives feedback, we incorporate it and carry on with the next batch. That structure is not there for show. It prevents a wrong assumption from spreading across an entire set before anyone notices.
The rhythm of meetings depends on the pace: for rush jobs we speak every two days, otherwise weekly. Files go back and forth by email, and on larger projects we use software the client can log into to follow progress themselves. Before anything goes out, it passes through at least three review layers. A drafter produces the work, a second team member checks it, Sam reviews the technical side as team leader and Barry, as project manager, goes over it one final time. As a result, the number of errors stays minimal in practice, even when working under time pressure.
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.
When a technical drafting firm makes sense, and when it does not
Bringing in a technical drafting firm is not the best move in every situation, and we would rather say so up front than afterwards. Outsourcing works well for work with volume and repetition: detailing a large set, a revision round across hundreds of sheets, putting a product line on paper, updating an as-built file. It also works for a peak with a hard deadline, because we can put people on it immediately without a recruitment process. And it works for work that keeps getting shelved because internally it always loses out to more urgent jobs. Outsourcing makes less sense when the drafting cannot be separated from decisions that can only be made in-house. If a design is still very much in flux and changes daily, coordination costs more than the drafting itself. Nor is it worthwhile to hand over a small piece of work your own drafter could do in an afternoon.
The same applies to work that requires engineering or calculations, because we do not do that. What it usually comes down to is the question of which part of the drawing office genuinely requires in-house knowledge. The client keeps that part in-house. The production work around it can be done perfectly well outside the company, provided the standard is clear and the material is supplied complete. We prefer to discuss that split at the start rather than halfway through. Sometimes we advise keeping a part in-house precisely because there is nothing to gain. We only make that assessment once we have seen the material and the schedule.
How we differ from a freelancer or an in-house drafter
The difference from an individual freelancer lies mainly in continuity and quality control. A freelancer is one person with one diary. If he drops out through illness or another assignment, the work comes to a halt. With us, we replace anyone who drops out so the project keeps running, and our large, flexible team scales with each project when the volume calls for it.
On top of that, a freelancer usually checks his own work, whereas with us three other pairs of eyes go over every drawing as standard before it leaves the office. The difference from an in-house drafter is of another kind. A permanent employee means ongoing salary costs, even in months when there is less work, plus a recruitment process that can take months and an onboarding period after that.
For structural volume, that may be the right choice. For a peak or a temporary staff shortage, it rarely is. With us, you pay no ongoing salary costs and there is no subscription or prepaid hour bundle involved. What remains is the work itself, with one fixed point of contact and a team that already knows the trade.
If you want to compare first, you can start with a small first assignment and judge how quickly and how accurately we work. In practice, that gives you more to go on than a portfolio or a list of references. We started offering this service because a client asked for it, and we have worked this way ever since. For Firefly we have now delivered more than twenty projects and hundreds of drawings.
Frequently asked questions about our technical drafting firm
Hand your technical 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.