A Chicago-based company used to spend 14 weeks and $60,000 producing shop drawings. Three weeks and a third of the cost later, the competitor was done. It wasn't the talent. The place was crucial. The unsung heroes of the world's lean and productive engineering and architectural firms are Offshore CAD and BIM Services. 

What Exactly Do Offshore Teams Handle

Architectural CAD outsourcing  include as-built drawings, floor plans, detail drawings, construction drawings and 2D drafting. For construction projects, BIM services are unsurpassed. These include 3D modelling, clash detection, quantity takeoffs, and coordination among structural engineers, architects and MEP engineers.

A medium-sized UK contractor managed to reduce the cost of documentation by 40% after outsourcing BIM coordination to India. In the first month, production quality was equal or better than their own standards.

Why Are Firms Choosing Offshore Over In-House

Local companies can't hire fast enough to meet the demand of the peak times, such as three bids in one week. Offshore CAD and BIM Services  solve that problem. You run up for the first month, then you run down. Periods without hiring. Minimal or no bench costs.

Another less-obvious factor is the time zone difference. The sketches are handed over to the New York office at 6 PM. It is handed to the offshore team in Ahmedabad at 7:30 AM. The modifications will be available by AM in New York. The 24-hour turnaround does not include any overtime charges.

How Does Quality Actually Hold Up

Architectural CAD Outsourcing Services relies on the client's preparation of requirements, PDFs with comments and standards. Increasingly, companies benefit when they view offshore employees as implementers, rather than takers of instructions.

An Australian residential developer contracted CAD Outsourcing Services to permit drawing sets of 60 townhouses. They established a point of contact, weekly review call and a common checklist. By the third iteration of the project, the error count was down to 2%. 

What Does a Real BIM Outsourcing Workflow Look Like

The local architect interpreted design intent and communicated with the client. Coordinated drawings, clash detection reports and the full Revit model were all provided by the BIM services for construction projects. The model was reviewed by the structural and MEP experts in a collaborative BIM 360 platform.

Compared to the company's previous in-house project of a similar size, the modelling time was 35% shorter. The project could avoid costly changes on-site as the clash detection system alone detected 112 clashes before construction.

We could achieve this type of integration without hiring extra personnel on-site, thanks to offshore CAD and BIM services.

What Should You Check Before Outsourcing

Not all Offshore CAD and BIM Services offer the same quality service. Be sure to ask for this before you sign a contract.

The core is AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks and ArchiCAD. Ask to see portfolio images and files. You may want to examine their quality control process. An untrustworthy vendor wouldn't have an internal review process.

Data protection procedures should also be checked. Construction designs contain customers' confidential information. Encrypted file transfers and confidentiality agreements should be standard practice.