Engineering & Architecture
Outsourcing CAD Drafting: Standards, QA and Turnaround
Drafting backlogs slow every project. Here is how to outsource CAD drafting without losing control of quality or standards.
Outsourcing CAD drafting succeeds when the drafter works to your office standards from day one, receives clear mark-ups, and follows a QA checklist before submitting drawings. A dedicated drafter who learns your templates and preferences becomes faster and more accurate every month.
Share your standards
- Title blocks and sheet templates.
- Layer naming and colours.
- Dimension and text styles.
- Plotting and PDF settings.
- Detail libraries.
The mark-up workflow
- Engineer or architect marks up drawings in Bluebeam or PDF.
- Drafter updates the CAD files.
- Drafter runs the QA checklist.
- Reviewer checks and approves.
QA checklist
| Check | Example |
|---|---|
| Standards | Correct layers and styles |
| Coordination | Grid lines and references match |
| Annotation | Dimensions and notes complete |
| Revisions | Clouds and revision tables updated |
Planning turnaround
Use the time-zone difference: send mark-ups at the end of your day and receive updated drawings the next morning.
Skills to test
Ask candidates to convert a marked-up PDF into a clean CAD drawing using your template.
See our CAD designers and BIM modelers.
