charge for files

huangyhg

charge for files?
we get calls from fire protection companies asking us to send them our cad files. we have had some discussions on whether we should bill them for this service, typically a nominal fee of $200 or so, depending on how many files, etc.  invariably, we get resistance from them when they hear we want to charge a fee.   
this leads me to wonder how many others out there are charging fees for drawing files.  do you charge and why or why not?
thanks.  
if the fire protection firms are going to use your files for their purposes (and read this as: to make money for themselves) i'd charge them and $200 is low!  why else would they need your files except to help themselves - if so, then they pay.  if it were your client who requested the drawings and you had a good relationship with him and foresaw more work, i'd probably give it to him.
the company i work for also gets asked for cad files.
i work for an a/e firm so it may be different for strictly engineering companies.  our view is that we give the files to fellow professionals or contractors/suppliers who are on the particular job.  if we charge these entities, the fees ultimately come out of the owner's pocket (our client).  we include a disclaimer on the drawings about use, property, dimensions, logos, professional stamps, etc. (like they are enforceable). by allowing the use of the cad files it will also save time for the people we give them to.
i'd charge them your cost, basically.  i can't imagine it costing $200 to put files on a disk or email them.
the idea that they are going to make money, so stick it to them, is counter productive.  and, yes, there are engineers that think like that.  it translates as "let's punish this contractor for nothing, then wonder why they bid high on our work in the future".  it doesn't take long to figure out which engineers (and which owners) are easy to work with, and which ones are not.
as is the case in many arenas, it's not what it costs, but what it's worth.  
if you charge for the files, you are increasing your liability as to their correctness and accuracy?  we don't charge at all, and send them out with the use at your own risk disclaimer, etc.
does anyone have any comment on the liability issue?  perhaps this is an unnecessary worry?
i ask for cad files from engineers very frequently.  i usually get them at no cost.  but, usually i am making my design submission to the same engineer from whom i get the files and who will be reviewing and approving my design.  i tell them that it will be easier for them to check my design if we are both working off the same base plan.
i will sign their waiver.  i'll let them remove any title block information they desire.  they can and do take off their names and seals.  i clean up the drawing to remove unneeded details, layers, etc..
if they want to charge me for the drawing, i tell them to keep their plans and i'll do my own.  then i let the owner know that the engineer is not being cooperative at the owner's expense.  then, i may scan the drawing and trace the needed portions for my drawing.  or, i'll just draw my own with only the neede details.
most specs that i have seen require subcontractors to produce their own shop drawings.  the price for the contractor to generate these drwgs has already came out of the owners pocket when the sub bid the job, they are just trying to save a buck.  however, when i am hit with such request, i create an adobe format and let them have it, or i ask what happened to their for construction set they were issued.  this usually ends the inquiry.  i would not bill them for fear of liability or other contractural issues.
i give cad files out when requested. for steel and concrete and any other structurally important shop drawings i specifically say in my notes they can not use them for their drawings. i reject shop drawings that are reprints or marked up copies of structural drawings. especially for steel drawings, having an experienced fabricator redraw from scratch is a great way to catch mistakes. if they just copied, mistakes would be copied through.
we are a e firm only, doing mep work.  our philosophy is that we will give free electronic cad (dwg) files to the architect.  we will give free electronic plot files to a contractor.  if a contractor wants cad files, we charge them $50 per file.  this applies equally to the contractor, all the subs, and any trades or product suppliers.  
too often we have seen our electronic backgrounds under the fire protection or concrete suppliers shop drawings.  even to the point where we have had concrete shop drawings come in with our exact details on them.  they didn't even bother to fix typos, just cut and paste.
so if they are going to make money by using our cad files, we are going to charge them.  after all, whatever they copy is time and effort spent on their part not drafting it all from scratch.
that siad, i personally don't think we should ever give anyone our electronics.  if someone wants a copy of our drawings, we shoudl send either hard copy or plot files.  one of the big downsides in the laziness is the lack of the checking process which comes from a rebar detailer laying out a concrete floor from scratch, etc...  another set of eyes, and a trained mind, can catch things during their shop drawing creation process, which might have been missed, or at least unclear, on the contract drawings.
our engineering firm has requests often for cad drawings. we will send electronic files if the waiver has been signed and payment has been agreed upon. our minimum is $100 per file with a $500 minimum. if a contractor or sub-contractor is using our backgrounds for their drawings, there is no reason not to charge them for that use.