structural engineering cad files used by contractors

huangyhg

structural engineering cad files used by contractors
during the last year or two, i have been asked to provide a copy of my cad drawings to surveyors.  they want to use the foundation drawings with their gps-guided equipment.  is anyone else being asked to do this?  
also, the fire protection contractors are regularly asking for the framing plan cad files to help with their designs.
this is a bit like the bim discussions.  in the future, how much more are others going to request our cad files for their use?  should we provide them?  just wondering about other peoples' thoughts on this.
archeng59:
fwiw: we routinely provide our cadd files to contractors, subs, and fabricators upon request. we first make the requesting party sign a waiver stating that the files are for the preparation of shop or layout drwawings only, and that the user is using them at their own risk, and are responsibly for checking all dimensional accuracies, etc.
its a fairly tightly worded diclaimer and waiver.
we do not charge for the files.
i would always be worried about someone changing the electronic files should a lawsuit emerge in the picture.  
i would be very reticent to send out any electronic drawing files unless they can be locked against any changes and dated.
mike mccann
mccann engineering
lkjh345, we have a strongly worded release statement that was based on a case document and was reviewed by our insurance company for potential liability issues.  part of the release states that the hard copy drawings bearing the seal and signature of the eor are the legal documents for the project.  the release states that the contractor shall not use the drawings for any other project or purpose.  alot of stuff like that.  we remove all information about our company before sending out the drawings.  i do not provide the cad files to fabricators.  we don't charge for the drawing files, either.  we were told not to charge for the files because they could be considered a product and not instruments of service in the event of legal issues.
all that aside, i asked the question mostly to get a feel for how prevalent the sharing of files for use by various consultants/sub-contractors.  mainly besides steel fabricators.
few months back, there was a lengthy discussion on a topic similar to your posting. check the link -
when asked for drawings electronically, we send them out as pdf's.
archeng59:
similiar to your op, we have been getting more and more request from surveyors in the last 2 years. they plug the autocadd files into their total stations. they say it helps speed things up.
they need the elctronic files for this.
we routinely send them the files after they sign the release.
speaking from a glulam fabricator's point of view, being able to use the architectural and structural cad files can be very helpful and often will reduce the time needed for shop drawing preparation.
on many projects that i have been involved with the cad techs end up redrawing the exact details that have already been drawn by the architect and engineer.  one thing we don't do is photo copy details from architectural plans and use them as part of our shop drawings.  that practice seems to be wide spread among steel fabricators, although most specifications prohibit photo copying the architectural plans.
having cad drawings of the architectural plans can also reduce the number of rfi's we submit.  for over half the jobs we work on when we lay out the framing plan using the dimensions given on the architectural drawings, the building will not close.
it is not uncommon for us to send an rfi out questioning a dimension only to have the architect pull something off his drawing giving us a dimension that we know is wrong.
when we have the architects cad files we can go in and examine the layout and often resolve our issues with out sending an rfi out.
quote:
i would always be worried about someone changing the electronic files should a lawsuit emerge in the picture.  
i would be very reticent to send out any electronic drawing files unless they can be locked against any changes and dated.
anyone with half a brain isn't going to tamper with electronic drawings because they know they'll get busted, and anyone stupid enough to bother will be easy to bust.
we charge $50 per drawing sheet. it would cost them 10 to 20 times that much to start from scratch. some complain but they all pay in the end.
we always remove our seal before giving them to anyone.
i would go further and remove not only the seal but the titleblock so they only get the model and very little in the file with your company name on it.  even if you erase things, make sure you purge the drawing to get rid of block definitions containing company identifying information.
don phillips