Organize Documents Before Sending
Do not forward a pile of unorganized files. Create a folder structure by discipline — Structural, Architectural, Specifications, Addenda — and include a cover sheet listing every document, its revision, and its date. Firms that receive organized packages quote more accurately and faster. Those that receive disordered files often add contingency for missing information they assume exists.
Write a Clear Scope Summary
One paragraph summarizing the project goes a long way. Include: project type (commercial office, industrial, warehouse, etc.), approximate tonnage, number of floors, structural system type (moment frame, braced frame, composite), miscellaneous steel included or excluded, and connection design responsibility. This single paragraph eliminates the most common RFQ clarification calls.
Include Your Shop Standards Early
If your shop has standard connection details, preferred bolt grades, CNC requirements, or drawing templates, include them in the bid package. Detailers who can price against your actual shop standards produce more accurate proposals — and can commit to your standards in the contract rather than producing generic details that require revision after award.
Specify Deliverable Requirements Precisely
Vague deliverable requirements are the second most common cause of proposal incomparability, after incomplete documents. State exactly what you need: shop drawings and erection drawings in PDF and DWG; or shop drawings only; or a full Tekla IFC model at LOD 350; or DSTV NC1 files for a Ficep drill line. If your shop uses FabSuite or StruMIS, say so — a KISS export may be available and eliminate manual BOM entry entirely. When deliverable requirements are explicit, every proposal you receive is priced against the same scope and the comparison is meaningful.
- Shop drawing format: PDF, DWG, or both
- Erection drawing format and level of detail required
- BIM model deliverable: IFC version, LOD, and coordinate system
- CNC output: NC1/DSTV, DXF plate cutting, or proprietary format for your equipment make
- ERP data export: KISS file, CSV, or XML for FabSuite, StruMIS, or similar
- Revision format: cloud markups, revision block standards, transmittal format
Communicate the Schedule Clearly
Fabricators often submit bid packages without stating the date that matters most: when does fabrication need to start? A detailing firm pricing your package needs to know whether you need first drawings in four weeks or twelve weeks — because four-week compression requires additional resources that cost money. Include: the fabrication start date for the first release, the steel-on-site date, any intermediate milestones (anchor bolts by a specific concrete pour date), and whether phased releases are acceptable or whether a complete package is required. A schedule context in the bid package produces a schedule commitment in the proposal — which is what you actually need before awarding the work.
Address Connection Design Responsibility Directly
Connection design responsibility is the single most consequential scope item in any detailing bid — and the one most frequently left ambiguous in bid packages. State it explicitly: either the EOR has designed and shown all connections on the structural drawings, or connections are delegated to the fabricator with loads shown on the drawings, or specific categories of connections are delegated while others are EOR-designed. If delegation is required, state whether the detailing firm is expected to coordinate with a separate PE or whether you will engage the PE independently. A bid package that resolves this question produces proposals that include the right engineering cost — not proposals that assume the best case and issue change orders when the reality differs.
List What Is Not Available and When It Will Be
A realistic bid package acknowledges what is missing and provides a timeline for when it will be available. If architectural drawings are in progress, state that they will be issued by a specific date. If the EOR's structural drawings are at 80% design development rather than full IFC, say so explicitly and note the expected IFC issue date. Detailing firms that receive this information can factor it into their schedule risk and price it accordingly — rather than assuming complete documents and later claiming the incomplete package caused delay. Transparency at bid time prevents disputes at execution time.