1. The whole contract set, not just the S sheets
Send the structural drawings and the architectural drawings. Lintels, roof frames, canopies, stairs, railings and ladders are often drawn only on the architectural sheets, and a quote priced from the S sheets alone misses them.
If mechanical units or equipment sit on steel, include those sheets too: RTU frames, roof openings and equipment supports are steel, and their sizes and locations come from there.
2. The specs for the steel sections
The project manual tells us the finish, the connection requirements and what the drawings leave to the fabricator. The sections that matter most:
- 05 12 00 Structural steel framing
- 05 21 00 Steel joist framing (what bears on the joists)
- 05 31 00 Steel decking (openings and supports)
- 05 50 00 Metal fabrications (misc. metals)
- 05 51 00 Metal stairs
- 05 52 00 Metal railings
3. Addenda and the latest revision
Tell us which addenda are in your bid. A late addendum that moves a grid line or adds a canopy changes the price, and we would rather count it now than find it in the approval drawings.
4. Your scope and your exclusions
Say what you are bidding: the whole steel package or part of it, and what is by others. Common exclusions are joists and deck, rebar, light-gauge framing and anything the GC buys separately.
If the job is phased, tell us which phase. We price the steel in that phase, not the whole building.
5. Your bid date and when you need drawings
Your bid date sets when we owe you the quote. If you already know when the GC wants approval drawings, tell us: detailing usually takes two to four weeks, depending on the size of the job and how complete the drawings are.
6. For renovations and plants: field dimensions
New steel in an existing building or a working plant has to fit what is there, not only what the old drawings say. Send any field dimensions or surveys you have, or ask us to measure: in Texas we visit the site, measure and scan the existing conditions before we draw.
7. Who shows the connections
Tell us whether the engineer of record shows the connections on the drawings or the contract delegates them to the fabricator's engineer. It changes what we wait on before the approval drawings, and what the quote includes.
What you get back
A clear price with the scope we counted, the exclusions and a detailing schedule, in English or Spanish. Drawings can come as PDF, DWG or a link (Dropbox, Google Drive, Procore or any download link).
Have a job like this? Send the drawings and we'll reply within one business day.
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