FAQ

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Firstly, we need all the information to be sent to us prior to starting the project, otherwise there will be wasted hours (and money) chasing what we need to begin. If you are an electrical contractor wanting ‘As Constructed’ or ‘As Built’ drawings to be created for the O&M Manual to get Practical Completion, then the sooner you get us the required files, the sooner we can get the completed set returned to you. Send us your redlines in PDF format (amendments to be in red pen if possible, scribble out omitted items/deletions in lieu of using white out/tippex, as the amendment doesn’t show and items get missed). The electrical drawings need to be in AutoCAD (.dwg) form, complete with any applicable xrefs and plot config files. The drawings will usually come from the builder (these will be made available for you as they want the as constructed drawings to be completed to a high standard and in AutoCAD). They usually come in a zip folder. We need all of this zip folder, please don’t leave any of the files out, it has been created especially to contain all the necessary files for working on the drawings. Send through a high-resolution logo for your company, along with the address, phone number, website and your EC number as these will be put on your drawings, personalising them to your company.

We can do either. Whichever is your preference. I would say historically 95% of the projects we undertake are done with an hourly rate. Let us know your preference, or it would be assumed that the hourly rate would apply. To give an accurate fixed price for a project, we would have to be in possession of all existing CAD files (.dwg with the appropriate xrefs) and any redlines/designs. This locks in the price. Any further changes you wish to make, or additional drawings not provided at the time of pricing will incur further charges.

We work exclusively with the engineering program Auto-CAD. We unfortunately can’t assist with projects that are Microstation or Revit, unless they have been exported to .dwg files. If the client requires the drawings to be completed and returned in Revit or Microstation, then we unfortunately can’t assist you on this project.

Each project and drawing is different, so it’s not a one size fits all answer. We will endeavour to meet any deadlines you may have. The required deadline needs to be communicated to us when engaging us to carry out your work. If the drawings need expediting, because the deadline isn’t achievable in normal working hours (Mon – Fri 08:00 – 16:30), then a premium, out of hours uplift will need be pre-agreed and applied. Most of the time however, this isn’t necessary and works are completed in time without the need for any out of hours works. This is obviously dependent on Alpho-CAD workloads too, we may need to decline the project if resources won’t allow for meeting the deadline.

In most layout drawings for a site project, the building will be drawn by the architect and issued to the electrical consultant to add the design. The building is the base of the drawing (xref/external reference) and is clipped to each of the electrical drawings (in most instances). The electrical drawings are similar to tracing paper laid over the xref (building layout). It’s drawing in this manor to allow for easily amending the building layout and updating all the corresponding drawings by reloading the xref, rather than amending the same changes in each drawing individually. If a drawing is sent without the xrefs, it’s like seeing only the tracing paper (electrical element of the drawing) floating in mid-air with no associated building layout attached. So, when drawings are ready for sending, the designer/draftsperson will carry out an e-transmit, which collects all the files and components that each drawing needs to work on or amend each drawing. The drawing cannot be worked on without them.

What we do is e-transmit the AutoCAD drawings into zip folders and send with a pdf created from the same drawing. We do the e-transmits separately and not batched to that if you need to upload individual drawings to a doc control system, you can do the native cad files and their associated xrefs/files/components in the zip, alongside the pdf.

That isn’t a problem and happens regularly. If the project is closed out, we just bill for the additional works, based on the usual hourly rate. We would use the original purchase order number unless otherwise informed. If the project needs to be sent in as the deadline is looming (example being, if all of the redlines haven’t come back from site yet), then the mostly complete set can be submitted on the basis that something is better than nothing. The remaining drawings should be sent through upon completion as addendums to the O&M Manual.

We don’t carry out works for residential customers, only companies that are within the electrical industry. Apologies, but we can’t help you on this project.