Shop drawings

Considerations

At the start of a project, consider whether shop drawing review is included in the scope of services in your consultancy agreement and whether you have allowed an appropriate level of fees to cover this work.

When writing a specification, request submission of shop drawings only where you consider a review is important to the project eg exposed steelwork frames, custom balustrades, custom joinery.

If the shop drawings relate to engineered elements (eg structural, electrical, mechanical) refer them to the relevant specialist consultant.

If the contractor is required to develop the design, make this requirement clear in the contract.

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Handling procedures

Unless the contract requires otherwise, it is recommended that in handling shop drawings to adopt a procedure such as the following:

• Use a system to record when drawings are received and returned.
• Drawings should then be passed on to the appropriate person for review. The architect should review and return shop drawings promptly.
• After review, the drawings may be stamped or marked with a 'Review' stamp. A sample stamp is provided below; the wording should be reviewed and adjusted to suit.

Notes on the drawings or separate correspondence should indicate only what is wrong. They should not show the way in which the architect considers that the error should be corrected. This can of course be discussed with the contractor, but the architect should not direct, or appear to direct, the actual content of shop drawings. A drawing markup is often the most efficient and effective means of defining an issue, but the practice of using a cover letter or transmittal sheet may allow issues to be identified.

If correspondence is issued, it should only be by transmittal, memorandum or letter and not architect's instruction. Feedback on shop drawings does not entail any change to the contract and therefore does not require instruction.

If the review identifies alterations or additional information required to the consultant design drawings, this information should be separately instructed in the contract and not simply marked up on the shop drawings. The instruction of amendments to the consultant documentation will change the contract, inform the shop drawings and may also incur a claim for variation.

All shop drawings, even if prepared by subcontractors, should be handled through the contractor and not directly with subcontractors as this could undermine the contractor's control and responsibility. The contractor should be encouraged to check and correct the drawings before submission to the architect.

Where secondary or subconsultants are working in conjunction with the architect as primary consultant, the above procedures should still apply, however the architect should coordinate review of the drawings as relevant with the consultant team as required before returning the complete review to the contractor.

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Time

The time taken for shop drawing submission and review needs to be clearly defined, as completion of this process is likely to affect the construction of the resultant fabrication item and therefore impact the construction program.

The specification and/or the building contract should define the requirement for a schedule of shop drawings so that the contractor and architect can agree on dates of issue and ensure adequate resourcing at these times. The architect should consider their realistic capacity to complete the review-and-return process along with their subconsultants and define a suitable assessment period. Periods of 5 to 15 days are regularly nominated, but this will be affected by the specific project requirements of the program, complexity, resource availability and need for consultant review. Failure to complete the review process within this nominated time could cause claim for variation through an extension of time by the contractor.

Other matters affecting program and resource requirements may also need to be considered such as:

• the number of shop drawings that the architect expects to review
• the number of shop drawings to be reviewed at any one time
• the number of times the same shop drawing will be reviewed during the process until it is deemed satisfactory.

If limitations are placed on the scope of shop drawings review in the specification or building contract, a mechanism must be defined for variation, should these requirements change during the contract. For example, the contractor may be required to bear the cost of reviews in excess of the nominated allowances. In this instance the client-contractor contracts and the client-architect contracts must be considered to ensure they are clear and consistent about who pays whom.

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Electronic shop drawings

The electronic nature of contemporary architectural practice has significant implications for the shop drawing review process. If electronic processes are embraced, the architect must ensure that the same line of record-keeping and accountability achieved through the hard copy process is achieved. Key considerations include:

• ensuring that the receipt and issue of electronic documents is recorded and filed as diligently as hard-copy documents would be
• agreement on a universal and unalterable file format for the transfer of documents so that their content is viewed consistently by all parties
• agreement on transfer and transmittal protocols – third-party project-management platforms increasingly affect such issues
• program implications of electronic transfer as opposed to hard-copy transfer
• the change in responsibility for printing of documents which occurs as a result of electronic transfer
• the method of mark-up or comment to be used for review – some software formats facilitate an on-screen comment and mark-up function, but the consultant team will require appropriate software and skills to utilise these options
• caution should be exercised when three-dimensional live model information is used in lieu of hard-copy shop drawings – information received in this format is easily manipulated, can include missing reference files/layer/levels and can impose a liability for discovery of relevant detailed information on the architect.

Refer Acumen note Digital transfer considerations.

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Archiving

Shop drawing reviews and associated correspondence are important records and should be retained. The electronic receipt and issue of shop drawings and responses will assist considerably with the archiving and storage of documents. Hard-copy drawings result in significant volumes of paper files. 

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Sample specification clause

The following is a sample specification clause for managing the shop-drawing process.

Obtain and submit to the architect comprehensive installation and shop drawings, with notes and/or specifications (hereinafter called shop drawings) for such parts of the works as are specified in the appropriate trades.

The contractor must indicate on the construction program or on a separate schedule the date of submission of each shop drawing or sample.

If hard copy shop drawings are required, submit in duplicate where the drawings are to be reviewed by a secondary or subconsultant.

The architect must review and return the drawings to the contractor within the agreed timeframe. Where the architect requires amendment to such drawings, the amendments must be made and the drawings resubmitted promptly. In reviewing shop drawings, the architect does not relieve the contractor of the contractor's responsibility for dimensions, quantities, calculations or methods of manufacture nor does the review imply that all relevant information is necessarily shown. The purpose of review is limited to enabling the architect to check if the shop drawings are in general accordance with the intent the contract documents (including drawings and specification).

Do not stockpile, manufacture, assemble or supply anything affected by shop drawings until review has been obtained from the architect. Delays caused by late submission or inadequacy of shop drawings will not be recognised as a reason for a contract adjustment or an extension of time.

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Reference

Standards Australia Limited (2020) ‘The National Dictionary of Building and Plumbing Terms’ [website]