Summary: With the recent demand for labor, as noted in Work-on-the-Boards, and offshore outsourcing becoming a new business model, AIArchitect turned to a large-firm principal who needed help on his own home remodeling. His experience with an offshore outsourcing provider subsequently led him to use the service for his firm’s work as well.

Not too long ago, I was starting a small job—a remodel of my house. It wasn't big enough to get someone else to do it as a side job, and I didn't have enough time to do it myself. In frustration, I went looking for help.

In the old days, I would have started with the Yellow Pages. Now I Google. I found CADFORCE, a firm that works all over the country, but their office is just down the street, which was convenient. If I dropped off my markups during the day, they’d get someone to work on it that night, and I’d have something new in the morning. The cost was reasonable, and because they have inherent architectural capabilities, I was able to communicate with them with minimal drawings.

Transitioning to larger projects
Later, we had a hospital upgrade come on board at the firm with as-built drawings dating to the early ’90s. We needed to convert them to CAD, and I didn't want our staff to spend a lot of time on it, so I hired the outsource provider. We could explain what needed to be done and define the layers, and they did it. If corrections were necessary, they were able to get them back to us the next day.

I also use the firm for as-builts from the contractor’s drawings, which they can turn around in about a week, which, with our workload, I couldn't get in-house.

Is there a downside?
Outsourcing drafting could short-circuit the training of young architects. From what I see, though, the staff is still getting that experience. How many times do you have to draw toilet partitions and elevations to know how they work? By working toward smarter drawings, our associates are still learning what they will need to know.

How outsourcing works as we develop our BIM capabilities is another concern, since that’s a new direction for the firm. We might see if CADFORCE can help us convert our standard detail sheets into Revit. If they can get up the learning curve on BIM, they can help us a lot with that kind of conversion.

CADFORCE Principal Jefferson Schierbeek, AIA, provides additional insight into how his outsourcing service works. “We hire architectural know-how in this country so we have Americans speaking with Americans. Then we directly employ drafting teams in India. We provide ‘thoughtful drafting,’” says Schierbeek. “One thing we're very aware of is the fine line between supporting architects and practicing architecture, what I call the design line. We are careful not to cross that line.”

Schierbeek notes that the firms CADFORCE works with range from single-person shops to the largest in the U.S. Two critical criteria, though, are technological savvy and willingness to use an alternative method. They assign specific personnel to clients and pair their expertise with that of their clients so their drafting matches the client's standards.

“I think a lot of architects may wonder why I would want to do this, having practiced architecture for 24 years. The answer is in our tag line: ‘We draft while you dream,’” he concludes. “I like being involved in a company that makes it easier, more profitable, and perhaps more enjoyable to practice architecture.”