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This is a true story from when I changed jobs to join the design department of a certain equipment company.<\/p>\n
A scene that was hard to believe unfolded at this company. It was...No drawings available at the time of cost estimation<\/strong>That's the point.<\/p>\n When I asked how they were able to calculate the costs without any drawings,\"Do it by imagining\"<\/strong>That was the utterly unimaginable response I received.<\/p>\n First, I\u2019d like to explain the general workflow at this company. We receive a request for equipment installation from a client, conduct a site survey at the construction site, and then use that information to perform various calculations, select equipment and materials, and prepare a cost estimate.<\/p>\n After completing the cost estimate, we submit a quotation to the client. This results in either the order being confirmed or the opportunity being lost (in the latter case, the process ends here). Only after the order is confirmed do we begin drafting the drawings. We then hand over the project from the design department to the construction department, conduct a pre-construction survey, prepare a construction schedule, and finally begin construction.<\/p>\n Personally, I\u2019d prefer to have the drawings at the cost-estimation stage, before submitting a quote. However, at this company,Drawings are prepared after the order is confirmed<\/strong>...was how it read.<\/p>\n In my previous job, I used to do cost estimates while reading blueprints. Since I had always taken that for granted, I was surprised by the environment after I changed jobs.<\/p>\n I had some doubts about a workplace where cost estimation was being done without drawings, so I asked why they weren't preparing them.<\/p>\n In response, I received answers such as, \u201cI don\u2019t have time to draw the blueprints,\u201d and \u201cIf I make a mistake, the time I spent drawing them will be wasted.\u201d Other reasons included, \u201cEven if I outsource the blueprint creation, I end up having to make corrections myself,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m simply not good at reading and drawing blueprints.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s true that if you end up making corrections, the time spent drawing the plans is wasted. But that doesn\u2019t apply only to the plans\u2014it also applies to on-site surveys, the time spent on calculations, and all of that as well.Ruined<\/strong>...will be.<\/p>\n The larger the project, the more drawings there were, which only served to increase the workload on the design department.<\/p>\n In many cases, there was only about one month between the confirmation of an order and the start of construction. Furthermore, the lack of drawings during the cost estimation phase often led to various problems with the construction department.<\/p>\n Errors in material selection and miscounts occurred, which in some cases led to budget overruns. Furthermore, because the drawings were not completed promptly, communication and handoffs between the design and construction departments were not smooth, resulting in problems during construction. There was even a risk that the construction schedule would be delayed.<\/p>\n I, too, once made a mistake in selecting the wrong size for a component, which caused me to exceed my budget and led to a sharp drop in gross profit. At that time, I went to see the client, explained the design error and its cause, and apologized.<\/p>\n As I just mentioned, isn\u2019t one of the reasons such problems occur the fact that cost estimates are prepared without drawings? If drawings were available during the cost estimation process, it should be possible to prevent at least some of these problems before they arise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhy are we doing cost estimates without any drawings?<\/h2>\n
What Happens If There Are No Drawings During Quantity Surveying?<\/h2>\n
Is it true that you don't need drawings when doing quantity surveys?<\/h2>\n