Industry guide
What construction and architecture records show
How plans become buildings is written down in your project files. You can leave out sensitive projects and anything the owner holds.
Start my estimateQuick answers
Do we need to include every project?
No. You decide which projects and periods are in, and you sign off on a sample before anything goes out.
Who on our side gets involved?
Usually whoever runs your project platform and file storage, plus a principal for scoping.
Does it cost anything?
No. It all begins under NDA, at no cost to you.
Other things owners ask about
- Estimating files can stay out, so your pricing remains private.
- In the copy, owners, subs, suppliers and site addresses become placeholders.
- Nobody asks for passwords, and your originals stay in your systems.
The question of ownership
Some drawings and models belong to the owner, and some contracts limit how they can be used. Whether they can be included depends on those contracts, so settle it with your counsel. Legal advice is not something we provide. Owner-held material can be excluded project by project.
Projects for government or critical infrastructure tend to have tighter rules. These are flagged in scoping and can be left out completely.
A good first scope
An owner can begin with a handful of finished projects where the paperwork is complete: the RFIs, the submittals, the change orders and the logs that tie them together. Anything with owner restrictions or security concerns can stay out from the start. If you want, more projects can be added later, one by one.
However much you include, the copy is made the same way. Working from your approved scope alone, License Your Data replaces names and identifiers with placeholders, then shows you a sample before any copy is shared. Your source records stay where they are, inside your systems.
Common record types
- Drawings, models and revision history
- Requests for information and submittals
- Logs of changes and coordination
- Bid packages and estimates
- Daily logs and punch lists