The best shouldn’t always be expensive.
This is one of the profound lessons that business owners need to know. As a matter of fact, it is one of the ‘truths’ that a business owner must accept when doing business in this age.
Businesses are different from consumers because the best business partner should not always be the expensive one. With competition getting tighter and tighter every day, one must maintain a quality output without breaking the bank.
And in this age as well, a business needs to take a lot of consideration, especially in choosing a service provider and/or business partners. An outsourcing company is a service provider and at the same time a business partner – and it plays a vital role in the success of its clients.
The question that a lot of businesses might be asking is: What should businesses look for in an outsourcing partner?
To answer this million-dollar question, below are some insightful items to take note of, especially when talking to a potential CAD outsourcing partner:
1.) Find out how long they have been in business.
The first thing to look for in an outsource company is their years in business. This matters because there are many factors you learn to work with as an outsource company and not everyone has the same standards and construction methods. And usually, those who’ve been in the business for quite a while have developed processes and methodologies to deliver on time without sacrificing quality.
Moreover, you also want to make sure they are an actual company.
2.) Make sure they have a legal & a valid copy of their software: Microsoft, Antivirus, and Autodesk products.
Software piracy is pretty rampant these days and Autodesk has a team of people dedicated to finding out who is doing it. If your CAD service provider does not have legitimate software means they are not a reputable company.
In the same way, it is also a test of how financially capable they are. Businesses that invest in licensed software are most likely stable in cash flow.
3.) Do they have enough draftsmen to cater the needs of their clients?
Many so-called CAD-outsource companies are one-man operations. This is not so bad if you do not intend to grow or expand in the future
Even, if you only need one drafter at the time, you need a team that can support your drafting needs: when workload piles up, when your drafter needs additional knowledge in process and procedure, when your drafter need the right tools and equipment to be available, when your drafter gets sick and when your drafter needs moral support from his peers to keep him going when meeting deadlines. A one-man team can easily up and leave you when he does not have all of these to support him.
Another thing to make sure is that this is their full-time job and not a weekend job as this could seriously affect your lead-times and reliability.
4.) Is there time for revisions?
Meeting the deadline is important. Make sure that your CAD service provider submits their progress from time to time so that you are not unpleasantly surprised that at final and only submission, exactly on deadline, would actually need extra hours after the deadline to get your project to 100%. A project full of errors on deadline date is not 100%.
5.) Stay away from dubious estimates
Fee proposals on lump-sum, or project basis, should have an agreed scope and clear limitations. Revisions should be taken into consideration and should be clear as to how many hours are allotted for revisions. If there is no mention of revisions, you might be billed with unaccounted additional hours that you thought would be part of the contract already. Know what to expect and how much it would cost. It is important to have a grasp on what a project will cost you. A good project fee proposal will include an estimated budget for revisions.
If design intent is still flexible or is not yet final, expect a flexible and non-final agreement. Connect with a CAD service provider that are transparent and honest for your own peace of mind.
If there is continuity in services, CadAxis.com provides a credit-balance system. The client pays what he needs in advance. Packages of hours are sold at discounted rates as more hours are purchased. This is also very beneficial as it tracks the speed of the drafters. If the client is unhappy with the services or simply decided to stop the project, there are no penalty fees and the client can leave the relationship with a very minimal monetary loss. Time for negotiating the contract is reduced, and services are paid as needed. Lower rates are provided as more hours are needed at a time.
***
The fact is that the price isn’t the only factor to consider when choosing an outsourcing company. Experience, quality, and reliability are also critical elements in choosing the right CAD outsourcing partner in the Philippines.
Again, the best shouldn’t always be expensive.
You just need to search for the right service provider. The best is not always expensive. The best CAD service provider is the one that fit your needs, requirements, and budget.
We, at CadAxis.com, provide CAD drafting services for the budding architectural and engineering firms that do not have full-time draftsmen to do their drafting work or for those who would just need extra manpower to their growing industry.
For more information on our services, you can check our Services page. Or you can contact us at the numbers and email address below:
Telephone: +63 (02) 9574378 (Manila),
Mobile: +63 (917) 8857507 (Manila),
+1 (516) 847-1694 (USA & Canada)
Email: contactus@cadaxis.com