Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for civil and structural engineers.
A checklist built from how civil and structural engineers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Drawing and bar schedule register
- Pre-pour inspection report
- Visit counter against the agreement
- Stage fee invoicing
- Project file for certificates
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For principals and partners
- For project architects
- For draughtsmen
- For liaison staff
- For accounts staff
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Projects by design stage and project architect
- Drawings issued and revisions pending by sheet number
- Authority submissions and queries open
- Site visits made and snags closed by contractor
- Consultant inputs awaited by project
- Stage bills raised and fees outstanding
- Studio hours by project and person
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Bank transfer and card payments
- Ledger export
- Cloud drive for drawing files
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is it only for architecture firms?
- Can it hold our drawing numbering?
- Are drawing files stored in the system?
- How are approval submissions handled?
- Can site visits be written from the phone?
- Are consultant drawings tracked?
- Can bills follow our fee stages?
- Does it do quantity estimation and costing?
- Will billing figures go into our accounting package?
- What decides the price, and is a small practice too small for this?
- How soon can the studio start issuing drawings through it?
- What should the practice have in hand before the start?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Pours happen without a logged check
- Extra visits are not billed
- Superseded prints stay on site
- Certificates depend on paper files
Prefer to talk it through? See the civil and structural engineers page.