How to booby-trap a contractor...

Or anyone really, that is assessing construction documentation with the intention of committing to create something out of nothing based on drawings compiled in packages often labelled “for tender”.

Could be a client representative too, charged with overseeing the project!

Here is my list of 5 ‘favourite’ booby-traps:

1/ When soft copies of drawings are requested, provide only PDFs and bind them into one;

(can be separated into sheets, but it takes time and they end up with names hard to recognise)

2/ If you provide CAD files, make sure drawings are numbered instead of named

(most jobs have sheet-numbers going into hundreds – non descriptive titles hinder navigation)

3/ Set all scales at dubious ratios

                (1:300, 400, 750 are all well liked)

4/ Print all PDFs to black (or greyscale)

5/ Print PDF’s with thick lines on

                (my favourite-favourite see attached screenshots;  Samples are sourced from a number of         different jobs; The marvellously hidden number 25 was quite critical to the sheet it was       residing on);

The above described tricks are relatively minor annoyances, however, combine them all and they can compromise the contractor’s ability to put their best bid forward.

The intention could be for these practices to weed out the bad from the good, it can also prevent a good contractor do what they are best at, price, programme, plan for successful building.