There was a time when independent contractors and 3D CAD design freelancers were largely considered second-class workers, lacking in knowledge, skills, diligence, punctuality, and professionalism. Outsourcing also was regarded as a “last resort” decision—the only choice available after all else has failed—among business owners. But now the landscape has changed.
Independent contractors have developed better awareness of the competitive nature of outsourcing services. More individuals embrace freelancers, which means each has to deliver consistently good quality services or risk getting buried in an ocean of competitors. Just like in every business niche and industry, competition is the best thing to drive the learning process and improvement.
A lot of freelancers do so as their main source of income so they cannot afford to lack the necessary qualifications in what they do. They are merely business people trying to sell services to clients.
At the same time, companies must stay competitive in the market as well. Reducing overhead costs through having fewer full-time employees is one way that companies can reduce costs in the marketplace.
For example, a budding general contractor doesn’t always have the expertise to create detailed CAD drawings or drafts of an entire house plan along with all the fixtures to be installed. Outsourcing the job to a 2D CAD drafting freelancer is more practical than hiring a full-time employee. It eliminates expenses otherwise necessary for the recruitment process, training programs, salary, and other benefits typically associated with a full-time employee.
CAD drawing services are essential works for a broad range of professions including general contractors, construction companies, architects, civil engineers, home designers, remodelers, interior designers, and more. Although outsourced CAD drawing and drafting services are not without their risks, the benefits can far outweigh the potential drawbacks.
Moreover, you can reduce your chances of getting poor-quality work by implementing basic precautions such as reading testimonials from previous clients, analyzing portfolios, and, more importantly, maintaining active communication throughout the project. Choose reputable freelancers or those organized by reputable agencies to outsource worry-free. As for the advantages, here are just a few.
Low Cost
The driving force behind the rise of outsourcing is the potential to reduce a company’s operating cost. There are two factors at play here:
- Outsourcing relieves you from the process of recruiting a new full-time employee with the right qualifications and all associated expenses. Creating CAD drawings and drafts is not a particularly easy skill to master. It may take even the most dedicated person months if not years to fully acquire the technical knowledge necessary to do the jobs properly. While a full-time employee may appear like a better long-term investment for your company, you have to spend more money on training and keeping one on the payroll for years to come. In times when lowering a company’s operational cost is a necessity, outsourcing the job is most likely the best option.
- Thanks to online outsourcing, you have easy access to a massive collection of talented freelance CAD drafting services from all around the world. Thousands of freelancers compete to provide the best services at the best price.
As mentioned earlier, you can use the money otherwise spent on recruitment and training to hire an independent professional with the appropriate qualifications. Your company also eliminates the need for physical office space, computers, and all the hardware to support the work of a full-time employee. You save valuable financial resources because the company has no obligation to pay for the compulsory workers’ compensation, annual leave, sick leave, bonuses, and other benefits.
Let us not forget about the likelihood that your competitors also choose to work with assembly drawing services for the same reason. With that in mind, you have a greater chance of staying ahead if you walk the same path.
Increased Productivity
Most freelancers or agencies specializing in CAD drawing and drafting will only take projects they can handle. This means that you can be sure it will be done by the agreed-upon timeframe if not earlier depending on the complexity of the work.
When it’s the only workload they have, the project can move faster and you can continue working on other things. By outsourcing time-consuming work such as drafting and 3D modeling, you can utilize more resources for the core activities of the company like construction and planning.
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More complex CAD drawing and drafting require more time to finish; even when the work is done, revision is nothing unusual for an online outsourcing business. You can significantly reduce the possibility of having to revise a completed work by dividing the project into multiple sections or ask the freelancer to deliver the work in different phases. Smaller deliverables in the right sequence make the entire project easier to manage, both for you as the employers and for the freelance 2D CAD designers too.
A small section is easier to analyze as well. The freelancer should only continue working on the next phase after the previous one has received your approval. For example, instead of requesting an entire house plan in a single delivery, it would be much more manageable if you divided it into multiple parts. If a revision is necessary, it will be done per section to avoid waste of time and resources; in other words, increased productivity.
Adherence to Local Standards
Every industry has its own set of design standards and regulations. The same thing applies to buildings, both commercial and residential, which must be planned and built-in compliance with local codes. Keep in mind that not every CAD drawing and drafting professional lives in the same area as the location of your project.
The good thing about outsourcing is the sheer number of professionals who offer more or less the same services, but in different parts of the world. In the United States, building codes and regulations are enforced by the state government so there can be some major differences between one location and another. Canada also has different building codes as do most other countries.
Hire a Team of Professionals at Once
If you need several drafts and models for the same project, it’s possible to hire a team of professionals rather than several different individuals. The works are intended for the same project, so it only makes sense if the files have some sort of uniformity.
Especially when the architectural drafting is done per section of the house plan, all files must be easily integrated and modified. You don’t have to bother with multiple revisions and conversions to specific file formats after the files have been delivered. In some cases, sizable modifications are necessary before you can merge multiple sections into one usable file.
Unless you have the skills for editing, archiving, replicating parts, and assembling, it is going to be a time-consuming task. You can prevent trouble by hiring a 3D modeling design service team, to begin with.
Growth Stimulator
When done properly, outsourcing is an effective way to improve your company’s quality of services and the ability to meet the varying demands of clients. Because outsourcing allows you to utilize resources more efficiently, it contributes to the overall growth of the company.
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You cannot expect different clients to always want the same thing. Their preferences quickly change and your company cannot afford to fall behind. When clients get the right answers and effective solutions to their problems, they are more likely to provide positive feedback, which in turn escalates your company’s reputation.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to build an in-house team filled with professionals of different backgrounds and approaches to design. The workaround is to hire freelance mechanical CAD designers.
Wrapping Up
In the increasingly dynamic and competitive business landscape, your company may not be able to survive by relying solely on an in-house team. At some point, outsourcing some parts of the work to an external party is almost inevitable. Outsourcing is a method of choice for architectural and engineering firms to acquire the benefits of specialized expertise and experience at just a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time employee with the same qualification.
Forging a good relationship with outsourcing agencies and service providers creates a powerful boost in times when your company needs steady growth without breaking the bank.
At Cad Crowd, we have a network of some of the best freelancers on the market. If you’re looking to outsource some of your CAD and 3D modeling work, get a free quote today.