Most delays in an outsourced drafting relationship do not come from the drafting team. They come from the handoff — the moment a documentation package leaves the studio and lands with an external partner who has to reconstruct intent from whatever arrived in the folder.

This guide sets out what a complete handoff package looks like for CAD, Revit, Vectorworks, PDF markups, and supporting references, so a documentation team can start work immediately instead of chasing missing context.

When to Use This Checklist

Run through this checklist before the first issue to a drafting or BIM partner, before every revision package, and whenever scope changes mid-project. Draflow pairs Australian project management with offshore production, and the quality of that arrangement depends almost entirely on the quality of what gets sent across at the start.

What a Complete Package Includes

Step 1: Scope and Instructions

– Confirm exactly what the drafting team is required to produce, revise, or check.

– List the deliverables — sheets, model updates, schedules, details, or PDF issue sets.

– State the project stage, issue purpose, and required turnaround date.

– Nominate one primary contact for queries and review comments.

– Identify anything that is out of scope and must not be touched.

Step 2: Source Files

– Send the latest source files only; remove superseded or duplicate versions.

– Identify clearly whether the package is CAD, Revit, Vectorworks, or a mixed workflow.

– Include every linked or referenced file needed to open and work on the package.

– Confirm the software version, especially for Revit and Vectorworks.

– Use clear file names that carry project name, area, package, and revision status.

Step 3: Markups and Review Comments

– Provide markups on PDFs, screenshots, or sheet-based comments rather than fragments scattered across an email chain.

– Number markup items so changes can be tracked.

– Give direct instructions: what to revise, where it applies, and whether it’s mandatory or for review.

– Consolidate comments from every reviewer before issue.

– Remove markups that have already been superseded.

Step 4: Reference Material

– Include only relevant background — previous issue sets, sketches, consultant backgrounds, schedules, surveys, specifications.

– Flag which references are current and which are background only.

– Call out provisional consultant information or unresolved coordination items.

– Note any assumptions the drafting team should follow if information is incomplete.

Step 5: Issue Note or Transmittal

– One summary note: project name, package name, issue date, requested completion date.

– What changed since the previous issue.

– The files included in the package.

– Priorities, dependencies, or sequencing requirements.

– Where completed files should be returned.

Step 6: QA Before Sending

– Open the package from the final issue folder before sending it — not from a working directory.

– Confirm linked files, references, and exports work from the issued folder structure.

– Check the PDF issue set matches the source files being issued.

– Align revision numbers and dates across drawings, models, and issue notes.

– Strip internal-only notes, hidden comments, and obsolete files.

Recommended Folder Structure

A predictable folder structure removes a whole category of avoidable questions:

01_Source_Files

02_Markups

03_References

04_Issue_Notes

05_PDF_Issue_Set

When a package spans multiple software types, split 01_Source_Files into subfolders — CAD, Revit, Vectorworks — rather than mixing formats in one folder.

The Minimum Handoff Standard

A package is ready to send when the correct source files are included, instructions are unambiguous, markups are consolidated into one set, references are current and relevant, and the requested outputs and deadline are stated plainly. That standard is what lets an external team start immediately, and it’s the baseline Draflow works to on every project we pick up as an Australian-managed drafting and BIM partner.