Shop Drawing and Submittal Review

A fabricator, installer, or general contractor sends me a set of shop drawings. I review them against the governing code and the design intent, tell you in writing what is adequate and what is not, and provide a stamped letter when the review supports one.

This is the work I am asked for most often by fabricators and specialty contractors who build something well and need a licensed engineer to confirm that it is adequate. Scope is usually a single submittal package, and turnaround is typically 2 to 10 business days depending on the complexity.

What the Review Covers

I start with the loads, because a wrong load makes every number downstream wrong. That means confirming the wind, snow, seismic, and live loads applied to the assembly, the exposure and site conditions they were derived from, and the code edition your jurisdiction has adopted.

From there I check the structural adequacy of the members and the connections shown, the load path from the assembly into whatever supports it, the anchorage into concrete or steel, and the foundation reactions delivered to the supporting structure. I also check that the drawings are internally consistent, meaning that the sections agree with the plans, the schedules agree with the details, and the dimensions close.

Where the submittal includes engineering calculations from the manufacturer, I check those independently rather than accepting them. Manufacturer capacity tables are frequently correct for the conditions they were developed for and wrong for the conditions on your project.

What the Review Does Not Cover

I state this clearly at the start of every engagement, because the boundary is frequently misunderstood and it protects both of us.

A shop drawing review confirms conformance with the design intent and the governing code. It does not transfer responsibility for the fabricator's means, methods, sequences, or field measurements to me, and it does not make me the engineer of record for the structure the assembly attaches to unless we agree to that separately.

If the submittal is inadequate, I say so and describe what would make it adequate. Redesigning the assembly is a different engagement with a different scope and fee, and I am happy to quote it separately.

Work I Review Regularly

Sports netting and barrier netting. Pole foundations, pole sizing, cable tensions, and the reactions delivered into existing structures. Netting is an open structure under wind, so the pressure coefficients differ from those for an enclosed building, and applying the wrong set is a common source of error.

Ornamental metal, gates, railings, and fencing. Member sizing, weld and connection adequacy, post embedment, and anchorage. Often for public agency or institutional projects where a stamped review is a condition of acceptance.

Cold-formed steel framing. Thin-walled sections fail in buckling modes that have no counterpart in hot-rolled design, so the manufacturer's tables have to be checked against the actual span, loading, and end conditions on your project.

Canopies, carports, and shade structures. Wind uplift usually governs these, and the dead load resisting uplift is small, so the foundation and the anchorage are where the design is decided.

Equipment supports and material handling structures. Conveyor supports, platforms, mezzanines, and equipment frames, including the capacity of the existing structure receiving the loads.

What You Receive

A written review response listing every finding, separated into items that require resolution before the work proceeds and items offered as comments. Each finding cites the drawing, the specific provision it relates to, and what would resolve it.

Where the review supports it, I provide a stamped letter of review suitable for permitting or for submittal to the authority having jurisdiction, within my licensed disciplines in Ohio, Kentucky, California, Texas, Florida, and Louisiana. Additional state licensure is available on request.

If findings need resolution, one round of re-review after you address them is included in the original fee. My interest is in getting the submittal to an acceptable state.

What to Send Me

The more of this you include in the first message, the faster I can give you a scope and a fee:

• The shop drawings or submittal package, in whatever state they are in
• The project location, since the wind, snow, and seismic loads follow from it
• The governing code edition, if the authority having jurisdiction has specified one
• Any manufacturer calculations or capacity tables included with the submittal
• Drawings of the structure the assembly attaches to, if it attaches to something existing
• Your deadline

An incomplete package is still worth sending. I will tell you what else I need. Contact me with what you have and I will respond with scope, fee, and schedule. The initial consultation is free.