Why Outsourcing GA Drawings Is Harder Than RC — and How Rezolve Makes It Easier

Structural engineering teams are increasingly turning to outsourcing to handle the growing volume of CAD work. But there’s one thing many discover the hard way:

Outsourcing GA (General Arrangement) drawings is far more challenging than outsourcing RC (Reinforced Concrete) drawings.

The difference isn’t just about drawing type — it’s about coordination, communication, and control. Let’s unpack why that is, and how Rezolve helps engineers simplify it.

🔍 GA vs RC Drawings — What’s the Real Difference?

GA Drawings form the structural backbone of a project. They show grids, columns, walls, openings, slab edges, and beam layouts — defining how every part fits together. GAs must align perfectly with architectural and MEP models, which means precision and coordination are everything.

RC Drawings are about reinforcement details — bar sizes, spacing, laps, hooks, and schedules. Once the GA and design intent are finalized, RC drawings translate that geometry into site-level detail.

⚙️ Why GAs Are So Much Harder to Outsource

Challenge	GA Drawings	RC Drawings
Design Context	Requires full understanding of design philosophy and coordination with other disciplines.	Follows fixed geometry and design outputs.
Iteration Frequency	High — GAs evolve with design and coordination changes.	Low — RCs are stable once GAs are frozen.
Impact of Errors	High — mistakes ripple through the project.	More localized; easier to correct.
Ease of Outsourcing	Difficult without tight communication and standards.	Easier — repeatable, rule-based detailing.

In short, GAs are about communication, not just drafting. And that’s where most outsourcing workflows break down.

🧩 The Real Problem: Managing Communication and Revisions

When GAs are outsourced, issues tend to pile up:

• Confusion over which version is current

• Misaligned CAD templates and layer standards

• Endless mark-up loops and email chains

• No clear view of progress or revisions

Even experienced offshore drafting teams struggle when communication lives in inboxes and shared drives instead of one connected workflow.

🚀 Enter Rezolve: The Smarter Way to Manage Outsourced CAD Work

Rezolve is a cloud-based platform that makes it easy for structural engineers to manage outsourced CAD production — especially complex GA packages.

With Rezolve, you can:

• ✅ Assign, track, and review outsourced drawings in one workspace

• 📂 Enforce your CAD standards and templates automatically

• 🔁 Manage version control and revision history with full transparency

• 💬 Comment and mark up drawings directly — no endless emails

• 📊 Monitor delivery progress, QA checks, and turnaround times

  
  

Rezolve brings structure to your outsourcing — so your external team feels like an extension of your in-house one.

🧠 Turning Outsourcing Into an Advantage

Outsourcing RC drawings is already standard practice. With the right tools and processes, GA outsourcing can be just as reliable and efficient.

Rezolve helps you:

• Scale your drafting capacity

• Reduce coordination errors

• Shorten revision cycles

• Maintain full design control

  
  

Because outsourcing shouldn’t mean losing oversight — it should mean working smarter.

Ready to simplify your GA outsourcing workflow?Learn how Rezolve helps structural engineers streamline CAD production, improve quality control, and collaborate seamlessly with external teams.