How to Prepare Drawings for a Millwork Bid
The more complete the package you send, the tighter and faster the number comes back. Here's exactly what a millwork fabricator needs to bid your project accurately.
A vague bid request produces a padded number. When a fabricator has to guess at materials, grade, or scope, they either build the risk into the price or come back with a stack of RFIs that slow the whole bid. A complete package does the opposite: it lets us scope tightly, price competitively, and give you a schedule you can actually build around.
Here’s what to send, and why each piece matters.
The core set
- Architectural drawings — floor plans, elevations, and reflected ceiling plans that show where the millwork lives and how it relates to the space.
- Millwork details and sections — the large-scale drawings that define the actual scope. This is where casework, counters, paneling, and reveals get pinned down.
- Finish schedules — laminates, veneers, solid surface, paint, and hardware, called out by location. Finishes drive cost as much as square footage.
- Specifications — including the AWI grade. “Custom Grade” and “Economy Grade” are not the same package or the same price.
The details that prevent surprises
- Addenda — send every one. Bidding against a superseded drawing set is the fastest way to a change order later.
- Bid forms and scope clarifications — if the ITB splits scope a certain way, tell us up front so we bid the right lines.
- Project location and schedule — location affects delivery and install logistics (especially out-of-state work), and the schedule tells us how the package has to be sequenced.
A complete package lets us scope tightly, price competitively, and give you a schedule you can build around.
If your set isn’t complete yet
Send what you have. Early-stage or partial drawings are fine for a budget number — we’ll flag the assumptions we made so there are no surprises when the set is finished. It’s far better to start the conversation early than to wait for a perfect package.
That’s the whole point of a clear bid request: fewer assumptions, fewer RFIs, a tighter number.
Have a package going out to bid? Send us your drawings — our estimating team will take it from there.