How we work
The commercial and practical detail, stated up front. Most questions a project manager has about offshore production are answered on this page.
From first call to first sheet
Scope call
Thirty minutes. You describe the backlog, the software, the standards and the deadlines. We tell you honestly whether it is work we should be doing, and what an hourly rate and weekly hour band would look like.
Paperwork and access
Mutual NDA, a short services agreement, and W-8BEN for your accounts payable file. You provide access to your file share, VPN or virtual desktop — whichever your IT policy prefers.
Standards onboarding
We take in your CAD template, layer standard, sheet borders, detail library, style guide and a completed reference project. This is unbilled. We would rather absorb the learning curve than pass it to you.
Pilot task
We start with a contained deliverable — a sheet set, a drainage model, a takeoff — so you can judge the output before committing to a weekly block. Small scope, real work, no obligation past it.
Production cycle
Agreed weekly hours against a live task list. A short written status at the end of every production day: what moved, what is blocked, what needs a decision from you.
Review and turnaround
You mark up in Bluebeam or PDF and send it back. Because our production day runs while your office is closed, comments issued in your afternoon are typically resolved before your next morning.
Weekly invoice
Invoiced every Friday for the week’s logged hours, itemized by project and task. Net 15 or net 30, paid by wire or ACH.
Questions we get asked
Who is professionally responsible for the work?
Your licensed engineer, entirely. We produce; you review, exercise engineering judgement, and seal. Forefield does not stamp, seal, or serve as Engineer of Record on any project, in any jurisdiction. Our deliverables are draft work product prepared under your direction.
How does the time zone actually work?
India Standard Time runs 9.5 to 12.5 hours ahead of North American time zones. In practice our production day covers your night. We hold live overlap in your early morning — typically 8:00 to 10:30 Eastern — for calls, markup walkthroughs and decisions. Work issued at the end of your day is usually returned before the start of your next.
What happens to our files and data?
We work inside your environment wherever possible — your VPN, virtual desktop or file share. Where files must be held locally they sit on encrypted drives, backed up, and are purged on project close at your instruction. Mutual NDA is signed before any file transfer. We do not subcontract outside the practice without your written approval.
What is the minimum engagement?
A pilot task with no ongoing commitment. Beyond that, the model works best at 20 hours a week or more, because that is the point where we stay current with your standards and your project context rather than restarting each time.
Can you scale up when we win a large project?
Yes, within reason and with notice. We add vetted production capacity for defined periods, always under the same review before anything returns to you. We would rather tell you we are at capacity than quietly hand your project to someone unfamiliar with it.
What about Indian public holidays?
We publish the year’s holiday calendar at the start of the engagement, and we schedule around your deadlines rather than the reverse. Critical submittal weeks are covered regardless of the calendar.
Do we need to buy software licences for you?
No. We license and maintain our own Civil 3D, OpenRoads, Bluebeam, ArcGIS and hydraulics software. The only exception is where your IT policy requires us to work on a firm-provided virtual desktop.
How do you handle payment across borders?
Invoices are issued in US dollars. Payment by international wire or ACH. A completed W-8BEN is provided for your records, which is what your accounts payable team will need for a foreign contractor.
Send us a set and a deadline.
Tell us what is on your desk this week. We will come back with a scope, an hourly rate, and a start date — usually within one business day.