Service file · Architecture & Engineering VA · Updated November 2026
Outsourcing drafting and project admin: hiring an architecture and engineering virtual assistant
A buyer's file for an architecture, engineering or MEP practice moving drawing production (redlines, sheets, Revit upkeep, coordination) and the project office (RFIs, submittals, permit packages, proposals, document control) to dedicated remote assistants: which of the two seats to buy, what goes in scope, where the licence and seal line sits, what it costs against a local hire and which numbers to put in writing.
- Rate
- $8–$14/hr
- Full-time / month
- $1,280–$2,240
- First candidates
- About 2 business days
- Setup / recruitment fee
- None
File summary
per hour for a dedicated drafting and BIM VA through our recruiting partner
per hour for a dedicated project admin VA (RFIs, submittals, permits, proposals)
recruitment or setup fee; nothing is paid before you choose a candidate
business days to the first candidates, usually (never a binding promise)
no seal, no stamp, no signature, no calculations, no code-compliance sign-off
the assistant works in your software licences, your files and your standards
In this file
- Two seats, two rates
- Work packages by seat
- Scope by discipline
- The licence and seal line
- A statement of work you can copy
- Engagement models compared
- Total cost of ownership
- Sizing the seats from a monthly tally
- The drawing QA standard
- Licences, files and access
- Service levels and KPIs
- Vendor questionnaire
- Scope by firm type
- Software the seats work in
- Acceptance test before you choose
- Onboarding plan: 30, 60, 90 days
- Risk register
- Exit and handover
- Terms in this file
- Requesting candidates
- FAQ
Two seats, two rates
An architecture and engineering virtual assistant is a dedicated remote team member for the production and paperwork around design work in an AEC firm (architecture, engineering and construction). You buy hours in one of two very different seats, and the first procurement decision is which one. Write it into the request, because the candidates, the test and the rate all follow from it.
| Seat | Rate | 80 h / month | 160 h / month | What you are buying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting and BIM VA | $8–$14/hr | $640–$1,120 | $1,280–$2,240 | CAD and Revit production from your markups: redlines, sheets, details, model upkeep, schedules, clash reports, renderings, as-builts |
| Project admin VA | $6.50–$10/hr | $520–$800 | $1,040–$1,600 | The project office: RFI and submittal logs, permit package assembly and tracking, meeting notes, transmittals, proposal formatting, document control, fee invoicing |
Where a candidate sits inside each range depends on experience and the depth of the role: a drafter who builds Revit families and runs coordination models sits higher than one who only picks up AutoCAD redlines.
Don't merge the two seats into one person to save money: drafting suffers from interruptions, and an administrator asked to "just fix a few sheets" was never tested on drawings. Buy the seat that holds your bottleneck first and add the second later.
Work packages by seat
Buy by package, not as "drafting help" or "admin". Each row names what the assistant produces and what stays with your licensed and senior staff, so the assistant knows where its work stops.
Drafting and BIM seat
| Package | Assistant's tasks | Stays with your team |
|---|---|---|
| Redlines | Pick up marked-up PDFs, change every affected sheet, cloud and tag the revision, return a PDF for back-checking | The markups themselves; the back-check |
| Drawing production | Plans, elevations, sections, wall sections, details and schedules to your office standards, from sketches and the design team's direction | Design decisions, dimensions that drive the design, details that carry engineering judgment |
| Revit model upkeep | Model updates from markups, views and sheets, families from your library or to your template, parameters, worksets kept tidy, schedules generated from the model | Model strategy, templates and what the model must contain |
| Coordination | Link consultant models, run clash tests in Navisworks or your tool, log each clash with views and owners, re-run after updates | Deciding how each clash is resolved |
| Sheet sets and issues | Sheet index, title blocks, revision schedules, plot and PDF sets for each issue, xrefs and backgrounds updated from consultants | The issue decision and the issue stamp |
| As-builts | Field markups and contractor redlines turned into a record set | Accepting the record set |
| Visualisation | Presentation views, massing and material options, renderings in Enscape, Lumion or V-Ray from your model | Which options go to the client |
Project admin seat
| Package | Assistant's tasks | Stays with your team |
|---|---|---|
| RFIs | Log incoming RFIs, attach references, route to the right designer, track due dates, chase late answers, issue responses and file them | Every technical answer |
| Submittals | Submittal register from the spec, packages logged and checked for completeness, routed to reviewers, returned to the contractor with your action | The review action (approved, revise and resubmit, rejected) and any stamp |
| Permit packages | Jurisdiction checklists, application forms filled from project data, drawing sets the licensed professional approved, uploads where authorized, status tracking, correction comments logged | Preparing and approving the documents; responding to plan review comments that change the design; signing |
| Meetings | Scheduling, agendas, minutes and action lists for design, consultant and site meetings | What was agreed |
| Document control | Drawing and document registers, transmittals, current sets posted and superseded ones marked, folder and naming rules kept | What gets issued and to whom |
| Proposals | Proposal and qualifications documents formatted from your templates, project sheets and CVs kept current, portal uploads before the deadline | Fees, scope, narrative claims and the decision to bid |
| Fees and invoicing | Invoices against fee schedules and percent complete you give, receivables follow-up, consultant invoice tracking | Fee changes, write-offs and additional-services agreements |
| Seal, signature, calculations, code compliance | Anything that certifies, signs, calculates or makes a design judgment | Always; never in scope |
Scope by discipline
Resumes that list "AutoCAD, Revit" say little: the software overlaps across disciplines, the discipline knowledge doesn't. Name the discipline in the request so the test and the shortlist match it.
| Discipline | Drafting and BIM work | Typical software | Never leaves your engineers or architects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural | Plans, elevations, sections, wall sections, details, door, window and finish schedules, Revit families, presentation models | AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Rhino | Design, code analysis, sealing |
| Mechanical (HVAC) | Duct and piping layouts, equipment schedules, ventilation plans, ceiling coordination | AutoCAD MEP, Revit | Load calculations, system selection, sizing, review |
| Electrical | Lighting and power plans, panel schedules, riser diagrams, circuiting from the engineer's design | AutoCAD MEP, Revit | Load and fault calculations, circuit design, review |
| Plumbing and fire protection | Sanitary, water and storm plans, isometrics, sprinkler layouts from the engineer's design | AutoCAD MEP, Revit | Pipe sizing, hydraulic calculations, review |
| Structural | Framing and foundation plans, connection details, general notes, drawing issue logs | AutoCAD, Revit | Analysis, member sizing, calculations |
| Civil | Grading, drainage and utility plans, plan and profile sheets, survey base updates | Civil 3D, AutoCAD | Design, hydrology, agency sign-off |
This file covers buildings and sites. A product or machine design seat (3D parts, assemblies and manufacturing drawings in SolidWorks or Inventor) is a different role with different tests. For contractor-side paperwork (pay applications, lien waivers, subcontractor certificates), the construction service file is the better fit.
The licence and seal line
Drawings for permits and construction carry a licensed professional's seal and signature, and the person who seals takes professional responsibility for the work. State boards set the rules on licensure, on what must be sealed and on how the sealing professional must direct and supervise the work prepared under them. Terms such as "responsible charge" (in the NCEES Model Law for engineers) and "responsible control" (in the NCARB Model Law for architects) describe that supervision; how your state applies them to remote drafting help is for your state board to decide. Put the split below into the onboarding pack and the statement of work.
The assistant may
- Draft from your markups, sketches and written direction
- Update the model and every affected sheet after a change
- Flag a conflict between sheets, or a markup that doesn't fit, as a question
- Assemble permit packages from documents your licensed professional prepared or approved
- Upload to a portal where your licence holder has authorized that, and track status
- Log RFIs and submittals and chase the people who owe answers
The assistant never
- Seals, stamps or signs drawings, or applies an electronic seal
- Does engineering calculations, sizing or analysis, or makes design judgments
- Certifies code compliance or tells anyone a design meets code
- Submits anything under a licence or presents itself as the architect or engineer
- Answers an RFI or marks a submittal approved
- Changes a design to clear a plan-review comment without your instruction
A degree in architecture or engineering on a candidate's CV changes none of this. The assistant works as drafting or admin support, not as the professional of record. Licensure and seal rules vary by state: your state board decides.
A statement of work you can copy
Fill in the brackets and attach it to the request and the agreement. Use one copy per seat.
Role: [drafting and BIM / project admin] assistant (remote) for [firm name], discipline [architectural / mechanical / electrical / plumbing / structural / civil], project types [residential / commercial / healthcare / education / industrial / infrastructure].
Hours: [80 / 160] hours a month, [days and hours], [time zone], with at least [N] hours of overlap with the project team's working day.
Systems: [AutoCAD / Revit / Civil 3D / Navisworks] seats supplied by the firm, [Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360 / file server via VPN], [Bluebeam / PDF markup tool], [Procore / Newforma / project platform], [accounting or project tool], [email and chat].
Work packages in scope: [redlines, drawing production, Revit upkeep, coordination, sheet sets, as-builts, visualisation, CAD cleanup] or [RFIs, submittals, permit packages, meetings, document control, proposals, fees and invoicing].
Standards: work to [office CAD and BIM standard, title blocks, templates]; every drawing returned with a markup checklist; nothing issued outside the firm without [name]'s approval.
Out of scope: sealing, stamping or signing; engineering calculations, sizing and design judgment; code-compliance statements; submissions under a licence; answering RFIs; submittal review actions; fee decisions.
Deliverables: back-check PDFs for every redline round; issue sets on the dates in the project schedule; RFI and submittal logs current at the end of each day; an end-of-day note (done, blocked, questions); a weekly report on the service levels.
Files and IP: all files stay on the firm's systems; no local copies outside the agreed setup; confidentiality agreement signed before access.
Commercials: hourly rate, monthly billing in arrears for hours worked, 30-day trial, notice period, replacement terms.
Engagement models compared
| Criterion | In-house drafter or coordinator | Outsourced CAD drafting service | Freelance drafter | Dedicated AEC VA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost model | Salary plus payroll costs, benefits and a workstation | Per sheet, per drawing or per project, set by each provider | Per hour or per project, set by each freelancer | Flat hourly: $8–$14 drafting, $6.50–$10 admin |
| Learns your standards over time | Yes | Depends on who the provider assigns | Varies with availability | Yes, one person on your work |
| Works in your files and seats | Yes | Often in the provider's setup, files sent back | Often in their own setup | Yes, with the access you set |
| Takes admin as well as drawings | Depends on the hire | No | Rarely | Yes, as a second seat |
| If it isn't a fit | Recruit again | Change provider | Search again | Replaced at no extra cost |
| Suits | Work that needs someone in the office or on site | One-off overflow with a fixed deliverable | Short projects you can manage closely | Steady production and project admin on your standards |
The models combine: a senior technician in-house who sets standards and back-checks, a dedicated drafter for volume. For the wider choice between one dedicated person and a managed team, see dedicated team vs staff augmentation; for the difference between moving work offshore and buying a service, see offshoring vs outsourcing.
Total cost of ownership: in-house hires vs AEC VAs
| Line item (per year, full-time) | US drafter | Drafting and BIM VA | US admin assistant | Project admin VA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay or hourly fees | $68,090 median ($32.74 an hour) | $15,360–$26,880 (1,920 h at $8–$14) | $48,310 median ($23.23 an hour) | $12,480–$19,200 (1,920 h at $6.50–$10) |
| Employer payroll taxes | About $5,209 (7.65% FICA), plus unemployment taxes | None for you | About $3,696 (7.65% FICA), plus unemployment taxes | None for you |
| Pay plus FICA | About $73,299 | $15,360–$26,880 | About $52,006 | $12,480–$19,200 |
| Benefits | For the in-house hires: commonly about 30% of total compensation in US private industry. For the VAs: none for you. | |||
| Software licences | The same seats either way, paid by the firm to the software vendor | |||
Read the comparison fairly. An in-house drafter can walk a site, sit in on a coordination meeting and pick up a set from the plotter; a remote seat can't. The comparison that matters may not be a new hire but the hours your architects and engineers spend implementing their own redlines and chasing submittals. A part-time drafting seat (80 hours a month) costs $640–$1,120 a month, or $7,680–$13,440 a year; a part-time admin seat costs $520–$800 a month, or $6,240–$9,600 a year.
Sizing the seats from a monthly tally
Don't guess the hours. For one normal month, note every production and admin task from the work packages and the minutes it takes, or would take if done properly. The table shows the arithmetic for a small architecture practice with four active projects; the inputs are illustrations, not benchmarks.
| Drafting seat (example inputs) | Per month | Minutes each | Hours a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheets changed from redlines | 40 | 45 | 30 |
| New details or sheets from sketches | 10 | 180 | 30 |
| Revit model updates and schedules | 12 | 120 | 24 |
| Issue sets (index, revisions, PDFs, transmittal) | 4 | 120 | 8 |
| Presentation views and renderings | 2 | 360 | 12 |
| Clash test runs and logs | 4 | 90 | 6 |
| Check-ins and the end-of-day note | 21 days | 30 | About 11 |
| Seat to buy | About 121 hours plus a margin you set for deadline weeks: a full-time seat (160 hours) | ||
Run the same tally for the admin seat: RFIs and submittals logged, permit packages and correction rounds, meetings, proposals, invoices and transmittals. For the same example practice it comes to roughly 85 hours, a part-time seat with a small top-up in permit months.
If your drafting total sits well under 80 hours, a drafting service for peaks may cost less than a seat.
The drawing QA standard
For the drafting seat, the drawing is the deliverable, so define what "done" means before day one and make it the acceptance criterion. A sheet that looks right but breaks your layers, xrefs or title block costs your senior staff time to fix. Put these checks into a one-page checklist the assistant runs before returning work:
| Check | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Every markup picked up | Each cloud or comment on the markup PDF ticked off, with a note where something couldn't be done and why |
| Change carried through | The same change updated on every plan, section, detail and schedule it touches, not only the marked sheet |
| Layers and styles | Your layer names, line weights, text and dimension styles; no exploded blocks or overridden dimensions |
| Revit model health | Families from your library, elements on the right worksets and levels, no unexplained warnings added, views placed from your templates |
| Revision control | Revision cloud, tag and schedule entry on every changed sheet; sheet index and dates current |
| Back-check package | A PDF of the changed sheets returned with the original markup, so the reviewer can compare side by side |
For the admin seat, the equivalent is a log standard: every RFI and submittal with a number, a date in, a person who owes the next step, a due date and a status, matching the project platform at the end of each day.
Licences, files and access
Software licences belong to the firm. The assistant works in the seats you assign, under its own named user, on your files. Licence terms for named users and remote use are set by each software vendor, so check yours before you assign a seat. Agree these controls before access starts.
Require
- A named user on every licence and platform, with the lowest permissions the packages need
- Files on your cloud platform or file server, reached through the access method your IT sets
- Your templates, title blocks and standards, read-only for the assistant
- Seal images, signature files and stamps kept where only your licensed staff can apply them
- A signed confidentiality agreement covering drawings, models, client data and fees
- Issue to clients, contractors and authorities only through the person you name
- Access removed the same day the engagement ends
Refuse
- A candidate's personal or unlicensed software for your project files
- Shared logins to a principal's account or email
- Project files copied to personal drives or chat apps
- Permit portal accounts registered in the assistant's own name as the applicant of record
- Any arrangement where the assistant applies a seal "to save time"
- Providers who describe their drafters as engineers or architects of record for you
Intellectual property and confidentiality terms belong in the agreement in plain words: drawings, models and documents made for you are yours, and the assistant uses them only for your work. Your attorney writes the clauses; the outsourcing contract checklist lists what to cover.
Service levels and KPIs to put in writing
Measure for 30 days, then set targets from your own numbers, using the platform and logs you already keep.
| Seat | Measure | Data source | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting | Redline rounds returned within the agreed time from receipt | Markup log or project platform | Weekly |
| Drafting | Share of returned sheets that pass back-check with no repeat comment, from a monthly sample | Back-check PDFs | Monthly |
| Drafting | Issue sets ready by the date in the project schedule | Project schedule | Each issue |
| Admin | New RFIs and submittals logged and routed within the agreed time | Project platform | Weekly |
| Admin | Overdue RFI and submittal answers chased on the agreed schedule | Logs | Weekly |
| Admin | Permit packages complete against the jurisdiction checklist before they reach your reviewer | Checklist and portal status | Each package |
Avoid a sheets-per-day target: it rewards fast sheets that fail back-check. And don't make the assistant answerable for permit approval dates or RFI answers; those depend on authorities and designers the assistant doesn't control.
Vendor questionnaire: fourteen questions
People
- Does the assistant work only for my firm?
- What AEC experience will candidates have: discipline, project types, software versions?
- Are drafting candidates tested on a practical task in my software and discipline before I meet them?
- Do I interview and choose?
Price and terms
- Which seat and which point in the range is this candidate priced at, and why?
- Are there recruitment or setup fees? Is there an advance payment, and is it refundable?
- What is the trial period, the notice period and the replacement policy?
- Can hours go up in deadline weeks, and how much notice do you need?
Access and boundaries
- Will the assistant work only in my licences and on my systems, under a named user?
- What does the provider put in writing about confidentiality and ownership of drawings and models?
- Does the provider confirm in writing that the assistant never seals, signs, calculates or certifies?
Continuity
- What is the backup for internet and power outages before an issue date?
- How is cover arranged during the assistant's leave and public holidays near a deadline?
- If the assistant leaves, how fast is a replacement shortlisted, and who hands over open markups and logs?
Scope by firm type
The same title covers different seats. Place your firm in one of these boxes before you request candidates.
One part-time seat
Start with the bottleneck: 80 hours of project admin ($520–$800 a month) if the inbox, permits and invoices eat design time, or 80 hours of drafting ($640–$1,120) if redlines pile up. Add hours once the routines run.
Drafting plus admin
A full-time drafter on CD production and Revit upkeep, back-checked by a project architect, and an admin seat across all projects for RFIs, submittals and document control.
Discipline drafters
Drafters per discipline (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) working from engineers' designs, with clash logs in Navisworks. Engineers keep loads, sizing and review; the admin seat carries submittals and close-out documents.
Sheets and agency paperwork
Framing, foundation, grading and utility sheets from engineers' sketches; the admin seat tracks agency submissions, permit reviews and calculation binders the engineer of record keeps.
Software the seats work in
Candidates can be matched to the tools and versions you run. Name them in the request; the provider can put a task in your own software into the test.
| Tool type | Examples | What the assistant does there |
|---|---|---|
| CAD drafting | AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP, Civil 3D | Construction documents, details, site and civil sheets, as-builts |
| BIM and coordination | Revit, Navisworks, Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360 | Model upkeep, sheets and schedules, linked models, clash tests |
| 3D and visualisation | SketchUp, Rhino, Enscape, Lumion, V-Ray, 3ds Max | Presentation models, renderings, design option views |
| Markup and PDF | Bluebeam Revu, Adobe Acrobat | Reading redlines, back-check sets, permit PDFs |
| Project platforms | Procore, Newforma, Fieldwire, Autodesk Construction Cloud | RFI and submittal logs, transmittals, document registers |
| Scheduling and tasks | MS Project, Primavera P6, Asana, Monday.com | Milestones, deadline reminders, meeting actions |
| Proposals and graphics | Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft 365 | Proposal and qualifications documents, project sheets, boards |
| Project accounting | Deltek Vantagepoint, BQE Core, QuickBooks, Xero | Invoices against fee schedules, receivables follow-up |
Acceptance test before you choose
A portfolio of attractive renderings says little about construction document accuracy, so test the work you will hand over. Ask each shortlisted candidate for a short work sample:
- Redline pickup (drafting): a marked-up PDF of one of your sheets, implemented in your software within a time limit; check every markup, layers, tags and the change carried to related views.
- Model task (BIM): add a family from your library, place it, update a schedule and put a new view on a sheet from your template.
- Log task (admin): turn a list of twelve submittal items into a register with numbers, spec sections, reviewers and due dates, then draft an RFI transmittal.
- The line: answer a contractor who emails "can you just confirm this detail meets code?" The right answer routes the question to the licensed professional and confirms nothing.
Score accuracy first, then standards, then speed.
Onboarding plan: 30, 60, 90 days
- Week 1, access and standards: named users on your licences and platforms; the CAD and BIM standard, templates and the boundary list read and signed; a recorded walkthrough of one current project by the project architect or engineer.
- Weeks 2–4, first packages: the drafter takes redline rounds on one project with a full back-check of every sheet; the admin takes over the RFI and submittal logs on the same project.
- Day 30 review: baseline numbers for the service levels; seat sizes checked against the tally; decide which packages and projects come next.
- Days 31–60, more projects: drawing production and Revit upkeep on two or three projects with sampled back-checks; permit packages and meeting minutes added to the admin seat.
- Days 61–90, full scope: coordination and issue sets; proposals and fee invoicing; targets written into the agreement from the baseline.
Risk register
| Risk | Control | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Work is sealed without the review your state board expects | Back-check by the licensed professional recorded before every issue; seal files under their control | Principal or engineer of record |
| A change misses a related sheet | The QA checklist's "change carried through" step; back-check PDFs for every round | Project architect or engineer |
| Superseded drawings go to the contractor | One register; issue only through the named person; superseded sets marked | Project manager |
| An RFI answer or code statement comes from the assistant | Boundary list; RFI responses issued only with the designer's text | Project manager |
| Files leave the firm's systems | Cloud or server access only; confidentiality agreement; access removed on exit | Office or IT lead |
Exit and handover
All work stays in your models, file storage and project platform, so nothing has to be handed back. At the end of an engagement, ask for a final handover note (open markups, sheets mid-revision, open RFIs and submittals, permit applications in review, proposal deadlines), remove access the same day and release the software seats for reassignment.
Terms in this file
- Redline
- A marked-up drawing (paper or PDF) showing changes the designer wants made.
- Back-check
- The reviewer's comparison of the updated sheets against the original markup.
- Xref
- An external reference: a drawing linked into another drawing, such as a consultant's background.
- Sheet set
- The full collection of drawing sheets issued together, with an index and revision history.
- Clash test
- A check that finds where elements of linked models occupy the same space, such as a duct through a beam.
- Seal
- The licensed professional's stamp and signature on documents for which they take professional responsibility.
Requesting candidates
Requests sent through this site go to our recruiting partner, a managed VA agency:
- Send the scope: seat, discipline, project types, software and versions, and hours, using the statement of work above if it helps.
- Review the shortlist: candidates with AEC drafting or project admin experience, screened and, for drafting seats, tested on a practical task where the role calls for it, usually in about 2 business days.
- Interview and choose: nothing is paid before you choose; billing is monthly in arrears for hours worked; an assistant who isn't a fit is replaced at no extra cost.
The trade-offs: an agency costs more per hour than a freelancer you recruit yourself, in exchange for screening and replacement; the first month needs your project architect's or engineer's back-check time; after the 30-day trial a notice period applies. If your back office needs bookkeeping more than project admin, the accounting outsourcing drawer lists providers scored on published prices and terms.
FAQ
What does an architecture and engineering virtual assistant do?
One of two jobs, done remotely in your own software and files. A drafting and BIM assistant turns your markups and sketches into drawings: redlines, plans, details, schedules, Revit model upkeep, clash logs, issue sets, as-builts and presentation renderings. A project admin assistant runs the paperwork: RFI and submittal logs, permit package assembly and tracking, meeting minutes, transmittals, proposals and fee invoicing. Design, calculations and the seal stay with your licensed staff.
How much does an architecture or engineering VA cost?
Through our recruiting partner, a drafting and BIM assistant costs $8–$14 an hour ($640–$1,120 a month for 80 hours, $1,280–$2,240 for 160 hours) and a project admin assistant $6.50–$10 an hour ($520–$800 for 80 hours, $1,040–$1,600 for 160 hours). Billing is monthly in arrears for hours worked, with no recruitment or setup fee. Software licences stay on your own bill.
Is a drafting VA cheaper than an in-house drafter?
Per year, yes. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median pay of drafters at $68,090 a year ($32.74 an hour) in May 2025, before payroll taxes and benefits; architectural and civil drafters were at $66,150. A full-time remote drafting seat costs $15,360–$26,880 a year at $8–$14 an hour. An in-house drafter can work on site and in meetings; a remote seat can't.
Can the VA seal, stamp or sign our drawings?
No. The assistant prepares drawings and documents; the licensed architect or engineer reviews them, takes professional responsibility and seals. Licensure and seal rules, including how the sealing professional must supervise work prepared for them, vary by state: your state board decides. A degree on a candidate's CV doesn't change this.
Can a drafting VA do engineering calculations or confirm code compliance?
No. Loads, sizing, analysis, hydraulic and electrical calculations and every design judgment stay with your engineers, and code analysis stays with your licensed staff. The assistant drafts from their results and keeps code checklists they supply, but never states that a design meets code.
Which drafting seat do I need: architectural, MEP, structural or civil?
The one that matches your discipline, because the software overlaps and the knowledge doesn't. Architectural drafters work on plans, sections, details and Revit families; MEP drafters on duct, piping, lighting, power and plumbing layouts and schedules; structural drafters on framing and foundation plans and details; civil drafters on grading, drainage and utility sheets in Civil 3D. Name the discipline in the request and test in it.
Who pays for AutoCAD and Revit licences?
Your firm. The assistant works in seats you assign, under its own named user, on your files. Licence terms for named users and remote use are set by each software vendor, so check yours before assigning a seat. Never let project files go into a candidate's personal or unlicensed software.
Can a VA submit permit applications for us?
The assistant assembles packages from drawings your licensed professional prepared or approved, fills in forms from project data, uploads to permit portals where your licence holder has authorized that, tracks review status and logs correction comments. It never submits under a licence or as the applicant of record, and comments that change the design go back to your designers.
Can the assistant manage RFIs and submittals?
Yes, as the log keeper: numbering, routing to the right designer, tracking due dates, chasing late answers and issuing responses. The technical answer to every RFI and the review action on every submittal come from your design team; the assistant never marks a submittal approved.
Is this the same as a 3D CAD designer?
No. This file covers buildings and sites: architectural, MEP, structural and civil drawings and the project office around them. Product and machine design (3D parts, assemblies and manufacturing drawings in SolidWorks or Inventor) is a separate seat with its own tests. Contractor-side paperwork such as pay applications and lien waivers belongs to a construction admin seat.
How long does it take to get an AEC VA working?
First candidates usually arrive in about 2 business days; drafting candidates can then be tested on your own redlines before you interview. Plan about 30 days to redlines and logs on one project under full back-check, 60 days to production and permit packages across more projects, and 90 days to full scope. During the first 30 days you can end the engagement immediately; a notice period applies after that.