- Prepared by
- The design consultant
- Shows
- The design, as issued for construction
- Signed and sealed
- By the design engineer or architect
- In French
- dessins contractuels
Contract drawings
Shop drawings in French: the submittal and review terms, as the specification words them.
In Canadian French, shop drawings are dessins d'atelier. They are submitted under the specification's submittal section and reviewed by the consultant before fabrication. Below are the submittal and review terms in both languages as the National Master Specification uses them, and the three places where even the official French varies.
What is a shop drawing?
shop drawing dessin d’atelier
The term every National Master Specification clause we hold uses.
A shop drawing is the drawing a contractor, fabricator or supplier prepares to show how they will build or supply part of the work: the dimensions, connections, materials and details the shop works from. It is not the design. The design is on the contract drawings; the shop drawing shows the contractor’s understanding of it, for the consultant to review before anything is fabricated.
In Canadian French, a shop drawing is a dessin d’atelier. It is the term every National Master Specification clause we hold uses for them.
Shop drawing vs construction drawing: what is the difference?
- Prepared by
- The contractor, fabricator or supplier
- Shows
- How the work will be built or supplied
- Signed and sealed
- Only when the shop drawing itself contains design
- In French
- dessins d'atelier
Shop drawings
What does the specification ask contractors to submit?
The submittal section of the specification, Section 01 33 00 in the National Master Specification, sets out what goes to the consultant and how. Its title in the current list is Procédures de soumission; in the section text, the submittals themselves are documents/échantillons à soumettre.
Submittal terms, as the specification words them
- shop drawing
- dessin d'atelierEvery submittal clause that names them
- submittals
- documents/échantillons à soumettreThe SUBMITTALS heading inside the section
- action submittals
- documents/échantillons à soumettre pour approbationSubmittals the consultant must review
- informational submittals
- documents/échantillons à soumettre pour informationSubmittals sent for the record
- product data
- fiches techniquesManufacturers' data sheets
- samples
- échantillonsMaterial and finish samples
- mock-up
- échantillon de l'ouvrageA built sample of the work
- transmittal letter
- lettre d'envoiSent with every submission
- erection drawing
- dessin de montageSteel and precast erection
- fabrication drawings
- dessins de fabricationWhat the shop builds from
- contract drawings
- dessins contractuelsThe design drawings issued for construction
- as-built drawings
- dessins d'après exécutionDrawings updated after construction
- stamped and signed by a professional engineer
- portant le sceau et la signature d'un ingénieurThe professional's seal, not the review stamp
Three clauses that set the rhythm of every submittal
- 1
Every submission travels with a transmittal letter.
Les documents soumis doivent être accompagnés d’une lettre d’envoi.
- 2
A rejected shop drawing comes back marked, and is resubmitted before fabrication.
Si les dessins d’atelier sont rejetés, la ou les copies annotées sont retournées…
- 3
A resubmission lists every change beyond those requested.
Au moment de soumettre les dessins de nouveau, aviser … par écrit des modifications qui ont été apportées en sus de celles exigées.
What does a "reviewed" stamp mean?
Less than it seems. The specification limits the consultant’s review to one purpose: on federal work, the review of shop drawings “is for sole purpose of ascertaining conformance with general concept”, in French vise uniquement à vérifier la conformité au concept général des données indiquées sur ces derniers.
- S-01The review checks conformance with the general concept, and nothing more.
- S-02It does not replace the engineer’s seal when the shop drawing contains design.
- S-03A rejected shop drawing comes back marked, and is resubmitted before fabrication.
- S-04One reviewed copy of each submission stays on site: Conserver sur le chantier un exemplaire vérifié de chaque document soumis.
Where does the official French vary?
Pick one per set
“Reviewed”
- révisé
- revu
- vérifié
Section title and section text
- Procédures de soumission
- documents/échantillons à soumettre
“Rejected”
- rejeté
- refusé
Settle the choice once, in the project’s term base, and the transmittals, the shop drawings and the specification say the same thing. Our construction glossary and the NMS divisions in English and French are the place to start.
Why is "soumission" the wrong word for a submittal?
soumission
A bid, in Quebec construction
For a submittal, the section text says documents à soumettre
devis
A specification, in Quebec construction
A quote, in everyday French
Because in Quebec construction, a soumission is a bid. A contractor who reads “soumission des dessins d’atelier” may well think of a price. In the clauses we hold, the section text uses the verb instead (documents à soumettre, soumettre les dessins d’atelier, soumettre de nouveau), although the current section title says Procédures de soumission. The same confusion runs the other way with devis, which is a specification in Quebec construction and a quote in everyday French.
When do shop drawings need translating?
When the contract documents are in French and the shop drawings arrive in English, or the reverse: a supplier from outside Quebec on a Quebec public project, a federal project issued in both languages, an owner whose maintenance staff read French. The translated shop drawing must use the specification’s words, so that the consultant reviews the same part the specification describes.
If the shop drawings are AutoCAD files with editable text, we translate them in the drawing and return them as DWG files: no retyping, and every callout in the specification’s terms. Scans and PDF-only sets are quoted separately. See how AutoCAD drawing translation works, or the six ways to translate text in AutoCAD if you are doing a few sheets yourself. Contractors on bilingual projects can see how we work with contractors. For a set issued in both languages, see bilingual drawings; to run AutoCAD itself in French, see how to change the language in AutoCAD.
Common questions
What is the French for shop drawings?
Dessins d’atelier. It is the term every National Master Specification clause we hold uses for them.
Do shop drawings need an engineer’s seal?
Only when they contain design, according to Quebec’s order of engineers on reinforcing-steel shop drawings: when they only show the supplier’s understanding of the owner’s sealed plans, they need not be authenticated. The project’s specification and your professional order decide for your case.
Is a reviewed shop drawing approved?
On federal work, the review is for the sole purpose of checking conformance with the general concept. Read the project’s specification for what it covers on yours.
Can you translate shop drawings in AutoCAD?
Yes. AutoCAD files with editable text are translated in the drawing and come back as DWG files, in the specification’s terms. Scans and PDF-only sets are quoted separately.
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