Once the GC-led PDF coalition develops guidelines, the next phase is to reach out to architects and designers for peer review. Because construction documents are initially created by the owner and the design team, we need the architects’ input to define a realistic standard that will ultimately accelerate the paperless jobsite movement.

Additionally, we plan to engage municipalities and other third parties, such as the U. S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects to ask them to incorporate these standards into their guidelines.

By combining everyone’s expertise and spheres of influence, we can define a PDF creation standard that does not solely benefit GCs, but benefits everyone on a project team – architects, designers, consultants, engineers and most importantly, the owners and communities we serve.

Our work is now beginning. Already, we’ve learned just how much we are all pushing the industry forward, making positive changes. It’s an exciting process, and we are all looking forward to how we can work together to truly leverage the power of today’s technologies and usher in the next phase of AEC industry innovation.

The possibilities go far beyond changing the role of Project Engineers, but no doubt it’s a simple, yet crucial place to start.