Scope of this guide. Published costs, savings and schedules are indicative examples, not a project quotation or guarantee. Compare the same location, specification and scope. Structural supply, civil works, building services, finishes and logistics must be confirmed separately; permit and engineering requirements depend on the site.
In short
- PEB Corp delivers steel building engineering as a sequence of documents: design criteria, an LOD 400 BIM model, a sealed calculation package, structural drawings, anchor rod plans, and shop drawings.
- The PEB Corp Group's engineering team develops the calculations, and an engineer licensed in the project's jurisdiction seals them: an ingeniero idóneo in Panama and a COPNIA-registered civil engineer in Colombia.
- Design drawings are for approval and construction, while shop drawings define every piece for CNC fabrication.
- The owner should order the geotechnical report at the start, because the foundation design, the building permit, and the sitework price all depend on it.
- In PEB Corp's four-step process, the design fee is credited against the construction contract.
PEB Corp delivers the engineering for a steel building as a defined document package: design criteria, a coordinated LOD 400 BIM model, a sealed structural calculation package, structural design drawings, column reactions and anchor rod plans for the foundation, and shop drawings with the data the CNC line reads.
The PEB Corp Group's engineering team develops the calculations, and the package is sealed by an engineer licensed in the project's jurisdiction (in Panama, an ingeniero idóneo). This guide explains what to request for your scope, what each deliverable is for, and who uses it.
From concept to CNC: the deliverable sequence
Each deliverable builds on the one before it. When a step is skipped or approved late, the error shows up in the plant or on site, where fixing it costs more. On PEB Corp Group projects, engineering moves in this order:
- Requirements and site visit. Use, area, heights, operating loads, location, and target date.
- Geotechnical report. The owner orders it at the start, and a local geotechnical engineer signs it. It is the basis for the foundation design.
- Design criteria. The governing code and standard editions, loads, site wind and seismic parameters, materials, and the structural system.
- Coordinated BIM model. Structure, envelope, and MEP systems in one model, with clash detection before fabrication.
- Calculation package and structural drawings. The engineering set submitted to the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) for the building permit.
- Reactions and anchor rod plans. The final loads and anchor locations for the foundation.
- Shop drawings, cut list, and CNC data. The piece-by-piece definition the plant uses to fabricate.
In the group's published reference for a 2,000–3,000 m² (about 21,500–32,300 sq ft) turnkey industrial building, consultancy and concept design take weeks 1–3 of a phase-by-phase schedule of about 28 weeks, executed by SmartBrix Construction. The full breakdown is in our guide to how long a steel industrial building takes.
Project deliverables and who uses each document
Use this table to check that your proposal names each deliverable and the phase in which it is issued.
| Deliverable | What it is for | Who uses it | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design criteria (design basis) | Sets the code, standard editions, loads, and wind and seismic parameters before any calculation | Owner, architect, plan reviewer | Concept design |
| BIM model at LOD 400 (Revit / Tekla) | Coordinates structure, envelope, and MEP, and catches clashes before fabrication | Architect, MEP engineers, general contractor | Design |
| Sealed calculation package | Shows that every member and connection meets the code at the site | AHJ plan review, peer reviewer | Detailed engineering |
| Structural design drawings | Show the system, member sizes, typical connections, and general notes | AHJ, owner's inspector, general contractor | Permitting |
| Column reactions and anchor rod plans | Let the foundation be designed and built to final loads | Foundation engineer and contractor | Before the foundation pour |
| Shop drawings and cut list | Define each piece: length, holes, punch-outs, piece mark, and sequence | Fabrication plant, erection crew | Fabrication |
| CNC fabrication data | Feeds the roll-forming line with no manual re-entry of dimensions | The group's CNC plant, operated by NewCon Steel® | Fabrication |
| Material documents | Mill test report (MTR), profile data sheet, and certificate of origin for export | Buyer, reviewer, customs broker | Shipping |
| Erection guide | Piece identification against the model, erection sequence, and fastening method | Erection crew, site supervision | Construction |
Not every scope includes every document. The material documents ship with NewCon Steel's supply, and the erection guide is issued on request. A NewCon Steel structural kit includes the structural model, the shop drawings, and the sealed calculations, and it excludes foundations, envelope, MEP, finishes, and erection. Get the deliverable list in writing before you sign.
Design drawings vs. shop drawings
These are two drawing sets with different jobs, and mixing them up causes disputes among the designer, the fabricator, and the builder. Design drawings state what the structure must resist and how it is organized. Shop drawings state how each piece is made. In US practice, shop drawings are submittals that the engineer of record (EOR) reviews before fabrication is released.
| Criterion | Structural design drawings | Shop drawings |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Approval and construction: system, member sizes, loads, and typical details | Fabrication: each piece with dimensions, holes, punch-outs, and piece mark |
| Prepared by | The project's structural engineer | The detailing team, from the approved model |
| Sealed or approved by | Sealed by a licensed engineer and submitted to the AHJ | Checked against the approved design before fabrication is released |
| Level of detail | Typical members and typical connections | Piece by piece, with a cut list |
| Used by | AHJ, owner's inspector, general contractor | Plant, quality control, erection crew |
| When they change | With each approved design revision | Only after an approved design change |
At the PEB Corp Group, shop drawings are derived from the coordinated BIM model. The CNC line at the group's plant receives the fabrication data directly, with no one retyping a dimension along the way. The CNC fabrication tolerance is ±0.5 mm (±0.02 in).
The calculation package: contents and who seals it
The structural calculation package is the document that proves, with traceable calculations, that the structure meets the code at the site. For a steel building, a complete package contains:
- A description of the project, the structural system, and the materials, with the standard for each.
- Standards with their editions. For cold-formed steel (CFS) framing, also called light-gauge steel (LGS): AISI S100-16 (R2020) with Supplement 3 (S3-22), AISI S240-20, and AISI S400-20 where seismic design requires it. For hot-rolled steel: AISC 360, in the edition the governing code references.
- Loads (dead, live, wind, seismic, and rain), with the site parameters and the load combinations applied.
- The analysis model: geometry, supports, assumptions, and key results such as forces, displacements, and story drift.
- Member and connection design, with the checks each standard requires.
- Support reactions for the foundation design.
- The seal and signature of the responsible engineer, with the license or registration number.
The AISI or AISC specification defines how a member is calculated; the local code defines the design loads, the seismic requirements, and the plan review rules. The PEB Corp Group's engineering team develops the calculations, and the package is sealed by an engineer licensed in the project's jurisdiction. What “licensed” means depends on the country:
- Panama. An ingeniero idóneo, meaning an engineer holding a certificate of competency (idoneidad) from the Junta Técnica de Ingeniería y Arquitectura (JTIA). Design follows REP-2021, in force since April 30, 2023, and the sealed calculations and drawings go to the municipality for the building permit.
- Colombia. A civil engineer with a current professional registration (matrícula profesional) issued by COPNIA. Design follows NSR-10, issued under Law 400 of 1997. The documents are filed for the building license with the curaduría urbana (the local permit office) or, where there is none, with the municipal planning department. Depending on project size, Law 1796 of 2016 also requires an independent review of the structural design.
- Jurisdictions that adopt the IBC (several in the Caribbean). A registered design professional licensed in that jurisdiction, working to the IBC edition it has adopted.
If your reviewer wants to see the format before you sign, ask for the sample calculation package that NewCon Steel issues on request (see its technical documentation); your project's package is a separate, sealed document. The scope of each standard is on NewCon Steel's engineering and standards page, and code summaries for each market are on our Panama and Colombia pages.
The BIM model (Revit / IFC): what you receive and what to specify
PEB Corp models in Revit and Tekla at LOD 400. In the BIMForum Level of Development Specification, LOD 400 means each element carries detailing, fabrication, assembly, and installation information. MEP coordination is resolved in the model before a single sheet is cut, with clash detection across disciplines.
When you contract BIM design and structural engineering only, PEB Corp delivers Revit and Tekla models at LOD 400, ready for fabrication. Write these points into the design contract:
- Delivery format: native (Revit or Tekla) or IFC, the open format defined in ISO 16739-1:2018, which lets your team review the model without a license for the authoring software.
- Disciplines included: structure, envelope, and MEP, or structure only.
- Record model: whether the scope includes updating the model with field changes (as-built).
- Interim issues: the milestones at which you receive the model and who approves each version.
Our guide to the BIM process in steel construction shows how the model moves into CNC fabrication.
The geotechnical report: the input everything depends on
Without a geotechnical report there is no foundation design, and without a foundation design there is no building permit and no reliable price for sitework. The group's reference schedule therefore places it at the very start: the owner orders it during consultancy, and a local geotechnical engineer signs it. In Colombia, Title H of NSR-10 sets the requirements for geotechnical studies.
At the interface between steel and concrete, responsibilities split this way. PEB Corp provides the design reactions for each column and the anchor rod plans. The foundation engineer and contractor complete the detailed design and build the foundation to the local code. The rule that prevents the most expensive rework is simple: never pour the foundation on preliminary reactions. The technical detail is in our guide to foundations for steel buildings.
How engineering is quoted
PEB Corp quotes engineering within a four-step process:
- Kickoff meeting. Scope, schedule, and objectives are defined, and the site, use, and constraints are assessed.
- Preliminary estimate. A reference estimate that supports the initial investment decision.
- Design contract. Final design, detailed BIM engineering, and a detailed quote based on shop drawings.
- Construction contract. SmartBrix Construction quotes a fixed-scope turnkey contract. The design fee is credited against the construction contract.
The engineering fee depends on scope, not on floor area alone: the number of stories, the governing code, seismic and wind hazard, special loads such as overhead cranes, the revisions included, and support during permitting.
There are three ways to contract. The first is engineering only from PEB Corp, for firms that want to subcontract that specialty. The second is structural supply from NewCon Steel, whose kit includes sealed calculations and shop drawings; erection is done by the contractor you choose or under a separate contract with SmartBrix Construction. The third is a turnkey (design-build) building from SmartBrix Construction.
Our overview of what each PEB Corp Group company does shows which company handles each case, and the SmartBrix Construction FAQ explains what a turnkey responsibility matrix should cover.
What to send for an engineering proposal
With this information, the first proposal already defines deliverables, exclusions, and responsibilities:
- Country, city, building use, approximate area, and number of stories.
- Available drawings with their revision, plus the geotechnical report if you already have one.
- Site and permit status, and your target date.
- The scope you need: engineering, steel supply, or construction.
Before you compare offers, review our checklist for requesting an industrialized construction quote.
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