How do we communicate?
Communicating with us is very easy . You are free to use  Phone, Fax and Couriers. You may log on to CHAT ONLINE available on our website. We are available 24 hours-7 days a week. 

In what format can the drawings be sent?
The files can be sent in any graphic format, such as TIFF, JPEG or even PDF. Paper drawings can also be couriered to our office. AutoCAD®® drawings can also be emailed to us for 3d modeling and animations. 

What is the file size? 
The image can go upto 5 MB for a PCX file of A0 size. A similar TIFF file would be 15 to 20 MB. 

In what resolution should the paper drawings be scanned?
The paper drawings can be scanned starting from 150 DPI – 200 DPI, however the most important part is the clarity of the information to be sent. 

What drawing standards are followed?
We stick to Drawing Standards as prescribed by you. However we can also use default standards such as AIA guidelines. 

Do you spell-check the drawings?
Yes we are inclined to maintain quality of the drawings, be it text or any other information. However we may need a glossary or interpretation of  architectural terminology if the language is other than English.

Can I mail the paper originals? 
Yes, you can mail your paper originals from any country directly to our Jaipur address, through our courier A/c. No 963392994 with DHL Worldwide Express. 

Do you follow your own CAD standards or those which we prescribe?
We set up CAD standards as furnished by the client. However in absence of prescribed standards we use default standards conforming to AIA, OSHA Rules or ISO guidelines. 

How can I send the original or markups sheets if an in-house scanner is not available?
You can either utilize the services of a blueprint shop that normally has a scanner, or mail the originals by courier to our marketing office, through our account with DHL. Alternatively we can arrange scanning of sheets near your work place through our global tie-up. Please e-mail us for details 

Can I use fax machine to send the originals? 
Yes you can. Cut the paper sheet into long strips of 8½" size and fax it . The width may be increased or decreased so that important information like text and dimensions are clear. This works in 80% of the drawings. 

How different does the drawing look if done offshore?
As we use the standards furnished to us, or default AIA/ISO standards, the drawing is the same or better. 

Do you spell-check your drawings? 
We not only spell-check but also proof read the drawing after a check plot is taken. 

What about security of data? 
We make every effort to safeguard the computer & paper data files generated in the course of a project. Upon completion of the project, original paper drawings, files can be returned or put in the Electronic vault for future use if required. 

How can you send heavy data files?
We have very fast internet services and can transfer a huge amount of data through the Internet. We can also burn a CD and post it to you as per your convenience. 

How can payment be made?
Payment can be made in US Dollar, Pound Sterling or any currency via cheque mailed directly to India, or by wire transfer to our bankers, after you receive the CAD services. Payment can be also made through Credit Card . 

Are these services permissible / taxable under law?
These NET enabled IT services are covered under WTO agreement signed by more than 110 countries around the Globe. These services are freely importable and free from customs duties or local taxes.

What drawing standards are followed?
We can follow any Drawing Standards as prescribed by you. 

Q: How do we nurture and train our won junior staff in-house when production work is now being executed offshore? 
A: Each firm comes to terms with the amount and type of work it will offshore. In some cases that might be 5% of the firm’s production work; in other cases, more than 50%. In each case, core production staff are maintained and nurtured in-house in order to ensure the evolution and propagation of firm culture needed to guarantee the longevity of the practice. There are many factors which can influence the amount of work to be offshored: the nature of the work itself, the quality and capabilities of the service provider, the communication and organizational strengths of project architects on both sides of the ocean, etc. Going forward, architects working in the United States, rather than being replaced by architects working overseas, will instead as a part of  their basic training be educated in proper procedures for offshoring production work, as they were when CAD products were introduced 15-20 years ago. In fact, we are not aware of any firm that we have worked with actively having dismissed in-house staff after securing long-term arrangements with us: instead, 
we find that the increased competitiveness and high-quality of work that we produce enables our clients to grow in size rather than reduce. 

Q: How do you ensure confidentiality of both the work product and the relationship itself? 
A: Confidentiality and discretion are important concerns for both the firm and its clients around the world. We are very particular about how we protect your information, maintaining strict confidentiality deeds with clients and employees, as well as a state-of-the-art secure network with access granted only 
to current Team Leaders. Your data is safe in our hands, and is always available to you on request. Moreover, in the interest of respecting your right to privacy, we do not publish the names of our client firms or their projects, nor your proprietary renderings or technical drawings, without obtaining your 
prior approval in writing. 

Q: What about code issues? 
A: The company maintains a digital and physical library of architecture, interior design, and engineering detail reference manuals for both the US and European markets. When required, our clients provide us with relevant sections of building codes to assist us as we develop their drawings. Responsibility for verifying code interpretation, however, lies, with our client firms. 


Q: Have clients been satisfied with the outsourcing arrangement? 
A: As a company, we have been 99% paid for all work we have done, with almost no write-offs. Part of the reason is the fact that we deliver what our clients ask us for. The second reason is that we have effective regular communication with our clients. This is not a process where we simply toss data over a stone wall and let the folks on the other side worry about picking it up from there. Our wall is more like a chain link fence that allows us to pass information readily between us. 

Q: What kind of comments have you received from clients regarding your services? 
A: The most impressive comment is that every client we’ve ever started with has become a regular client. This may not be something they broadcast, but they’re very happy and we can see that by the volume of work they give us and how they treat us. Our challenge, of course, will be managing quality as we grow, and that’s what i am now looking at as a major challenge in this business. 

Q: How small a project will you take and how large? 

A: The way our company is structured now is that Satellier comprises of a group of small studios, with each studio working exclusively for one particular client. So, most of the time it’s not the size of the work but it’s the regularity of the work that is important, simply because it takes time for our teams to move up the learning curve and develop the necessary working relationships there’s an educational process involved. Generally speaking, then, the clients 
we have give us regular work. Does that mean that we turn away one-off projects? No, we do them where the size of the project justifies the up-front man-power investment. We do work for many of the largest firms in the world. One client is a twenty thousand-person firm. But we also have some two or three-person firms among our clients. Ideally, we prefer not to turn anything away. It’s really more about the working relationship that we establish with 
individual companies than the size of the company. 


Q: What distinguishes your operation from others in the field? 
A: We are not brokers; our work process has evolved out of well-developed working relationships with leading firmks worldwide and we have to date completed more than 2,000 projects. To boot, we have invested in our own state-of-the-art facility, and believe that our quality assurance, operational and human resource systems, and product delivery systems, thanks to our collective experience and the help of our experienced board, is the best in this industry. 
Lastly, we excel at design interpretation . . . 90% of our people are architects; we’re are very competent at understanding and interpreting design intent. We get involved much earlier in a simple construction document, and into the design development and schematic design phases. 

Q: How do you assess costs per project? And what are your hourly rates? 

A: We have experienced architects who examine the scope and assess the deliverables in each project and then develop an estimate of the hours the team would require to complete the drawing package. On an average we charge $15/hr - $21/hour, based on the scope and type of work. We can forward our standard rate list. 

Q: How does your company structure your contracts with a firm like mine? 
A: We have a standard services agreement, which we can forward on request. 

Q: Describe your work process so we can see how it works: 
A: The time difference between India and the US is such that as our day ends here our final drawings are uploaded. U.S. offices, which are just starting up, can then begin the process of downloading our drawings to further refine them. Then they upload theirs at the end of their work day, and so on. We accept 
drawings in many forms: sketches, various types of media or other image files that are uploaded to an ftp site. We’ll process that information and prepare the cad files using the information we have. Once we have done as much work as possible, we’ll upload those files to be reviewed the next day by the client firm. The more assumptions we can make regarding a project, based on our past experience and the guidelines given to us, the less work the client firm has to do. Firms have preferences they share with us, and we use that information as we create construction documents. Some firms prefer a certain kind of glass, a certain type of stone, a certain type of curtain wall, so a database of manufacturers for a particular project can have a large impact on the final product. Often clients refer us to their preferred manufacturers’ websites for specific information on details, etc. Once the project is identified by the client, we receive the initial set of drawings in the current stage. Clients may send a completed reference set from a similar project to help us understand what they expect in the way of final deliverables. We’ll also develop a drawing list to make sure there is a common understanding of what our scope of work is. We’ll then put man-hours on the drawing list and figure out how much time it’s going to take us to do the work, and that will determine the fee. From there, there is a back and forth process as work progress. 

Q: How is data transferred, meaning do I upload drawings onto your server or would i have to mail them to you, or how does that get managed? 
A: We can organize drawing uploads to our ftp site or you could give us a password protected access to your ftp site. 

Q: Are the products you send to the firms editable files, CAD files and the like, or PDFs? 
A: Usually we exchange PDF files; uploading CAD files is actually quite tedious, especially when you have a multiple x-ref attachments, and generally it is only done either on demand or for a submission where the firm has to plot everything out on their side to take it to the client. 

Q: How many employees do this work, and at what skill level? I.e. are they conversant with AutoCAD and other programs as well? 
A: 30 employees, 85 % are architects and engineers with B.Arch/B.E. and/or M.Arch/M.E. degrees. 20 % of the architects and engineers are senior architects and engineers . 

Q: Can you tell us from experience when or how can things go wrong and what should we avoid? 
A: First, it is critical that the firm decide to take the proposition of offshoring with seriousness, and that they assign the right individual in their firm to take up the responsibility for coordinating the effort form their side. The Principal Coordinator should be more a task master than necessarily a great designer, as tong project manager who enjoys the details. He or she should also be a very strong communicator. Whenever the process has gone wrong in the past, it has to some extent resulted from the wrong person taking up the work. 

At the outset, it is also critical for the client firm to give more information rather than less. As we come to terms with each firm’s working style, we do begin to develop a shorthand for communication and data transfer, though initially it is better if expectations are fully laid out and all information made available. 

I would also suggest that it be emphasized that the scope of work must be made clear by the client providing a detailed drawing list in advance of asking for a quote as well as a good reference set defining the deliverable. 

Q: Can you provide me with references of existing clients? 
A: Contractually, we are not allowed to publish our client list. Informally, our CEO may be willing to share some information with you privately over the phone. Currently 10 of the top 30 A/E firms in the world are among our clients. However, we also work with mid-size firms and even a few two-man shows. We can accommodate all sizes: what is key is the equation that we develops between us, not the size of your firm or ours.