Plain-language comparison
FramePoint Sourcing Alternatives Guide: Format and Scope
This guide is a format and scope conversation, not a sustainability claim and not a brand catalog. FramePoint Sourcing is an independent sourcing partner. It does not claim authorized dealer status. Use the checklist to see which choices are still open before a factory number is treated as an answer.
Send Project RequirementsChoices that stay open until you write them
- Volumetric, panelized, foldable or a steel frame
- Module dimensions and opened size
- Loads and the adopted code edition
- Enclosure and fire-resistance rating
- Quantity and destination
- Shell, delivered, installed or turnkey
Compare the open choices on one table at a time
| Choice | What moves off site | What the site still owns |
|---|---|---|
| Volumetric modular construction | Room box, much of the interior | Mate lines, crane lift plan, foundation interface |
| Panelized construction | Wall, floor and roof panels | Assembly sequence and weather protection |
| Foldable or expandable unit | A compact transport state | Hinges, seals and the opened module dimensions |
| Pre-engineered steel package | Primary frame, purlins and girts | Eave height, bay spacing, clear span and enclosure |
A standard module near 12 ft by 40 ft is easier to compare when the rooms fit that box. A custom plan is the better fit when the equipment, a 6 ft corridor or the local energy rule will not. A 40 ft clear span with 25 ft bay spacing and an 18 ft eave height belongs on the steel-frame row, with purlin and girt spacing stated. If the loaded transport width were 13 ft 6 in in a project example, the carrier would need to check the actual route and permit conditions before that box could be selected. It is not a general legal width. Cold-formed steel and hot-rolled steel are named, not blended; method selection still depends on site and route constraints.
| Input | Example of the unit to request | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Design wind speed and wind exposure category | mph and exposure B, C or D for the site | The supplier must state the assumption |
| Ground snow load | psf at the project address | Do not borrow a neighboring county without saying so |
| Seismic design category | Category tied to the site class | Leave the cell open |
| Design live load and design dead load | psf for the floor and the roof | A showroom card is not the project value |
| Thermal transmittance | U-value or an R-value target for the climate | Energy code comparison waits |
Name the code edition the authority having jurisdiction uses, such as the 2021 IBC when that edition is adopted locally. ASCE 7 is the load reference to ask for. AISC 360 applies when the alternative is a hot-rolled building frame. A sample request might list 115 mph wind speed, exposure C, 30 psf ground snow load, seismic design category D, a 40 psf design live load and a 10 psf design dead load. These names and figures are requests, not stamps held by FramePoint Sourcing. Secondary framing, including purlin and girt lines, is part of the same load path.
| Document | Bind it to | Do not treat as proof |
|---|---|---|
| Plans and module dimensions | The quoted configuration | A generic brochure photo |
| Structural calculations | The stated loads and code edition | A calculation for a different span |
| Weld procedure | AWS D1.1 scope the plant actually uses | A logo on a different firm |
| Plant quality statement | ISO 9001 or IAS AC472 for that plant, with the year on the file | A homepage icon |
| Fire and energy data | The wall or roof assembly in the quote | A test on another thickness |
| Scope word | Usually inside | Often still outside |
|---|---|---|
| Shell | Structure and a defined enclosure | Foundation, utilities, set crew |
| Delivered | Product plus freight to the ZIP code | Unload, crane, installation |
| Installed | Set on a foundation the parties define | Permits and some local trades |
| Turnkey | A wider coordination list | Whatever the exclusion sheet still names |
An optional budget should say USD and whether it is per module or for the whole order. A 10-module camp and a single 12 ft by 40 ft office are different quantities. Premium, mid-range, budget-friendly or undecided is a buyer preference about finish and customization. It does not rate a factory. No existing quotation is required to ask for one. Insulated metal panel thickness, thermal transmittance and the foundation interface still have to match across the replies before the prices are read as the same kind of offer.
Files to request from the supplier
These rows are not downloads from this website. They are the packet to ask the quoting factory to send. Nothing here is a certificate owned by FramePoint Sourcing.
Drawings
- Floor plan with module dimensions and the marriage line
- Elevation with eave height and door openings
- Foundation interface sketch showing bearing points
Calculations and loads
- Design criteria sheet: wind speed, ground snow load, seismic design category
- Member list for the primary frame and secondary framing
- Crane lift plan assumptions if the supplier is setting the module
Quality and code notes
- Statement of which code edition was used
- Weld and coating notes for the steel grade offered
- Fire-resistance rating and insulation value for the quoted assembly
Before an alternative is accepted, verify that the file names the same configuration, the same plant and the same jurisdiction as the quotation. A document for a different clear span does not travel with the price. The buyer design professional accepts or rejects the substitution. This guide does not.
Questions sorted by the decision they affect
Format
When is a foldable unit worth a separate column?
When the road or the gate cannot take the opened width, but the opened rooms are what the occupant needs. Ask for both the transport state and the opened module dimensions, plus who inspects the hinges after deployment.
Can a steel building answer a modular-office search?
Sometimes the use is a clear-span workshop and the brand search was only the starting point. Then bay spacing, eave height and the rigid frame belong in the brief. Do not force a room module onto a crane aisle if the aisle width is the real requirement.
Evidence
What should be checked before the alternative is accepted?
Match the drawing number to the quote line. Match the loads to the project address. Match the scope word to the exclusions. If any of the three differ, the price is for a different offer.
Does a 2021 code edition on a cover sheet close the review?
Only when that edition is the one the jurisdiction has adopted and the calculations use the project loads. A cover year by itself is not compliance. HUD Code text on a dwelling label does not approve a classroom or a site office.
Money
Why can two honest quotes sit far apart?
One may be a shell in cold-formed steel with buyer erection. The other may be a volumetric box, delivered and set, with a higher fire-resistance rating. The gap is scope. It is not evidence of a market percentage.
Where does the budget go?
In the requirement note, with currency and a per-module or whole-order basis. The figure is a target for the search. Factories may miss it. That result is still a useful comparison.
Related pages: inquiry options and the requirement form.
Close the open lines, then request quotes
A factory can price assumptions. Those assumptions should be visible in the reply you compare.