Scan-to-BIM Quote Checklist: What to Send Before Pricing

Nikita ShuvalovSep 19, 2026

A common reason a scan-to-BIM quote is delayed: “we need scan-to-BIM” sent as if it were a scope, when the phrase can mean an architectural shell at LOD 200 or a coordinated model with the visible systems at LOD 300. This scan-to-BIM quote checklist lists what to send so that the first quote matches the work. Six items matter most: the building and its area, whether the building has to be scanned or you already have a point cloud, the deliverable, the element categories and the exclusions, the level of development per category, and the date the file is due. The rest sharpens the number.

The building

Lead with the address, the building type, the number of floors and the approximate area, and say whether the interior, the exterior or both are in scope, and whether the building is occupied. The type tells us what geometry to expect, since a warehouse, a hospital wing, a historic facade and a multi-tenant office floor each raise their own modeling questions. Occupied buildings can be scanned in working hours if the client prefers; the tripod scanner works around people, though furniture and stock block floor and wall lines, and cleared rooms go faster and come out more complete in the model. If the project is confidential, a city and a state with the building type and area are enough for a first number.

Whether you have a point cloud

The first fork in any scan-to-BIM project is whether the point cloud exists or has to be made. If the building has to be scanned, say so and the scan goes into the quote; a house or a floor is usually scanned in a day. If you already have scan data, the detail that matters most is whether it is registered. Individual stations cannot be modeled against until they are aligned into one cloud, so send the file format, usually E57, RCP or RCS, the scan date, whether the cloud is colored, any known gaps and, above all, the registration report, which lists the average error of each station and the overlap between scans; without it the registration has to be checked before the cloud can be trusted. If the file is large, a sample area is enough to judge density and noise. The guide to registered vs unregistered point clouds explains what the report shows.

The deliverable

Scan-to-BIM usually means a Revit model, but it is not the only output and the wrong one wastes money. If your team measures, checks clashes or models in-house, the registered point cloud in E57 and RCP/RCS may be the whole order. If you need plans, sections and elevations for a permit or a record set, as-built drawings in DWG and PDF are the lighter scope, described on the as-built drawings page. If your design team edits the model in Revit, scan-to-BIM is the right order, and the model goes out as a Revit file in your version, or as IFC or an ArchiCAD file when your team does not use Revit. The guide to scan-to-CAD vs scan-to-BIM sets the two against each other.

The element categories and the exclusions

The categories are the input most requests leave vague. List what should be built: walls, floors, levels, ceilings, doors, windows, columns, beams, stairs, railings, roofs, fixed equipment, and the ducts, pipes and conduit if the systems are needed. Then list what to leave out. Exclusions make a quote honest: “architecture and visible structure only; exclude furniture, loose equipment, the systems and anything concealed” is far easier to price than “model everything”. What the scanner cannot see, the framing behind a finish or the pipe above a hard ceiling, is in the model only where the ceiling is opened or an existing drawing shows it, marked as unverified, and the MEP BIM page describes how the plenum is scanned when the tiles can be lifted.

The level of development, per category

Scan-to-BIM scopes usually cite the BIMForum Level of Development Specification: at LOD 200 an element is “generically and graphically represented within the Model with approximate quantity, size, shape, location, and orientation”, and at LOD 300 it is represented “such that its quantity, size, shape, location, and orientation can be measured”. If you know the target, send it; if not, describe what the model has to support, because a massing model for an early layout does not need the development of a model that coordinates new ductwork with the existing structure. The level is set per category: walls and openings at LOD 300, ceilings simplified and visible systems at LOD 200 is a normal scope. If you care how closely the model tracks the building, name the Level of Accuracy as well, since LOD describes development and the U.S. Institute of Building Documentation’s LOA describes how far the model may deviate from the building, as a standard deviation at the 95 percent confidence level; a typical model is represented at LOA30, between 15 mm and 5 mm. The guide to LOD 200 vs LOD 300 for a renovation shows the difference on real elements.

Send the Revit details with it: the version your office works in, whether the file is workshared, and whether you have a template or a workset standard. A model delivered in the wrong version is friction for the design team; if you have no standard, say so and the model follows practical assumptions that are written into the handoff.

Sheets, access and the date

Say whether you need the model alone or drawings cut from it as well: floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, elevations, sections, in DWG and PDF. Sheets add production time and belong in the quote rather than as a late assumption. If the building is to be scanned, send what decides access: site hours, escort and security requirements, locked rooms, roof access, tenant restrictions, active construction and any photography rules; the site preparation checklist lists what to settle before the visit. Then give the date that matters and what it serves, a design kickoff, an owner meeting, a permit milestone, and say how many review rounds you expect and who signs off on the final file.

Why this changes the price

Price follows the area, the level of development and how much of the building is in scope, and a defined scope lets the quote price the real work instead of padding for the unknown. Typical ranges from recent projects: a house or an apartment, scanned and modeled, $2,000 to $4,500; interiors with the facades and the site, $2,500 to $5,000; an office or a commercial floor, $3,000 to $9,000; large buildings from $12,000, quoted on their own; the point cloud alone from about $1,200, and a model built from your own cloud quoted on that cloud. The guides to scan-to-BIM cost and price vs value explain what moves the number.

Copy this into your request

You do not need every answer. Send what you have and name what you do not know; an unknown you name goes into the quote as a stated assumption; one that surfaces after delivery is paid for as extra work.

Address, or city and state
Building type, floors, approximate area
Interior, exterior or both; occupied or vacant
Scan needed, or existing point cloud: format, date, registered, report attached
Deliverable: Revit model, IFC or ArchiCAD, drawings, point cloud
Revit version, template or standard
Element categories to include, and the exclusions
LOD per category, or what the model has to support; LOA if it matters
Sheets and views needed
Access notes
Due date and the milestone it serves
Existing drawings or references attached

With that, the quote arrives within one business day, and it names the categories, the LOD and the LOA, the version, the deliverables and their dates. The scan-to-BIM page describes the scope, and we scan in all 50 states.

FAQ

What do I need to send for a scan-to-BIM quote?

The building and its area, whether it has to be scanned or you have a point cloud, the deliverable, the element categories and the exclusions, the LOD per category and the due date. The list above covers the rest.

I already have a point cloud. What should I send?

The file format, the scan date, whether it is colored, any known gaps and the registration report. A sample area is enough if the file is large. A model built from your cloud is quoted on that cloud.

Do I have to know the LOD?

No. Describe what the model has to support and the quote proposes a level per category. LOD 300 is the usual order, LOD 200 for massing, LOD 350 for elements that new work has to meet.

Should I ask for the drawings as well?

Only if the project needs them. Plans, sections and elevations are cut from the model when they are in scope, and they are quoted with it rather than added afterwards.

How much does scan-to-BIM cost?

A house or an apartment usually $2,000 to $4,500, interiors with facades and the site $2,500 to $5,000, an office or a commercial floor $3,000 to $9,000, large buildings from $12,000; the point cloud alone from about $1,200. The quote arrives within one business day.