How to Prepare for a Commercial Glazier Visit

A productive commercial glazier site visit takes 60-90 minutes when the owner or GC prepares properly, and 4-6 hours when they don't. Here is the pre-visit checklist that gets you a real bid in 48 hours instead of clarification emails for 2 weeks.

Have the drawings ready

Storefront elevations with glass type called out. Door schedule with hardware spec. Curtain wall sections with mullion depth and glass thickness. Anchor conditions (slab edge, CMU, steel). Detail sections at head, sill, jamb. Without these, the glazier walks the site blind and bids with assumptions.

Know your AHJ pathway

Tell the glazier the AHJ before the walk. Miami-Dade requires NOA. Broward requires NOA. Palm Beach accepts FBC Product Approval. Knowing the AHJ moves the bid 5-12 days because the glazier doesn't have to guess which submittal pathway to price.

Have the schedule

When do you need substantial completion? When does the GC need the submittal package? When is permit pickup? Schedule drives material order timing, finish lead time, and labor staging. A glazier who knows the schedule prices the right scope; a glazier who doesn't bid blind.

Be ready to decide on scope alternates

Approved-equal aluminum (Kawneer vs YKK AP vs Tubelite)? PVDF vs anodize finish? Solarban vs Viracon glass package? SGP vs PVB interlayer? The glazier asks these on the walk; owners who can decide same-day or 24-hour move faster than owners who escalate every alternate.

Site access and parking

Where does the glazier park? Where do they enter the building? Who has site keys? What's the gate code? Construction sites with tight access burn 30-60 minutes per visit on coordination. Pre-arrange access for every scheduled visit.

Have the decision-maker present

The site walk goes faster when the owner, GC superintendent, or PM is on-site. Decisions happen on the spot; the walk concludes with a clear scope outline. When the decision-maker is remote, every question becomes a follow-up email and the walk produces a clarification request, not a bid input.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an ACG site visit typically take?

60-90 minutes on a prepared project. 4-6 hours when materials, AHJ info, or scope decisions are incomplete. The first 30 minutes are the walk; the rest is scope discussion.

Does ACG charge for a site visit?

No. Site visits to bid commercial scope are at no charge. Site visits for warranty service or repair are bid as a service fee, typically credited to remediation contract if scope proceeds.

What does ACG do after the site visit?

Bid within 48 hours on complete RFQ packages. Clarification email within 24 hours if the RFQ is incomplete. Acknowledgment within 2 business hours of the walk concluding.