Professional CAD Software Team Procurement Guide

What to compare

• 2D, 3D, parametric, direct-modeling and discipline-specific capability required by the team.
• Native formats, STEP/IGES/DWG exchange, neutral-format quality and supplier/customer interoperability.
• PDM/PLM, revision control, permissions, templates and engineering-change workflow.
• Desktop, cloud, offline and mobile requirements plus data residency and security.
• Seat, named-user, concurrent or usage licensing and multi-year cost.
• Migration, training, customization, API/automation and support ecosystem.

Questions for shortlisted suppliers

• Which workflows require native rather than translated files?
• What happens to project data if licensing changes or the team exits the platform?
• How are revisions, released drawings and external collaborators controlled?
• Which implementation, migration and training costs sit outside license price?
• What support and escalation are available for production-blocking issues?

Commercial independence

This guide is vendor-neutral and does not rank suppliers. If PROFENG later displays an approved affiliate or referral partner, it will be disclosed separately and will not change these criteria.