I entered into an agreement with a house building contractor to design a project on a very difficult site. I have prepared engineer sealed paper sheets describing a sewage treatment system, these have been submitted to the permitting agency for approval, and have received public agency approval contingent on a layout to "verify it fits".
The client is being difficult plus is complaining about design aspects but I am telling him it needs to be as designed. He is now asking me to provide him with a "CAD Drawing" claiming he paid for CAD drawing. I think it is hoping to modify at plan himself or find another engineer to modify and resubmit plans. My agreement with him is to "develop a septic system design". He supplied a cad file of a basic site plan and proposed dwelling location which I overlaid my design. He is now claiming all he wants is the cad file and he will be done with me, but I think he will come up with something else as he has done through the few months I have been on this project. He said he wants to use this to supply his surveyor information for a layout but he is also saying he won't use my plan since it is too complicated. I offered to discuss the needs of the surveyor with the surveyor but he does not want to provide the name of his surveyor, I doubt he has a surveyor.


What are comments or opinions of forum members on providing cad files to an (ex) client when our scope of work is submittal of a (paper) plan? There are no other engineers or designers using our information as a base of their work, such as a landscaper needing to accommodate setbacks to our design.

Do I have any obligation to release a cad file? (I think not as this was used as a means to prepare the actual useful product that was delivered to the permitting agency.)

Cj