DonnyP, I am afraid that you are wrong on ODB++ being useful if your fabricator uses Valor. the old way of transferring data to a PCB manufacturer using Gerber, Excellon and if the manufacturer is lucky an IPC-D-356 netlist file to verify the data too. ODB++ contains all the information in one set of data, PCB manufacturers can extract what they want from this data and do their DFM checks faster and more relialbly.
Any manufacturing notes, basic dimensions, put on a document layer as part of your design, then all the relevant data is in one place.
Again IPC specification will cover every aspect of you PCB design from conception to manufacture, to assembly. I have the complete C-1000 set of documentation on my desk as a reference and would recomend this basic set of documentation to any firm that is serious about PCB design, fabrication and assembly.
Every aspect of PCB manufacture is covered by an IPC spec, so if you have disagreements with your PCB manufacturer, an IPC spec will quite often be used in arbitration, when discussing a point. If you dont specify every aspect of PCB manufacturing then the manufacturer will have to use somthing as a quide, and that will be an IPC spec.
I would go and have a look at the IPC web site and what specifications are out there, there is one that will cover anything you want with PCB's...