Creating construction submittals can be challenging, with compliance requirements, stakeholder coordination and time constraints. This guide will help you streamline this construction management process for successful project coordination and delivery.

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Article Roadmap

• What Are Construction Submittals?
• Importance
• Common Types
• Submittal Process
• Templates
• How Software Can Help
• Next Steps

What Are Construction Submittals?

Construction submittals are an essential preconstruction process that enables project teams to coordinate various materials, equipment and systems for review and approval, ensuring quality control and effective communication.

They’re comprehensive packages put together by (sub)contractors that include documents, drawings, samples and other relevant information based on the overall project’s design and specifications.

You submit these packages to design professionals, architects and/or project owners for review and approval. The purpose is to provide detailed information about the materials, products and construction methods you’ll use to produce the end result.

Now, why are construction submittals so important?

Importance

Construction submittals serve a couple of critical purposes.

Firstly, they guarantee that what you build meets applicable project requirements, codes and standards. They also help you align plans with contract documents, ensuring quality control and minimizing the risk of costly change orders or delays caused by incorrect materials or equipment.

Secondly, construction submittals facilitate coordination among all project stakeholders. By submitting detailed information about your planned materials and processes, the project team can assess their compatibility, coordinate installation sequences, and identify potential conflicts or clashes.

It’s worth noting that the specific submittal requirements can vary from one project to another, depending on the complexity and scope of work. Typically, the architect or engineer outlines the submittal requirements in the project specifications, giving the details you need to prepare an accurate submittal.

We’ve covered what submittals are and why they’re so important to the construction process. Before we show you how software can take your submittal process to the next level, let’s drill down into the details to learn about the various kinds of submittals, look at some templates and break down the whole process.

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Common Types

When it comes to construction submittals, there are several different types that you need to be aware of. Each type serves a unique purpose and is crucial to the overall construction process. Let’s take a look at some of the most common submittals:

• Shop Drawings: Detailed illustrations or diagrams of components, systems or structures. Shop drawings help ensure the design intent is properly understood and executed during construction.
• Product Data: Information about specific products or equipment you plan to use in the project, such as technical specifications, installation instructions and maintenance requirements.
• Samples: Physical representations of materials, finishes or components you’ll use. They allow you to visually inspect and evaluate the quality and suitability of materials.
• Test Reports: Evidence of performance or compliance with specified standards. You typically use them for materials or products that require testing to ensure their safety and functionality.
• Certifications: Documents that confirm compliance with specific requirements, regulations- or industry standards. Depending on the materials, equipment and systems you’ll use in the project, you may need particular construction certifications.
• Calculations: Detailed mathematical analysis and engineering calculations supporting the design and construction of various project elements, such as structural or energy calculations.
• Method Statements: Outlines of specific procedures and methodologies you’ll follow during construction. You’ll have to provide details on how you plan to carry out certain tasks to ensure safety, quality and efficiency.

Remember, these are just a few examples of the construction submittals you may encounter. The specific types required for your project will depend on its scope, complexity and the instructions set forth by the project owner or governing authorities.

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Submittal Process

We’ve defined submittals and covered a few common types. So, what does the process look like for receiving requests, delivering submittals and making adjustments?

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what a typical submittal process looks like.

1. Receive Request

Everyone’s signed the project contract, and you’ve moved into the preconstruction phase. This step is when you receive a submittal request from the project manager or owner.

It should detail instructions, requirements and deadline for the submittal.

2. Prepare & Submit Document(s)

Depending on the nature of the project, you may need to prepare several submittal types right off the bat. No matter the case, the key is to pay close attention to the requirements.

Prepare your submittals, review them thoroughly and submit them to the project owner, manager, architect or some other point of contact. The instructions should list the appropriate people to send submittals to.

3. Resolve Discrepancies

Once all necessary parties have reviewed the project submittals, there are a few outcomes — total approval, approval with corrections or a request to resolve discrepancies.

In the case of an approval with corrections, the reviewers may make minor changes directly and give final approval simultaneously. However, if there are any major discrepancies, you’ll have to make changes to the document and resubmit it.

Review feedback, make or contest the requested changes, and return it to the original point of contact.

4. Keep Records

The last step is really more of an ongoing process. Make sure you keep records of all submittal documents, including their various iterations. This strategy is crucial for several reasons.

For starters, reviewing previous submittals — especially any discrepancies, edits and change orders associated with them — can help you improve your process in the future by avoiding prior mistakes and refining attention to detail.

Along with improving your process, keeping records can play a part in resolving further discrepancies down the line. You wouldn’t want to find yourself in a he-said-she-said situation down the line, disagreeing on whether project owners/managers approved materials or methodologies you use during construction.

With records of signed and dated submittals, you can provide evidence that various construction aspects were approved prior to breaking ground.

This task is just a broad overview of the general stages in the construction submittal process. With any given project, you may encounter additional editing rounds, change orders or owner-specific phases. But it provides a basic framework for what to expect.

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Templates

Now that you know the basics, let’s look at some examples of what a construction submittal and submittal change order might look like.

Bear in mind that there are countless ways you can structure your submittals. The important thing is to make sure you include all relevant information for the reviewer so they don’t send back your documents prematurely.

Submittal Template

If you don’t feel comfortable formatting your own template, you can choose one online for free to get you started.

For now, here’s a basic template.

Submittal Change Order Template

We all want to avoid change orders whenever possible. But, regardless of your best efforts, they do come up. Check out this submittal change order template so you’re prepared if and when the time comes.

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How Software Can Help

Now that we’ve covered the ins and outs of construction submittals let’s talk about how you can use technology to make the process even smoother. Trust us, you’ll thank yourself later!

Here are a few of the core ways construction management software and other similar tools can help you streamline your submittal process:

• Eliminate Manual Tracking: Construction solutions facilitate digital submittal tracking, ensuring documents and information don’t fall through the cracks.
• Increase Collaboration: With digital tools, all reviewers can view and edit submittals while seeing each other’s changes in real time. Which leads us to our next advantage.
• Speed Up Approvals: With multiple parties able to review submittals simultaneously and no need to hand-deliver or mail documents back and forth, you can get to building faster.
• Improve Communication: Construction solutions help improve communication during the submittal process by providing a one-stop shop for communicating with employees, stakeholders, suppliers and anyone else involved in the project.
• Enhance Insights: With construction management software, you can access valuable data and analytics. You can track submittal trends, identify bottlenecks and make informed decisions based on real-time insights.
• Draft, Submit & Manage Anywhere: Picture this: you’re on-site and need to check a submittal document urgently. No problem! Construction solutions let you access information right from your smartphone or tablet.

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Next Steps

Construction submittals don’t have to be as time-consuming and back and forth as they used to be. With construction management software, you can streamline the process and get to building faster — which means getting paid faster.

If you’re ready to start your software selection journey, use our free comparison report to get real data on popular solutions and see how they stack up with your requirements.

What issues are you looking to resolve in your construction submittal process? Let us know in the comments below!