WHY Submittals?
- Construction submittals are documents submitted by the contractor to the architect for his approval for use in a project, Submittals consist of information provided by the contractor to the design professional for approval of equipment, materials, etc. before they are fabricated and delivered to the project.
- Unlike processes like closeout and as-builts, which are meant to be completed after construction is complete, the submittals process starts in early project phases and helps guide how the project will actually be executed.
- In this contemporary world of neck to neck competition on one end and the real need to save resources on the other, it is very important to be right on target and deliver everyday in your business
If you fall just a bit behind on time or budget, you may find yourself losing out to competitors or be late in making optimum use of technology developments. - One of the most important aspects of any contractor’s job, before construction begins is managing construction submittals, which determine the accuracy of project completion, the success of the proposed timeline, and line items on the budget.
- Being able to be the best in the construction business means using the most cutting edge organizational and communication systems to streamline submittals.
Types OF Submittals
Action
Submittals
These submittals require a response back to the contractor by the architect or engineer. There are some variations on responses, but the general range is from “Approved” or “Approved with Notes,” to “Revise and Resubmit” or “Rejected.” Some designers use “Reviewed” instead of “Approved.”
Informational
Submittals.
Projects also include a significant number of “Informational Submittals.” These are very much a part of the project, but they generally do not require a response from the design team. Qualification data, test reports, field quality control reports and meeting minutes are often informational submittals.
Closeout
Submittals.
“Closeout Submittals”, are prepared at the end of the job. These include Operations and Maintenance data as well as extra materials such as the floor, wall and ceiling tiles needed for future repairs. At job end, submittals become part of the permanent project record.