Submittal
Proof, sent before you build it, that what a sub is about to install actually matches the spec.
Quick Answer
A submittal is a document, sample, or shop drawing a subcontractor or supplier sends to the design team for approval before fabricating or installing work. The architect or engineer checks it against the contract documents and returns it approved, approved-as-noted, or rejected. Submittals confirm that the actual product or assembly matches what was specified, before it's built.
The Full Picture
A spec section can describe a product's performance and quality in words, but it can't verify that the specific item a subcontractor plans to buy actually meets those words. The submittal process is the checkpoint that closes that gap — a formal exchange of proof, reviewed before money and material are committed, rather than a hope that everyone read the spec the same way.
Each spec section defines what needs to be submitted for that trade: product data sheets, samples, shop drawings, mix designs, or test reports. The subcontractor prepares the package and routes it through the general contractor, who checks it for completeness before forwarding it to the architect or engineer. The reviewer marks it up and returns an action — approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected — and the sub can proceed once it clears that gate.
On a curtain wall package, for example, the shop drawings show exact panel dimensions, anchor details, and glazing makeup derived from field measurements — not just the schematic elevations in the contract drawings. The architect reviews those shop drawings against the design intent and spec before fabrication starts, because once panels are cut, a missed detail is a field problem, not a paperwork one.
In preconstruction, the submittal register — the master list of everything each spec section requires — gets built during document review and bid preparation, well before any sub is on contract. A complete register built early means every long-lead submittal (structural steel, precast, elevators) starts its review clock as soon as possible; a register assembled late or incomplete is a common source of fabrication delay once construction starts.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: People assume a submittal is just paperwork.
Actually: it's the mechanism that catches a substitution or spec deviation before it's built into the project, when correcting it is a markup, not a demolition.
People assume: People assume architect 'approval' means the GC is off the hook if the installed work has defects.
Actually: review for general conformance with the design intent doesn't relieve the subcontractor of responsibility for meeting the actual contract requirements — that's standard language in most submittal review stamps.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentPartially — MeltPlan's Design Review reads your specifications and can generate the submittal register directly from them, identifying every product data sheet, sample, and shop drawing a spec section requires before you even go to bid. It doesn't review individual submittals once subs are on contract — that approval loop between sub, GC, and architect stays a manual workflow.
Generate your submittal register from specs →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a submittal in construction?
A submittal is a document, sample, or shop drawing a subcontractor or supplier sends for the design team's approval before fabricating or installing the related work. It proves the actual product or assembly matches the contract documents.
What are the possible outcomes of a submittal review?
Common action codes are approved, approved as noted (minor comments, proceed), revise and resubmit (not yet acceptable, must be corrected and sent again), and rejected. The sub typically can't proceed to fabrication until the submittal clears at least 'approved as noted.'
What is a submittal register?
A submittal register (or log) is the master list of every submittal a project's specifications require, organized by spec section, with required and actual dates for submission, review, and approval — used to track the whole submittal process.
How does a submittal differ from an RFI?
A submittal proves a specific product or assembly meets the spec, submitted proactively before work happens. An RFI asks a question when the drawings or specs are unclear or conflicting — it's reactive, raised when something needs clarifying.
Why do submittals matter in preconstruction?
The submittal register is built from the specs during precon and drives the whole procurement schedule — especially for long-lead items like structural steel or elevators, where late submittal approval can push the entire project schedule.