Submittal Schedule
The dates each shop drawing, product data sheet, and sample must be submitted and approved.
Quick Answer
A submittal schedule lists every required submittal on a project with its submit, review, and approval dates, tied to when the material is needed in the field. It works backward from installation through fabrication and review time. It matters because a late submittal approval delays fabrication, and late fabrication delays construction.
The Full Picture
Submittals exist because specifications describe what is required, but the contractor must prove what it will actually install before ordering it. Shop drawings, product data, samples, and mock-ups go to the architect and engineers for review. Each review takes time, some take multiple rounds, and fabrication cannot start until approval. The submittal schedule makes that chain visible.
Mechanically, it starts from the submittal register, the list of every submittal required by the specifications, usually organized by MasterFormat section. For each item the team assigns a responsible subcontractor, a date the material is needed on site, fabrication and delivery lead time, review duration, and a buffer for resubmittal. Subtracting those from the need date gives the latest submit date. AIA A201 requires the contractor to prepare a submittal schedule coordinated with the construction schedule and allowing the architect reasonable review time.
In practice, the schedule lives in a spreadsheet, the project management platform, or as activities inside the CPM schedule. The project engineer tracks each item's status weekly: not yet submitted, under review, revise and resubmit, approved. Long-lead items such as switchgear, elevators, curtain wall, and structural steel get the closest attention because their fabrication times dominate.
In preconstruction, the submittal schedule starts taking shape as soon as specifications are available and buyout begins. Precon teams identify long-lead submittals early so subcontracts can be awarded in time to get shop drawings moving. A common failure mode is building the register late from memory rather than from the specs, which misses submittals until the field discovers them.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: A submittal log and a submittal schedule are the same thing.
Actually: The log or register lists what must be submitted and tracks status. The schedule adds the dates: when each item must be submitted and approved to support fabrication and installation. A register without need dates cannot tell you which item is about to delay the job.
People assume: Submittals are a construction-phase task, not a precon concern.
Actually: Long-lead items often need subcontracts awarded and submittals started before construction begins. If precon does not identify them and plan buyout around their submittal and fabrication time, the project starts already behind.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentPartially. MeltPlan Design Review reads your specifications and pulls out submittal requirements section by section, giving the team a starting submittal register instead of building one by hand. Setting need dates, review durations, and lead times against the construction schedule stays with your team and scheduling tools.
Build your submittal register from the specs →Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in a submittal schedule?
Each required submittal with its specification section, responsible subcontractor, submit date, review period, expected approval date, fabrication and delivery lead time, and the date the material is needed on site. Status fields track progress through review.
Who prepares the submittal schedule?
The general contractor, usually a project engineer or project manager, with input from subcontractors on lead times and from the design team on review durations. AIA A201 assigns this responsibility to the contractor.
How does a submittal schedule relate to the construction schedule?
It is coordinated with it. Installation dates in the construction schedule set the need dates, and submittal and fabrication durations are subtracted from them. On many jobs, critical submittals are loaded as activities directly in the CPM schedule.
Why does the submittal schedule matter for preconstruction?
Because long-lead items must be bought out and submitted early enough to arrive on time. Precon teams use the submittal schedule to decide which subcontracts to award first and which items need early release.