What is a submittal, and why does it hold up your job?
Submittals are how what gets installed is approved before it is ordered. A slow submittal log is one of the most common hidden causes of delay.
A submittal is the contractor showing the design team exactly what they intend to install, and getting it approved, before ordering it. Product data sheets, shop drawings, physical samples, operating manuals.
It exists so that the difference between what was specified and what is actually available gets discovered on paper rather than on site.
The four kinds
| Kind | What it is |
|---|---|
| Product data | Manufacturer sheets for the specific item proposed |
| Shop drawings | Fabrication drawings — cabinetry, steel, glazing, millwork |
| Samples | Physical: tile, stone, paint, hardware |
| O&M manuals | Operating and maintenance documents, usually at closeout |
The outcomes
- Approved — order it.
- Approved as noted — order it with the marked corrections. The most common outcome.
- Revise and resubmit — start again. This one costs weeks, and it is why the revision number matters.
- Rejected — wrong product entirely.
Submittals sit in an inbox for three weeks, then the item has an eight-week lead time, and suddenly the schedule has lost eleven weeks that nobody noticed accumulating. This is one of the most common causes of residential delay and almost none of it is the builder being slow.
What a submittal log needs
- A number and the spec section it relates to.
- What it is and which kind.
- Who currently holds it — the same ball-in-court idea as an RFI.
- The date it is due back, worked backwards from the lead time and the install date.
- The revision number, so a third resubmission is visible as a problem rather than as routine.
For homeowners
You are often the approver for finishes — tile, paint, hardware, fixtures. Every day a sample sits on your kitchen table is a day added to the lead time of something that has to be ordered, made and shipped.
If you take one thing from this: ask your contractor for the submittal log with due dates, and treat the ones with your name on them as deadlines rather than as decisions you will get to. It is also the record that proves where a delay actually came from.
Common questions
What is a submittal in construction?
Documentation — product data, shop drawings, samples or manuals — that the contractor submits for approval before ordering or fabricating, to confirm what will be installed matches what was specified.
What does "approved as noted" mean?
Proceed, with the marked corrections applied. It is the most common outcome and does not require a resubmission.
Why do submittals delay projects?
Because approval time sits in front of lead time. Three weeks in an inbox plus an eight-week lead time is eleven weeks before the item arrives.
Keep all of this in one place
Punchlist360 is the punch list, the photographs, the budget and the insurance claim file for your build — so the record exists as a by-product of doing the work. $9.99 a month, cancel any time. Contractors you invite are free.
See how it works More guidesRead next
What is an RFI in construction, and how do you run them well?A request for information turns a question into a tracked, dated obligation with somebody's name on it. Here is how to write one that gets answered.
How to hold a contractor to a schedule without a fightMost schedule disputes are really record disputes. Keep the right records and the conversation becomes short and factual.
Drawing revisions: how building from the wrong sheet costs a fortuneSuperseded drawings are one of the most expensive mistakes in construction, and one of the easiest to prevent.
Who does what on a construction projectOwner, general contractor, architect, engineer, subs, suppliers, inspector — who is responsible for what, and who to ask when something goes wrong.