If your submittal process is still running on email threads and spreadsheets, you already know what happens: something gets missed, a review cycle runs long, and suddenly you’ve got a procurement delay on a long-lead item that’s sitting on the critical path. A well-managed submittal package isn’t just a documentation exercise. It’s how GCs maintain accountability across the design team, protect their schedule, and avoid disputes at closeout. This guide walks through how to compile, submit, and track submittal packages in a way that holds up whether you’re managing a 50-submittal job or a 500-submittal program.
What Is a Submittal Package in Construction?
A submittal package is a grouped set of individual submittal records shop drawings, product data, material samples, equipment cut sheets, or mix designs organized and transmitted together for design team review. Rather than sending submittals one at a time and creating a fragmented review queue, packages bundle related items so the architect or engineer can review them in context. The package itself tracks key dates (anticipated submission, anticipated completion, actual start, actual finish), vendor information, the associated contract, and a live status count showing how many submittals within the package are not yet submitted, in progress, or closed. In enterprise platforms like Oracle Primavera Unifier, these fields are formalized the system auto-calculates percent complete based on which individual submittals within the package have reached a terminal status.
At its core, a submittal package is a document control mechanism that brings order to what can otherwise become a chaotic volume of items moving between field, office, and design team.
Read More : Document Control Management for Construction: Tools & Best Practices
The Submittal Process: How It Actually Works
Understanding where the package fits requires understanding the full submittal workflow. There are four stages most projects follow.
Stage 1: Pre-Construction Submittal Schedule Development
Before a single submittal is prepared, the GC builds a submittal schedule a list of every required submittal pulled from the project specifications, tied to the construction schedule. Items that drive early procurement or sit on the critical path get prioritized. Long-lead equipment gets flagged for early submission.
The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) C-700 General Conditions call for this schedule to be submitted within 10 days of contract start. AIA Document G712-1972 remains the industry benchmark for tracking submittals through the design team review cycle. A strong submittal schedule accounts for the architect’s review period and builds in time for resubmittals. One of the most common mistakes: submitting items with a compressed turnaround expectation and then treating the architect’s review time as a delay when it was never properly built into the schedule to begin with.
Stage 2: Submittal Preparation and GC Review
The GC either prepares the submittal directly or delegates it to the relevant subcontractor. Once prepared, the subcontractor’s submittal goes to the GC first not to the architect. The GC reviews it for accuracy against field conditions, dimensional correctness, and contract compliance, then stamps it before forwarding.
Architects should return any submittals received directly from subcontractors without GC review. This isn’t just procedural skipping the GC review step breaks the accountability chain and increases the risk of errors reaching the design team.
Stage 3: Design Team Review and Response
The architect or engineer reviews the submittal for conformance with contract documents. Common response designations include: approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected. Architects should label every reviewed submittal clearly under most contract structures, an unmarked submittal is considered approved. Review response language typically includes a liability qualifier noting that the review is limited to general conformance with contract documents and does not relieve the contractor of responsibility for construction means and methods.
The contract defines how long the design team has to review. Whether that’s a fixed number of days or “timely review” language, the GC should track it. When reviews run long, the submittal log becomes the documentation that the delay originated with the design team not the contractor.
Stage 4: Tracking, Resubmittals, and Closeout
After review, approved submittals authorize procurement and fabrication. Items marked “revise and resubmit” go back into the queue with a new revision number. The submittal log captures the full history original submission date, review turnaround, resubmittal dates, and final disposition.
At closeout, the submittal record doubles as an approval trail. If there’s a dispute about whether a material was specified-compliant, the log shows what was submitted, when it was reviewed, and what the design team approved.
Learn More : Construction Submittal Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for GCs
What Belongs in a Submittal Package
Not every submittal belongs in the same package. The best practice is to group by specification section or trade, so the reviewer sees related items together. Here’s what a well-compiled package typically contains:
| Submittal Type | Common Examples | CSI Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Shop Drawings | Structural steel, curtain wall, HVAC ductwork | Division 05, 08, 23 |
| Product Data | Equipment cut sheets, manufacturer specs | Various |
| Material Samples | Flooring, paint, roofing, façade | Division 09 |
| Mix Designs | Concrete for foundations, slabs | Division 03 |
| Equipment Data | Chillers, generators, elevators | Division 11, 14 |
| Testing & Inspection Reports | Weld inspection, compaction, fireproofing | Division 01 |
| O&M Manuals | Building systems, closeout | Division 01 |
Each submittal within the package carries its own specification section reference, submittal number, revision history, and responsible subcontractor. The package-level record aggregates that status across all line items.
Deferred Submittals: What They Are and Why They Matter
Deferred submittals are submittals that the contract documents explicitly allow to be prepared and submitted after permit issuance, rather than with the original submittal set. They’re common for specialized systems complex structural connections, delegated design elements, or specialty equipment that can’t be fully specified until procurement is further along.
What matters: deferred submittals still require design team review and approval before the related work is installed. The deferral is on timing, not on the requirement for compliance review. Projects that treat deferred submittals as exempt from the standard review process create liability exposure for the GC and risk installing non-compliant work. A well-maintained submittal schedule flags all deferred submittal items and tracks them separately so they don’t fall through the cracks during an otherwise active construction phase.
How to Track a Submittal Package Correctly
A submittal log is the operational tool that keeps packages moving. Whether you’re managing it in a spreadsheet or a purpose-built construction platform, every log needs the following fields at minimum:
- Submittal number and specification section reference
- Description and submittal type
- Responsible subcontractor or preparer
- Anticipated submission date
- Actual date submitted to GC / forwarded to design team
- Design team review period (required days vs. actual days)
- Review response and date returned
- Resubmittal date (if applicable)
- Final approval date and status
- Notes and revision history
The log isn’t just an internal tracking tool it’s a schedule protection document. When a submittal sits in design team review for three weeks past the agreed period and that delay pushes a long-lead order, the log is what documents the owner-caused or design-team-caused delay. Without it, you’re arguing from memory. For larger programs, enterprise construction management systems allow submittal packages to auto-calculate percent complete as individual items close out. Status fields not yet submitted, in progress, closed update in real time as the workflow progresses. That visibility is especially valuable in coordination meetings, where you need a live picture of where each package stands without manually polling the project team.
Read More : Deferred Submittals: What They Are and How to Handle Them
Common Submittal Mistakes That Create Real Problems
Even experienced teams run into the same recurring issues. Here are the ones worth actively avoiding:
Submitting without GC review: Subcontractor submittals sent directly to the architect create accountability gaps. The GC stamp certifies that the submittal accurately reflects field conditions and meets contract requirements skipping that step shifts risk.
No submittal schedule, or one that isn’t tied to the construction schedule. A submittal schedule that doesn’t account for procurement lead times and critical path dependencies isn’t a schedule — it’s a list.
Missing or incomplete items: Submittals that arrive at the architect with obvious errors get returned unreviewed. That turnaround eats review time and extends lead times.
Treating deferred submittals as deferred indefinitely: Deferred submittals still require review before installation. Projects that lose track of deferred items during construction often discover the problem when an inspector or architect walks through and asks for documentation.
No tracking of reviewer turnaround: If you’re not logging when submittals were forwarded to the design team and when they came back, you can’t defend against delay claims tied to procurement hold-ups.
How Modern Preconstruction Platforms Handle the Submittal Package Process
The shift from paper logs to digital submittal management changed the speed of the review cycle. Electronic submittals are updated instantaneously when reviewed, notifications route automatically, and audit trails are maintained without manual entry. Fabricators on large structural projects now use bar codes on components that tie directly to submittal records, making material tracking more precise.
Platforms that integrate the submittal schedule with the construction schedule so that overdue submittals automatically flag as schedule risks give preconstruction and project management teams the visibility they need to intervene before a delay hits the field.
For GCs evaluating construction management software, submittal package management is a core capability to pressure-test. The questions worth asking: Can the system group individual submittals into packages? Does it track reviewer turnaround time? Does it auto-flag overdue submittals? Can it link submittal status to procurement and schedule milestones?
Smarter Submittal Management with Palcode.ai
Palcode.ai helps preconstruction teams manage submittals without relying on spreadsheets. It connects your submittal schedule with bids, subcontractor prequalification, and ITB workflows in one system.
Book a demo to see how it simplifies your preconstruction workflow in real projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a submittal and a submittal package?
A submittal is an individual document or sample a shop drawing, product data sheet, or material sample submitted for design team review. A submittal package groups multiple related submittals together into a single transmittal, typically organized by specification section or trade, so reviewers can evaluate them in context rather than in isolation.
When should a GC prepare the submittal schedule?
Industry standards call for the submittal schedule to be delivered within 10 days of contract execution. It should be coordinated with the construction schedule from the start, with long-lead items and critical path submittals identified and prioritized for early submission.
What are deferred submittals and when are they allowed?
Deferred submittals are items that the contract documents allow to be submitted after permit issuance typically for specialized systems or delegated design elements that can’t be fully prepared at the outset. They still require design team review and approval before the related work proceeds. They’re not a way to skip the submittal process.
Who is responsible for maintaining the submittal log?
On most projects, the GC owns the submittal log. Day-to-day tracking typically falls to the project engineer or document control specialist. Subcontractors are responsible for preparing their submittals and responding to review comments. The architect or engineer is responsible for timely review within the agreed review period.
What happens if work is installed before a submittal is approved?
The contractor bears responsibility for replacing any material that wasn’t submitted and approved through the proper process. If the installed work is found to be non-compliant with contract documents, the GC is typically required to correct it at their own cost. In dispute or litigation contexts, a missing submittal approval is a significant liability exposure.
About the Author
Shikha is a Senior Product Growth Marketer at Palcode.ai, where she focuses on driving product adoption and improving user engagement through strategic, data-driven marketing. She also contributes to website content creation, translating complex product ideas into clear, structured, and SEO-optimized content that enhances user understanding and visibility. Explore More Blogs Here.
