Submittals overview

Submittals are items documented in project specifications that need to be provided to the project owner, architect, or CM firm for review and approval. Some examples of submittals are shop drawings, engineering data, material samples, test results, and product literature. Certain submittals such as product manuals are often used later by the client for operational purposes.

In the case of a general contractor (GC), submittals are requested first from subcontractors and suppliers per the project specifications. They’re then submitted to the respondent for review and approval. Occasionally, rejected items will need to be resubmitted, which might require creating a new submittal. After final approval is granted, the GC will return the approved submittal and related documentation to the suppliers and subcontractors, so that materials can be purchased.

Company references in submittals

A company can be referenced in the following areas within a submittal:

• Originator: Company that provides the original submittal items, such as a subcontractor or supplier.
• Coordinator: Typically, your firm will be referenced here.
• Respondent: The company that's responsible for reviewing and approving submittal items.

The following table provides example company references based on different user perspectives.

Sage Construction Management user perspective	Originator	Coordinator	Respondent
Subcontractor	Subcontractor or supplier	Subcontractor	GC/architect/engineer/consultant/owner
General contractor (GC)	GC or subcontractor	GC	Architect/engineer/consultant/owner
Architect or engineer	GC/subcontractor/supplier	GC	Architect/engineer/consultant/owner

About submittals

• A submittal might contain one or more items with each having their own approval status. If one or more items are rejected, you can use the Actions > Copy for Resubmission option to create a new submittal for those particular items. This wizard will also link the submittal records.
• If submittals are the same from project to project, it's more efficient to import submittals using a Microsoft Excel file.
• The Correspondence Calendar shows when submittals need to be responded or when items are due from the originator.
• Special instructions for GCs: Commercial GCs need to consider documenting all submittal items with long lead times, such as structural steel shop drawings, at the beginning of the project. A Submittal Items Request report or email can then be sent to the contractor or supplier, informing them of these due dates. This approach will help minimize the risk of any delays.
• When sending submittals to the respondent through email, Sage Construction Management will automatically include a hyperlink to the TeamLink Portal, so responses or comments can be documented online. When sending submittals through mail carrier, a submittal transmittal is printed.

About submittal dates

Submittal header

• Issue Date: Date the submittal was added.

Submittal item details form

• Information Due From Originator and Status/Response Sent Back dates:
  • Due From Originator: Date the submittal item is due from originator, such as the subcontractor or supplier, so the coordinator can forward it on to the respondent, such as the architect.
  • Rec'd From Originator: Date the coordinator received the submittal item from the originator.
  • Status Response Sent: Date the coordinator sent the submittal item response back to the originator.
• Material Required On Site and Design Review dates:
  • Required On Site Date: Estimated date materials provided by supplier or subcontractor are due on job site.
  • Calculated design review date fields:
    • Review - Return to Originator: Is equal to the Required On Site Date minus the number of calendar days specified in the Lead Time field.
    • Review - Completion Date: Is equal to the Review - Return to Originator date minus the number of calendar days specified in the Design Review Time field.
    • Review - Submission Date: Is equal to the Review - Completion date minus the number of calendar days specified in the Internal Review Time field.
• Material Delivery To Site dates:
  • Anticipated Delivery Date: Date the coordinator or subcontractor estimates that the materials will be delivered to the job site.
  • Estimated Delivery Date: Date the subcontractor or supplier estimates that the materials will be delivered to the job site.
  • Actual Delivery Date: Date that the materials were delivered to the job site.

Submittal respondents details form

• Sent Date: Date the coordinator sent the submittal items to the respondent.
• Due Date: Date the response is required from the respondent.
• Response Date: Date the response was received from the respondent. This date is automatically populated when the company responds in the TeamLink Portal.

Before you add a submittal

1. Make sure all companies referenced in the submittal are in the project directory.
2. Optionally, review the submittal types and submittal item status. These fields can be used for filtering or sorting records.

Submittal functions

• Add a submittal manually.
• Import submittals using a Microsoft Excel file.
• Edit a submittal.
• Copy submittals to other leads or projects.
• Copy rejected submittal items for resubmission.

• Use the response workflow for submittals.

Requesting submittal details

• Send the submittal request to the originator.

Submittal response functions

After receiving the responses to the submittal items, make sure to review and update the status for each item.

If a submittal has only one respondent, the item status can be updated in the TeamLink Portal. If there are multiple respondents, the item status is disabled in the portal to prevent confusion and overwriting by different external team members.

• Send a submittal to a respondent.
• Print a submittal for a respondent.
• Email the submittal responses to the originator.
• Print the submittal responses for the originator.
• Email open items to external team members.