Article written by Brielle Regdos for CDP

In the busy world of commercial construction, keeping track of paperwork can feel completely overwhelming. But among the mountain of logs and contracts, there’s one process you absolutely cannot afford to ignore: submittal management.

While submittals may seem like just another administrative task, they play a critical role in keeping projects on schedule, preventing costly rework, and ensuring that materials and equipment installed on the project meet design requirements and project specifications. A well-managed submittal process can be the difference between a project that runs smoothly and one that experiences avoidable delays.

Because submittals sit at the intersection of design, procurement, and construction, even minor delays can create ripple effects throughout a project. For example, a delayed approval on custom equipment or materials can postpone procurement by weeks, creating downstream schedule impacts on installation activities and overall project completion dates.

Effective submittal management helps teams identify potential issues early, maintain accountability among stakeholders, and keep critical materials moving through the approval process.

What Are Submittals?

If you're new to the term, submittals are the product samples, material data, detailed drawings, and other documentation that contractors must submit to the architects and engineers before buying a single thing. Think of it as the ultimate reality check. When done right, submittals ensure that what gets built actually matches the design. When ignored, they quickly lead to project delays, expensive mistakes, and a whole lot of finger-pointing.

How Do Contractors Use Submittals?

So, how does a submittal actually work? It takes a ton of teamwork. Before boots even hit the ground, the project team creates a master checklist of every item that needs approval. Next, subcontractors gather information on their planned materials and send them to the general contractor for a quick quality check. The general contractor then passes these details along to the architects and engineers, who will either approve them, ask for changes, or reject them completely. The golden rule here? Nothing gets ordered or installed until it gets a final green light.

The challenge is that every submittal moves through multiple stakeholders, each with competing priorities and deadlines. When approvals stall or information is incomplete, procurement can be delayed, pushing critical activities further down the schedule. This is especially true for long-lead items such as structural steel, HVAC equipment, switchgear, and custom-fabricated components, where even a small delay can have a significant impact on project timelines.

Because so many people are involved in this chain, relying on old-fashioned spreadsheets and messy email threads is a recipe for disaster. A single lost email can cause a crew to pour the wrong concrete or order the wrong windows—mistakes that are incredibly painful (and expensive) to fix. That is why modern construction teams are ditching the inbox and turning to specialized project management software. These digital tools keep all your submittals in one shared space, provide real-time visibility into approval status, track deadlines automatically, maintain revision history, and help project teams identify bottlenecks before they impact the project.

Best Practices for Effective Submittal Management

Successful contractors don't wait for submittals to become a problem. Instead, they establish clear processes from the beginning of the project. A few best practices include:

• Create a comprehensive submittal log early in the project lifecycle.
• Prioritize long-lead materials and equipment that could impact the schedule.
• Clearly define responsibilities for preparation, review, and approval.
• Monitor turnaround times and follow up on overdue reviews.
• Maintain a centralized location for all submittal documentation and revisions.

By proactively managing submittals, project teams can improve communication, reduce delays, and keep work moving forward.

Ultimately, mastering submittals comes down to playing offense rather than defense. The most successful project teams view submittal management not as a paperwork exercise, but as a critical project control process that helps protect budgets, schedules, and quality. By treating submittals as a smart way to prevent mistakes rather than just annoying paperwork, you can protect your project budget, stay on schedule, and deliver a build everyone can be proud of.

Contact CDP to learn more about platforms to help you manage construction submittals.