What Is a Submittal in Construction? | JK Prestige Constructor

A contractor can't order structural steel until the structural engineer approves the fabrication drawings. They can't install windows until the architect approves the window submittals. They can't energize the electrical system until the engineer approves the panel schedule.

These approvals happen through the submittal process — a formal document review cycle that runs parallel to construction and, when managed poorly, becomes one of the most common causes of schedule delay on complex projects.

If you want to understand where a construction project is actually at risk, don't look at the construction schedule. Look at the submittal log.

Construction plans, ruler, blank clipboard, dark laptop, and white hardhat on a trailer worktable — Editorial illustrationPlans, samples, and blank review materials illustrate the document cycle used to verify products and assemblies before ordering.

What a Submittal Is

A submittal is a document — a shop drawing, product data sheet, material sample, or calculation — that the GC or a subcontractor submits to the architect or engineer for review and approval before a material or system is ordered or installed.

The purpose of the submittal is to verify that the right product is being installed. The contract documents (architectural drawings and specifications) define what the building should contain. The submittal is the GC's proof that what they intend to install matches what the contract documents require.

Three common submittal types:

Shop drawings: Technical drawings produced by the fabricator showing exactly how a custom component will be built. Structural steel shop drawings show every beam, column, and connection — not as the structural engineer designed them in the abstract, but as the fabricator will cut and weld them. The structural engineer reviews the shop drawings to confirm the fabrication matches the design intent. If the fabricator misread the drawings, the shop drawing review catches it before steel is cut.

Product data: Manufacturer's cut sheets, specifications, and installation instructions for standard products being installed. An HVAC product data submittal shows the specific model, performance characteristics, dimensions, and installation requirements for the air handler being specified. The mechanical engineer reviews it to confirm the unit meets the performance requirements in the specifications.

Samples: Physical material samples submitted for architect approval before ordering. A tile sample for a hospital flooring installation. Paint color chips for an exterior elevation. Wood veneer samples for lobby millwork. The architect reviews and approves before the material is purchased.

Three framed window openings awaiting units inside an unfinished Florida custom home — Editorial illustrationPrepared rough openings awaiting fabricated windows show how procurement timing can pause the next stage of envelope work.

Why Submittals Matter for Schedule

The submittal review process has a timeline. The typical review period in a construction contract is 10-15 business days for architect review, and additional time if the submittals need to go to a specialty engineer (structural, mechanical, electrical).

Here's the sequence for a typical structural steel submission:

GC issues fabrication drawing request to structural steel sub
Steel fabricator produces shop drawings (2-3 weeks)
GC reviews shop drawings for compliance before submitting (3-5 days)
GC submits to architect (Day 0)
Architect reviews and forwards to structural engineer (1-2 days)
Structural engineer reviews and returns comments to architect (10-15 days)
Architect returns reviewed drawings to GC (1-2 days)
If approved: GC releases for fabrication (Day ~20)
If revise-and-resubmit: process repeats for revised drawing (add 2-3 weeks)
Structural steel fabrication begins (6-12 weeks after release for fabrication)

Total time from submitting to steel arriving on site: 12-18 weeks on a typical project. If the GC submits steel shop drawings late, or the reviewer takes longer than the contract allows, or the first submission comes back as revise-and-resubmit, that steel isn't arriving on time. And if steel isn't on time, framing doesn't start on time.

This is why the submittal log is a schedule risk document.

What a Submittal Log Tracks

A submittal log is a spreadsheet (or a field in the project management software) that tracks every required submittal on the project:

Submittal number and description: What is being submitted (e.g., S-001: Structural Steel Shop Drawings, Zone A)
Required by date: The date the submittal must be approved for material to arrive on time
Submitted date: When the GC actually submitted it to the architect
Status: Submitted, Under Review, Approved, Approved as Noted, Revise and Resubmit, Rejected
Return date: When the reviewed submittal came back from the architect
Notes: Any comments, conditions, or revisions required

The submittal log is the document that tells you whether materials will arrive when the schedule requires them.

How to Read a Submittal Log as an Owner

If you're an owner reviewing a monthly report from your GC, the submittal log tells you more about schedule risk than the Gantt chart does. Here's what to look for:

Open items with past "required by" dates: Any submittal that was required for approval by a date that has already passed — and isn't showing as approved — is a schedule risk. The material tied to that submittal is at risk of arriving late.

Items submitted late: If the "submitted date" is later than the submittal schedule required, the entire review cycle shifted. A submittal submitted two weeks late will return two weeks late, which means material is ordered two weeks late, which means installation starts two weeks late.

Revise and resubmit items: An R&R means the first submission didn't meet the requirements. The submittal goes back to the fabricator or manufacturer for revision and must be resubmitted. This adds 2-3 weeks to the cycle. Multiple R&R cycles on a single submittal are a red flag about the sub's or vendor's attention to the specifications.

Items not yet submitted: If significant materials haven't been submitted yet and the required-by date is approaching, that's an active schedule risk. Ask the GC: when is this going in? What's the expected return date? Is there a supplier issue affecting the submittal?

Response time: Track how quickly the architect and engineers are returning reviewed submittals. The contract defines a review period. If the design team is consistently exceeding that period, the delay is on them — and the GC should be documenting the late returns as the basis for schedule extension claims.

Open wall framing with organized plumbing, electrical boxes, a blank folder, level, and tape measure — Editorial illustrationAn organized rough-in, blank review folder, level, and tape measure illustrate how controlled documentation stays aligned with field verification.

What a Well-Managed Submittal Log Looks Like

A GC who manages submittals well:

Produces a submittal schedule at project kickoff — a list of every required submittal, the date it needs to be submitted to stay on schedule, and the date it needs to be approved
Submits submittals ahead of the required date to allow for review delays and resubmittals
Tracks the review period for every open submittal and follows up with the reviewer before the review period expires
Flags any submittal that is at risk of causing a material delivery delay and reports it to the owner with a mitigation plan

The submittal log on a JK Prestige project is part of the weekly owner report. The owner sees every open submittal, the current status, and the anticipated return date. If a submittal is running behind schedule, the weekly report includes the GC's mitigation plan — not a surprise at the monthly meeting.

The JK Way covers how JK manages submittals, RFIs, and open issues through the owner portal and weekly written reports. If you're evaluating GCs for a ground-up or renovation project in Jacksonville, a JK principal answers directly — (904) 944-0278.

Get a written estimate in 48 hours.

No call center. No coordinator. A JK principal reviews every inquiry and replies with a real number, not a range, not a follow-up form.

Request Free Estimate →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a submittal, and why does a contractor need one approved before ordering material?

A submittal is a shop drawing, product data sheet, material sample, or calculation that the GC or a sub sends to the architect or engineer for review before a material or system gets ordered or installed. It is the GC's proof that what they intend to install actually matches what the contract drawings and specifications require, not just something that looks close. Structural steel cannot be fabricated, windows cannot be installed, and electrical panels cannot be energized until the relevant submittal comes back approved.

Why does the submittal process take so long, especially for something like structural steel?

The contract typically allows 10 to 15 business days for the architect's review, plus more time if it has to go to a specialty engineer like structural, mechanical, or electrical. On a typical structural steel package, the full sequence, fabricator drawings, GC review, architect and engineer review, and release for fabrication, runs about 20 days before fabrication even starts, and fabrication itself takes another 6 to 12 weeks. Add it up and total time from submitting the drawings to steel actually arriving on site is 12 to 18 weeks on a typical project, so any delay early in that chain pushes the whole schedule.

As an owner, what should I actually be looking for when my GC hands me the submittal log?

Look for open items whose required by date has already passed without an approval, since the material tied to that submittal is now at risk of arriving late. Also watch for revise and resubmit entries, since that status sends the submittal back to the fabricator or manufacturer and typically adds 2 to 3 weeks to the cycle, and multiple revise and resubmit cycles on the same item is a red flag about that sub's attention to the specifications. Finally, check how quickly the architect and engineers are returning submittals against the contract's review period, because a design team that consistently runs over that window gives the GC a documented basis for a schedule extension, not just a minor annoyance.

What Is a Submittal in Construction — and Why a Contractor's Submittal Log Tells You Everything