What Is a Submittal in Construction?
Date Posted: September 28, 2023
Posted In: Discussion,
From BigRentz: Imagine sending someone to the grocery store to get a few things on your behalf, like milk, cereal and some fruit. Unless you give specifications about what brand or product you prefer, you may wind up eating a breakfast with whole milk rather than almond milk, waffles rather than pancakes, and blueberries rather than strawberries.
While this may not be the breakfast you wanted, you may still enjoy it. In construction, however, if the general contractor has the wrong windows, countertops or paint, it can cause major issues and delays. To avoid this problem, contractors and subcontractors in a project must give submittals to the general contractor for approval before construction begins.
What Is a Construction Submittal? 5 Examples
In construction, a submittal is any written document or physical object that a contractor or subcontractor must supply to the general contractor for approval before construction can begin. A few construction submittal examples include:
- Drawings and Diagrams: These documents show detailed drawings, diagrams, blueprints or plans from the subcontractor. For example, a shop drawing from the cabinetry subcontractor might show where and how certain cabinets will get installed in a kitchen renovation project.
- Product Specifications: These documents outline detailed information about a certain product. This can include anything from flooring material types and colors to heavy equipment models and specifications that the project will use.
- Product Samples: These submittals are physical samples of a material, finish, color or other product. For example, this might be a small piece of the countertop planned for installation in the kitchen.