What Are Construction Submittals? A Guide for Commercial Project Owners

Construction submittals are the shop drawings, product data, samples, mockups, and other documents a contractor sends to the architect, engineer, or owner for review before materials are ordered, fabricated, or installed. They confirm that what the contractor plans to build matches the drawings and specifications. For owners, submittals are the last practical point to catch the wrong finish, a problem product, or a long lead time before it becomes an expensive change in the field. They are not a way to change the project's scope; that still requires a change order.

Hartford Building Company is a woman-owned, licensed, insured, and bonded general contractor in Glastonbury, Connecticut, bringing four decades of industry experience to commercial interior fit-outs, office, school, hospital, hotel, and restaurant renovations, and architectural millwork installation. We prepare, track, and coordinate submittals on every commercial project we build, and this guide explains the process from the owner's side of the table.

In This Guide

• What Submittals Are and Why They Exist: The basics.
• The Main Types of Submittals: Shop drawings, product data, samples, and more.
• How the Submittal Process Works: From contractor to approval.
• What Review Stamps Mean: Approved, as noted, and resubmit.
• What Owners Should Review: Where your input matters.
• Submittals and the Schedule: Lead times and review time.
• Substitutions and Changes: What submittals can and cannot do.
• Closeout Submittals: What you keep after the project.
• Common Submittal Problems: How to avoid delays.
• Frequently Asked Questions: Quick answers.

What Submittals Are and Why They Exist

Construction drawings and specifications describe what the finished project should be. They usually do not show every product model, fabrication detail, or installation method. Submittals fill that gap.

Showing How the Work Will Be Built

When a contractor or subcontractor submits a shop drawing or product data sheet, they are showing exactly how they plan to meet the design. The architect or engineer checks it against the design intent and specifications. If something does not match, it gets corrected on paper instead of on site.

Where Submittal Requirements Come From

Submittal requirements are written into the project specifications, typically in a general requirements section on submittal procedures, and in each technical section that lists what must be submitted. Standard contracts, such as AIA's A201 General Conditions, also define the main submittal types and each party's responsibilities.

What Submittals Are Not

Under common contract forms, submittals are not contract documents. An approved submittal does not change the contract, the scope, or the price. If the owner wants something different from what was designed, that change goes through a change order, not a submittal.

The Main Types of Submittals

Most commercial projects involve several kinds of submittals. The table below shows the common ones and what they tell the review team.

Shop Drawings

Shop drawings are the most detailed and most important submittals on many projects. For architectural millwork, casework, storefronts, and specialty items, they show exactly what will be fabricated. Our guide to millwork shop drawings walks through them in detail.

Samples and Mockups

Samples and mockups are where owners have the most direct input. A finish that looks right on a screen can look different in real light, next to other materials. Reviewing physical samples prevents surprises when the space is finished. We recommend looking at samples in the actual space whenever possible, under the lighting that will be installed, and next to the other finishes they will sit beside. A laminate that pairs well with a flooring sample on a conference table can clash once both are installed across a full room.

How the Submittal Process Works

The exact steps vary by project and contract, but most commercial submittals follow the same path.



Step by Step

1. The subcontractor or supplier prepares the submittal based on the specifications.
2. The general contractor reviews it for completeness, coordination with other trades, and field conditions, then stamps and forwards it.
3. The architect or engineer reviews it against the design intent and specifications.
4. The reviewer returns it with an action stamp and any comments.
5. The contractor either proceeds with ordering or fabrication, or revises and resubmits.

The Submittal Log

A good contractor tracks every required submittal in a log or register, with the specification section, responsible sub, date submitted, date returned, review status, and lead time. The log is one of the best tools owners have for spotting delays early. Ask to see it at project meetings, and ask which open items could affect your move-in date.

How RFIs Connect

If a contractor finds a conflict or gap in the drawings while preparing a submittal, the question should go through a request for information before the submittal is finalized. Resolving the question first prevents a submittal from being rejected for reasons that were never the contractor's to decide.

What Review Stamps Mean

Reviewers use a short set of actions on every submittal. Wording varies by firm, but the meaning is usually the same:



• Approved or No Exceptions Taken: The contractor can proceed as submitted.
• Approved as Noted or Make Corrections Noted: The contractor can proceed, but must follow the reviewer's comments.
• Revise and Resubmit: Changes are needed, and the contractor must submit again before proceeding.
• Rejected: The submittal does not meet the requirements and must be replaced.
• For Information Only or Not Reviewed: The document was received but did not require formal review.

Approval does not relieve the contractor of responsibility for meeting the contract documents. It confirms the submittal appears to conform to the design intent. That shared responsibility is part of why careful review on both sides matters.

What Owners Should Review

Owners do not need to review every submittal. Most technical submittals, such as structural connections, fire alarm devices, or mechanical equipment, are best reviewed by the design team. There are areas, though, where owner input is valuable:

• Finish samples in visible areas, such as flooring, wall finishes, laminates, veneers, and paint.
• Millwork and casework shop drawings for reception desks, nurse stations, hotel front desks, and other signature pieces.
• Mockups of repeating elements, like a hotel guest room or a classroom layout.
• Equipment that affects operations, such as kitchen equipment, security hardware, or technology that your staff will use every day.
• Items with long lead times that could affect your opening or move-in date.
• Maintenance-sensitive products your facilities team will have to service.



Bringing your facilities or operations staff into these reviews often catches practical issues designers miss, like a finish that is hard to clean or a lock that does not work with your access system.

Submittals and the Schedule

Submittals are often on the critical path, especially for renovations with tight deadlines.

Lead Times Start After Approval

For many products, the manufacturer's lead time does not start until the submittal is approved and the order is released. Items like custom millwork, storefront systems, door hardware, specialty lighting, and HVAC equipment can take weeks or months. A two-week delay in review can push an opening date by two weeks or more.

Review Time Is Part of the Plan

Specifications usually allow a set period for review. Building that time into the schedule, and prioritizing long-lead submittals early, keeps the project moving. On phased projects, such as school renovations that must finish during summer break or hotel renovations floor by floor, early submittals are often what make the schedule possible.

How Owners Can Help

Make decisions on samples and selections quickly, designate one person to speak for the owner, and avoid reopening decisions after approval. Every revision cycle adds time.

Substitutions and Changes

Sometimes a contractor proposes a product different from what was specified. That is a substitution, and it follows its own rules.

When Substitutions Come Up

Common reasons include a discontinued product, a long lead time that threatens the schedule, a cost savings opportunity, or a better-performing alternative. Substitutions are often part of value engineering, where the team looks for options that meet the same function at a better total cost.

How They Should Be Handled

Specifications usually require substitution requests to be clearly identified, with a side-by-side comparison to the specified product. The design team should review performance, appearance, warranty, and code implications. If the substitution changes cost or scope, it should be documented formally. A substitution slipped into a routine submittal without being flagged is a red flag.

Closeout Submittals

Common Submittal Problems and How to Avoid Them

Submittal issues rarely make headlines, but they cause many of the delays and disputes on commercial projects.

Where Things Go Wrong

The most common problems are incomplete submittals that get rejected, submittals passed along without the contractor's own review, late submittals for long-lead items, owners reopening decisions that were already approved, and substitutions that are not clearly identified. On renovations, another frequent issue is shop drawings based on the original drawings instead of field measurements. Existing walls are rarely perfectly square or where the old plans say they are, and millwork or storefront built to the wrong dimensions does not fit.

How to Prevent Them

Most of these problems can be prevented with a complete submittal log at the start of the project, clear responsibilities for each item, early attention to long-lead products, field verification before fabrication, and regular log review at project meetings. Involving the contractor early through preconstruction services makes it easier to plan submittals before the schedule gets tight.

Work With a Contractor Who Manages Submittals Well

A well-run submittal process is invisible to most owners. They just see a project that stays on schedule and finishes the way it was designed. Hartford Building Company manages submittals on every commercial project we build, from interior fit-outs and office remodeling to millwork installation. You can see examples in our projects.

Call Hartford Building Company at (860) 922-0179 or contact us to talk about your next commercial project in Connecticut.

Frequently Asked Questions