The Ultimate Guide to Construction Submittals: How Streamlining the Submittals Process Yields ROI in Construction

Published by Autodesk on October 7, 2026 · Updated October 7, 2026

• construction-management
• submittals
• document-control
• preconstruction
• construction-technology

Why are construction submittals so important before work starts?

Construction submittals are important before work starts because they define the exact materials, products, and design details that architects, engineers, project owners, and general contractors must approve before fabrication and delivery. They help control accuracy, budget, schedule, and safety before anyone builds the wrong thing.

A submittal usually covers one material or supply choice, and trade contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers send these documents for approval. Project teams sometimes generate them internally to settle specific design choices. Unlike as-built drawings, which show the finished project after construction is complete, submittals guide how the project will actually be built.

The stakes are high. The guide points to the 1981 Hyatt Regency Skywalk collapse, which Randall P. Bernhardt discussed in STRUCTURE Magazine, as an example of what can happen when submittal documents include an option that engineers never approved. In prefabrication and modular construction, the risk rises because each unit may generate a dozen or more submittal forms.

What should a construction submittal package include?

A construction submittal package should include the documents that let the design team review each item at a granular level and approve it before fabrication begins. The guide identifies these common components:

• Product cut sheets that identify the manufacturer, specifications, and model number
• Shop drawings for prefabricated products such as trusses, cast concrete, windows, appliances, and millwork
• Color and finish selections
• Material data sheets
• Variations on engineering options for prefabricated and modular units

The more detail a submittal includes, the better the chance of an accurate budget and schedule. Approval needs to happen before items are fabricated and delivered because those steps can take weeks. If a truss or structural unit is wrong, manufacturing a replacement can add weeks or even months to the total timeline.

How can a disorganized submittal workflow cause schedule slippage?

A disorganized submittal workflow causes schedule slippage because it slows approvals, creates errors, and lets documents go missing. The guide says the traditional process is long and arduous: subcontractors first aggregate submittal items, then the architect and design team review them for compliance, and the general contractor reviews them to confirm the right products and specifications.

When teams rely on manual entry, inaccuracies become more likely. When review steps are skipped, costs rise and building failures or losses become more likely. When documents are misplaced, mislabeled, or lost, approvals stall and fabrication can be delayed. That delay can ripple through the entire project.

Emerson research cited in the guide says up to 30 percent of all documents generated during the construction process are lost by the end of the project. Those missing records also hurt close-out because the same cut sheets and manufacturing forms used during construction become part of the documentation given to the owner or tenant.

What are the most common mistakes teams make when managing construction submittals?

The most common mistakes are treating submittals as low priority, relying on manual tracking, and failing to standardize the process. Teams also lose time when access is delayed by overly manual permissions, when review checkpoints are missed, or when physical samples are stored in the wrong place and damaged before inspection.

Other common mistakes include:

• Not tracking documents from creation to completion
• Using manual data entry that introduces errors
• Skipping architect, design, or general contractor review steps
• Failing to route important changes to qualified structural engineers or design team members
• Letting samples or prefabricated assemblies sit in shipping and receiving without a clear handling process

A submittal process works best when the team treats every detail seriously, including paint color and finish choice. Small issues can still create rework and change orders that slow down completion and increase total costs.

What does an efficient construction submittal workflow look like?

An efficient construction submittal workflow moves each item through clear checkpoints, from initial creation to field distribution and final tracking. The guide’s example workflow includes these steps:

1. Review specifications
2. Create the submittal register log
3. Create the submittal package
4. Transmit the package to the general contractor
5. Update the package with notes
6. Review the package
7. Share it with the field
8. Track and manage submittals
9. Transmit the package through the next review stage

The key is visibility. Every team member involved should be able to see where the item is and what action comes next. That makes it easier for general contractors, subcontractors, and design teams to keep approvals moving without losing control of the paperwork.

How can construction software help reduce lost submittals and missing documentation?

Construction software can reduce lost submittals and missing documentation by automating tagging, tracking, permissions, and security across the full workflow. The guide says manual methods cannot keep up with the volume of paperwork created by modern projects, and it points to Autodesk construction management software as a way to optimize the process.

The guide also highlights PlanGrid’s Automatic Submittal Log as a way to make submittal tracking more transparent. Software helps managers and engineers spend less time organizing documents and more time reviewing and approving them. It also helps teams track physical artifacts, such as samples, alongside digital files so materials stay organized and easy to access.

What five practices improve construction submittals?

Five practices improve construction submittals by making the process more transparent, standardized, and automated. The guide recommends:

1. Track submittals from the beginning and make status visible to every involved team member.
2. Use role-based access instead of setting permissions individually, so teams do not lose time waiting for access.
3. Automate as much of the workflow as possible to reduce errors and manual labor.
4. Enforce every required review step so errors are caught before approval and costly reversals are avoided.
5. Standardize sample handling so prefabricated assemblies and other physical items reach the right teams and do not get damaged in shipping or receiving.

A strong routine matters as much as software. Construction teams that handle every submittal the same way, every time, are less likely to miss something that leads to rework, change orders, or delay.