Construction projects live and die by communication—and few documents are more important than submittals.
While many contractors see submittals as another administrative task, they are one of the most critical tools for ensuring the right materials, equipment, and systems are installed according to the design intent. When handled properly, submittals reduce risk, improve coordination, and help projects stay on schedule. When handled poorly, they become one of the biggest causes of project delays.
In the latest episode of Management Under Construction, Dee Davis shares practical strategies to help contractors, project managers, project engineers, owners, and design professionals improve their submittal process and speed up approvals.
Why Construction Submittals Matter
A submittal is much more than a product data sheet.
It confirms that the contractor understands the project requirements, communicates exactly what will be installed, and allows the design team to verify compliance with the contract documents before materials are purchased or installed.
Approved submittals also become part of the project’s documentation, making them important from both a quality control and legal perspective.
Why Submittals Get Delayed
Many submittal delays are avoidable.
Some of the most common problems include:
- Large, difficult-to-review submission packages
- Missing or incomplete information
- Unclear product selections
- Multiple product types grouped into one submittal
- Poor organization
- Failure to highlight the relevant information
- Submitting everything at the same time instead of strategically phasing the work
When reviewers have to search through hundreds of pages to find the relevant information, review times naturally increase.
Make It Easy for the Reviewer
One of the simplest ways to receive faster approvals is to make reviewing your submittal as easy as possible.
Instead of sending large collections of documents, organize information so reviewers can quickly identify:
- The specification section
- Equipment or product being submitted
- Model numbers
- Options selected
- Relevant calculations
- Supporting documentation
Highlight important information, tag applicable items, and eliminate unnecessary pages whenever possible.
The less time reviewers spend searching, the faster they can approve your submission.
Smaller Submittals Often Mean Faster Approvals
Many project teams wait until every product has been selected before submitting anything.
Unfortunately, this creates enormous packages that overwhelm reviewers and increase turnaround times.
Instead, consider breaking submissions into logical groups.
Smaller, focused submittals allow reviewers to complete approvals more efficiently while allowing procurement to begin earlier.
This approach also reduces the amount of rework if revisions are required.
Don’t Flood the System
Submitting dozens of submittals at once may seem productive, but it often creates bottlenecks.
Owners, architects, engineers, and consultants typically review projects in the order submissions are received while balancing multiple projects.
Strategically pacing submittals helps maintain a consistent workflow instead of creating peaks that overwhelm reviewers.
A Unique Strategy: Paragraph-by-Paragraph Submittals
One of Dee Davis’ favorite techniques is using paragraph-by-paragraph submittals.
Instead of combining numerous specification requirements into one large package, each specification paragraph can become its own focused submission.
Benefits include:
- Faster reviews
- Easier corrections
- Less reviewer fatigue
- Earlier approvals
- Reduced resubmittals
- Better schedule control
This approach may create more individual submittals, but each one requires significantly less review time and often moves through the approval process much faster.
Think Like the Reviewer
Before sending any submittal, ask yourself:
- Is everything clearly labeled?
- Can the reviewer immediately identify what I’m requesting approval for?
- Have I highlighted the relevant information?
- Is there unnecessary documentation included?
- Would I want to review this package if I were receiving it?
A few extra minutes spent organizing your submission can save days—or even weeks—during review.
Better Submittals Create Better Projects
Efficient submittals don’t just save time.
They improve communication between contractors, engineers, architects, owners, and suppliers while reducing misunderstandings and minimizing costly delays.
Ultimately, better documentation leads to better project outcomes.
Listen to the Full Episode
Want even more practical tips for improving your construction management processes?
In this episode of Management Under Construction, Dee Davis shares real-world examples and actionable strategies you can implement immediately to improve submittal quality, reduce review times, and keep your projects moving.
🎧 Listen to the new episode here (S4 E03): https://www.yspe.co/podcasts/management-under-construction/episodes/2149233229
🎥 Watch the full episode (S4E03) here 👉 https://youtu.be/hoYRc7FyvBo
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