Submittal review guides

Field-tested guidance for subcontractors, GC Project Managers, and submittal coordinators. Start with the fundamentals, then go deep on the parts of the process where deviations slip through.

Published guides

• How to review a construction submittal - the full step-by-step process, from pulling the spec to classifying deviations and returning redlines.
• The six categories of submittal deviation - what each category means, with field examples and default severity.
• Or-equal vs substitution request - how to tell an or-equal claim from a formal substitution, and what to verify on each path.
• Submittal review stamps explained - what Approved, Approved as Noted, Revise and Resubmit, and Rejected mean, and how severity decides which one.
• What goes in a submittal package - product data, shop drawings, samples, and certs, and the action vs informational split.
• How to read a spec section - the CSI three-part format and where submittal and product requirements live.
• What is an RFI in construction? - what a Request for Information is, why they happen, the step-by-step process, and how to write one that gets answered.
• RFI vs submittal - the two review streams compared: what each is for, who initiates it, and how an RFI answer changes what a submittal must show.
• Prescriptive vs performance vs proprietary specifications - the specification methods a submittal answers to, and how each one decides whether a product counts as a deviation.
• What CSI division is it? - a reverse lookup mapping common construction items to their CSI MasterFormat division.

More guides publish here as the library grows. Browse the CSI division hubs for trade-specific deviation patterns, or the glossary for plain-language definitions.