Design teams, owners, and other stakeholders require supplemental information about project materials, components, equipment, etc. to be handed over before actual onsite installation begins. The review and approval process for these submittals isn’t just for an aesthetic purpose, but it serves as a critical component for project structural integrity. Contractors need to manage submittals and their approval process meticulously for people and teams to review and approve submittals for on-schedule project completion.
Incorrect submittal workflows can hit planned project costs, quality, and outcomes. These challenges need a collaborative construction management app like iFieldSmart Technologies to speed up and improve the review and approval process. It is common for project teams to question and exchange feedback during the submittal review process. iFieldSmart’s single page dashboard streams everything inside a single view to make the process faster and more efficient for information exchange through cloud-based documentation.
Complex and large projects can give rise to hundreds or even thousands of unique submittals that require proactive management from project contractors. Depending on silo emails, excel worksheets, paper trails, etc. lead to large error margins, inaccuracies, and inconsistencies in submittals workflows.
Negative impacts of an inconsistent submittal process or workflow.
When correctly managed, submittals can aid in streamlined project outcomes, but incorrect management can lead to costly rework and project delays. Incorrect submittal management can make it longer for submittals to go through architects, subcontractors, owners, and other teams. These delays can cause a serious ripple effect for onsite activities due to a lack of information completeness including manufacturing delays, missed timelines, rescheduling activities, and other inconsistencies. Here are a few scenarios where in wrong submittal workflows can go from mediocre to disastrous.
SCENARIO # 1
Commercial general contractors have a myriad of activities and responsibilities to handle. Forgetting to send a submittal for a type of concrete block beforehand can lead to errors. Inability to follow specifications mentioned in the spec book for concrete block types can lead to delays in the building of the roof structure. Re-engineering and reinforcing the roof with concrete and rebar takes additional cost and time to rectify the error.
SCENARIO # 2
An Architect approves a submittal for materials related to project roofing, but it does not meet project requirements. The specs book clearly mentioned this was not the material to be applied to components for projects near ocean areas. Warranty exclusions set by the manufacturer could include material corrosion, environmental loads, scratching paintwork, etc. The architect’s negligence resulted in severe component failure leading to corrosion. In this scenario, the general contractor is not to blame as all the proper steps were followed based on initial submittal protocols and documentation.
Both scenarios showcase an inaccurate and inconsistent workflow as the first scenario depicted lousy submittals sharing, whilst the second one depicted wrong submittal approvals that did not meet project requirements.
How iFieldSmart Technologies supports improvements in Submittal Workflows.
- Submittals are created in quick and easy steps with required submittal parameters
- Submittals are sent for approval to concerned parties through distribution lists
- Submittal approval takes place
- Submittals are shared and managed on the iFieldSmart app dashboard
A cloud-based and collaborative platform provided by iFieldsmart Technologies delivers preemptive and secure access to online documents with metadata. This supports general contractors with improved documentation and accountability. With each submittal shared within the iFieldSmart dashboard, teams and stakeholders can comment and collaborate with multiple teams. Moreover, general contractors can avoid unnecessary financial overruns with mitigated submittal errors.
Schedule a quick demo to create and manage submittals quickly and efficiently
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