CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · FIELD & PAPERWORK
What is a Submittal?
A submittal is documentation — product data, shop drawings, samples — a contractor sends up the chain for approval before the material or method is used on the job.
On commercial work, you don't just install the fixture the spec named — you submit its cut sheet, the reviewer stamps it (approved, approved-as-noted, revise-and-resubmit), and the approved submittal becomes the record of what's allowed on the job. Fixture schedules, panel shop drawings, and equipment data are everyday electrical submittals.
Submittals protect the sub as much as the designer: an approved submittal is the answer when someone later questions why a particular product went in. The operational pain is tracking revisions and approval status across dozens of submittals — which is why submittal logs (number, revision, status, responsible party, dates) are a fixture of commercial construction.
Common questions
What's the difference between a submittal and an RFI?
A submittal proposes documentation for approval ("here's the fixture we intend to install"). An RFI asks a question the documents don't answer ("the plans conflict — which detail governs?").
RevnuPros tracks the thing, not just the word
Permits to sign-off, T&M tags to signature, materials to billed through, retainage to released — built for subcontractors. Browse the full contractor glossary or the Massachusetts permit guide.
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