General
Submittal
A document, sample, or shop drawing submitted by the contractor for architect or engineer review to verify that proposed materials and methods conform to the contract documents.
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In the Field
Submittals must be approved before materials are ordered or installed. Build submittal lead times into your schedule — long-lead items like structural steel, custom windows, and mechanical equipment can take 8–20 weeks from submittal to delivery.
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Rule of Thumb
Identify all long-lead submittals at project kickoff and submit them in week one. Waiting until you 'need' them creates schedule delays that are entirely the contractor's fault.