Submittals best practices

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Rell

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Im doing submittals for a couple new data centers down south. What are some best practices gathering cut sheets to compile specs?
 
Your distributor that you award (write PO's to) gather submittal data for switchgear, fixtures, generators, fire alarm, etc and provide them to you
 
on large projects, the submittal process is usually well defined in the specs. typically will see either a template or a description of what they expect on the cover sheet of each section and how each section should be labeled. You can create cover sheets in Word, convert them to PDF and add check boxes and form fields in Adobe. I just recycle my same template on every job as it usually meets their requirements and will edit it if not.

If there are no submittal specs, then I just forward the submittals from my vendors straight to the GC.
 
and we specifiers/engineers like to see demand submittals that are REVIEWED and APPROVED by the CONTRACTOR before we get them.
 
And some companies use formal third party systems like Procore and Aconex for tracking this type of thing as well.
 
raberding said:
and we specifiers/engineers like to see demand submittals that are REVIEWED and APPROVED by the CONTRACTOR before we get them.
Click to expand...

I’d recommend that too…. It’s embarrassing to have something slip through to the engineer that you didn’t review and get a revise and resubmit stamp.


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During weekly meetings with the consultants on government jobs I would witness seeing my submittals sitting in a cardboard box someplace in the back of the office , unopened two years into the project. And after all that work putting the thing together and buying a rubber stamp to stamp each page of ten different books of the stuff , it kinda got me to thinking I ain't in the mood to ever sign another AIA contract ever again.
 
raberding said:
and we specifiers/engineers like to see demand submittals that are REVIEWED and APPROVED by the CONTRACTOR before we get them.
Click to expand...
I just stamped mine REVIEWED. If the contract was giving me the authority to APPROVE submittals I would have stamped APPROVED.
Most times my submittals were products listed in the specs or equals that had gone through a substitution process.
 
I understood the "shop drawings part" and complied but ignored the product data language, it was wasted ink IMO.

If I was submitting "as specified" or an approved substitute what was there to approve anyways? The way I saw it was the submittal approval was part of the design teams responsibility to see that the intent of their design met their expectations.
 
yeah, that's the plan. Really the last chance the designer/specifier gets to confirm that the contactor and suppliers understand what products/assemblies are expected.
There's LOTS to read (that means lots of Opinions out there) about the process. Put "construction submittal review process" in your Google just for fun. I recall that our PLI rep once told us that there are 2 ways to review submittals.
1 - very thoroughly
2 - not at all
We learned something from the KC Hyatt Regency
 
Rell said:
Im doing submittals for a couple new data centers down south. What are some best practices gathering cut sheets to compile specs?
Click to expand...
To answer your specific question, Google. I have tons of PDF catalogues saved in a folder on my computer. I assume you are asking about basic material, wiring devices, etc. Some people have a supplier do their submittals, but most of us don't want to ask a supplier, because that means we must either buy from them, or we are taking advantage of them. So I use a PDF program and just extract pages from a catalogue as needed. Then I put white blocks over parts that are on the page that aren't applicable. Like a page has steel set screw connector side by side with steel set screw insulated throat. I block out the column that I am not going to use. For individual part numbers in a column I use an arrow, or for a few rows, I use a box around them and an arrow to them. Lastly I flatten them, so my comments can't be deleted or moved. I always use blue and make a statement on the front that all electrical comments are in blue.

I make a bold large note on the cover page if I am submitting anything that conflicts with the spec, or I wasn't clear on.

I take them seriously, because when done well you can give them to the job supt and the material orderer and need to do much less searching around day after day, trying to remember what grade of material can be used on a given project.

Hope this helps. It is very tedious when you first do them, but, once done, it can often be partially or fully copied to the next job.
 
roger said:
I just stamped mine REVIEWED. If the contract was giving me the authority to APPROVE submittals I would have stamped APPROVED.
Most times my submittals were products listed in the specs or equals that had gone through a substitution process.
Click to expand...
In the grand scheme of things, electricians and other specialty contractors are just peons in large projects.
Electricians, HVAC, Plumbers and other specialty contractors do not have the authority to approve submittals.. They are the ones who submit SUBMITTALS that are turned over to the GC

SUBMITTALS are an important feature in the services offered by consulting engineers and architects.

Sub-contractors are specialty contractors that support the GC.

They could recommend certain product and the kind of workmanship. . . . but nowhere in the document (specs) does it say that they have the authority in accepting or approving SUBMITTALS.
Those are jobs called Specialty Materials Custodian . . . . . not SUBMITTAL generators. Anyone can be a custodian.
Specialty contractors are just a COG in the wheel. Insignificant in a way thru the chain- of -command.

Chain of command is a proven and traditional way of structuring an organization authority level.
“It also ensures each employee is responsible for their own work but also has a more senior leader to offer support, encouragement and motivation.”
It’s an organization’s HIERARCHY.

This is a function of construction management that follows this chain strictly.

I used to work in a Consulting Firm as Assistant Specs Writer. My first desk job.

.From another poster:

During weekly meetings with the consultants on government jobs I would witness seeing my submittals sitting in a cardboard box someplace in the back of the office , unopened two years into the project. And after all that work putting the thing together and buying a rubber stamp to stamp each page of ten different books of the stuff , it kinda got me to thinking I ain't in the mood to ever sign another AIA contract ever again.

In many cases, SUBMITTALS are submitted and end up sitting idle in the copy room with nobody taking a look at it . (well, it seems)
When received, the front secretary would collate all submittals and marked that indicate FIFO (first in first out).

If your submittal needs attention , you just have to wait. In some cases SUBMITTALS take weeks and even months to get approved.

Chain of command is a very traditional way of structuring a company's authority levels.

It is common to see the same chain-of-command structure at various organizations.
 
RumRunner said:
In the grand scheme of things, electricians and other specialty contractors are just peons in large projects.
Electricians, HVAC, Plumbers and other specialty contractors do not have the authority to approve submittals.. They are the ones who submit SUBMITTALS that are turned over to the GC

SUBMITTALS are an important feature in the services offered by consulting engineers and architects.

Sub-contractors are specialty contractors that support the GC.

They could recommend certain product and the kind of workmanship. . . . but nowhere in the document (specs) does it say that they have the authority in accepting or approving SUBMITTALS.
Those are jobs called Specialty Materials Custodian . . . . . not SUBMITTAL generators. Anyone can be a custodian.
Specialty contractors are just a COG in the wheel. Insignificant in a way thru the chain- of -command.

Chain of command is a proven and traditional way of structuring an organization authority level.
“It also ensures each employee is responsible for their own work but also has a more senior leader to offer support, encouragement and motivation.”
It’s an organization’s HIERARCHY.

This is a function of construction management that follows this chain strictly.

I used to work in a Consulting Firm as Assistant Specs Writer. My first desk job.

.From another poster:

During weekly meetings with the consultants on government jobs I would witness seeing my submittals sitting in a cardboard box someplace in the back of the office , unopened two years into the project. And after all that work putting the thing together and buying a rubber stamp to stamp each page of ten different books of the stuff , it kinda got me to thinking I ain't in the mood to ever sign another AIA contract ever again.

In many cases, SUBMITTALS are submitted and end up sitting idle in the copy room with nobody taking a look at it . (well, it seems)
When received, the front secretary would collate all submittals and marked that indicate FIFO (first in first out).

If your submittal needs attention , you just have to wait. In some cases SUBMITTALS take weeks and even months to get approved.

Chain of command is a very traditional way of structuring a company's authority levels.

It is common to see the same chain-of-command structure at various organizations.
Click to expand...
You and I are in complete agreement which is the exact reason I only stamped "Reviewed"
 
Courts have held that there is little difference between

Reviewed
Approved
No Exceptions Taken

What does the contract say?

www.nhconstructionlaw.com

#23: The Consequences of Shop Drawing Review and Approval

There is more than one way to build a project to the plans and specs that Architects and Engineers provide. The “means and methods” for doing so are typically up to the contractor. But...
www.nhconstructionlaw.com

Shop Drawing “Approval” Liability | Consulting - Specifying Engineer

One of the most common questions that engineers-and architects-ask is whether to mark shop drawings and other submittals "approved," or whether to take | Consulting - Specifying Engineer
www.csemag.com www.csemag.com
 
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