Submittals are where it all begins. They determine how the rest of your construction project goes and can make or break a job. That’s why it’s important to make sure you get them right.
5 common problems with submittals
When you run into problems with your submittal process, they can get deferred to a later stage. Deferred submittals are a massive problem, because they delay your start date and, by extension, your estimated completion date.
1. Lack of information
It’s absolutely essential that you have all the right documents and certifications upfront included in your pre-construction submittals. Not only does this help you get started sooner, but it can also help you avoid delays later on in the construction process as well.
That means that general contractors need to set clear expectations early for subcontractors in terms of what’s required and how detailed submittals should be.
For subcontractors, that means setting high expectations for your own submittals so that the general contractor doesn’t come back with questions about things like blueprints or drawings that can delay the project start date.
2. Tracking difficulties
Trying to keep track of submittals is a challenge. You have to set the schedule yourself and follow up to make sure they’ve been reviewed and approved. That’s hard enough with smaller contracts, but for larger ones, it can be overwhelming.
It doesn’t help that a lot of contractors are still relying on outdated tracking methods—from pen and paper to spreadsheets or even emails. It’s easy for documents to get lost in the process.
3. Time constraints
Ensuring submittals are accurate and on schedule can take up a lot of time. And for project managers who are balancing time between administrative tasks and submittals, it can mean making hard choices between the two. And usually one of those tasks ends up suffering as a result.
4. Poor communication
Good communication is an essential part of the submittal process. If an RFI gets lost in a project owner’s inbox and there’s no follow up, that can extend delays by days, weeks, or even months. That’s why it’s best to exhaust all communication efforts when tracking completion for submittal documents.
5. Delayed review process
It may sound crazy—but project owners aren’t always in a hurry to review your submittals. Even though it makes all the difference in how early the project gets completed. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Your specific point of contact could just be busy, or perhaps have shifting priorities. That’s why follow-up is so crucial.
How to improve the submittal process
No submittal process will be completely without issue. But you can cut down on deferrals and rejections significantly by following a few best practices.
1. Improve communication
By regularly following up on submittals and communicating expectations early in the process, you can keep things moving and avoid deferrals. The best way to do this is with a digital submittal and RFI tracking tool that helps you track progress from start to finish.
2. Give yourself enough time
It’s important to set realistic goals when it comes to getting submittals done. While you want to get them done as quickly as possible, taking the time to get them done right the first time can save you a lot of time down the road.
3. Stay organized
If your documents are conveniently stored in one place and easily accessible, you can save yourself a lot of time that you’d usually spend digging through messy filing cabinets for blueprints, drawings, and certificates. But with digital document storage, you can easily search for specific documents and keep them organized in project folders.
Streamline submittals with Raken
Our submittals tool, combined with our RFI feature and document storage, can help you get started on projects faster and keep disruptions to a minimum. Schedule a demo with us today to view these tools in action and find out how we can help you with your company’s specific needs.