Using Submittals

Overview

Submittals help project teams collect, review, and approve documents like shop drawings, product data, samples, and other materials before work begins—ensuring everyone agrees on what will actually be installed in the field.

In Constructable, submittals move through a structured workflow where teams can draft requests, assign review stages, collect approvals, and distribute final documents once they’re approved. This article walks through how to create, manage, review, and close submittals from start to finish.

Drafting a Submittal

To create a new submittal, click the + Draft Submittal button in the upper-right corner of the page. Give the submittal a name, pick the package/category it belongs in, and select Create Draft. (Don't worry, you can always change the name later!) This will open your newly drafted submittal—from here, fill out all pertinent information fields.

In the Overview section, you can see or edit information related to the following fields:

• Package/Category: Select which package or category the submittal belongs in

• Submittal Type: Select the type of submittal from our list of options: Documents, Other, Plans, Product Details, Samples, or Shop Drawings

• Final Due Date: This can only be seen, not edited, in the Overview section—to add or change the final due date, see the Approvals section

• Responsible Contractor: Assign the proper contractor in charge of the submittal

• Submittal Manager: This will default to the creator of the submittal, but can be changed

• Approvers: This can only be seen, not edited, in the Overview section—to add or change the approver, see the Approvals section

• Subscribers: Other members on the project who may need access to the submittal

• Ball-In-Court: Who is responsible for the task at hand

The Description section allows you to provide information about the submittal and any relevant documents.

The Approvals section allows the submittal manager to + Add Stage(s), due dates, and approver(s), with the option to require all listed approvers to respond before the submittal can be closed.

Comments compiles all comments relating to the submittal for quick access.

Opening a Submittal

Once you save all the important information, you can open the submittal by selecting the Open Submittal button.

All open submittals are organized with your ball-in-court assignments at the top, so the most pressing and relevant tasks stay at the top of your mind.

If you select a submittal and click Actions, you can Rename, Send Reminder Notification, Revise and Resubmit, Copy Link, Download PDF, Move to Draft, Move to Done, and Delete Submittal.

To respond or approve a submittal, scroll to the Approvals section and select Respond. The approver must choose a response from the provided selections and may include any attachments or comments with the response. Don't forget to Save!

A response can be changed as long as the submittal is open by selecting Change Response in the Approvals section.

Closing a Submittal

Once all required responses have been collected, click Close and Distribute Submittal. This will trigger the first of 3 steps required to officially close the submittal out.

• Step 1: Choose which Submittal attachments should be distributed. These attachments will appear at the top of the closed Submittal for download.

• Step 2: Choose who should receive the Submittal Distribution notification. By default, the responsible contractor, plus any subscribers/approvers outside of your organization, are pre-selected.

• Step 3: Review and confirm the Submittal Distribution settings and add your Distribution Message to be included in the notification email. Navigate back to prior steps if you need to make changes. Once everything looks good, click Close and Distribute.

All closed submittals will be labeled Done and Distributed and will include all attached documents at the top for quick access. The option to Redistribute Submittal is always available at the top of closed submittals.

Table View vs. Panel View

The above photos and videos were all in Panel View. To switch to Table View, select the Submittals Menu dropdown and then Switch to Table View.

Table View lets you view all submittals (drafted, opened, or closed) in a single list. You can select the information displayed, filter, and group all submittals in a number of different ways.

Table View also allows users to make bulk edits to submittals. Simply select the desired submittals on the left, then select the Actions dropdown, and make your changes. This is also where you can Download Table as PDF or CSV.

Submittals Settings

If you'd like to customize how your submittals are organized, change naming conventions, or create a default subscriber list, we've got you covered! From the Submittals home page, click Submittals Menu > Submittals Settings. The way your submittals are numbered can be updated from the first box. Just click Edit and toggle on or off how you'd prefer your team to read submittals.

See how many submittals fall under each package/category, add new ones, and edit existing ones in the next box.

Finally, if you'd like to create a default subscriber list—i.e., people on your team who will automatically get access to newly created submittals—scroll to the last box, and click Edit under "Default Submittal Subscribers." Search or select the members of your team who you want to give automatic access to, then click Save. You can update this list at any time, repeating the steps outlined here.

And just like that, your submittals move from draft to approved—keeping documentation clear, organized, and accessible to the whole project team.