Turnover & closeout
Record documents
Also called: project record documents
Record documents are the project's contract drawings, specifications, addenda, change orders, and approved submittals, kept current through construction to show what was actually installed rather than what was originally drawn. They are the source the as-built drawings are prepared from and a standard closeout deliverable. What is required and how it is delivered — marked-up paper, updated files, or a model — is set by the contract.
Why it matters
Buildings never get built exactly as drawn — a run gets rerouted, a device relocates, a detail changes in the field. Record documents are how the next person to open a wall or troubleshoot a system knows what is really there. Kept current as work proceeds, they are accurate; reconstructed from memory at the end, they are a guess.
How it shows up on site
The field set is marked up continuously as changes happen — rerouted lines, revised details, substituted equipment — so the redlines reflect reality by the time they are formalized into as-builts. Photos taken before cover-up are a reliable backup for what ended up behind finishes.
At closeout the maintained set feeds the as-built drawings and becomes part of what the owner receives to operate and modify the building later.
Checklists that put record documents to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- As-built drawingsThe construction drawings marked up to show how the work was actually installed, including every field change from the original design.
- Systems manualA consolidated operations reference that ties the building's systems, their sequences, and their O&M and commissioning records together.
- Closeout packageThe compiled record proving the work was completed, inspected, and accepted, assembled to close out the contract.
- Turnover packageThe set of documents and records handed to the owner or operator so they can run and maintain the completed building.
- SubmittalThe product data, shop drawings or samples a contractor sends for review to confirm what will be installed matches the spec before it's ordered.
- Substantial completionThe milestone where the work is usable for its intended purpose, even with minor punch items still open.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.