Submittal register
A construction submittal register that keeps every ball-in-court visible
Unit 305, Kitchen Rough-In
RTI-0412
- Supply lines pressure tested Pass
- Drain slope verified Pass
2 photos missing. No record until they exist.
Submittals slip when they live in scattered emails and no one knows whose court the ball is in. A register forces one row per submittal, with the dates and responsible parties that keep the schedule honest.
Unit 305, Kitchen Rough-In
RTI-0412
- Supply lines pressure tested Pass
- Drain slope verified Pass
2 photos missing. No record until they exist.
Where submittals slip between emails and spreadsheets
A submittal register is the control panel for every piece of information the contract says the contractor must provide before work proceeds. When it is missing or out of date, trades start from outdated drawings, approvals arrive too late, and closeout manuals never show up.
Today
Submittals are tracked in email threads, so nobody knows which ones are out, who owns the review, or when they are due back.
With RTI
One numbered row per submittal with spec section, description, type, responsible party, date required, date submitted, status and date returned. The whole state is visible in one place.
Today
The GC asks for a status and gets three different answers from three different people.
With RTI
Status is a single field everyone updates against the same row: Approved, Approved as noted, Revise & resubmit, or Rejected. No more parallel spreadsheets.
Today
Closeout submittals like O&M manuals and as-builts are forgotten until the owner asks for them.
With RTI
The register includes every required submittal type from the start, including closeout deliverables, so the final package is tracked the same way as the first shop drawing.
Today
There is no record of what was returned when, so disputes about delay claims have no evidence.
With RTI
Every row carries the date returned and the current status, producing an auditable trail of when information moved and who held it.
Before you buy anything
What makes a submittal register actually useful
Is there exactly one row per submittal?
If the same submittal appears in multiple places, the status will diverge. A register only works when it is the single source of truth.
Does the status name who has the ball?
Submitted, in review, approved, revise and resubmit, rejected — the status should make clear whose action is blocking the next step.
Are closeout submittals in the same register?
O&M manuals, as-builts, warranties and similar deliverables often get tracked separately and then forgotten. They should start in the same log as shop drawings.
Can you prove the timeline?
A register is only defensible if it records when each item was required, submitted and returned, so delay and approval disputes can be resolved from the log.
Blank submittal register
Download a print-ready landscape PDF template with the nine columns that keep every submittal tracked from required-by through returned: number, spec section, description, type, responsible party, date required, date submitted, status and date returned.
Track every submittal from required-by to returned
Download the blank submittal register template above and use it on your next job. It is a printable landscape PDF with the nine columns that keep every submittal from slipping through the cracks.