A submittal log is the running list of every item the contract documents require the contractor to submit, with its status, its dates and who holds it right now. It is the page the project team opens in every OAC meeting, and it is only as good as the day it was last updated. Here is what a good log holds, how its statuses work, and how Submittal builds and maintains one from the spec.
A log missing any of these still looks fine in a meeting. The gap shows up later, as a door hardware delivery held because the hardware schedule was never stamped, or an owner refusing substantial completion because the roofing warranty under 07 54 23 was never requested. The full set of requirements that feed the log is described on the submittal register page.
| Column | What it holds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Submittal number | Section, sequence and revision | 087100-002-R1 |
| Spec section | MasterFormat number and title | 08 71 00 Door Hardware |
| Paragraph | Where the spec asks for it | 1.4.B |
| Type | Product data, shop drawings, samples and so on | Shop drawings |
| Description | What the spec asks for, quoted | Hardware schedule with keying |
| Responsible | Company preparing it | Door and hardware sub |
| Reviewer | Who stamps it after the GC | Architect |
| Required on site | Date material must arrive | Week of framing completion |
| Lead time | Fabrication and delivery time | Weeks quoted by the supplier |
| Submit by | Date worked back from the two above | Calculated |
| Ball in court | Who holds it now | Architect |
| Status | Current state or stamp | Approved as noted |
Every column above exists in Submittal as a register field, and the log exports to Excel, CSV and PDF with the columns you choose. Column by column notes for teams that keep a spreadsheet are on the submittal log template page.
Before review, an item moves through Not submitted, In preparation with the sub, Submitted to GC and Under review by the design team. After review, the status is the stamp the reviewer returned.
A Revise and resubmit stamp opens the next revision, 087100-002-R1, while R0 stays in the history with its markups. How each stamp moves the item is covered in the construction submittal process guide.
A log that tracks only the date a package was sent cannot warn anyone. Submittal works back from the required-on-site date through lead time and review time to a submit-by date, and sends email reminders to whoever holds the package. On Team and above, lead-time tracking keeps the supplier's quoted lead time on the row and flags packages whose remaining time no longer covers fabrication. The overdue list shows every late package with its days late and its ball in court, which is the core of submittal tracking software.
Building a log by hand means reading every Part 1 article of a manual that runs to hundreds of pages. Submittal reads the manual with AI and writes one row per required item, each linked to its paragraph, so the project engineer reviews the log instead of typing it. Existing logs import from Excel or CSV, and the spec import beside them shows what they never captured. The reading method is on the construction specification software page.
Pick a sample section such as 09 91 23 Interior Painting or drop in a PDF of up to 10 pages, choose your role, and the demo builds the first rows of the log in front of you. The demo log downloads as XLSX after signup.
Starter covers one active project for 24 USD a month billed yearly (288 USD a year) or 49 USD billed monthly. Team covers five active projects for 74 USD a month billed yearly or 149 USD monthly, Business 25 for 249 or 499, and Enterprise 100 for 749 or 1,499. Every plan includes the register builder, packages, review workflow, reminders, version history and exports, and subcontractors and external reviewers join at no cost. Details are on the submittal management software page.
The register is the list of what the spec requires. The log is that list in motion, with packages, revisions, dates, ball in court and stamps. In Submittal both are the same record, so the log never drifts from the spec.
Usually the general contractor's project engineer, with subcontractors preparing packages and the architect returning stamps. In Submittal each of them works in the same log within their role.
Yes. Import it from Excel or CSV, map the columns and keep your numbers, then run the spec import beside it to find missing items.
Yes. Export it to PDF or Excel at any time, or add the owner's representative as a viewer on the project.
Save this submittal log and open the full register.