A submittal log template is only as good as its columns. Below is the layout project engineers keep on commercial jobs, what belongs in each column, and where a spreadsheet version starts to fail once packages are moving between subcontractors, the general contractor and the design team. When you want the rows filled in from your own project manual, Submittal reads the spec book and builds them for you.
Each column answers one question someone asks in the OAC meeting. If a column does not answer a question, it does not belong in the template.
| Column | What it holds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Submittal number | Section, sequence and revision, for example 087100-002-R1 | One number per package and revision, so nobody reviews a superseded set |
| Spec section | MasterFormat number and title, for example 08 71 00 Door Hardware | Ties the item to the scope a subcontractor bought |
| Paragraph | The article the requirement comes from, for example 1.4.B | Settles the argument about whether the spec asked for it |
| Type | Product data, shop drawings, samples, test reports, certificates, warranties, O&M data, mockups | Decides who reviews it and whether it needs a stamp |
| Category | Action, informational or closeout | Action items need approval before fabrication, informational items go on record, closeout items wait for turnover |
| Description | The requirement quoted from the spec | Lets the sub prepare the right documents the first time |
| Responsible | The company that prepares the package | Tells you who to chase |
| Reviewer route | GC reviewer, then architect, then consultant | Shows how many desks the package has to cross |
| Ball in court | Who holds the package today | The column everyone reads first |
| Date submitted | Date the package left the GC | Starts the review clock |
| Review due | Date submitted plus the contract review time | Shows when the architect owes an answer |
| Lead time | Fabrication and delivery time after approval | Feeds the submit-by date |
| Required on site | Date the material has to arrive | The date the schedule depends on |
| Submit by | Required on site minus lead time minus review time | The date the package has to leave the sub |
| Status and stamp | Not submitted, In review, Approved, Approved as noted, Revise and resubmit, Rejected, For record only | Tells you whether the order can be released |
| Returned | Date the stamp came back | Closes the cycle and shows real review time |
Keep the spec section in the number and add the revision as a suffix. The second door hardware package is 087100-002, and when it comes back Revise and resubmit, the new set goes out as 087100-002-R1. The original row stays in the log with its stamp, the revision is a new row linked to it, and the number of cycles is visible on the page instead of buried in an email thread.
Use the stamp wording from your contract, usually Approved, Approved as noted, Revise and resubmit, Rejected and For record only. Approved as noted lets the sub order with the noted corrections. Revise and resubmit means nothing is released until a new revision is reviewed. Rejected means the product or approach does not meet the spec. For record only covers informational items such as certificates and test reports that need no action. Each step is described in the construction submittal process guide.
The template works on day one. A few months in, four people edit it and the copy on the shared drive is no longer the one in everyone's inbox.
Submittal keeps every column above and fills them for you. Upload the project manual and the AI reads the submittal language in each section, then builds one row per required item with the section, the paragraph it came from, the type, the category and the description quoted from the spec. You review the rows, merge or split them, assign responsible companies and reviewers, and the log is ready to work. The reading step is explained on spec to submittal log.
From there the log stops being a file. Ball in court moves when a package moves, review due dates follow the contract review time, reminders go to whoever holds the package, and every revision keeps its stamp and files. That is the difference between a submittal log on a shared drive and submittal tracking software.
The demo on the home page builds a register from a spec section you upload or pick. After you create an account, that demo log stays in your account and exports as XLSX with the columns described on this page, so you can lay it next to your current spreadsheet and compare. Paid projects export the full log to Excel, CSV and PDF at any time, with transmittals as PDF.
Already running a spreadsheet log? Import it from Excel or CSV and keep your numbering. Team and higher plans add custom numbering formats and lead-time tracking. Plans start at 24 USD a month per active project billed yearly, or 49 USD month to month, and subcontractors and external reviewers join at no cost on every plan. All plans are on the pricing page.
This page explains the columns so you can check your own log against them. The XLSX file comes from the demo after you create an account, built from a real spec section, and every paid project exports its full log to Excel, CSV and PDF whenever you need it.
Spec section, paragraph, submittal number, ball in court, required on site and status. Those six answer what is missing, who holds it and what it does to the schedule.
Yes. O&M manuals, warranties and extra stock belong in the log from buyout, marked as closeout, so they are tracked for months instead of discovered at substantial completion.
Yes. Import from Excel or CSV, map your columns to the Submittal fields and keep your existing numbers. You can then run the spec through the register builder and see which requirements your old log never listed.
Save this submittal log and open the full register.