Start with the spec section, not a generic checklist
Every spec section lists its own submittal requirements in Part 1, usually under 'Action Submittals' and 'Informational Submittals.' That article is the contract's checklist for your package. A package that includes everything the article lists — and nothing that belongs to a different section — reviews faster and cleaner than a kitchen-sink PDF. When your scope spans multiple sections, submit multiple packages; reviewers route by section, and mixed packages sit in queues twice.
The standard contents, front to back
A well-built package reads in this order:
- Transmittal: project, submittal number (e.g., 26 51 00-001), spec section, description, sender, date, and action requested
- Cover sheet with the contractor's review stamp — the GC certifies it reviewed the package before forwarding
- Table of contents when the package has more than a few items
- Product data: cut sheets with the furnished model circled or highlighted and non-applicable options struck
- Shop drawings, where the section requires them
- Supporting documents the section calls for: test reports, listings (UL/FM), warranties, installer certifications, delegated-design calculations
- Deviation list: any place the submitted item departs from the spec, stated explicitly
Mark-ups are not optional
The single biggest quality difference between packages is markup discipline. A raw catalog page showing eight model variants tells the reviewer nothing; the same page with the furnished catalog number highlighted, options annotated, and irrelevant variants struck reviews in seconds. The convention is simple: highlight or arrow what you are providing, strike what you are not, and cloud anything that deviates from spec with a note. Reviewers reward packages they can approve without guessing — and 'Revise and Resubmit' is what guessing looks like from the other side.
Deviations: disclose, don't bury
If anything in the package deviates from the specified product, performance, or manufacturer, say so on the cover — most GCs use a deviation log line on the transmittal. A disclosed deviation the reviewer accepts becomes an approved record. A buried deviation that gets installed becomes rework, because approval of a submittal generally does not cover deviations the contractor failed to flag; AIA A201 puts that risk squarely on the contractor.
Assembling it without the PDF wrestling
Submittal.App builds the package structure automatically: the AI Builder matches your schedule against indexed manufacturer documents, generates the cover sheet and table of contents, and assembles a section-organized PDF in minutes. You add project-specific pieces — shop drawings, calcs — and send one review link. Comments, versions, and the approved record all live in one place, which means the question 'what did we actually submit in March' has a two-click answer instead of an email excavation.