Workflow Template
Submittal Review and Approval Workflow
Manages contractor submittal review: contractor submits package and spec reference, coordinator checks completeness, consultant/engineer reviews and decides (approved, approved with comments, or rejected). Approved submittals are distributed and logged against the required date; other outcomes return to the contractor to revise and resubmit.
Contractor submittals often stall in email chains, with no clear record of who checked completeness or why something was rejected. This workflow moves each submittal through completeness check, engineer review, and a decision — approved, approved with comments, or rejected — with automatic routing back to the contractor when revisions are needed. Coordinators, consultants, and engineers run it directly inside assess.one, with every status change and required date logged along the way.
Business Outcomes
- Fewer submittals lost or delayed in email back-and-forth
- Clearer visibility into where each submittal sits against its required date
- Faster turnaround on completeness checks and engineer decisions
- Reduced rework from incomplete packages reaching review too early
- Better audit trail for approval decisions and revision history
Workflow Steps
Steps
- 1Create Submittal Recordcreate record
Registers the contractor's submitted package as a submittal record.
- 2Set Status to Submittedupdate record
Marks the submittal as newly submitted.
- 3Coordinator Completeness Checkcreate task
Coordinator checks the submittal package for completeness against the spec reference.
- 4Set Status to Completeness Checkupdate record
Updates the record status to reflect the completeness check stage.
- 5Route on Completeness Outcome
If incomplete, return to contractor; if complete, proceed to consultant/engineer review.
completeness_check: "Complete"→Set Status to Under Reviewcompleteness_check: "Incomplete"→Notify Contractor of Incomplete SubmittalDefault→End - 6Notify Contractor of Incomplete Submittalsend email
Informs the contractor that the submittal package was incomplete and must be revised.
- 7Request Revised Package (Incompleteness)request external input
Contractor uploads a revised submittal package for another completeness check.
- 8Restart Completeness Checkrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from the coordinator completeness check with the resubmitted package.
- 9Set Status to Under Reviewupdate record
Updates the record status as it enters consultant/engineer review.
- 10Consultant/Engineer Reviewcreate task
Consultant or engineer reviews the submittal and records a decision.
- 11Route on Review Decision
Routes based on whether the submittal was approved, approved with comments, or rejected.
review_decision: "Approved"→Set Status to Approvedreview_decision: "Approved with Comments"→Set Status to Approved with Commentsreview_decision: "Rejected"→Set Status to RejectedDefault→End - 12Set Status to Approvedupdate record
Marks the submittal as approved.
- 13Record Against Required Dateset due date
Sets the record's due date to a fixed target for tracking and reporting against the required date.
- 14Distribute Approved Versionsend email
Notifies the contractor of approval and distributes the approved version of the submittal.
- 15Set Status to Approved with Commentsupdate record
Marks the submittal as approved with comments, pending revision.
- 16Notify Contractor - Approved with Commentssend email
Notifies the contractor of the approved-with-comments decision and requests revision and resubmission.
- 17Request Revised Package (Comments)request external input
Contractor uploads a revised submittal package addressing the reviewer's comments.
- 18Restart Review (Comments Path)restart from step
Restarts the workflow from the consultant/engineer review with the resubmitted package.
- 19Set Status to Rejectedupdate record
Marks the submittal as rejected, pending revision.
- 20Notify Contractor - Rejectedsend email
Notifies the contractor of the rejection and requests revision and resubmission.
- 21Request Revised Package (Rejected)request external input
Contractor uploads a revised submittal package addressing the rejection reasons.
- 22Restart Review (Rejected Path)restart from step
Restarts the workflow from the consultant/engineer review with the resubmitted package.
Fields
- Contractor Name*
- Contractor Email*
- Submittal Title*
- Specification Reference*
- Required Date*
- Submittal Package*
- +7 more fields
Forms
Contractor Submittal Intake
6 fields
Data Views
All Submittals
submittal_ref, contractor_name, spec_reference, required_date +1 more
Dashboard Widgets
Recommended integrations
Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.
Send email in the workflow
AWS SES
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FAQs
How do I get this submittal workflow running for my team?
Publish the template in assess.one and it goes live immediately — there's no setup project or waiting period. Once published, contractors and reviewers can start submitting and processing packages the same day. You can adjust steps, roles, and notifications before or after publishing.
What do I need before publishing this workflow?
You'll want a list of who plays each role: contractor, coordinator, and consultant/engineer. Beyond that, the workflow is ready to use as-is, though most teams tweak field names or spec reference formats to match their project documentation.
How long does implementation take?
Publishing takes minutes, not weeks. Once live, your coordinator and engineer can start processing real submittals right away — there's no phased rollout or external build required.
Can I customise the review steps or approval logic?
Yes. You can edit step names, add extra review stages, or change who's notified at each status change directly inside assess.one. The completeness check and review decision routing can be adjusted to match your project's specific approval structure.
Who needs access to this workflow?
At minimum, the contractor submitting packages, the coordinator running completeness checks, and the consultant or engineer making the review decision. You can add more reviewers or observers as needed without changing the core flow.
What happens if a submittal fails the completeness check?
The workflow routes it back to the contractor with a notification and a request for a revised package. Once resubmitted, the completeness check restarts, so incomplete packages don't move forward into engineer review.
What's the difference between 'approved with comments' and 'rejected'?
Approved with comments means the submittal is close but needs contractor revisions before final sign-off — the workflow notifies the contractor and restarts the review path once resubmitted. Rejected sends the submittal back for a full revise-and-resubmit cycle, starting over from submission.
How does the workflow track required dates?
Approved submittals are recorded against their required date as part of the approval step, giving you a clear log of on-time versus late approvals. This makes it easier to report on submittal timeliness across a project without manual tracking.
Does this workflow support compliance or audit needs?
Every status change — submitted, under review, approved, rejected — is logged with a timestamp, creating a clear record of the review history. This is designed to help teams demonstrate process consistency during audits or disputes, though it's not a substitute for formal legal review.
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