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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

  1. 1
    Create Submittal Recordcreate record

    Registers the contractor's submitted package as a submittal record.

  2. 2
    Set Status to Submittedupdate record

    Marks the submittal as newly submitted.

  3. 3
    Coordinator Completeness Checkcreate task

    Coordinator checks the submittal package for completeness against the spec reference.

  4. 4
    Set Status to Completeness Checkupdate record

    Updates the record status to reflect the completeness check stage.

  5. 5
    Route on Completeness Outcome

    If incomplete, return to contractor; if complete, proceed to consultant/engineer review.

    completeness_check: "Complete"Set Status to Under Review
    completeness_check: "Incomplete"Notify Contractor of Incomplete Submittal
    DefaultEnd
  6. 6
    Notify Contractor of Incomplete Submittalsend email

    Informs the contractor that the submittal package was incomplete and must be revised.

  7. 7
    Request Revised Package (Incompleteness)request external input

    Contractor uploads a revised submittal package for another completeness check.

  8. 8
    Restart Completeness Checkrestart from step

    Restarts the workflow from the coordinator completeness check with the resubmitted package.

  9. 9
    Set Status to Under Reviewupdate record

    Updates the record status as it enters consultant/engineer review.

  10. 10
    Consultant/Engineer Reviewcreate task

    Consultant or engineer reviews the submittal and records a decision.

  11. 11
    Route on Review Decision

    Routes based on whether the submittal was approved, approved with comments, or rejected.

    review_decision: "Approved"Set Status to Approved
    review_decision: "Approved with Comments"Set Status to Approved with Comments
    review_decision: "Rejected"Set Status to Rejected
    DefaultEnd
  12. 12
    Set Status to Approvedupdate record

    Marks the submittal as approved.

  13. 13
    Record Against Required Dateset due date

    Sets the record's due date to a fixed target for tracking and reporting against the required date.

  14. 14
    Distribute Approved Versionsend email

    Notifies the contractor of approval and distributes the approved version of the submittal.

  15. 15
    Set Status to Approved with Commentsupdate record

    Marks the submittal as approved with comments, pending revision.

  16. 16
    Notify Contractor - Approved with Commentssend email

    Notifies the contractor of the approved-with-comments decision and requests revision and resubmission.

  17. 17
    Request Revised Package (Comments)request external input

    Contractor uploads a revised submittal package addressing the reviewer's comments.

  18. 18
    Restart Review (Comments Path)restart from step

    Restarts the workflow from the consultant/engineer review with the resubmitted package.

  19. 19
    Set Status to Rejectedupdate record

    Marks the submittal as rejected, pending revision.

  20. 20
    Notify Contractor - Rejectedsend email

    Notifies the contractor of the rejection and requests revision and resubmission.

  21. 21
    Request Revised Package (Rejected)request external input

    Contractor uploads a revised submittal package addressing the rejection reasons.

  22. 22
    Restart 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

Submittals by StatusSubmittal Review PipelineSubmittal Summary

Recommended integrations

Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.

  • Send email in the workflow

    AWS SES logoAWS SES
submittal approvalconstruction submittalshop drawing approvalmaterial submittaldocument review

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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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Submittal Review and Approval Workflow | assess.one