Learning library

Document control: drawings, RFIs and submittals

Many costly site mistakes begin with a document: a superseded sheet in a truck, a question nobody chased, a submittal that was never on the list. These lessons set up the registers, routines and habits that keep every drawing, question and approval on a job traceable.

13 articles · about 39 minutes of reading in all

Setting up document control on a job without a document controller
Set up a construction document control process with no document controller: one person responsible, four registers, one folder structure and a weekly check.
3 min read
Keeping only current drawings on site
Keep superseded drawings out of the field: replace every copy the day a revision arrives, tell the crews it affects and check the sheet before work starts.
3 min read
An RFI log that shows who is holding each answer
Keep an RFI log with a needed-by date from the schedule and the party holding each question, and review it weekly so answers arrive before the work needs them.
3 min read
When an RFI answer or site instruction changes the work
Check each RFI response and site instruction against the documents you priced, and give written notice before you build anything that changes cost or time.
3 min read
Building the submittal register from the specifications
Build the submittal register from the specifications: read every section, Division 01 included, and list each item with its type, provider, reviewer and date.
3 min read
Reviewing a subcontractor's shop drawings before you forward them
Review a trade's shop drawings before you forward them: check completeness, dimensions, interfaces and the specification, and record what you checked.
3 min read
Closing "revise and resubmit" comments in one cycle
Answer every revise-and-resubmit comment in a response table, change the submittal to match and resubmit it complete, so the second review is the last.
3 min read
Transmittals: sending documents so receipt can be proven
Send drawings and documents under a construction document transmittal that records what, which revision, why and when, and keep proof it was received.
3 min read
Reading a specification section before the work starts
Read a construction specification section's three parts before a trade starts, and find the approvals, conditions, products and tests the crew must meet.
3 min read
When the drawings and the specifications disagree
When drawings and specifications conflict, read the contract's order of precedence, send an RFI that quotes both documents and get the answer in writing.
3 min read
A folder structure and file-naming rule for project documents
Set up a construction project folder structure and a file-naming rule before the first document arrives, so anyone on the team can find the right file.
3 min read
Project email that can be found a year later
Write construction project email with a structured subject line, one topic and the decision up front, and file it by project so it turns up in seconds.
3 min read
Tracking addenda so the price matches the documents
Log every bid addendum, check each subcontractor quote acknowledges it, and confirm the construction set includes it, so the price matches the documents.
3 min read