Free Construction Submittal Schedule Template to Keep Projects on Track

Most submittal problems don't start with a bad review. They start with a submittal that went out late, went to the wrong person, or never got tracked at all.

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A submittal schedule fixes that. It tells you what needs to be submitted, when it needs to go out, who it goes to, and where every open item stands right now. Without one, you're reacting. With one, you're managing.

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This post covers what a submittal schedule actually is, what goes into a good one, and how to use it to keep approvals moving before they become schedule problems. A free downloadable template is included below.

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What Is a Submittal Schedule

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A submittal schedule is the master list of every required submittal on a project, organized by spec section, with planned submission dates, review deadlines, responsible parties, and approval status tracked across the project lifecycle.

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It is not the same as a submittal log, though the terms are often used interchangeably. 

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A submittal log records what has already been submitted. A submittal schedule plans what needs to be submitted and when, then tracks actuals against that plan.

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The distinction matters. A log tells you what happened. A schedule tells you what's coming and whether you're ahead of it or behind.

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Why the Submittal Schedule Matters More Than Most Teams Think

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Procurement can't start until a submittal is approved. Fabrication can't start until a submittal is approved. On projects with long-lead equipment or custom fabrication, a submittal that's two weeks late getting submitted can push a delivery date by six weeks.

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Most schedule slips don't happen because of problems in the field. They happen because a submittal sat in someone's inbox for three weeks, and by the time it came back with comments, the procurement window had closed.

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The submittal schedule is what prevents that. It creates visibility into what's coming before it becomes urgent, so the team can sequence submissions, flag long-lead items early, and make sure nothing gets missed before mobilization.

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What Goes Into a Submittal Schedule

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Submittal Number

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A unique identifier for every submittal on the project. Assign these sequentially and never reuse them. If a submittal gets rejected and resubmitted, it keeps the same number with a revision indicator, not a new number.

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Spec Section and Title

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The CSI section number and title exactly as written in the contract documents. This is how you tie every submittal back to a specific contract requirement and make sure nothing in the spec gets skipped.

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Description

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A clear description of the specific item being submitted. "Concrete Mix Design, Lab Slab" is useful. "Concrete" is not. The description should be specific enough that anyone picking up the log mid-project knows exactly what the submittal covers.

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From

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The subcontractor or supplier responsible for preparing and submitting the package. On projects with multiple subs, this field tells you who to follow up with when a submittal is late.

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Required By Contract Date

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The date by which the contract requires the submittal to be approved, not just submitted. Work backward from this date to set your planned submission date based on the design team's standard review period.

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Requested On

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The date the submittal was formally requested. This creates a clear paper trail of when the requirement was communicated to the responsible party.

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Planned Submission Date

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The date you plan to submit, based on the required approval date and expected review time. This is your target. Actual submission date gets filled in separately once it goes out.

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Submitted To

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The specific reviewer or firm responsible for the review. Name the person, not just the firm. "John McCormick, Structural Design Associates" is more useful than "engineer."

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Review Due Date

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The date you expect a response, based on the review period in your contract. Most contracts specify a standard review period, typically ten to fifteen business days. Set this date when the submittal goes out and track it actively.

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Action Code

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The response from the design team. Standard action codes are:

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A: Approved

AAN: Approved as Noted

RR: Revise and Resubmit

REJ: Rejected

REC: For Record Only

V: Void

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If the action code is RR or REJ, the submittal goes back out and the second review gets tracked in separate columns.

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Return Date

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The date the reviewed submittal came back from the design team. Tracking this alongside the review due date tells you how consistently reviewers are hitting their deadlines.

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How to Build the Schedule Before Mobilization

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The submittal schedule should be complete before the first submittal goes out. Building it during the project means you're always catching up.

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Start with the spec book. Go section by section and pull every submittal requirement. Some spec sections require shop drawings only. Others require product data, samples, warranty information, and certifications together. Read each section and add a row for every required item.

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Then assign dates. Work backward from the contract milestone dates. If structural steel needs to be approved before the fabricator can start, and the fabricator needs eight weeks to produce, that approval date is locked. The submission date follows from there.

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Flag long-lead items immediately. Any submittal where the procurement or fabrication timeline is tight relative to the schedule should be submitted first, regardless of where it falls in the spec order.

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Assign responsibility for every row before the schedule is distributed. Every submittal should have a named subcontractor or supplier who owns it, and a named reviewer who will respond to it. Ambiguity on either side slows everything down.

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How to Use the Schedule Once the Project Is Underway

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Update It the Same Day Things Happen

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Fill in the actual submission date the day the submittal goes out. Fill in the return date and action code the day the response comes back. A submittal schedule that's even a few days out of date stops being useful as a tracking tool and becomes just another document.

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Follow Up Before the Review Due Date

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Don't wait until a review is overdue to follow up. If a submittal is approaching its review due date without a response, contact the reviewer a day or two early. A quick check-in is easier than an urgent call when something is already late.

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Track Revise and Resubmit Items Separately

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When a submittal comes back as C or D, set a resubmit date immediately and add it to the schedule. Revise and resubmit items are the most common source of approval delays, and they're easy to lose track of if they're not actively managed in the log.

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Free Submittal Schedule Template Download

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The template linked below includes two sheets.

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Submittal Schedule

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The main tracking log with columns for every field covered in this post:

• Spec Section Title
• Spect Section Number
• Submittal number
• Description
• From
• Required By Contract
• Requested On
• Planned Submission Date
• Actual Submission Date
• Submitted To
• Review due date
• Returned Date
• Action Code
• Notes

Action codes are color-coded: green for approved and approved as noted, red for revise and resubmit and red for rejected. The summary row at the bottom auto-counts totals by status.

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How to Use

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A quick reference guide covering how to build the schedule before mobilization, how to track items once the project is underway, and tips for keeping approvals moving.

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Download the free construction submittal schedule template

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When the Spreadsheet Stops Being Enough

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On a single project with a manageable submittal list, a well-maintained spreadsheet works. The person who owns the log updates it consistently, follows up on open items, and keeps the design team accountable to review deadlines.

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It breaks down when you're managing multiple projects at once, submittals are coming from a dozen different subs, and you need to know the status of every open item across your portfolio without pulling up five different spreadsheets.

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SubmittalLink was built for that. It extracts your submittal log directly from the spec book, eliminating the manual data entry. It routes submittals to the right reviewers automatically, tracks the ball in court, and sends notifications when reviews are due or overdue. 

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Every stakeholder has visibility into approval status without digging through email threads or shared drives.

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If you want that same organization without the manual upkeep, book a 15-minute demo and we'll show you how it works.

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The Bottom Line

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A submittal schedule is how you manage the approval process before it manages you. Build it before mobilization, assign responsibility for every row, and update it the same day things happen.

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The later a submittal problem gets caught, the more it costs to fix.

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