Overview
Fieldwire Submittals streamline the approval process for material and equipment that will need to be installed on-site. Submittals are centralized and accessible to all individuals on the Project. To gain access to this module, you can schedule a demo with our sales team or you can purchase Business Plus.
Table of Contents
- How to Enable PM on a Project
- Submittal Onboarding
- The Submittal Log Page
- The Submittal Workflow
- Quicker Workflow for Submittals
- Submittals on Mobile
How to Enable PM on a Project
For information on companies and how to enable PM on a project, please see this article.
At present for Submittals, there is no distinction between Managers and Contributors. All users in the Submittal assignee’s company can take action on the submittal in its current state. There are 3 groups of users that have different views, actions, and edit permissions depending on the Submittal ‘Status’:
- Assignee company’s users - Any user in the current assignee’s company can take action on the Submittal.
- Users not in the assignee’s company
- Submittal creator company’s users
Project Management Onboarding
If you are accessing the Submittals tab for the first time, you will see a pop-up to help get you started with Project Management in Fieldwire and setting up your “Company” on the project. First, you’ll need to add your company name and click the "Next" button. This will be the same company name for both RFIs and Submittals on the project. However, it is not automatically filled by the “Company” information you put into your profile settings.
Next, you’ll be asked to enter your company code, which will help you and your team stay organized throughout the project.
And, that’s it! In the example shown in these screenshots, we used the company name, ABC, as well as the company code, ABC.
How to set a Lead Company
To make sure that all RFIs and Submittals go through your "company" in Fieldwire, you can now set a Lead Company. To get started, you'll first want to go to the project People tab and then click on "Set lead company" for the company that you want to be considered the "lead".
After clicking on "Set lead company", you'll get a pop-up that indicates what the users in the Lead company can do vs users in the "Other companies" that were not designated to be the lead. For example, users in the Lead company can send submittals to or request submittals from any company, whereas users in the "Other companies" can only send submittals to the lead company.
Once you've decided that you do want to set a lead company, you'll need to click on the blue "Set lead company" button. After you click the blue button, you'll see the lead company indicated with a crown icon and "Lead company" next to it.
The Submittal Log Page
Any individual associated with a Company, as either a Manager or Contributor, can access the ‘Submittals’ tab - here, they are able to access each submittal in the project, independent of the ‘Status’.
The headers in this tab provide a high-level overview on the nature, order, subject, and status of the Submittals across the project. More specifically, these headers are defined below:
- Section: The specification section which is a combination of the specification section number (CSI MasterFormat) and a specification section name.
- #: The 'Company Code' is assigned by the company the submittal is being requested from, added when the submittal moves from Draft to Requested status.
- Name: The title of the submittal, added when the Submittal is created.
- Status: The current state of the submittal, which dictates what actions are available to the users - can be ‘Draft’, ‘Requested’, ‘Pending review’, ‘Pending approval’, ‘Pending close’, ‘Closed’, and ‘Void’.
- Submit by: Added by the user requesting the submittal. It reflects the date the submitter should send the submittal to the user requesting it.
- Approve by: The date the approver should provide a response by.
- Assignee: The current owner of the Submittal’s next actions.
Import Submittal Logs
With the addition of the Specifications tab, users now have the ability to extract Submittal information from Specifications. For more information on extracting Submittal information, please see this article.
Users can bulk import submittals from these Submittal extractions or from using our CSV import template. The CSV template has 4 columns:
- Specification Section: user should input the number associated with the Specification Section number in the Specifications tab. If the number on the CSV cell matches with a Specification Section number in the Specifications tab, then the two will automatically be linked within Fieldwire.
- Name: text field to name the submittal.
- Type: users can fill in a type supported within Fieldwire. If they match, the type will automatically be filled when imported. Below is a list of supported submittal types:
- Shop drawings
- Sample
- Product data
- O&M manual
- Warranty
- Report
- Certificate
- Mockup
- Other
- Description: text field to describe the submittal.
To ensure the import is successful, follow the format of the columns listed above.
When your CSV file is ready for import, return to the Submittals tab and click on "+ Import submittals".
Then, you'll have the ability to upload the extracted submittal log .CSV.
In addition, you'll notice the various statuses up at the top where you'll be able to easily see how many change orders are on the project in each status as well as keep track of the dollar amount that's been approved.
The Submittal Workflow
Details Panel
In the Details panel, you'll be able to link your Specifications, add a reference number, update the Submittal "Type", add the Lead time and On-site date, as well as add a Description of the Submittal, itself. You can also see any linked Plans.
In regards to the Specification that's linked in the Details panel, there are a few things to note. Only one Specification can be linked to a Submittal, but many Submittals can be linked to one Specification. If a Submittal does not have a Specification linked to it, then any user with access to the Submittal can add one. One the flip side, any admin or the user that created the submittal<>specification link can remove or replace the Specification in the Submittal.
Note: The “Specification” is only linked to the specifications that you have uploaded to the “Specifications” tab. To edit the “Specification”, hover over the linked specification file and click on the gear icon that appears, and click “Remove”.
In addition to the Specification, there are important things to note about the Type, Lead time, On-site date, Description fields and who can edits these. While the Submittal is in 'Draft' status, these fields can be edited by any user that can see the Draft. While the Submittal is in the 'Requested' status, these fields can be edited both by users in the Submittal's Creator's Company or by users in the Submittal's Assignee's Company. This is true as well for Submittals in the 'Pending Review', 'Pending Approval', and 'Pending Close' statuses. Lastly, these fields can be edited by users in the Submittal's Creator's Company when the Submittal is in the 'Closed' status.
The Activity Feed
Throughout the Submittal workflow process, all users will be able to keep track of the status of the Submittal, when information was requested/submitted as well as who requested/submitted that information.
Watchers
In addition to the “Activity” feed, within the “Watchers” tab you’ll be able to add and remove “Watchers” at each step of the workflow. In order to do so, you’ll need to click on “+Watcher” and enter in the name of the person in your project’s Company. You can also remove that Watcher by clicking the “x” that appears by hovering over their name.
If that user is not currently on that project, you have the ability to invite them. However, please note that if the new user you are inviting is not on your Account, you will be charged an additional fee if you do not have the available license(s) to cover that user.
In addition to adding Watchers in the “Activity” feed, you’ll also be able to add/remove Watchers within certain Submittal status pop-up boxes.
Create a Submittal
Any user that is a part of a “Company” can create a Submittal. To create a Submittal, navigate to the Submittals tab, and select “+ New submittal” or click on “Create a submittal”:
Add a “Name” for the Submittal, choose the “Type”, search for the relevant “Specification” section name or number, and enter the ‘Description’ of the Submittal. Of these, only the “Name” is required in order to create the Draft. Users can still add or edit the “Name”, “Section”, “Type”, and “Details” in a Draft Submittal. The ‘Section’ and ‘Type’ of Submittal is required prior to moving to the “Request” stage.
Note: It is only possible to delete a submittal while it is in “Draft” status. To do so, click the “Actions” button next to the “Request” button, and you’ll see an option to “Delete”. You’ll then be asked to confirm the deletion of the Submittal. If a Submittal is deleted, you will not be able to retrieve it.
Create a Submittal Draft from a Plan
Instead of creating a Submittal Draft from the Submittals tab, you can also create a Submittal directly from a Plan.
To do so, click on the "Chain" icon in the Markup toolbar, and choose the option 'Add Submittal hyperlink', shown below. The pop-up box will allow you to name the Submittal as well as select the "Type", search for the relevant “Specification” section name or number, and enter the ‘Description’ of the Submittal. Lastly, you'll click "Create draft" to create the new Submittal.
Request Submission
After completing the ‘Draft’, a blue ‘Send’ dropdown button will be available. By clicking the blue dropdown button, you'll see two options, "Request Submission" and "Submit for Approval". This workflow will be going over the 'Request Submission' option.
After selecting ‘Request Submission’, enter the “Company” and “Assignee”, add “Watchers” and the “Submit by” date, and an optional “Message”. In addition, there is a checkbox that you can select/deselect to enable assignee email reminders.
Note: The list of available Companies and Assignees is populated by the Companies (and users within each) organized under the ‘People’ tab.
After satisfying the required fields, select “Request”, to change the status of the Submittal to “Requested” - the Submittal will then be sent to the ‘Assignee’ for review.
An email notification will be sent to the new Assignee directing them to upload their submittal attachment to the submittal:
Submit for Review
After the Assignee receives the Submittal, they are prompted to ‘Submit’ the relevant files for review. To do this, the Assignee will need to upload one or more relevant ‘Attachment(s)’, either from their device, or from the project ‘Files’, and optionally provide ‘Submission notes’.
After the ‘Submission’ Attachments and optional Messages are provided, the ‘Submit’ option becomes available. Once the ‘Assignee’ selects this, they will be prompted to submit the Submittal back to the user who requested it from them. They can also provide an optional message to include in the email notification:
Once the Submittal is sent for review, the new Assignee will receive an email notification, and the Submittal will move to the ‘Pending Review’ status.
Submit on behalf
After the Submittal has been advanced to the “Requested” status, any user in the submittal creator’s company can submit information on behalf of the Assignee.
This allows the creator to take over the document and submit on behalf of the user that was asked to respond. In other words, if the requested submission gets sent via email, and you need to download it, this allows the creator (or any user in the creator’s company) to upload it to Fieldwire so that the Submittal can be moved on to the next step, ‘Pending Review’. When the submittal response is returned, it will be delivered to the original user that it was requested from.
Submit for Approval
After completing the ‘Draft’, a blue ‘Send’ dropdown button will be available. By clicking the blue dropdown button, you'll see two options, "Request Submission" and "Submit for Approval". This workflow will be going over the 'Submit for approval' option.
After selecting ‘Submit for approval’, choose between assigning to a "Project user" or an "Email address". Enter the “Assignee”, add "Reviewers" and "Watchers" (optional), and the “Approve by” date as well as an optional “Message”. In addition, there is a checkbox that you can select/deselect to enable assignee email reminders if you're assigning to a Project User. Once these fields are filled, click "Submit".
Note: You can use the "Reviewers" drop-down to assign any individuals who may need to provide responses to the submittal in addition to the Assignee. When a user is designated as a Reviewer, they will automatically become Watchers on the submittal as well (they disappear from the "Watchers" drop-down).
If you're assigning the Submittal to an "Email address", the assignee will receive an email copy of the Submittal. In the email, they are provided with the name of the Submittal as well as instructions stating that they have been assigned this submittal and to reply to the email with their submittal review, which will send an email to the creator of the Submittal so that the creator can respond on the assignee's behalf.
Note: Only the Lead Company can assign Submittals to email addresses.
Once the Submittal is assigned to the email address, you'll see that the Assignee field in the header is flagged to indicate that the they are an external user. In addition, this email address will appear in the activity feed, in the table, and in any reports created.
Provide Response (Pending Approval)
If there are no Reviewers designated, when the Submittal moves into ‘Pending Approval’, the Assignee (or individual associated with the Assignee’s company) will need to respond to the Submittal. To provide a response to the Submittal, the assignee, or an individual at the assignee’s company, will need to choose a response, from the ‘Response’ drop-down menu:
Here is what the modal looks like if Reviewers were also chosen:
In addition to the response drop-down menu, the Assignee, individual associated with the Assignee’s company, or Reviewer will need to approve or reject the review. To do so, you'll need to click on the blue "Add review" drop-down menu. By clicking on that drop-down menu, you'll see three options: "Review in Fieldwire", "Attach from Files", and "+ Upload new file".
If you select "Review in Fieldwire", the Assignee, individual associated with the Assignee’s company, or Reviewer will be able to review that submittal's attachment(s). During that review process, they'll be able to add markups, download the attachment, etc. Once they are finished, they'll need to click "Save and attach".
The assignee or reviewer can then optionally include ‘Notes’, but must include an attachment, in order to ‘Send’ the Submittal back to the user that submitted it to them or another user in their company.
If Reviewers were also added, but have not yet added their responses, the Assignee will see this warning prior to sending their response:
Independent of the ‘Response’ that is selected, the Submittal will be moved to ‘Pending Close’.
An Email Notification is sent to the Assignee after the status changes.
Accept and Close (Pending Close)
After the Submittal moves to ‘Pending close’, the Assignee will need to ‘Close’ the Submittal, which will move the Submittal into a non-editable state. After selecting ‘Close’, the Assignee has the option to send an optional email message to the original creator, the Reviewers, and any additional Watchers they want to include on the “Distribution list”:
All users that have access to the submittal will see all of the responses that were posted. The Assignee and Reviewers will be able to download a PDF copy or email the submittal.
An Email Notification is sent to the Assignee and any Reviewers after the status changes.
Request Resubmission (Requested)
However, if the Assignee does not want to close the Submittal, but instead wants modifications made to the Submittal, they can choose to “Create revision”.
After clicking on “Create revision”, the Assignee will see a pop-up asking them to fill in the “Assignee”, “Watchers”, and “Submit by” fields. (The “Company” field will be greyed out and cannot be changed).
Creating this revision will move the Submittal back into the “Requested” status, and this will be reflected in the Activity feed.
Closed
After the Submittal is closed, an email notification will be sent to the Submitter to view the response and download the attachment. No further action is required.
Quicker Workflow for Submittals
Draft (Create a Submittal)
Any user that is part of a “Company” can create a Submittal. To create a Submittal, navigate to the Submittals tab, and select “+ New submittal” or click on “Create a submittal”:
Add a “Name” for the Submittal, choose the “Type”, search for the relevant “Specification” section name or number, and enter the ‘Description’ of the Submittal. Of these, only the “Name” is required in order to create the Draft. Users can still add or edit the “Name”, “Section”, “Type”, and “Details” in a Draft Submittal. The ‘Section’ and ‘Type’ of Submittal is required prior to moving to the next stage.
Submit for Approval
Once the Submittal has been created and is in Draft status, you can speed up the Submittal process by submitting it for approval. This skips the "Requested" and "Pending review" steps. To do so, you need to click on the blue "Add submission" dropdown button and either attach an existing file on the project or upload a new file from your computer.
Once you have attached or uploaded a file, you need to click on the blue "Send" dropdown button and select "Submit for approval".
After clicking "Submit for approval", enter the “Company” and “Assignee”, add "Reviewers" or “Watchers” (optional) and the “Approve by” date, and an optional “Message”. In addition, there is a checkbox that you can select/deselect to enable assignee email reminders. Once you click "Submit", notice that the status of the Submittal is now "Pending approval".
At this point, the Submittal will follow the same workflow as the "Provide Response (Pending Approval)" section above.
Submittals on Mobile
Although most functionality with Submittals is currently limited to the web version of Fieldwire, they can still be viewed on Android and iOS devices.
Android
Open the "Submittals" tab to view any submittals that have been created on the web.
Most items within the submittal will be greyed out, but the "see all history" link is clickable on mobile.
iOS
Open the "Submittals" tab to view any submittals that have been created on the web.
Most items within the submittal will not be clickable, but the "show all history" link is viewable on mobile.
More Information
- Get Started with RFIs in Fieldwire
- Pro and Business Subscriptions: The Features You Get and How To Set Them Up