Construction submittal log template
A log of everything the specification asks you to send for review before you buy or build it: shop drawings, product data, samples. Each row works back from the date you need the item on site to the date the submittal has to go out, and flags it when the reviewer is late or a resubmission has already used up the float. The filled example is the same fictional basement job as our RFI template, and its stair shop drawing is waiting on the RFI that is still open. The preview below is that example.
Excel / Google Sheets compatible · blank log, filled example and instructions · no sign-up required
Template and page last reviewed November 4, 2026.
What is in the file
| No. | Rev | Item | Type | Reviewer | Sent | Returned | Disposition | Submit by | Projected on site | Needed on site | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUB-001 | 0 | Basement wall insulation and vapour barrier | Product data | M. Chen, architect | 30 Jul 2026 | 5 Aug 2026 | Reviewed - no exceptions | 25 Aug 2026 | 12 Aug 2026 | 8 Sep 2026 | Closed |
| SUB-002 | 0 | Basement stair: stringers, treads and guard | Shop drawing | M. Chen, architect | 6 Aug 2026 | 14 Aug 2026 | Revise and resubmit | 14 Aug 2026 | 11 Sep 2026 | 21 Sep 2026 | Superseded |
| SUB-002 | 1 | Basement stair: stringers, treads and guard | Shop drawing | M. Chen, architect | 17 Aug 2026 | 14 Aug 2026 | 26 Sep 2026 | 21 Sep 2026 | Overdue with reviewer, 5 days late on site | ||
| SUB-003 | 0 | LVL beam at grid C/2 and its bearing pad | Product data | M. Chen, architect | 21 Aug 2026 | 25 Aug 2026 | Reviewed as noted | 20 Aug 2026 | 1 Sep 2026 | 1 Sep 2026 | Closed |
| SUB-004 | 0 | Interior doors and hardware | Product data | Owner | Not sent | 17 Aug 2026 | 5 Oct 2026 | Not sent - late | |||
| SUB-005 | 0 | Basement vinyl plank flooring | Sample | Owner | 20 Aug 2026 | 24 Aug 2026 | Reviewed - no exceptions | 22 Sep 2026 | 7 Sep 2026 | 13 Oct 2026 | Closed |
| Item | Submittals |
|---|---|
| Logged (6 rows, one per revision) | 5 |
| Closed: reviewed, with or without notes | 3 |
| With the reviewer | 1 |
| Overdue with the reviewer | 1 |
| Not sent, and already past the date it had to go | 1 |
| Earlier revisions kept as history (superseded) | 1 |
Four steps to a working document
List what the specification asks for
Go through the specification and the drawings and give every required submittal a number before anything is ordered. The submittal nobody listed is the one that turns up as a surprise at the door.
Work back from the site date
Enter the date you need the item on site, the supplier's lead time and the review days your contract allows. Submit by is that date less both, and it is usually earlier than anyone expects.
One row per revision
When a submittal comes back "Revise and resubmit", add a row with the same number and the next revision. The earlier row reads Superseded, so the history stays and nothing is counted twice.
Record the stamp as written
Enter the disposition exactly as the reviewer's stamp gives it, and read its small print: a review checks the design intent, and does not usually take over your dimensions or quantities.
A reviewed submittal is not a change order. If a reviewer's note changes the scope, price or time, raise it as a change under your contract. Review does not usually move responsibility for dimensions, quantities or means and methods to the reviewer either: the stamp and your contract say what it covers.
When the spreadsheet stops scaling
BuildersBridge has no submittal workflow: no review routing, stamps or revision tracking. Shop drawings and product data can be filed against the job as drawings or documents, with the revision in the file name, so the reviewed copy sits with the rest of the job's paperwork.
See how it works in BuildersBridgeCommon questions
What is a submittal log?
The running record of every submittal on a job: what was sent, which revision, who is reviewing it, when it is due back, what came back and what is still outstanding. On a job of any size it is how you find out about a late item before the delivery date does.
How is a submittal different from an RFI?
A submittal proposes something for review: this product, this drawing, this sample. An RFI asks a question because the documents are unclear. If you are proposing, it is a submittal; if you are asking, it is an RFI. One can lead to the other, as SUB-002 and RFI-003 do in the example.
How do I work out when a submittal has to go in?
Start from the date the item is needed on site, take off the supplier's lead time, then take off the review period your contract gives the reviewer. In the example the stair is needed on 21 Sep 2026, with four weeks to fabricate and ten days of review, so it had to go in by 14 Aug 2026.
What does "reviewed as noted" mean?
The reviewer accepts it on condition the notes are followed, so you can go ahead without resubmitting, but the notes become part of what you build. "Revise and resubmit" means do not go ahead: fix it and send it again. The wording varies between offices, so record the stamp as it is written.
Does BuildersBridge track submittals?
No. There is no submittal or RFI module in the product today, which is why this is a standalone template. Documents, including drawings, are stored against the job with a visibility setting, but there is no review routing or revision control.
Can I use it in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Sheets. The dropdowns, filters and status formulas carry over.