Submittal Reviewer
Compares submittal text against the spec section and produces structured deviation findings with severity, side-by-side quotes, and an overall review result recommendation (Approved / Approved as Noted / Revise and Resubmit / Rejected).
What it does
Submittal Reviewer runs a structured comparison between a submittal (manufacturer cut sheet, shop drawing data, product data) and the governing spec section. The output is a numbered list of deviations, each categorized by severity (critical / major / minor / info), category (compliance / substitution / dimension / finish / performance / coordination), and accompanied by a side-by-side quote pair pulled directly from the source documents.
On top of the findings, the engine recommends an overall review result: Approved, Approved as Noted, Revise and Resubmit, or Rejected. The recommendation, all findings, and any notes-to-subcontractor are persisted onto the submittal_revisions row so the trail survives across reviewers.
v1 ships as text-only — paste or extract submittal text and spec text. v2 adds drawing-bbox pin overlays once the PDF parsing sidecar lands.
When to use it
- A subcontractor sent a manufacturer cut sheet and you need to verify it actually matches Section X.
- Substitution request — engine quickly identifies what differs from the specified product.
- Backlog of unreviewed submittals after a busy push — batch through the engine for first-pass sorting.
- Disagreement with a sub over a returned submittal — engine produces the structured side-by-side that anchors the conversation.
Approve, mark as noted, revise, or reject — the review result flows straight into the Submittal Tracker with the findings attached as the review log entry.
What to upload
Two text inputs: the spec section text and the submittal text. Both can be pasted directly, or upload the source PDFs and the engine extracts the text. Best results when the spec text is scoped to the relevant section (e.g., 09 21 16 paragraph 2.3) rather than the full Division.
Optional: prior approved submittals for the same item (anchors a baseline), and the manufacturer's product data sheet if not already embedded in the submittal.
Step by step
Open the engine
Sidebar → Engines → Submittal Reviewer.
Paste or upload the spec
The governing spec section, scoped tight. PDF or pasted text both work.
Paste or upload the submittal
The submittal document or its key data pages.
Run review
15–30 seconds.
Read the recommended review result
Top of result: Approved / Approved as Noted / Revise and Resubmit / Rejected with a one-sentence rationale.
Walk the findings
Numbered findings below the verdict. Each has a side-by-side quote pair, a category, and a severity. Critical findings drive the verdict.
Edit notes to subcontractor
Engine drafts the redline notes for the sub. Edit before stamping.
Stamp and log
Click Log Review Decision to push the verdict + findings to the Submittal Tracker.
Understanding the results
Verdict + rationale. Editable — the PM can override (e.g., upgrade Revise to Rejected if internal policy is stricter).
Numbered deviations with severity badge (critical / major / minor / info), category, and side-by-side spec ↔ submittal quote pair.
Critical (red) blocks approval. Major (amber) typically downgrades to Approved as Noted or Revise. Minor / Info are advisory only.
Auto-drafted redline notes summarizing what the sub needs to fix or clarify. Editable before stamping.
Top-line tally: X critical, Y major, Z minor, W info findings. Quick scan of overall submittal quality.
The full review (verdict, findings, notes) saves onto the submittal revision row so the audit trail is intact even if the reviewer changes.
Every control, explained
Run reviewConsumes one run. 15–30 seconds.
Override review resultManually upgrade or downgrade the engine's verdict before stamping.
Edit findingTighten language, change severity, or remove a false-positive finding before logging.
Add findingInsert a finding the engine missed. Common with shop drawing dimensions that need a human eye.
Edit notes to subcontractorPolish the auto-drafted note. PM voice instead of engine voice.
Log Review DecisionPushes verdict + findings + notes to the Submittal Tracker as the review log entry.
Export PDFFormatted review memo with side-by-side findings. Standard format for sending back to the sub.