AI-Powered Submittal Assistant

Reviewing submittals against your project specs is one of the most time-consuming parts of construction administration — especially when you're juggling dozens of submittals under tight deadlines!

That’s why we built our AI-powered Submittal Assistant — to help you move through reviews faster and surface the key information you need, right when you need it. 💫

In this article, we'll walk you through how to use the Submittal Assistant during your reviews.

Start a Submittal Review

Step 1 — Open the submittal you want to review (or create a submittal).

Step 2 — Click the green 'Review' button on the submittal attachment. This launches the Submittal Assistant, which will compare the submittal document against the matching spec section!

Review the Results

The Submittal Assistant panel will appear alongside your document. It breaks down its analysis into categories — such as Standards, Manufacturers, Product Model, Samples, and more — depending on what's relevant to the spec section.

Step 1 — Review the submittal assistant recommendations on the right hand navigation. You'll notice different categories (like training, samples, manufacturers, standards, product model). Expand the categories to view the information.

Each category is given a status:

• Matched — The submittal meets the spec requirement. (Green Highlight)
• Partial — Looks like it could match, but there are deviations to review. (Yellow Highlight)
• Not Found — The submittal doesn't address this spec requirement. (Red Highlight)

At the top of the panel you'll see a summary — for example, "4 categories — 1 not found, 1 partial, 2 matched" — so you can quickly gauge where things stand.

Step 2 — Expand any category to see the details (described below). If a finding is useful for your review, click 'Add to review' to include it in your review notes.

• Spec Requirement — What the spec calls for.
• Submittal Evidence — What the assistant found in the submittal doc (for matched/partial items).
• Gap — What's missing from the submittal (for not-found items).
• Notes — Additional context from the AI on why something matched or didn't.
• Sources — Direct links to the specific pages in both the submittal and the spec (e.g., "Submittal p.1", "Spec p.2") so you can verify for yourself by clicking on the page numbers!

Step 3 — Based on its analysis across all categories, the assistant will suggest an overall recommended review status— such as "Reviewed As Noted" — along with a plain-language explanation of why.

For example, it might tell you: "The submitted product matches the specified basis of design, but there are noted deviations regarding allowable UV exposure limits (30 days vs 60 days) and a required NFPA 285 engineering judgment that must be addressed."

If you agree with the recommendation, click "Review as '[status]'" to apply it. This sets the response status on your review!

Submit Your Review

At the bottom of the panel, you'll see your review section where you can:

• Set your review status (e.g., Under Review, Reviewed As Noted, etc.).
• Add a review note, that will appear on the cover page.
• Click 'Submit review' when you're done.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Assistant

• Import complete specs — The more comprehensive your uploaded Project Manual/Specification, the better the analysis. Include all consultant specifications (Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, etc.) for full coverage.
• Use accurate division codes — The assistant matches submittals to specs by division number. If the numbers don't align, it won't find the right spec to compare against.
• Check the sources — The page links make it easy to jump straight to the relevant content in both documents. Use them to verify the AI's findings.