What Is a Submittal Revision in Construction? (And How to Manage Them)

You're three weeks into the submittal process on your construction project. The design team finally sends back your HVAC shop drawings marked "Revise and Resubmit." Your mechanical contractor needs to make changes, create a new revision, resubmit the entire package, and wait another two weeks for review.

That's five weeks gone. And this happens on 35% of all construction submittals across the industry.

In this article, we will talk about what is a revision in construction submittals, why submittal revisions happen so often, and what proper management looks like when you need to keep your construction project moving forward.

What Is A Revision In Construction Submittals?

A submittal revision is a modified version of construction submittals you've already submitted for review. Could be product data, material samples, shop drawings, or any other documents required by your contract documents. When the architect or structural engineer sends it back with comments and errors noted on each page, you're creating a new submittal revision to address those issues.

The revised package keeps the same submittal number but adds a revision number (Rev A, Rev B, or Rev 1, Rev 2) so everyone keeping track can identify which version they're looking at. This creates an audit trail and prevents the nightmare of field crews working from outdated drawings - a quality assurance issue that can derail any particular project.

Here's what makes submittal revisions different from a completely new submittal: you're not starting from scratch. You're addressing specific feedback, fixing errors flagged during the submittal process, or incorporating changes discovered during coordination. The goal remains the same - ensure everything meets the spec section requirements - but now you're also fixing whatever issues prevented final submittal approval.

Construction Submittals Revision Process Explained

Most teams learn the hard way how submittal revisions work - by going through multiple cycles on actual projects. Here's what actually happens when a submittal needs revision, and the different types you'll encounter.

Different Types of Submittal Revisions You'll Encounter

Product Data Revisions

Product data submissions are the most common submittals requiring deep technical review - and where most revision cycles happen. These documents contain all the technical specifications for equipment and materials: dimensions, performance ratings, efficiency values, certifications, warranties. When any of these don't match your spec section requirements, you're headed for a revision.

For example, your mechanical contractor submits an air handler. The product data shows R-454B refrigerant, but your specs call for 410A. Rejected. Or the sound ratings are 2 dB off. Rejected. Or the efficiency doesn't meet minimum requirements. Rejected.

These technical details buried across 70+ pages of product data drive the majority of revision cycles - and this is exactly where BuildSync focuses, catching non-compliance before submittals reach your design team.

Material Sample Revisions

Materials submitted for approval often require revisions when initial selections don't meet aesthetic expectations or performance standards. Mock-ups play a crucial role here, allowing stakeholders to evaluate materials in context before granting final approval.

Installation Procedure Revisions

Installation instructions and procedures require revisions when site conditions on the construction project differ from initial assumptions or when safety regulations mandate alternative approaches. Note that these submittal revisions often need to be implemented quickly to keep work moving forward.

Shop Drawings Revisions

Shop drawings - the detailed fabrication and installation drawings - also require submittal revisions, typically due to coordination conflicts between trades. While these represent important construction submittals, they involve different review challenges than the technical product data specifications that drive most rejection rates.

Why Submittal Revisions Keep Happening

You're not alone if you're seeing 30-40% of your submittals come back with revision requests. This happens across the industry, and usually for the same core reasons.

1. Non-Compliance with Contract Documents

Your subcontractor submits an air handler. Looks good at first glance. Then the engineer catches it during submittal review - the refrigerant details show R-454B but the spec section calls for 410A. Rejected. Now you're preparing a new revision.

This happens constantly on construction projects. Sometimes it's obvious - wrong materials or missing certifications. Sometimes it's buried in technical details across multiple pages of the entire document - sound ratings, efficiency requirements, connection details that don't match structural drawings.

2. Missing Critical Information and Documentation

The shop drawings are accurate, but where's the supporting documentation? The structural calculations? The fire ratings? The seismic certifications? Your architect can't approve what they can't verify. The submittal goes back with instructions to provide complete documentation before it can reach approved status.

Missing even one certification on a single page creates errors in the submittal approval process and forces a resubmission on your particular project.

3. Coordination Conflicts Between Trades

The mechanical drawings look fine in isolation. But when the structural engineer reviews them against the beam layout and other construction submittals? Conflict. The ductwork your contractor planned doesn't fit. New revision required before work can proceed.

This is especially common when different shop drawings interact. MEP coordination issues drive a huge percentage of submittal revisions across construction projects.

Challenges in Dealing with Submittal Modifications

Here's the reality: every submittal revision creates a cascading set of problems for your team. It's not just about fixing what's wrong on the page - it's about managing the downstream impacts across your entire project.

What Revisions Actually Cost Your Construction Project

Let's be real about the impact of submittal revisions:

Timeline Delays: Each revision cycle adds 2-3 weeks minimum to the construction process. With project delays and cancellations already impacting 22% of contractors, submittal revisions compound an already challenging situation. For critical path items like structural steel or long-lead equipment? Those weeks compound. We've seen construction projects delayed 6-8 weeks just from keeping track of multiple revision cycles and waiting for final approval.

Hard Costs: Every rejected submittal costs money. Design team review time. Your PM or PE spending hours making changes to shop drawings on each page. Potential re-procurement of materials if suppliers can't wait. The industry average is around $805 per rejected submittal.

Opportunity Costs: Your project engineer spending 20 hours preparing a revised package isn't doing higher-value work on the construction project. They're not coordinating trades, solving field issues, or ensuring compliance across your document set.

Schedule Cascade: One revision doesn't exist in isolation. When your structural steel package submitted to the structural engineer needs a new revision, it delays fabrication. That pushes erection. Which impacts MEP rough-in. Which affects drywall. The ripple effect is brutal.

How to Reduce Revision Cycles

The Traditional Approach:

Most project managers on construction projects try to prevent resubmissions through:

• More thorough internal review of contract documents before submissions

• Better coordination meetings

• Experienced engineers double-checking every page

• Quality assurance protocols for keeping track of all submittals

This helps. But it's time-intensive and still misses errors. Because checking a 70-page submittal against 300 pages of specs is exhausting, even for experienced PMs.

The Modern Approach:

Here's what we're seeing work on construction projects:

1. Deep Technical Review Before Submission

Don't wait for the architect or structural engineer to catch non-compliance during the submittal process. Catch it yourself first. Review every submittal - shop drawings, materials, product data - against every relevant spec section in your contract documents before it's submitted.

This is where AI-powered analysis makes a massive difference. BuildSync extracts every technical requirement from your specs and checks your construction submittals against them automatically. Refrigerant type, efficiency ratings, materials, certifications - every detail on every page.

Can AI really catch what a PE would catch? We get this question every time. The answer is: yes, when it's built specifically for construction and checks 30+ data points per piece of equipment. BuildSync doesn't just scan documents - it understands specifications, extracts technical requirements, and verifies compliance.

But don't take our word for it. Run a pilot. See it work on your actual submittals.

Result? Our customers reduce their rejection rate from 35% down to 5% AND save 70 to 80% of the time otherwise spent on manual reviews. That means getting final approval on the first submission instead of creating a new revision and resubmitting.

In the meantime, check out our guide on how to fix your submittal review process.

2. Coordinate Early and Often

Use BIM for clash detection across shop drawings. Hold pre-submission meetings. Get multiple sets of eyes on complex construction submittals before they're submitted.

Your general contractor should coordinate between all parties on the construction project. But don't make coordination a bottleneck. The goal is catching submittal errors, not creating another layer of bureaucracy.

3. Document Everything

When you do need to revise and resubmit, be crystal clear about what changed and why. Red-line drawings showing exactly what's different on each page. Written responses addressing each review comment with clear instructions.

This transparency speeds up the re-review process and prevents rounds of "you didn't actually fix what we asked for" that force yet another new revision. Clear revision numbers and status notes help everyone keeping track understand where things stand.

Managing Revisions When They're Unavoidable

Sometimes submittal revisions are inevitable on a construction project. Site conditions change. Design gets updated. Owner changes requirements. When that happens:

Track Everything Systematically:

• Use consistent revision numbers (Rev A, Rev B, or Rev 1, Rev 2)

• Maintain a submittal log with dates, status updates, and reasons for each new revision

• Make sure your contractor and all project managers work from the latest approved documents

• Create a system for keeping track that ensures everyone knows which submittal number and revision to use

Communicate Clearly:

• Notify all affected trades when revised construction submittals receive approved status

• Update your submittal log immediately with new status

• Flag any schedule impacts right away with clear instructions

• Ensure proper notifications so work can proceed without delays on the construction project

Implement the Right Tools:

Cloud-based platforms (Procore, BIM 360, etc.) prevent version control nightmares across construction submittals. Automatic notifications when new revisions are approved. Restricted access to superseded documents.

If you're using Procore on your particular project, BuildSync integrates directly as an actor in the submittal process. Construction submittals get reviewed automatically against contract documents, you get detailed compliance reports, and everything stays in Procore. Your subs create submissions, we check them against every spec section, and you see exactly what needs fixing - all with no workflow changes needed.

The Real Goal: First-Time Approval

Look, submittal revisions are part of the construction process. But they shouldn't be the norm on every project.

The industry average rejection rate is 35%. That means more than one out of every three construction submittals - shop drawings, materials, product data - comes back requiring a new revision. That's not sustainable when you're trying to keep work moving forward.

The best companies we work with? They're hitting 95% first-time approval rates. They're not spending weeks in revision cycles on their construction projects. Their project managers aren't burning hours keeping track of errors across the entire document package. Their general contractors aren't constantly having to create new revisions and resubmit.

They're using a combination of:

• Deep technical review of contract documents (often automated to check every page and detail)

• Strong coordination processes between contractors, architects, and structural engineers

• Clear documentation standards with proper revision tracking and status notes

• Quality assurance protocols to catch errors before submittals are submitted

• The right digital tools implemented across all construction projects

The result? Projects stay on schedule. Costs stay under control. Teams focus on building, not preparing yet another new revision.

We've also put together a complete guide to construction submittal reviews for those who are interested in learning the best practices and tools.

Bottom Line

Submittal revisions will always exist on construction projects. But they don't have to dominate your timeline or drain your team's capacity.

The question isn't whether you'll have revisions. It's whether you'll have 35% or 5% of your shop drawings, materials, and other construction submittals coming back with errors that force resubmissions.

The difference between constant revision cycles and achieving the desired submittal status of approved on first submission? Having the right process implemented to ensure compliance before your contractor creates submissions. That means checking every spec section, every detail on every page against the requirements - and catching what doesn't match.

Want to see how BuildSync reduces revision cycles on your construction project? 

Book a demo and bring your most complex construction submittals - shop drawings, product data, whatever typically causes problems on your particular project. We'll show you exactly what gets caught before it reaches your design team, so you can proceed with construction instead of keeping track of multiple resubmissions.