Efficient Submittal software for General Contractors
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use Submittallink as our go to construction submittal software to manage all the document control between our subcontractors, the internal team and our design consultants. Before we made the switch, we were stuck in what I call spreadsheet hell. We were manually updating logs in Excel and constantly losing track of files in messy email threads. Now, we use the platform to keep submittals, RFIs, and drawing sets in one central spot across all our active jobs. It solves the accountability problem because everyone can see exactly who is holding up a review. It ensures our guys in the field are always looking at approved info instead of old revisions.
Pros
- The drawing parser is a huge time saver. It automatically reads and splits full sheet sets by title and number, which used to take us hours of manual renaming.
- The interface works a lot like Excel, so there is basically no learning curve. You can sort and update statuses right in the cells, which our subs really appreciate.
- Centralizing all the communication has been great. The system sends out its own updates and due date reminders, which means I spend less time chasing people down for paperwork.
Cons
- I’d like to see more flexibility with reporting. The standard logs are fine, but it would be nice to have more drag and drop options for executive reports so I don't have to clean things up in Excel.
- The mobile app is good for looking things up quickly, but some of the advanced editing tools still feel a lot easier to use on a laptop or desktop.
Return on Investment
- We’ve cut down our administrative work by about 15-25% because we aren't doing nearly as much manual data entry.
- Our turnaround times are much faster now. Automating the reminders helps us keep the project on schedule and avoids those annoying material delays.
- The cost savings are real. We moved away from a much more expensive legacy platform and saved a lot on licensing fees while getting better performance on the tools we actually use.
