Why the revision chain is the part at risk
A submittal register usually shows the end state: approved, approved as noted, or closed. The useful part is how the item got there. Each resubmission records what changed, what the reviewer objected to and what was accepted, and that sequence is hard to rebuild once the platform that held it is switched off. Migrations tend to carry the register forward and leave the chain behind, because the register is what the new project team needs on day one.
On many public projects the approver is set item by item. The federal guide specification for submittal procedures (UFGS 01 33 00) classifies submittals so that those marked for Government approval go to the government reviewer, while the rest are approved under the contractor's own quality control. Private projects set their own review codes in the specification. Either way, every revision is a dated decision by a named reviewer, not an administrative copy. Contract terms vary by project; this is general information, not legal advice.
The inventory sheet for submittal history
Record classes, time coverage, system owners and the real access deadline. Every cell is metadata; none requires opening a file.
| Record class | Where it usually sits | Coverage question | Owner to name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submittal items and every revision | Submittal platform | How many closed projects, and how many revisions per item on average? | Platform administrator |
| Attachments per revision (product data, shop drawings) | Submittal platform | Are attachments stored with each revision or only the latest? | Platform administrator |
| Reviewer comments and stamped PDFs | Submittal platform, consultant email | Are consultant comments uploaded, or kept in email? | Design coordination head |
| Approval status codes and dates | Submittal platform | Do the codes follow the specification or a company default? | Design coordination head |
| Drawing set with revision history | Drawing repository | Who controls it: the contractor, the architect or the owner? | Document control lead |
| Transmittals and distribution records | Submittal platform or email | Is distribution logged per revision? | Project administrator |
Work backward from the access date
Work backward from the date old access ends, because that date, not a sales timeline, is the only real urgency.
- Find the access date. From the platform contract or the IT plan: when do read-only logins, exports or archived projects stop being available? If nobody knows, that is the first finding.
- List record classes per project. Use the sheet above, including any consultant review emails stored outside the platform.
- Measure coverage. Number of closed projects still on the platform, years they span, and roughly how many submittals and revisions per project. Approximate numbers are fine at this stage.
- Name the owners. Who administers the submittal platform, who controls the drawing repository (sometimes the architect, not the contractor), and who decides retention.
- Check linkage. Do reviewer comments cite sheet revisions? Were revisions opened as new items or edited in place?
- Note restrictions. Owner contracts with confidentiality clauses, government projects, and drawings authored by outside designers.
What platform behavior means for the inventory
How a platform stores revisions decides what an inventory has to account for. Procore is a common example, and its own documentation shows three things to check:
Procore- Attachments do not carry over between submittal revisions. A new revision inherits general information and increments the revision number, but the files stay with the revision they were uploaded to. Procore also recommends closing the original and creating a revision rather than sending the item back a step, because sending it back loses history. Projects run the other way may have gaps.
- A log export is not the whole record. The submittals log exports to PDF or CSV, reflects active filters and leaves out custom field columns; exports of more than 150 submittals arrive as an emailed link.
- Drawing markups are tied to their revision. A drawing uploaded with an existing number becomes a new revision; markups added to an old revision after a newer one is uploaded do not carry forward.
None of this is a fault in the tool. It means the inventory should ask how revisions were handled on each project, not assume a single export captures them. The live guide to exporting Procore project data covers the wider system, and RFI logs and submittals explains why project question-and-answer history is useful as data.
A partner records answers, not records. Do not take exports, logins or sample PDFs, and do not advise the company to retain data beyond its policy or its authority.
Does the company qualify, and what stays unknown?
The company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license the records, and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English.
Unknown until SourceX reviews it: how design copyright and owner confidentiality affect rights (see who owns construction drawings), which projects a buyer would want, and any offer. The revision histories checklist and the field guide to document revision histories cover general fit; construction and field services and the industries hub list related record types.
Go deeper on submittal revision review
- Submittal revision review exception examples: worked cases where a revised product conflicted with an approved detail.
- Submittal records across systems: a field map joining submittal revisions to drawing revisions and RFIs.
- Who can license submittal revision records: a short answer on which decision-maker to introduce.
- Submittal revision referral brief template: a fill-in template for the introduction.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
If a client is moving off its submittal or drawing platform and years of revision chains depend on the old system, register as a partner, check the company against who qualifies, and read the program terms before you send the note.