This answer is part of the submittal revision review guide. It is laid out as a tree because submittal files mix records written by three parties, and the path to a yes depends on whose record it is.
Walk the tree: four forks
Each fork is a question you can settle in conversation, without opening a project.
- Who keeps the revision history day to day? Usually the design coordination head or project engineering manager. They are the sponsor.
- If coordination is decentralized to project teams, ask who sets submittal procedures company-wide.
- Who created each record? The contractor creates submittal items, product data packages and its own shop drawings. The design team creates drawings, details, markups and review comments. The owner, especially a public one, may have approved some items directly.
- Contractor-created only: go to fork 4.
- Design-team or owner material involved: fork 3 first.
- What do the design and owner agreements say? The contracts manager knows where they are; counsel reads them. Copyright law treats a building design embodied in plans or drawings as an architectural work, and the Copyright Office notes that registering a technical drawing covers only the drawing. That is why architect details, such as an adapter curb drawn to resolve a submittal conflict, may not be the contractor's to license. The page on who owns construction drawings sets out the usual position.
- Who can authorize a licensing discussion? The CEO, who in a family-owned contractor is often the owner. Operations directors confirm the project history but do not decide.
When fork 4 ends with an officer willing to take a call, the partner's work is done. Everything after it is SourceX's rights review with the company.
Whose record is it? Contractor, design team, owner
| Record | Created by | Usual control | Review before any proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submittal items, revision numbers, status history | Contractor | Contractor's CEO | Counsel checks owner confidentiality terms |
| Product data packages and supplier letters | Contractor, from suppliers | Contractor, subject to supplier terms | Counsel, light review |
| Contractor shop drawings | Contractor or its subcontractors | Contractor or subcontractor, by contract | Counsel checks subcontract terms |
| Review comments and stamps | Design team | Depends on the design and owner agreements | Counsel; possibly design firm consent |
| Drawings, details and markups | Design team | Often the design firm | Counsel; often excluded |
| Government approvals on public projects | Government reviewer | Governed by the prime contract | Counsel; may be excluded |
The last two rows deserve care. Drawing repositories keep revision history by sheet; in Procore, for example, a sheet uploaded with an existing number becomes a new revision, and markups added to an old revision after a newer upload do not carry forward. Those revisions and markups are often the design firm's work, even when they sit in the contractor's account. On federal work that follows UFGS 01 33 00, submittals classified for Government approval went to the government reviewer rather than the contractor's quality control, so those decisions carry the owner's terms.
ProcoreWho to meet, who to consult, who signs
| Role | What they bring | Can say yes? | Question for them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design coordination head | Coverage, gaps, which projects are clean | No; sponsors | "Which closed projects have full revision chains?" |
| Project engineers | Detail on specific projects | No | Facts only, through the sponsor |
| Contracts manager | Where owner, design and subcontract terms sit | No; flags limits | "Do design agreements address reuse of drawings?" |
| General counsel | Reading of those terms | Advises; may need to clear | "Would owner or design terms restrict this?" |
| CEO | Whether to explore licensing at all | Yes | "Would you take a first call about it?" |
| Platform or IT administrator | Retention and export routes | No | "How long are archived projects kept?" |
Keep notes on the sponsor and the signer separately. A capable coordination head who likes the idea is not an authorized contact.
Questions only counsel and SourceX can close
- Design firm rights. How much of the review record the contractor can include depends on the design and owner agreements.
- Owner confidentiality. Healthcare, government and secure-facility projects often carry stricter terms.
- Subcontractor shop drawings. Ownership follows each subcontract.
- Retention policy. How long the company keeps project records is its own decision; the page on how long to keep engineering project records covers common practice. A partner should not suggest keeping anything beyond policy.
- Buyer interest and offer. Unknown until SourceX reviews the opportunity.
Why data rights matter explains what SourceX checks before anything is proposed.
Introduction checklist
- Sponsor confirmed: the design coordination head agrees the records exist and will raise the idea.
- Signer named: the CEO has agreed to a first call, or the sponsor will ask.
- Mixed authorship noted: you have told the company that design-team and owner records will need counsel.
- Company fit: the introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license 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.
Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions, and the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application. Describe the systems with the submittal system map, write the note with the submittal referral brief template, and if you are reviewing several portfolio companies at once, the portfolio handoff checklist keeps them apart.
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.
When the tree ends at an officer ready for a first call, register as a partner, confirm the contractor against who qualifies, and read the program terms before making the introduction.