Submittal packages, marked and checked against the spec before your PM signs.

A spec section such as 26 24 16, Panelboards, says what has to be submitted and what the product must meet. Today a project engineer or PM gathers the manufacturer's data, marks the catalog number and options on each cut sheet, checks ratings against the panel schedule, writes up anything that differs, and stamps the package for the GC.

In the proof of concept, AI does the same from copies: it pulls the pages for each item, marks them, checks them against the products and requirements the section lists, and flags each deviation with the paragraph it touches. Nothing goes to the GC.

One package per section, and every page marked. A common MasterSpec version of Section 01 33 00 wants product data collected into one submittal for each type of product, with each copy marked to show which products and options apply. A panelboard or luminaire cut sheet lists a whole family of catalog numbers, so the draft marks the one that matches and the options that go with it. The same section returns partial submittals without review, and the architect won't look at a package that lacks the contractor's approval stamp with the section number, the reviewer's name and the date.

Ratings and listings are where packages fail. Panelboard sections disagree on short-circuit ratings: some require fully rated equipment, some accept a series-rated combination with evidence that a testing laboratory listed it, and some reject series ratings outright. The same section may set hard-drawn copper or tin-plated aluminum bus, call for seismic certification in seismic areas, and require products listed and labeled under NFPA 70 and marked for their location and use. The short-circuit and coordination studies themselves usually sit in their own section, 26 05 73.

Lighting and devices carry their own lists. Under 26 51 19, LED Interior Lighting, product data is arranged in order of the luminaire designations on the drawings, with lumens, color temperature and CRI, photometric data based on IES LM-79 and LM-80 from an NVLAP-accredited lab or an independent agency, and emergency units with their batteries. Under 26 27 26, Wiring Devices, receptacles meet UL 498 and Federal Specification W-C-596, tamper-resistant where NFPA 70 Article 406.12 requires it and weather-resistant in damp or wet locations, and the spec may set red for devices on the essential electrical system.

A deviation is not a substitution, and neither is the AI's call. Under AIA's A201-2017, Section 3.12.8, the architect's approval doesn't relieve the contractor of a deviation unless the contractor specifically flagged it at the time of submittal and it was approved in writing. The MasterSpec procedures say to highlight, encircle or otherwise identify each deviation, and to list them, minor variations included, on a separate sheet on your letterhead. A product from a manufacturer the section names is not a substitution. A different product is, and it goes through Section 01 25 00, often on CSI Form 13.1A; some specs accept substitutions for cause, such as a discontinued product, and none for convenience. The draft builds the deviation sheet; your PM decides the rest.

What your reviewer will watch: the catalog number and options marked on each sheet, ratings below what the drawings show, a missing item that would make the package partial, listed products treated as substitutions or the reverse, and any deviation left off the sheet. AIA's definition of shop drawings includes data a manufacturer, supplier or distributor prepares, so gear drawings from your distributor or rep still go out under your stamp.

After your reviewer's yes, the same job runs on new packages from your open jobs for about 30 days.

Your PM approves each package before it goes to the GC, and only your PM decides whether to request a substitution.

The live job carries a fixed price agreed before you sign. Whatever comes next is priced separately, with monthly support once it runs.