Material Submittals
Maintain an organization-wide material catalog and control which materials are approved for each project with a structured approval workflow.
From master catalog to project-ready approvals
Every material traceable from spec to procurement — catalog once, approve per project, order only what's authorized.
Organization-wide catalog
A master library of every construction material your organization uses, organized by CSI division and subcategory. Managed once, drawn from by every project — with full-text search across name, code, spec, and category.
- 3-column browser: CSI Division → subcategory → material
- Full-text search across name, code, spec, and category
- 10 predefined categories, custom entries fully supported
- Add once at org level, approve per project as needed
Project-level approval
Admins approve specific materials for each project, selecting manufacturer, brand, and approved suppliers. Only approved materials appear in ordering and inventory workflows — substitutions can't happen silently.
- Admin-only approval; project members get a read-only approved list
- Manufacturer, brand, and approved suppliers recorded per submittal
- Only approved items appear in Resources and delivery dropdowns
- Each project approves its own list from the shared catalog
Manufacturer & supplier records
Every submittal records who makes the material and who is authorized to supply it. When a delivery is logged, the vendor dropdown filters to the material's approved suppliers — spec, manufacturer, and vendor are all documented.
- Manufacturer and brand captured on every submittal
- Approved suppliers specified per material, per project
- Delivery forms auto-filter vendors to authorized suppliers
- No ambiguity when ordering — everything is on the record
Auto-generated submittal numbers
Every approved material gets a unique submittal number — MS-001, MS-002, MS-003 — creating a clean, traceable audit trail from catalog through approval to inventory and delivery. Submittals snapshot the material details at approval time.
- Sequential submittal numbers generated automatically
- Audit trail: catalog → approval → inventory → delivery
- Submittals are independent records — catalog edits don't rewrite history
- Trace any quality issue back to the approved specification
More in the Material Submittals module
The supporting register — everything else the module carries, on the record.
- Read-only member view
- Project members search and reference the approved list without being able to modify it — approval stays with admins.
- Custom catalog entries
- Admins can add new materials to the org-wide catalog at any time; once added, they're approvable on any project.
- Approval-time snapshots
- Submittals capture material details at approval — later catalog changes never retroactively alter approved records.
- Multi-step workflow ready
- A draft → submitted → review → approved flow is built in and can be enabled when your process needs multiple reviewers.
- Resources integration
- Adding a material to inventory auto-populates name, spec, and unit from its submittal record.
Every view of the submittal process
From org-wide catalog to the project's approved list — three working views.
The 3-column org-wide catalog — CSI division, subcategory, and materials with search.
How it works
Three steps from catalog to project-ready approved materials.
Browse the material catalog
Admin opens the Materials Catalog — a 3-column browser organized by CSI Division, subcategory, and individual materials. Full-text search across name, code, spec, and category.
Why switch from ad-hoc purchasing?
Without a formal submittal process, material purchasing becomes a free-for-all. Here's what changes.
The old way
- Materials ordered by whoever is on site, based on memory or habit. No formal approved list — substitutions happen without documentation.
- Vendor selection is informal. Different team members order from different suppliers with no centralized record of who's approved.
- No audit trail from material spec to purchase. When a quality issue arises, tracing back to the approved specification is impossible.
- Each project re-invents its material list from scratch. No organization-wide catalog to draw from.
With Construction Hub
- Every material approved formally with manufacturer, brand, and supplier documented. Only approved items appear in ordering workflows.
- Approved suppliers specified per submittal. Delivery forms auto-filter vendors to the material's authorized suppliers.
- Auto-generated submittal numbers (MS-001) create a clean audit trail from catalog → approval → inventory → delivery.
- Organization-wide catalog managed once, used across all projects. Add once, approve per project as needed.
Frequently asked questions
See Material Submittals in action
See how the submittal process works — from organization-wide catalog to project-level approved materials with full traceability.
From catalog to procurement — every material traceable