Material Submittals
Maintain an organization-wide material catalog and control which materials are approved for each project with a structured approval workflow.
Key Features
From master catalog to project-level approval — every material traceable from spec to procurement.
Organization-Wide Catalog
Master library of all construction materials, organized by CSI divisions and subcategories. Browse, search, and manage everything in one place.
Project-Level Approval
Admins approve specific materials for each project, selecting manufacturer, brand, and approved suppliers. Only approved materials can be ordered.
Manufacturer & Supplier Records
Every submittal records who makes the material and who can supply it. No ambiguity when ordering — spec, manufacturer, and vendor are all documented.
Auto-Generated Submittal Numbers
Every approved material gets a unique submittal number (e.g., MS-001) for a clean, traceable audit trail from approval through procurement.
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.
Approve for the project
Select a catalog item, specify the manufacturer, brand, and approved suppliers. Click Approve — a submittal entry is created with an auto-generated submittal number (MS-001, MS-002, etc.).
Team uses the approved list
Project members see a read-only list of all approved submittals. When adding materials to Resources inventory or receiving deliveries, dropdowns show only approved items.
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 CivilFlow
- 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