If you build the submittal log, you know the rhythm: cross-referencing a spec book section by section, adjusting dates after the schedule shifted again, and following up on a review that has been sitting too long. If you are on the responding end, you know the other half: scope that arrives incomplete, a submittal sitting in review while your fabrication window closes, and a paper trail you hope holds up if anyone asks later.
Either way, it is detailed, high-stakes work, and the teams who do it well know the workflow inside and out.
The stakes are bigger than the workflow itself. Fewer than half of projects finish on time, and 37% of firms missed budget or schedule targets due to gaps in risk management. Material timing is a leading culprit: in AGC's 2025 Workforce Survey, 78% of firms reported at least one delayed project, with longer material lead times among the top causes (35%), and the prior year's survey found 41% of firms delayed by long lead times for electrical equipment alone. With 39% of firms accelerating material purchases in response to tariffs, knowing your procurement dates early has never mattered more.
This year, the submittal workflow got a lot more powerful. A series of updates to Procore Submittals takes on the most manual parts of the job, so you can spend more time managing the work and less time managing paperwork. Here is what is new and what it changes for you.
See the new Submittals experience in action, from AI-built log to schedule-aware dates to in-tool markup review.
Let AI build the log, and review what comes back
Building the submittal log has always meant working through the spec book section by section and logging every required submittal by hand. It is careful work, and a single missed item can turn into a late delivery weeks down the line.
The AI Submittal Builder, built right into the Submittals tool, takes on that first pass. Point it at the spec book, and it reads the full document and builds the log, helping catch a wider range of submittal types than a manual review typically surfaces, including closeout, warranty, training, and operations and maintenance items. You review and refine a draft instead of building one from a blank page, allowing the project to start with a fuller, more accurate log and a stronger head start on buyout.
That matters on both ends of the submittal. If you build the log, you can get it done in a fraction of the time. If you work from it, the scope reaching you can be more complete from day one, with fewer gaps to discover mid-project.
Building the log is half the job. Reviewing what comes back is the other half, and it is just as manual: checking each package against the specs and the contract, line by line, to help catch a material deviation or an unapproved substitution before it reaches the field. The Submittal Review Agent, available with Procore AI, takes on that review grind. It helps cross-check submittal packages against specs and contracts, flag deviations and unapproved substitutions automatically, and draft a response for final review, cutting review cycles from days to minutes. A person stays the decision-maker; the agent does the reading. If you are waiting on an answer, that allows for a faster turnaround on the packages you have submitted.
Together, the two cover the workflow end to end. Submittal Builder creates the log inside the Submittals tool you already use, and the Submittal Reviewer agent helps handle what comes back. Explore Procore AI plans to add the Reviewer agent to your workflow.
Keep dates on track, and run the whole log from one screen
A submittal date is only as reliable as the schedule behind it, and schedules move. The Dynamic Submittal Plan, now available in Open Beta via Procore Explore, connects submittals to the project schedule and works backward from the date materials need to be on site, so the plan is anchored to what actually matters.
Once a schedule activity is linked to a submittal, the Dynamic Submittal Plan reads that activity to automatically calculate the submit-by dates you need to stay on track and flags whether each submittal is on time or at risk as it moves through its lifecycle, so you can see which items need attention. An Anticipated Delivery Date projects actual completion based on the current pace of the review, so you can spot a slip forming instead of finding out at the deadline. If you plan fabrication and procurement around those dates, you get lead times grounded in the real schedule rather than a due date with no context.
Acting on what you see is easier too. The rebuilt Submittals List View is built for teams managing large, active logs. Grouping and saved views let you organize the log the way you work, bulk edits let you update many submittals at once, and in-line editing lets you make changes without opening each item individually. You can see what needs your attention across the entire log and act on it from a single screen.
Review and share without the busywork
Reviewing a submittal used to mean exporting the PDF, marking it up in another tool, and re-uploading it, with every handoff a chance for a comment to go missing. The Bluebeam integration removes those steps. Start a Bluebeam Studio Session on a submittal PDF directly from Procore, and markups come back attributed and attached to the record. Review cycles can move faster, markup history stays with the submittal, and more of your team can take part, because the integration does not require a Studio Prime license.
Submittals also rarely stay inside one company. They move between the general contractor, specialty contractors, and owners, and everyone needs to be working from the same information. Connected Submittals (available in NAMER only) automatically link and share distributed submittals across accounts, so everyone works from one connected record. Less back and forth, fewer version questions.
And because approved submittals stay in your own Procore account, you keep a permanent, documented record of your work even after the project closes out. That is worth more than convenience. The 2024 Arcadis Global Construction Disputes Report found the average North American construction dispute reached roughly $43 million and took over 14 months to resolve. A clear, attributed history is what you point to when someone asks what was submitted, what was approved, and when.
A smarter way to run the submittal workflow
Individually, each of these updates removes a specific point of friction. Together, they change what the Submittals tool does for you.
The log builds itself, gives you a head start, and is more complete.
Procore AI reviews what comes back, so answers land faster.
The schedule keeps the dates honest, and one screen lets you act on the whole log.
Reviews happen in one place, with markups attributed and attached to the record.
Every party keeps their own copy of what was approved, even after the project closes.
In an industry where fewer than half of projects finish on time, that adds up to fewer late deliveries, less manual rework, and a clearer record for everyone on the job, so you can focus on building.
See it on your projects
Log into Procore and open the Submittals tool to explore what is available on your projects. To add the Submittal Reviewer agent, explore Procore AI plans.
For a closer look at any of these updates, browse our support articles or reach out to your Procore Representative.
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