Spec book in · Drafted log and submittal packages out

Submittal automation for construction teams

Most submittal tools build you a list. SubPro helps build the submittals. Start with the project manual you already have. The log drafts itself, every row citing its page. The submittal packages assemble around that log. The closeout record builds as the job runs. Your team reviews and decides.

What SubPro Does

Everything below is shipped and in daily use. Nothing here is a roadmap item.

• Drafts the submittal logOne row per required submittal, grouped by CSI division, with the specified manufacturers and products populated on every row.
• Cites the source pageClick any row to jump to the page in the built-in PDF viewer with the cited text highlighted. No guessing where a requirement came from.
• Assembles submittal packagesTransmittal cover rendered on your own company form, with the manufacturer cut sheets merged into a single reviewable PDF.
• Emails and tracks the responseSend from the app, then track each submittal through approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected. Stamped returns are stored per submittal.
• Builds a front-loaded scheduleEvery row gets its own submit-by date in construction order, with procurement drop-dead warnings when a late submittal cannot be on site in time.
• Handles addenda properlyThe reissued book is diffed section against section. Unchanged sections carry their rows over verbatim, so a revision does not churn work you already reviewed.

How It Works

Four steps from a bound project manual to a reviewable handoff.

1. Step 1Provide the spec bookUpload the project manual your team already has. Scanned pages fall back to OCR.
2. Step 2The log drafts itselfOne structured pass per CSI section builds the log, with manufacturers, products, and a source page on every row.
3. Step 3Your team reviewsEdit, merge, split, or remove rows. SubPro flags what it is unsure of instead of hiding it.
4. Step 4Submit and trackAssemble the submittal packages, send them, and follow each one through the architect's response to closeout.

What It Reads in the Project Manual

Section by section, with deterministic floors underneath the extraction so known structures are never missed quietly.

• Submittal requirementsProduct data, shop drawings, samples, schedules, certificates, closeout documents.
• Named manufacturersAcceptable manufacturers and basis-of-design products called out in PART 2.
• Register tablesDiv 00 and Div 01 submittal registers harvested directly where the book provides them.
• Schedule typesPART 3 schedules and named artifacts pulled as their own rows.

What You Get Back

• The submittal logCSI-sorted, filterable, searchable, with status and flag columns, exportable to Excel or CSV.
• The submittal packagesA single PDF per submittal: your transmittal form on top, the product documents behind it.
• The submittal scheduleSubmit-by, approval-by, and need-on-site dates per row, with long-lead and at-risk flags. Exports to an Excel Gantt.
• The closeout recordStatus history, response dates, notes, and the architect's stamped returns, versioned and kept with the submittal.

Who Uses SubPro

Built for the person who received the project manual on Friday afternoon for Monday's meeting.

• Submittal coordinatorsThe log stops being a weekend of transcription and becomes a review pass.
• Project engineersEvery requirement traces back to a page, so a question from the field has an answer in seconds.
• Specialty subcontractorsMechanical, electrical, fire protection, glazing, doors and hardware. The trades that live in PART 2.
• Small and mid-size general contractorsTeams already running a project platform who still read the book and assemble by hand.
• Project managersA front-loaded schedule that says which submittal has to go out this week to keep procurement whole.
• CloseoutThe turnover record is assembled during the job instead of reconstructed at the end of it.

Where It Fits

SubPro is not a system of record and does not try to become one.

• Keep your platformYour system of record stays exactly where it is.
• Handoff is ExcelThe reviewed log exports to Excel or CSV and imports into the tool your project already runs on.
• Your own transmittalPackages are rendered on your company's existing transmittal form, not a SubPro template.
• Your book stays yoursThe spec book PDF is stored on your own machine. Cloud processing is process-and-release.

Open Reference Material

Free to use, adapt, and put in your own company handbook under CC BY 4.0. No sign-up, no email wall.

• Spec-to-submittal checklistThe six phases from receiving a project manual to a clean handoff, with the step most people skip called out.
• Submittal typesPlain-language definitions of product data, shop drawings, samples, mock-ups, certificates, test reports, design data, and closeout submittals.
• Checklist (Excel)The same checklist as a fill-in workbook, ungated.
• Submittal log template (Excel)A 14-column log with type and status dropdowns, matching the format SubPro exports.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SubPro actually automate?

The reading, the transcription, and the assembly. It drafts the submittal log from the project manual, populates manufacturers and products, cites every row to its page, and assembles the submittal packages behind your transmittal. People still review and decide.

How is this different from a submittal log builder?

Most tools produce the register: a list of what you owe. SubPro carries it further, mapping manufacturer and product documents to those requirements and assembling the submittal packages you actually send.

Does it replace my project management platform?

No. SubPro is an assistant layer in front of the system of record. The reviewed log exports to Excel and CSV for import into whichever platform your project already runs on.

Is the output trustworthy without review?

No, and SubPro does not present it that way. Every row is meant to be reviewed, the app flags what it is unsure of, and each row links back to the source page so a reviewer can check the requirement against the book in one click.

What happens when an addendum arrives?

Upload the reissued book. SubPro diffs it section against section and shows a change set of added, modified, and removed rows. Your live log is untouched until you apply it, and unchanged sections carry over verbatim.

Where does the spec book live?

On your own machine. SubPro runs as a Windows desktop application with cloud processing; the cloud processes the book and releases it rather than keeping a copy.

Can I ask questions about the project manual?

Yes. There is a chat drawer scoped to either the spec book or the log, answering in plain language with clickable citations that jump to the spec page or the log row.

What does it cost?

Pricing is quoted per project scope rather than published. Start with a fit call at sub-pro-ai.com.

This page is published from the SubPro reference repository on GitHub. The product is a Windows desktop application with cloud processing, not a browser demo, so there is nothing to run here. SubPro drafts and people decide: extraction is reviewed by a human on every row, and no complete or perfect read of a project manual is claimed or implied. The reference material linked above is CC BY 4.0. Full product detail, data handling, and a fit call are at sub-pro-ai.com.