What does submittal review cost with Submittal Desk?

The sample run is $1,500, a fixed price, returned 10 business days after your documents arrive. Setup is $5,000 and the monthly run is $1,200 per active project for up to 60 packages a month. Sign setup within 30 days of the sample run report and the $1,500 comes off setup.

Who approves what goes to the GC?

Your project engineer, every time. The desk checks and drafts; your PE edits, signs and sends from your own system. The desk has no send function and never contacts your GC, architect or engineer of record.

Which systems does it work with?

Procore, Autodesk Build, SharePoint or a spreadsheet log. The desk reads by export or a read-only account and hands back a CSV in your log's column order. It never writes into Procore or any other platform.

What happens to our specs and vendor documents?

Models run on hardware we own by default, and a third party model service is used only if you agree in writing. We sign your NDA, your documents are never used to train a model, you keep ownership of documents and outputs, and files are deleted within 30 days of the end of the engagement with written confirmation.

How is this different from Trunk Tools?

Trunk Tools sells its submittal review agent to general contractors, so it works the GC's side of the review. Submittal Desk works the sub's side: your package is checked against the spec before it leaves your office, and the register comes back as a CSV for the log you already keep.

Does it replace our project engineer?

No. It hands your PE a checked package and a compliance matrix instead of a blank page, and anything code cannot compare is marked needs PE. Your PE still decides, signs and owns the relationship with the GC.

Crew on a scissor lift installing pipe supports above chillers, pumps and insulated chilled water pipe in a central utility plant under construction

SUBMITTAL REVIEW FOR MEP SUBCONTRACTORS

Submittal Review for MEP Subcontractors: Every Package Checked Against the Spec First

The panelboard submittal comes back Revise and Resubmit. The vendor's catalog shows a 5.75 inch deep box and the spec calls for 6 inches. The fix is one line. The review clock starts over, and the gear order waits. It happens to the project engineer at an electrical, mechanical, plumbing or fire protection sub who owns the submittal log on a data center job.

In Trunk Tools platform data, 60% to 70% of MEP submittals are non-compliant with the spec, and the median submittal takes about 55 days from upload to approval when the first pass is manual (updated 2026-08-21). On UPS and PDU packages with 30 to 50 week lead times, a missed approval window can cost the factory slot (Archdesk, 2026-04-16).

Submittal Desk builds your submittal log from the spec book and checks each package line by line, so your PE signs a compliance matrix before anything goes out.

Request a sample run See what a sample run returns

Last updated 2026-09-25

What it costs when it slips

Every resubmittal restarts the clock on gear you cannot wait for

In Trunk Tools platform data, MEP divisions run 60% to 70% non-compliance, nearly twice the rate of structural (updated 2026-08-21).
The single largest cause is manufacturer source: an unapproved substitution in place of the specified product (Trunk Tools, 2026-08-21).
About 43% of submittals take more than 60 days to close when the first pass is manual review (Trunk Tools, 2026-08-21).

Project engineer at a desk reviewing a tabbed spec book and a submittal binder, with a laptop and a hard hat nearby

Your cost, in your numbers

Take the submittals on your job, times the share that come back Revise and Resubmit, times the hours your PE spends on each return, times your PE's hourly cost. A construction project engineer averages $51 an hour, $47 to $56 across the middle half of the range (Salary.com, as of 2026-09-01). A careful first pass takes 20 to 30 minutes on a simple package and 3 to 4 hours on a complex one (Trunk Tools, 2026-08-21). The larger cost is schedule: every return restarts the review before gear can be released. We publish no typical figure; the sample run measures yours.

The desk

Four jobs the desk does on every package

Submittal Desk is a submittal review service for MEP subcontractors in the United States, run by Mike Rodgers from Denver. It builds the submittal log from your spec book, checks each package against its spec section before it goes to the GC, and hands your project engineer a compliance matrix to approve.

01Spec Log

Every submittal your spec book requires, one line per spec section and paragraph, with its type and status, in a log you own.

Check: every Submittals article in the spec book has a line in the log.

02Pre-Check

Each package read against its spec section before it leaves your office: manufacturer, ratings, dimensions and missing items, each finding tied to a page.

Check: every finding cites the spec paragraph and the package page.

03Compliance Matrix

One row per requirement: spec value, submitted value, comply, deviate, missing or needs PE, and the page. The deviation list and cover sheet come from it.

Check: every row cites a spec paragraph and a data sheet page, or says not read.

04RFI Match

Answered RFIs on your RFI log are placed next to the spec requirement they touch, so the package is checked against the answer, not only the original spec.

Check: every RFI answer shown cites its RFI number and the requirement it touches.

What correct looks like

What correct looks like, in writing

Named owner of mistakes: Mike Rodgers. Every value your PE marks wrong is counted in the monthly report, the check behind it is fixed, and the affected packages are checked again before the next batch goes out.

The manufacturer and model are named in the spec, or an approved substitution is on the log.
Every item the spec's Submittals article asks for is in the package: shop drawings, product data, samples, O&M data, warranties.
Every rating and dimension the spec states is matched to a page in the package, with units, and every mismatch is listed as a deviation on the cover sheet.
Anything code cannot compare is marked needs PE and decided by your project engineer. No model decides comply, deviate or missing.
Every finding cites the spec paragraph and the package page it came from. A value that cannot be read is marked not read, never guessed.

Markets and trades

Four named desks, one rulebook

Each desk runs the same four parts (Spec Log, Pre-Check, Compliance Matrix, RFI Match) and the same five checks. What changes is the division it reads first. Open a desk for its sections and questions.

26Div 26 DeskElectrical submittal review26 24 13 Switchboards, 26 24 16 Panelboards, 26 32 13 Engine Generators, 26 33 53 Static UPSShort circuit rating, voltage, bus material, enclosure size, and whether the coordination study the spec requires is approvedOpen the Div 26 Desk

23Div 23 DeskMechanical submittal review23 64 16 Centrifugal Water Chillers, 23 81 23 Computer-Room Air-Conditioners, 23 21 13 Hydronic Piping, 23 09 23 Direct Digital Control System for HVACCapacity at the scheduled conditions, efficiency, refrigerant, electrical data and the listed manufacturersOpen the Div 23 Desk

22Div 22 DeskPlumbing submittal review22 11 16 Domestic Water Piping, 22 05 23 General-Duty Valves for Plumbing Piping, 22 13 16 Sanitary Waste and Vent Piping, 22 11 23 Domestic Water PumpsPipe and fitting material, pressure ratings, valves and the listed manufacturersOpen the Div 22 Desk

21Div 21 DeskFire protection submittal review21 13 13 Wet-Pipe Sprinkler Systems, 21 13 19 Preaction Sprinkler Systems, 21 22 00 Clean-Agent Fire-Extinguishing Systems, 21 30 00 Fire PumpsListed components, system type, and whether the data sheets and calculations the spec asks for are in the packageOpen the Div 21 Desk

Guides for project engineers

Four people in high-visibility vests in a job trailer looking at a 3D model of ducts and pipes on a large screen

How to build a submittal log from the spec book

Where submittal requirements hide in the spec book, the columns a log needs, and how to date long-lead gear.

Read the guide

Why MEP submittals come back Revise and Resubmit

What the published data shows about returned submittals, five checks to run before sending, and what a return costs.

Read the guide

What stays with you

What your people still own

Your project engineer approves every package and every compliance matrix before it leaves your office.
Your PM decides every substitution and every deviation you are willing to carry.
Your team sends everything to the GC. The desk has no send function and never contacts your GC, architect, engineer or owner.
The engineer of record makes the compliance call. The desk checks; it does not stamp, sign or certify anything.

Scope boundary

Not included

Not a submission service. The desk never sends a package or contacts your GC, architect, engineer or owner.
No engineering judgment, stamps or signatures. The engineer of record makes the compliance call.
No deviation or substitution requests on your behalf, no shop drawing production, and no RFI drafting.
No closeout manuals or O&M binders yet.
Never writes into Procore or any other platform. Output comes back as a CSV in your log's column order.
Not a code review. The desk checks against your project spec, not the NEC, plumbing code or NFPA standards.

What subs pay today

What you pay for submittal review now.

Your project engineer's time: a construction project engineer averages $51 an hour, $47 to $56 across the middle half of the range (Salary.com, as of 2026-09-01, read 2026-09-25), and a careful first pass takes 20 to 30 minutes on a simple package and 3 to 4 hours on a complex one (Trunk Tools, updated 2026-08-21). Outsourced preparation: Submitify publishes standard submittal packages from $2,500 and complex systems from $5,000 (submitified.com, read 2026-09-25). GC-side review: Trunk Tools sells its submittal review agent to general contractors and does not publish a price (trunktools.com, read 2026-09-25). Submittal Desk is priced per active project, up to 60 packages a month, not per package.

The offer and the price

Submittal Desk

Spec Log: the submittal register built from your spec book, one line per required submittal, as a CSV in your log's column order
Pre-Check: every package checked against its spec section, each finding tied to a paragraph and a page
Compliance Matrix: requirement, submitted value, status and page for every line, plus the deviation list and cover sheet
RFI Match: answered RFIs from your RFI log placed next to the requirements they touch
Monthly KPI report: first-submission returns by code, days to approval, PE minutes per package, and every value your PE marked wrong
Read access by export or a read-only account to Procore, Autodesk Build, SharePoint or a spreadsheet log; nothing is written back

Price

Sample run $1,500. Setup $5,000. Then $1,200 a month per active project.

The sample run is a fixed price, returned 10 business days after your documents arrive. Setup takes 4 weeks, including 2 weeks running beside your PE on live packages. The monthly fee covers up to 60 packages a month per active project, month to month with 30 days notice.

The sample run report is yours to keep whether or not you go further. Sign setup within 30 days of the report and the $1,500 comes off setup in full.

Request a sample run

How it works

Three steps, and your PE signs every one.

Sample run: $1,500, 10 business days

Send one spec division (up to 25 sections) and up to 20 past packages with the reviewer's returns. You get the register, a compliance matrix per package, and a count of the reviewer's comments the check would have caught. Your PE marks every value right or wrong in a 60 minute review.

Setup: $5,000, 4 weeks

The desk is set up on your spec books, log format, cover sheet and transmittal templates for one active project, then runs beside your PE on live packages for 2 weeks until your PE signs the acceptance test.

Run: $1,200 a month per active project

Up to 60 packages a month: register upkeep, a pre-check and compliance matrix for every package, and a monthly KPI report counted from your own submittal log.

What a sample run returns

A worked demonstration from two public documents.

Demonstration, not a client result

This is the report format, filled in by hand from two public documents so anyone can check it: the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) guide specification 26 24 16 Panelboards (revised 4/30/15), and the Square D NQ panelboard catalog 1640CT0801 R08/21 treated as the vendor's package. These are rows of one compliance matrix. No client, job or result appears here.

Electrician in a hard hat and high-visibility vest inspecting an open panelboard in an electrical room beside a transformer

Compliance matrix, LAWA 26 24 16 Panelboards against Square D NQ catalog 1640CT0801

Spec paragraph	What the spec requires	Finding, with the page
2.2.A Manufacturer	One of three named manufacturers: Cutler-Hammer, GE Electrical, Square D.	CompliesSquare D is named (spec page 2).
2.2.G Cabinet box width	20 inches wide.	CompliesStandard box is 20 inches wide (catalog page 26).
2.2.G Cabinet box depth	6 inches deep.	DeviatesStandard box is 5.75 inches deep. A deeper 8.75 inch box is listed (catalog page 26).
2.2.E 480 volt panelboards	Minimum 14,000 amperes, fully rated, for 480 volt panelboards.	DeviatesThe catalog lists this line for 240 volt ac systems and below (catalog page 5). The 480 volt boards need another product line.
1.2.A Shop drawings	Outline dimensions, voltage, main bus ampacity, short circuit rating, breaker arrangement.	MissingA catalog is product data only.
1.2.C Coordination study	Shop drawings sent before the coordination study is approved are returned without review.	Needs PEConfirm the study is approved before this package goes out.
1.4.A Keys	Two keys per panelboard, keyed alike to the owner's keying system.	MissingThe catalog shows a standard NSR-251 key (catalog page 26). Confirm keying with the vendor.

Deviation list for the cover sheet, drafted for your PE to edit: standard box depth is 5.75 inches against 6 inches required (2.2.G); 480 volt panelboards to be submitted under a separate product line (2.2.E). Shop drawings follow approval of the coordination study (1.2.A, 1.2.C). Keying per 1.4.A to be confirmed by the vendor.

Demonstration, not a client result

Checkable facts

What you can verify yourself.

Trunk Tools platform data: MEP divisions 60% to 70% non-compliant; median cycle about 55 days with manual first-pass review; 43% of submittals take more than 60 days (trunktools.com/blog/what-is-a-submittal-in-construction, updated 2026-08-21, read 2026-09-25).
Salary.com: construction project engineer average $105,589 a year, $51 an hour; $47 to $56 from the 25th to the 75th percentile (as of 2026-09-01, read 2026-09-25).
Submitify published pricing: standard submittal packages from $2,500, complex systems from $5,000 (submitified.com, read 2026-09-25).

Straight answers

Questions project engineers and PMs ask.

What does submittal review cost with Submittal Desk?: The sample run is $1,500, a fixed price, returned 10 business days after your documents arrive. Setup is $5,000 and the monthly run is $1,200 per active project for up to 60 packages a month. Sign setup within 30 days of the sample run report and the $1,500 comes off setup.
Who approves what goes to the GC?: Your project engineer, every time. The desk checks and drafts; your PE edits, signs and sends from your own system. The desk has no send function and never contacts your GC, architect or engineer of record.
Which systems does it work with?: Procore, Autodesk Build, SharePoint or a spreadsheet log. The desk reads by export or a read-only account and hands back a CSV in your log's column order. It never writes into Procore or any other platform.
What happens to our specs and vendor documents?: Models run on hardware we own by default, and a third party model service is used only if you agree in writing. We sign your NDA, your documents are never used to train a model, you keep ownership of documents and outputs, and files are deleted within 30 days of the end of the engagement with written confirmation.
How is this different from Trunk Tools?: Trunk Tools sells its submittal review agent to general contractors, so it works the GC's side of the review. Submittal Desk works the sub's side: your package is checked against the spec before it leaves your office, and the register comes back as a CSV for the log you already keep.
Does it replace our project engineer?: No. It hands your PE a checked package and a compliance matrix instead of a blank page, and anything code cannot compare is marked needs PE. Your PE still decides, signs and owns the relationship with the GC.

Who runs it

One named person answers for it.

Submittal Desk is run by Mike Rodgers from Denver, for MEP subs anywhere in the United States. Mike leads every setup and reads every sample run request himself.

Start with one job

Request a sample run.

Tell me the job, the spec division you want checked first, and where your submittals live. I reply by email with the upload link and a one-page scope for the $1,500 sample run.