Submittal Desk / Div 23 Desk
MECHANICAL SUBMITTAL REVIEW
Mechanical Submittal Review: Division 23 Packages Checked Against the Spec First
The chiller package shows capacity at the manufacturer's standard rating conditions, not at the entering and leaving water temperatures on your schedule. The reviewer returns it, and a chiller with a 35 to 55 week lead time waits on the approval (Archdesk, 2026-04-16).
The Div 23 Desk reads your Division 23 sections first, builds the mechanical submittal log, and pre-checks every package before it goes to the GC. Same four parts and same five checks as every Submittal Desk; your PE signs off on every package.
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Div 23 Desk
What the Div 23 Desk reads first
These are the sections the desk opens first. It reads every Division 23 section in your spec book, and any other section your scope covers.
| Spec section | What the pre-check matches |
|---|---|
| 23 64 16 Centrifugal Water Chillers | Capacity and efficiency at the scheduled conditions, refrigerant, electrical data, sound data, and the factory test the spec requires. |
| 23 81 23 Computer-Room Air-Conditioners | Capacity at the scheduled return air conditions, airflow, electrical data, controls interface, and named manufacturers. |
| 23 21 13 Hydronic Piping | Pipe material, joining method, pressure rating, and the valves and specialties the spec names. |
| 23 09 23 Direct Digital Control System for HVAC | The points list, sequences of operation and interfaces the spec asks for, tied to the right equipment sections. |
Same four parts on every desk
How the Div 23 Desk works
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.
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.
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.
Straight answers
Mechanical submittal questions.
- Does it check capacity at our scheduled conditions?
- Yes. The desk matches capacity, efficiency and electrical data in the package to the schedule and spec values, and lists every value shown only at the manufacturer's standard rating conditions.
- Can the Div 23 Desk read controls submittals?
- It checks that the points list, sequences and interfaces the spec asks for are in the package and tied to the right section, such as 23 09 23 for DDC controls. Whether a sequence works is still your controls engineer's call.
- What about cooling distribution units and liquid cooling?
- Where your spec has a section for them, the desk reads it the same way: named manufacturers, ratings, connections and the items its Submittals article requires. Archdesk puts chiller and CDU lead times at 35 to 55 weeks (2026-04-16).
Start with one job
Request a sample run.
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.
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.