Is the contractor permitted to submit substitutions or propose comparable products? Not if the spec is closed, he is not. Be careful if you think you know, just from reading a technical section of the specifications. The manufacturer and product..

This morning I opened my email to find a client, an architect, requesting a substitution evaluation for a metal wall panel. The request was sent 8 PM Sunday evening during the break between football games. A reply was requested by noon today even though..

An architect recently asked that I give an opinion about a shop drawing and what was actually installed on a project site. The installation was consistent with the shop drawings, but inconsistent with the contract documents. What I did not see as part of..

This month the CSI Specifying Practice Group discussed the results of a group survey about product submittals. The intent was to learn how the group processed contractor submittals for products that are not specified by name.

For product sales representatives, the key to getting products included in specifications during the Procurement (Bidding) Phase is understanding the substitution process and having a product that meets the specifications.

A surprising dichotomy: Architects say approval of products that are not specified should be documented as contract modifications, but most simply note acceptance on the submittal or the substitution request form. A simple acceptance method is preferred..