Electronic Submittals

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Author Message T.A. Gilmore, AIA, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: tgilmore Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2007 Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2007 - 02:16 pm:    Are any of us specifying that product data submittals be in PDF format? For a few years I have been asking for other types of submittals (schedules, pay apps, etc.) using this language: Submit electronically in PDF or other universal, compact, searchable format approved during Pre-construction Conference. Does anyone already have simple directions for printing from manufacturer website to adobe rather than scanning hard copies, marking the PDFs electronically on screen to indicate which options apply, and how to apply the Contractor’s review stamp? George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 340 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2007 - 02:28 pm:    Tom- There were some threads on 4specs similar to this. I'll forward the email I sent to some of our folks who looking at this question internally now. Also an AIA article on the subject. Kevin O'Beirne (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 09:54 am:    I too am interested in this discussion. Our company has been discussing how to approach this in our ongoing efforts to update our standard specifications for submittals. Our front-end is EJCDC-based. GC-3.06, regarding electronic submittals, states that electronic copies alone are not to be relied upon. The new EJCDC 2007 construction family did not alter the language from EJCDC's 2002 construction family, thus apparently leaving us with a quandry about electronic submittals. I think a number of folks in our organization would like to use electronic submittals, although it needs to be in conformance with the Conditions of the Contract and, hopefully, less cumbersome than the current draft documents being developed by AGC and AIA regarding management of electronic data. Richard A. Rosen, CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: rarosen Post Number: 16 Registered: 08-2006 Posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 - 12:06 pm:    If you want to print directly to a PDF from a manufacturer's web site all you need is a full version of Adobe Acrobat, not just the reader. In "File" click on "Print" in the print menu under "Select Printer" click on "Adobe PDF" and "Print". A "Save As" menu will drop down. Name the document and click "Save". Use the comment function of Adobe to red mark, comment or add a graphic for a shop drawing review stamp, etc... Ken Moore, FCSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: kjmoore Post Number: 17 Registered: 06-2006 Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 12:04 am:    Currently writting spec for project that will required contractor to submit shop drawing and product data electronicaly. Contractor will be required to use Submittal Exchage. See contact information below: Matt Ostanik, AIA, CSI Submittal Exchange Tel 1-800-714-0024 matt@submittalexchange.com They have insert for Section 01330 - Submittals. You need to revise into spec language, but good information. Architect has not informed me if Contractor or Owner will pay for services. Cost data is on their web site, annual fee is not expensive, it is the $1 per transmittion that will add up. But that is less than shipping. Optional service: sent data by fax, receive data in pdf file Norther IL CSI chapter had a Specification Roundtable discussion on the subject about 6 - 9 monts ago, by teleconference. A couple key items: Do not allow Word software, documents can be changed Use Adobe or simular software that controls who has access, can print, who can revise document, and after A/E reviews and signs off is locked so it can not be revised. If interested: give me your email and will send data I have on Submittal Exchange. Also what I have archived from CSI teleconforence. email: usconsulting@earthlink.net Jerry Tims (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, December 05, 2007 - 04:01 pm:    We've had several projects recently that have been done electronically. However, the decision to do so came after the job was out the door, so it wasn't covered in the specs. We have a large scale scanner so any submittals that come to us in a hard copy format are reviewed and marked up manually, then scanned and returned via color PDF. The files can be large since they're in color, but it sure saves us the hassle of marking up multiple copies of a submittal. Small files are emailed. Large files are placed on our FTP site. Tom Gilmore, AIA, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: tgilmore Post Number: 14 Registered: 04-2007 Posted on Friday, December 07, 2007 - 04:11 pm:    I'm working through specifying electronic submittals. We're not ready yet for electronic shop drawings in formats larger than 11 x 17. Most of our reviewers rightly want to be able to flip back and forth. One of the benefits of electronic product data is that we expect to set up a library of PD on current and past projects to help our project teams take on more of the product selection role. We are discouraging scans as they are too large and can't easily be dynamically searched. Mark Gilligan SE, CSI Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 10 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 03:24 pm:    If you limit yourself to viewing the submittal on the monitor the type and quantity of comments you make will be different and I believe of lower quality. On numerous occasions I have not found errors in an electronic document until after I had printed it out, in spite of spending considerable time reviewing and editing it on the screen. This is the result of the physiological way people perceive and process information and is not related to intelligence and good habits. Some of the things that impact this include: --The inability to flip between different pages. --The inability to view a full sheet at normal scale. --The resolution and reflectivity of the monitor being different from that of paper. --The ability to physically interact with the paper as opposed to dealing with a fixed monitor. --The need to use the keyboard and mouse to interact with the documents and mark them up results in less spontaneity. I like technology advances as much as the next person but I believe that we often use it blindly without thinking about the tradeoffs. Everybody is focused on the advantages of electronic submissions without considering the tradeoffs. "The myth of the paperless office" by Sellen and Harper" is a good introduction to some of the research.