Hey {{first_name | default: "there"}},
There's a submittal on your project right now that's been with the A/E longer than it should.
You might know which one. You might not.
If you don't know the exact number of days it's been outstanding, you're already behind.
THE LESSON
Submittal management doesn't fail at the execution layer. It fails at the tracking layer.
Most PMs know how to submit and how to follow up. What they don't have is a system that tells them — without going looking — which submittals are overdue, by how much, and whether they're on the critical path.
I had a project where the A/E was slow. We knew it, generally. What we didn't have was a log that calculated days outstanding automatically. So we'd go into OAC meetings knowing things were late but not knowing by exactly how much or which ones were going to hit the schedule first.
By the time we built the analysis, we were already 9 days past the window where we could have acted without impacting structural steel. We didn't miss the submittal. We missed the clock.
Here's the thinking shift that fixed it: treat every submittal like it has two deadlines, not one. The date it needs to come back from the A/E, and the date it needs to be back in order to keep the downstream activity on schedule. Those are often different numbers, and the second one is the one that matters. When I set up a submittal register now, I populate both dates for every long-lead item before the first OAC. That way the clock is already running the day the project starts.
This is also where AI can help you get ahead of the problem rather than react to it. Export your submittal log, give it to Claude with your schedule, and ask it to flag any submittals where the A/E review window plus procurement lead time won't clear before the required-on-site date. That analysis takes about 20 minutes manually. AI does it in seconds. The output tells you exactly which submittals need a phone call today.
Catch it on day 15, you call the A/E and get a turnaround. Catch it on day 47, you write a delay notice.
THE TOOL
The Submittal Register tab in the PM Edge Project Tracker has both deadline columns built in — A/E return date and required-on-site date. Days outstanding is a live formula that updates every time you open the file. Long-lead items are flagged at setup. The tab cross-references the master schedule so a slipping submittal shows up in the same system as the activity it's blocking.
The structure forces you to populate the required-on-site date at setup, before anything is late — which is when you need to think about it, not when you're already behind.
If you don't have the tracker: PM Edge Project Tracker — $49 →
Already have the Toolkit? Bundle both for $69 →
INDUSTRY PULSE
On my radar:
• Long-lead procurement windows are extending again — Structural steel, switchgear, and mechanical equipment lead times are creeping back up in 2026, driven by domestic manufacturing constraints and tariff-related sourcing shifts. If you're using pre-2024 lead time assumptions in your schedule, review them before your next baseline submission.
• A/E review periods are a contract term, not a courtesy — Most AIA contracts specify a reasonable review period, which courts have generally read as 14-21 days depending on complexity. If your contract is silent on turnaround time, your leverage on an overdue review is weaker than you think. Check the spec section before you assume you have a claim.
• Resubmittal cycles cost more than initial delays — A rejected long-lead submittal isn't just the review period — it's the review period plus fabrication restart. The PMs who get submittals right the first time aren't just faster. They're avoiding the scenario where 14 days becomes 10 weeks.
Forward this to a PM who's ever been surprised by a long-lead item.
— Jesse
The PM Edge | pmedge.io