Submittal Exchange™ makes submittal process more efficient
for Ankeny Police Headquarters

"It doesn't matter where I am, I can always access the necessary information and answer any questions that arise. Using Submittal Exchange is so much better than the old, standard process."
- Joe Keller, Project Engineer, Larson & Larson Construction

Ankeny, IA - In Ankeny, a city of about 31,000 people located just north of Des Moines, the new Ankeny Police Headquarters is set to finish construction in November of this year. The $15.3 million, 74,000 square foot complex, began construction in May 2007 and is using the Submittal Exchange system to make the shop drawing and submittal process more efficient and convenient for the entire project team.

The project team members found that they have spent significantly less time managing the almost 400 submittals involved in this project than they would have with the traditional paper process. Under the traditional method, those 400 submittals would have traveled 400 miles round trip from Des Moines to Mission, Kansas, where the architect is located, equating to over 160,000 miles of travel over the course of the project. Paul Michell, Project Manager, from Wilson Estes Police Architects, a firm that specializes in the planning and design of law enforcement facilities, states "(Submittal Exchange) is efficient, and it has cut down on time generally used to re-mark multiple sets of shop drawings."

"I really like Submittal Exchange because it has cut down on time by eliminating snail mail."
- Holly Stevens, Mechanical Engineer, KJWW Engineering Consultants

Larson & Larson Construction LLC, the general contractor of the project, operates out of Urbandale, Iowa. "Submittal Exchange has been great. Being that the architect is from out of state, I don't have the wait on my lead times that I would usually have had when mailing things back and forth because the turnaround time for a submittal is about one day," comments Joe Keller, Project Engineer from Larson & Larson. Keller says, "It doesn't matter where I am, I can always access the necessary information and answer any questions that arise. Using Submittal Exchange is so much better than the old, standard process."

KJWW Engineering Consultants, a 400 person engineering firm with offices in Des Moines and six other cities, serves as the mechanical and electrical engineering consultant for the project. "I really like (Submittal Exchange) because it has cut down on time by eliminating snail mail," says Holly Stevens, Mechanical Engineer from KJWW Engineering Consultants.

"When I upload a submittal, I don't have to wait for the next person to receive it or for it to go through three other people. I know that it immediately went to the proper designer, it is pretty much instantaneous," comments Keller. "Sometimes in the specification manual it will list four or five different things, but this way I definitely knew what the architect is looking for which is helpful because the expected submittals were already set up. It is easier to see what all I need and it definitely sets clear standards and expectations (for all parties involved)."

"Decreased time and costs due to not having any shipping, mailing, and courier costs are big benefits. Sustainable design and reduced fuel and paper are positives as well."
- Paul Michell, Project Manager, Wilson Estes Police Architects

"The ability to have a centralized tracking location coupled with the accuracy of not having to mark something up more than once makes (Submittal Exchange) a great tool to use," exclaims Michell. "The email notifications are great because being constantly abreast of what's coming in is nice. Tracking RFIs or proposal requests (on Submittal Exchange) are a big benefit as well!" "Submittal Exchange is easy to log in to and figure out what submittals are out there and what submittals are still delinquent," adds Stevens.

The project team also recommends Submittal Exchange to other professionals in the industry. "(Other projects) should definitely use Submittal Exchange. It really helps productivity and is a lot cheaper than mailing things and waiting. You have time savings even if it only costs 60 cents to mail something. Turnaround time is very valuable in this industry," says Keller.

"I pitch (Submittal Exchange) to contractors every time we use it in pre-bid (conferences). Decreased time and costs due to not having any shipping, mailing and courier costs are big benefits. Sustainable design and reduced fuel and paper are big positives as well," comments Michell.