Submittal Exchange™ provides accessibility & accountability
for the Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital project

"With the project located in the remote plains of southwestern Kansas, we were initially apprehensive about project team members implementing and managing submittals electronically. Submittal Exchange has been absolutely amazing."
- Dale Munhall, Sr. Associate & Director of Contract Administration, Leo A Daly

Ulysses, KS - Construction began June 2008 in Southwest Kansas on the renovation and new addition to the Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital. The four phase, $20 million project, projected to be completed May 2010 features a 35,000 square foot renovation to the existing facility in addition to 57,000 square foot of new construction. The project is using the Submittal Exchange system for submitting, reviewing, and tracking shop drawings and other construction correspondence electronically.

The project team has found a significant benefit by accessing the nearly 650 submittals on the project electronically. Leo A Daly, the architect on the project, employs 1,100+ construction professionals in 30 locations worldwide. Dale Munhall, AIA, NCARB, LEED® AP, Senior Associate & Director of Contract Administration with Leo A Daly's office in Omaha, Nebraska stated, "With the project located in the remote plains of southwestern Kansas, we were initially apprehensive about the subcontractors, suppliers, and additional project team members implementing and managing submittals electronically. Submittal Exchange has been absolutely amazing. We have not had a single participant on the construction team have an issue with this project, Submittal Exchange has made it very easy and the support team has been extremely responsive and helpful to our needs."

"Submittal Exchange has immensely helped out the review times for this project. The accessibility that Submittal Exchange provides the entire project team is both time saving and economicals."
- Kenny Sparks, Field Manager, Universal Construction Incorporated

Universal Construction Incorporated, based in Lenexa, Kansas, is a professional construction management services company serving the educational, justice, healthcare, municipal, and historical markets. Kenny Sparks, Field Manager with Universal Construction's office in Ulysses, Kansas has 40+ years in the construction industry and is using Submittal Exchange for the first time. "Submittal Exchange has immensely helped out the review and turnaround times for this project. The accessibility that Submittal Exchange provides the entire project team is both time saving and economical avoiding shipping and mailing costs," stated Sparks.

Jason Bishop, Project Manager with Universal Construction commented, "I'm located at our central office in Lenexa, Kansas, eight hours from the job site. Traditionally approving drawings would require at minimum one day, with overnight shipping, but with Submittal Exchange's web based system those extended review times are eliminated." Bishop continued, "Overall I cannot say enough about Submittal Exchange, the support team has been open to suggestions and proactive in helping the project. Submittal Exchange provides a number of benefits without being overwhelmingly technological; it's as simple as downloading and saving a file on a computer."

When asked if Submittal Exchange has had an impact on the project compared to the traditional paper process Munhall commented, "In the past items related to the project could easily get lost and logs were difficult to reconcile. With Submittal Exchange everything is accessible at any point in the construction process and the need to reconcile logs is eliminated." Munhall continued, "Having a central location to log and distribute information that is accessible to everyone on the design and construction team has helped to improve the flow of information on the project."

"I will be pushing to use Submittal Exchange on every project for the rest of my career."
- Jason Bishop, Project Manager, Universal Construction Incorporated

Munhall, who has 35+ years in the industry, has also enjoyed the accountability Submittal Exchange provides the project. "The date expected column on Submittal Exchange makes it very clear when items are due. Submittal Exchange does a very thorough job deciphering out the submittal log to give the project a running start. It holds everyone accountable and keeps the flow of the project moving, which is to the benefit of everyone involved."

Team members from both Leo A Daly and Universal Construction each look forward to the continued use of Submittal Exchange. Bishop closed with, "I will be pushing to use Submittal Exchange on every project for the rest of my career. Anyone not using this process is behind the times and needs to be aware of how the electronic mode of handling submittals improves the construction process."

"I have recommended Submittal Exchange to dozens of architects, contractors, and design firms for use on their construction projects, who all have proactively seen the benefits after using it on a project," added Munhall.