Transmittal form: proving what was sent, to whom, and when

A transmittal form is the cover record that accompanies documents sent from one party to another: which drawings or files were issued, at which revision, for what purpose, and when. It sounds administrative, and it is — until a dispute asks whether a subcontractor was working from revision C or revision D. On construction and engineering projects the transmittal form is the evidence that answers that question.

What a transmittal form should include

• Transmittal number, date, sender and recipient organisations and names.
• Project name and reference.
• A list of documents: number, title, revision and format for each.
• Purpose of issue: for information, for approval, for construction, for tender, as requested.
• Required action and response date, where a response is expected.
• Method of transmission: document system, email, physical copies.
• Acknowledgement of receipt, recorded when it comes back.

Purpose of issue matters as much as revision

The same drawing at the same revision can be issued for information one week and for construction the next. Work done from a drawing issued only for information is at risk if it later changes. Make purpose of issue a required field on every transmittal form, and make sure the recipient can see it without opening the documents.

Number transmittals sequentially per project and per recipient where volumes are high. Gaps in the sequence are the fastest way to spot documents that were sent outside the system.

Running transmittals through a form

1. Issue documents only with a transmittal — no attachments sent without one.
2. Complete the document list from the drawing register so numbers and revisions are correct.
3. Record the purpose of issue and any required action.
4. Send, and log the transmittal against each document it contained.
5. Record acknowledgements of receipt as they arrive.
6. Supersede previous revisions in the register when a new revision is transmitted for construction.

Ettex Forms can hold the transmittal form with required fields for revision and purpose of issue, and each issued transmittal lands in Ettex Records, where it can be searched by document or recipient. That turns "what did we send the steel contractor, and when?" into a filter. It fits alongside a document control system and the project's submittal log and construction RFI records.

Common transmittal problems

• Documents sent by email with no transmittal record.
• Revision missing or wrong on the transmittal.
• No purpose of issue, so recipients build from preliminary drawings.
• Acknowledgements never chased or recorded.
• Transmittals stored in personal inboxes rather than against the project.