What can be assumed about submittals delivered by the contractor to the architect?

• A. They are automatically approved by the architect
• B. They require no further architectural review
• C. They have been reviewed and approved by the contractor; materials verified in relation to field measurements and coordination
• D. They relieve the contractor of responsibility for deviations

Answer: (C)

Submittals are a tool for coordination and verification. The contractor is responsible for reviewing each submittal and ensuring it aligns with the contract documents, including checking field measurements and coordinating with other work before sending it to the architect for review. The architect’s role is to review for conformance with the design intent, not to relieve the contractor of responsibility for deviations. Therefore, the best answer says the submittals have been reviewed and approved by the contractor and that materials have been verified against field measurements and coordination. This captures that the submittal image or data represents the contractor’s due-diligence in measurement and coordination, before the architect reviews for compatibility with the design. The other options imply automatic architect approval, no further review, or relieving the contractor of responsibility, which do not reflect how submittals function in practice.