What should the architect do with submittals not required by the contract documents?

• A. Review and approve them
• B. Return them by the architect without action
• C. Submit to the contractor for approval
• D. Forward to the owner for decision

Answer: (B)

Submittal review is limited to what the contract documents require. If the contractor sends a submittal that isn’t called for by those documents, the architect has no obligation to review or approve it. The correct action is to return the item to the contractor without action, signaling that it lies outside the review scope. This keeps the contract responsibilities clear and avoids implying approval of items not included in the agreement. Submitting to the contractor for approval or forwarding to the owner would create or bypass a review process that isn’t defined by the contract.