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Issue a Transmittal

Transmittal creation

A transmittal is the formal record that a document or document package was sent to specific recipients on a specific date for a specific purpose. It captures what was sent, to whom, when, and what response or acknowledgement is expected.

Use transmittals whenever a controlled record of distribution is required — for example: issuing approved drawings to a contractor, submitting a package to a certifier for review, or distributing final close-out documents.

Transmittal fields​

Before creating your first transmittal, understand the key fields:

FieldDescription
Transmittal numberAuto-generated from the project numbering scheme (e.g., DEMO-TR-0001). Read-only once issued.
SubjectA short, descriptive title for this transmittal.
PurposeWhy these documents are being sent: For Approval, For Review, For Information, or For Construction. Determines whether formal acknowledgement is required.
Issued dateThe date the transmittal is formally issued. Auto-populated to today's date.
Required by dateOptional. The date by which recipients must acknowledge or respond. Triggers overdue notifications when passed.
RecipientsNamed users, contacts, or distribution lists who receive this transmittal. Each recipient is tracked separately for acknowledgement.
DocumentsThe document records (with revision) being transmitted. Selected from the project register.
Cover sheetAn auto-generated PDF listing the transmittal details, document list, and recipient addresses. Can be downloaded or attached to the issue email.
Notes / InstructionsFreetext field for issue-specific instructions visible to all recipients.

Step 1 — Open the transmittal form​

  1. Go to Transmittals in the left sidebar.
  2. Click New Transmittal.
  3. The transmittal form opens in draft mode. A draft number is assigned (it becomes the permanent number on issue).

Step 2 — Add documents​

  1. In the Documents section, click Add Documents.
  2. The document register opens in a selection panel. You can filter by discipline, type, status, or package.
  3. Select one or more documents. Each selection captures the current revision at the time of adding.
  4. Review the list. If you need to add the wrong revision, remove the document and re-select after uploading the correct revision.

You can also start a transmittal directly from the document register: select one or more documents → Bulk Actions → Issue Transmittal. This pre-fills the document list.

Step 3 — Set the purpose​

Select the transmittal purpose:

PurposeMeaningAcknowledgement required?
For ApprovalRecipient is expected to formally approve or reject the documentsYes
For ReviewRecipient is expected to review and provide commentsYes
For InformationRecipient receives for information onlyOptional (configurable)
For ConstructionIssued for use in construction activitiesYes

The purpose label appears on the cover sheet and in recipient notifications.

Step 4 — Add recipients​

  1. In the Recipients section, click Add Recipient.
  2. Search for a project member by name or email, or select a Distribution List to add multiple recipients at once.
  3. Each recipient appears as a row with their name, email, company, and acknowledgement status (initially blank).
  4. Repeat for all recipients. There is no limit on the number of recipients.

Distribution lists make recurring transmittals faster — create a list for "Structural Review Team" once and add it to each transmittal with one click. See Distribution Lists.

Step 5 — Fill in details​

  1. Enter a clear Subject (e.g., Civil Drawings Package – Rev A Issued for Review).
  2. Set the Required By date if acknowledgement is expected.
  3. Add any Notes for the recipients.
  4. Optionally toggle Require Acknowledgement on or off — overrides the default set by the purpose.

Step 6 — Preview the cover sheet​

Before issuing:

  1. Click Preview Cover Sheet to see the auto-generated PDF.
  2. The cover sheet includes: transmittal number, subject, purpose, issue date, document list (number, title, revision, type), recipient list, and notes.
  3. If anything is incorrect, close the preview and make corrections to the form.

Step 7 — Issue the transmittal​

  1. Click Issue Transmittal.
  2. A confirmation dialog shows the recipient count and document count.
  3. Click Confirm Issue.
  4. The transmittal status changes from Draft to Issued.
  5. All recipients receive an email notification with the transmittal details and a link to acknowledge.
  6. The cover sheet PDF is attached to the notification email (if configured in settings).

Step 8 — Monitor acknowledgements​

After issuing:

  1. Open the transmittal detail page.
  2. The Recipients section shows acknowledgement status per recipient: Acknowledged (✓), Pending (—), or Overdue (✗ in red if past the required-by date).
  3. The Dashboard → Overdue Items panel flags transmittals with outstanding acknowledgements.
  4. The Overdue Report in the Reports tab lists all overdue transmittals with days overdue per recipient.

When a recipient acknowledges:

  • They click the link in the email or open the transmittal in Workflows.
  • They click Acknowledge.
  • Their status updates to Acknowledged with a timestamp.
  • You receive a notification.

If a recipient is overdue:

  • You can click Resend Notification to re-send the acknowledgement request.
  • If the transmittal was issued in error, you can add a note and update the status manually (requires Manage Transmittals permission).

Good practices​

  • Use consistent subject line formats across the project (e.g., [Discipline] [Package] [Rev] [Purpose]) so transmittals are easy to find in the register.
  • Set a realistic Required By date — recipients need time to acknowledge.
  • Only transmit approved or issued revisions unless the purpose is explicitly For Review or For Approval.
  • For large packages, group by discipline rather than sending all documents in one transmittal — keeps acknowledgement tracking clean.
  • Archive completed transmittals at project closeout by exporting them to PDF and storing in the project record.