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Project Management

Document Control

In Plain English

The organized process of tracking, distributing, and archiving all project documents so everyone uses the right version.

Definition

Document control is the systematic management of project documents — including drawings, specifications, submittals, RFIs, change orders, contracts, and correspondence — to ensure that only the current, approved versions are in use, all parties receive required documents, and a complete project record is maintained. Effective document control prevents use of superseded drawings and supports dispute resolution.

Why It Matters in Bidding

During bidding, disciplined document control ensures estimators price from the current drawing set including all addenda, preventing costly errors from a superseded sheet. After award, it protects the contractor by maintaining a clean record of submittals, RFIs, and change orders that supports change-order entitlement and defends against claims when disputes arise.

Example

Mid-bid, an estimator's document log flags that Addendum 3 revised the curtain wall details, so she rebuilds the affected takeoff from the updated sheets rather than the original plans, avoiding a quantity error that would have understated her glazing sub's scope.

Related Terms

RFI (Request for Information)SubmittalShop DrawingChange OrderAs-Built Drawings

Related Tools & Templates

ProcorePlanGridAutodesk Construction Cloud

Frequently Asked Questions

Addenda issued before bid day routinely change scope, quantities, and specifications. Without tracking the current revision of every sheet and acknowledging all addenda, an estimator can price superseded drawings, producing a non-responsive or money-losing bid. A revision log keeps the takeoff aligned with what the owner will actually contract.
A complete, dated record of drawings, RFIs, submittals, and correspondence establishes what was known and approved at each point. When the owner directs extra work or a discrepancy surfaces, that trail substantiates entitlement and pricing for the change order and provides the evidence needed if the matter escalates to a claim.
Drawings and specifications, addenda, submittals and shop drawings, RFIs and responses, change orders, contracts, meeting minutes, and project correspondence. The goal is ensuring only current approved versions circulate, that all parties receive what they need, and that a complete, retrievable record exists for the life of the project.

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