For Spec Writers & Estimators
Getting an alternate accepted.
A well-prepared substitution request is mostly a matter of timing and completeness. Here is what the process usually needs — and the part we handle for you.
The process
Five things that decide the outcome.
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Raise it early — before the tender closes
Most project manuals set a window for substitution requests, commonly a fixed number of days before bid close. The single biggest reason a good alternate gets refused is that it arrived after the window shut, not that anything was wrong with the product.
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Match the requirement, not the brand
A substitution is assessed against what the specification actually requires of the assembly — construction, performance, finish, warranty and lead time. We work from the section as written and identify where the proposed line meets it, and where it genuinely differs.
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Send current factory documentation
Reviewers want the manufacturer’s own current data, not a marketing sheet and not a third-party summary. We assemble it from the factory for your specific project, so what lands on the reviewer’s desk is live rather than whatever was published years ago.
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Be explicit about differences
Every genuine alternate differs somewhere. Naming those differences up front is what earns a reviewer’s trust — an approval that comes with a surprise attached is worse for everyone than a refusal.
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The architect of record decides
Acceptance rests with the architect of record, and code compliance with the authority having jurisdiction. Our role is to make the decision easy to make and easy to defend — not to make it for them.
What we handle
We assemble the documentation.
We do not publish static specification files, and that is deliberate: product data changes, and a PDF sitting on an agency website goes stale without anyone noticing. Instead we pull the manufacturer's current documentation for your specific project, at the moment you need it — and point you to the factory source so you can verify it yourself.
Send us this and we can move quickly
- The specification section and project name
- Bid close date, and the substitution window if one is stated
- The assembly in question — door, frame, glazing, hardware or sealing
- Any performance requirement the section calls for
- Where the drawings or spec package can be accessed
Missing a couple of these is fine — send what you have and we will work out the rest.
Working on a section that's already specified?
Send it over. We'll tell you honestly whether one of our lines is a credible alternate — and if it isn't, we'll say so.