A transmittal is a short record of what you sent, to whom, on what date, and why. It is not a legal essay. It is the thing you reach for when someone says they never got the bulletin.

Used as a cover sheet, the same idea is how you issue a current set: a date, a list of sheets (or a statement that the full current set is attached), the revision, and a list of who received it. Without that, “I sent the new drawings” is just a memory of an email.

This template is a practical starting point, not an industry standard, and not a substitute for any transmittal form your contract requires. The copyable forms are in templates/H7-05-current-set-cover-sheet-and-transmittal.md. File a completed copy in 12_Transmittals every time you issue, and name it with the date first.

What belongs on the form

Keep it short enough that people actually fill it out.

  • Job name and number
  • Date sent
  • From / to
  • How it was sent (email, the job folder, hand delivery)
  • What it is (full current set, listed sheets, RFI response, ASI, submittal return, other)
  • Sheet or document list, with revision
  • Why it was sent, in one or two lines (“supersedes Rev 3 of the architectural set; also includes RFI 017, which changes sleeve locations”)
  • Whether the work changed, and whether the recipient needs to confirm they posted it to their field set
  • A place to note who acknowledged receipt, even if that is just “replied 2026-06-14”

If you are issuing a full current set, you can attach a sheet index instead of typing every sheet on the form, as long as the index is dated and filed with the transmittal. If you are issuing only a few sheets, list them. A transmittal that says “see attached” with no list is hard to use six months later, especially if the attachment has been split or renamed.

How it connects to the current-set rule

The transmittal does not replace the folder. The official drawings still live in 02_Drawings_Current, and what they replace still moves to 03_Drawings_Superseded the same day. The transmittal is the proof of sending, and the cover sheet is how a recipient knows what they were given.

A reasonable issuance habit:

  1. Update the current-set folder first.
  2. Fill out the cover sheet or transmittal, including the sheet list and the recipients.
  3. Send it the way the job actually communicates (email or the shared folder), and file a PDF of the form plus the send-record (a sent email, a platform confirmation, or a signed copy) in 12_Transmittals.
  4. If the work changed, follow up until the field has acknowledged it, and mark that on the RFI or submittal log when it applies.

You can draft the “why it was sent” line with an AI tool. Check the sheet numbers and revisions against the actual PDFs before you send. The tool is a clerk. The transmittal is your record.

If you want issuance built into the job file

You can copy this form into 12_Transmittals on your next job today. If you want the habit run for you, with the current set updated, the transmittal filed, and the distribution sent, I can set up the job file and keep it on a retainer.

If you want me to take a look, bring one recent issuance (even an email with no cover sheet) and show me where your drawings live. The files stay yours.

If you want help, not just a checklist

Some jobs run fine on a clean file and a superintendent who gives the log fifteen minutes twice a week. Others do not: revisions are moving fast, closeout is already behind, or the field simply has no hours left for paperwork.

That is where I come in. I set up the job file, run the logs on a retainer, or prepare closeout before the scramble starts. Your files stay yours, and there is no software contract to sign.

Email travis@builtonrecord.com Get the free Job File Kit