Glossary
Prior approval
Approval of a substitute product before bids are due, so every bidder can price it.
A prior-approval request is a substitution request made during bidding, by a deadline set in the bidding documents. Products the architect accepts are usually announced to all bidders in an addendum.
Because the request must reach the architect before the deadline, prior approval rewards manufacturers who find the project early.
Why it matters to manufacturers
Read every addendum. That is where approved equals are published, and where you learn whether your request was accepted.
Related terms
Substitution requestA formal request to use a product other than the one specified, reviewed by the architect or engineer.AddendumA written change to the bid documents issued before bids are due.Or approved equalSpec language that lets a product other than the named one be used, if the design professional accepts it as equal.
Find every “or equal”,
before bid day.
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