This article This article provides information about e-PlanREVIEW® (EPR) partial document submittal, which some refer to as "partial intake." This page covers the pros and cons of using partial intake, including how document page sheet numbers factor into the process.
In this article:
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About Partial Submittal/Intake
Partial submittal/intake is the process where an applicant uploads a partial plans set - usually consisting of just new and/or changed pages - instead of providing another full plan set during a resubmittal. While some agencies require applicants to provide full plan sets each time they submit or resubmit files, others allow - or even prefer - to let applicants only provide the changed pages during a resubmittal.
There are pros and cons to each option, so the decision whether to require full plan set resubmittals or allow partial submittals is up to the agency based on what works best for them and their constituents. Read more about each scenario below.
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EPR can be configured one of two ways: to prevent partial submittal/intake ("Partial Intake OFF") or to allow partial submittals ("Partial Intake ON"). This setting applies to EPR system-wide, so the configuration will affect ALL PROJECTS within EPR. It will also affect any integrated environments. This configuration is "OFF" by default, but an agency can request for the e-PlanSoft team to turn it "ON" if desired. This cannot be changed by the agency itself at this time. |
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Out of the box, EPR has partial submittal/intake turned "OFF." This means applicants will need to submit full plan sets during resubmittals as well as during the first submittal. A "full" plan set means that the set contains every page from the previous version; it can include extra pages, but cannot contain fewer pages than the previous version. When partial submittal is off, EPR will replace the existing version of each plan set page with the new version of that page (based on page order).
PROS
More applicant accountability since resubmittals will always contain the whole plan set
Simpler intake process
Requires less training for agency intake staff
Markups (drawings, comments, etc.) are transferred based on page order
For example, if a reviewer adds a comment on the seventh page of the original submittal, that comment will be transferred to the seventh page of the resubmittal.
No sheet numbering requirements for either the applicant or the agency
CONS
Applicants cannot submit just new and/or updated plan pages during resubmittal
Stricter submittal requirements
Each resubmittal set must have an equal or greater number of pages than the previous submittal; if a plan has 10 pages during the first submittal, it must have at least 10 pages in the second submittal; if the second submittal has 12 pages, the third submittal must have at least 12 pages, and so on...
Applicants must maintain submittal pages in the same order
Applicant must add new pages at the end of the document
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| title | Submit Pages In Order |
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Failure to submit plan set pages in the same order as the original submittal may result in reviewer markups being transferred to the wrong page on the latest plan set version. This reduces resubmittal review efficiency and can lead to more work for agency plan reviewers. |
Partial Submittal ON
When partial submittal/intake is turned "ON" per an agency's request, applicants are allowed to submit partial (incomplete) plan sets during resubmittals. A "partial" plan set is usually just the pages that are new or have changes since the previous version. When partial submittal is on, EPR will take the pages from the partial submittal and combine them with the pages from the previous submittal to create a new aggregate document. New pages are added at the end of the aggregate plan set, though these can be sorted later. If a page is identified as a new version of an existing page (based on "Sheet Numbers") it will replace the prior version of that page.
PROS
- Applicants can provide partial sets that just focus on new and/or changed pages
More flexible submittal requirements
Resubmittal sets can contain fewer, equal, or a greater number of pages than the previous submittal
(thoughThough submitting only new/changed pages is STRONGLY recommended
, because:
Applicants can provide partial sets that just focus on new or updated information
Applicants' resubmittal file sizes can be smaller
Neither EPR nor Agency staff have to worry about mapping pages which are unchanged from previous submittal
Applicants do not have to worry about keeping pages in the same order as long as they have readable sheet numbers
Applicants can add new pages anywhere within the document
Markups (drawings, comments, etc.) are transferred based on matching pages by sheet number
This improves the accuracy of markup transfer on resubmitted plan sets
For example, if a reviewer adds a comment on page S-07 on the original submittal, that comment will be transferred to S-07 on the resubmittal, even if pages have been added in front of S-07
CONS
If applicants still submit full plan sets (which is allowed
but NOT RECOMMENDED), this can create more work for intake staffPotentially more, though not recommended):
Reviewers will need to look through the entire submittal for new or updated information
Applicants' resubmittal file sizes may get larger as they add more pages
Both EPR and Agency staff have to keep track of mapping for pages which are unchanged from previous submittal
Potentially more elaborate intake process
Requires more detailed training for agency intake staff
Proper sheet numbering for document pages is required or this will result in additional work for agency staff
Agency staff may be reminded if any submittal pages are missing sheet numbers on the review page
Sheet numbers should be added or corrected on the current plan set before a new version of the plan set is accepted for intake to prevent from potential data issues down the line
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If applicants do not follow sheet number recommendations (see below), EPR's ability to automatically transfer markups may be impacted. This can result in additional work for intake staff or other agency employees who will need to fill in missing or incorrect sheet numbers. |
Shared Limitations
The following requirements pertain to both configurations:
Plan set pages cannot be removed/excluded from a submittal by the applicant
Instead, the applicant must mark pages to show they are no longer considered part of the set (either cross them out, labeled as "omitted", etc.)
If multiple pages are combined into a single page during a resubmittal, a blank placeholder page must be used in place of the deleted page(s)
If a page needs to be removed from the deliverable plan set that will be returned to the applicant, EPR has tools to allow agency staff to exclude the page. This can help clean up final/approved sets, for example.
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Partial Submittal ON Relies on Sheet Numbers
Partial submittal/intake relies on EPR being able to read sheet number information from each incoming document page to do one of the following:
If sheet number MATCHES an existing page sheet number, EPR links the two pages. EPR then updates the current version to use the latest version (from new submittal) in the aggregate document.
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If sheet number DOES NOT MATCH an existing page sheet number, EPR adds the page as new to the end of the aggregate document and displays the sheet number.
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If sheet number is missing or cannot be identified, EPR adds that page as new to the end of the aggregate document without displaying a sheet number (it shows the page number only).
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When partial submittal When partial submittal is ON, EPR will pop-up a notification on the Review page if any pages are missing sheet numbers. Users can either click "Go To Sheet Numbers" to add them or click "Dismiss" to ignore and work on the review page. It is strongly advised that staff fill in any missing sheet numbers as early as possible during a review cycle. |
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If included on incoming documents, EPR may display sheet numbers on the review page thumbnail panel but will not use this information for page matching.
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How EPR Identifies Sheet Numbers
During the document render process, optical character recognition (OCR) runs to try to identify sheet numbers automatically. While OCR technology has limits, three main factors affect whether EPR can identify a sheet number properly:
Location and Page Rotation
Font Style
Sheet Number Pattern
Location and Page Rotation
To reduce the potential for errors, EPR focuses on the lower right corner of the incoming page to try to identify the sheet number (as highlighted in red below):
LANDSCAPE | OR | PORTRAIT |
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Applicants should submit pages with the correct rotation, since incorrect rotation will prevent EPR from reading sheet numbers successfully:
CORRECT ROTATION | VS | INCORRECT ROTATION | |||
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SHEET NUMBER: S-01 | SHEET NUMBER: S-06 | SHEET NUMBER: ? | SHEET NUMBER: ? | SHEET NUMBER: ? |
If EPR is unable to identify a sheet number, or if EPR misidentifies a sheet number during the automated process, users will need to manually add or edit the sheet number.
Font Style Guidelines
Certain fonts are more likely to result in successful sheet number identification than others. To provide the best chance for success:
FONTS SHOULD:
Be large and easy-to-read
Use standard True Type fonts (such as Arial, Calibri, Courier, Helvetica, etc.) with continuous, filled-in characters
Provide adequate white space between each character
Be from a high quality image if scanned (at least 150 DPI or higher, without significant compression artifacts)
Ensure the Z coordinate value of the text is zero
FONTS SHOULD AVOID:
Overly small text sizes
Non-True Type fonts
Fanciful formats that appear as italics, unfilled outlines, or with overlapping text, such as fonts that look like handwriting
Compressed or stacked text (sheet numbers should not have anything written next to them or wrap onto a second line of text)
Formats where ‘1’ and ‘L’ and ‘I’ appear exactly the same
Low quality image scans
Modifying the original font through style option changes
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Sheet number identification works best when sheet numbers are drawn using serif fonts. |
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For example, fonts where the characters below are clearly identifiable: |
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Default Sheet Number Pattern
Out of the box, EPR uses a default sheet number pattern (based on best practice sheet numbering formats) to check incoming pages for potential matches. If a value matching the pattern is identified in the correct location, EPR will set that value as the page Sheet Number. To reduce the potential for mismatches, the default sheet number pattern follows these rules:
Can only contain letters, numbers, dashes ( - ), underscores ( _ ) and/or periods ( . )
Total length must be between 2 and 12 characters (including symbols)
Cannot include three or more letters in a row (for example: AA-01 is okay, but AAD-01 will be ignored)
Cannot include four or more numbers in a row (for example: A-002 is okay, but A-0002 will be ignored)
Must start with one of the following discipline letters: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,X,Z,V,W
Cannot include "of" as part of the pattern (for example: 1 of 8 will be ignored)
GOOD EXAMPLES
The sheet number is written in a large, clear, True-Type font with adequate space around each character and follows the pattern rules:
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BAD EXAMPLES
Sheet number has bad font style or breaks pattern guidelines:
3+ Letters in a Row | 4+ Numbers in a Row | Inadequate Space Around | Compressed/Stacked Fonts | Uses "Of" Format |
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Hollow or Outline Fonts | Non-standard and Not Continuous (Broken) Fonts | Overlapping or Handwriting Fonts |
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Additional Sheet Number Patterns
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Once the alternate pattern check is activated, EPR will check incoming document pages for the alternate pattern first.
If a sheet number matching this alt. pattern is found, it will use that value.
If no match for the alt. pattern is found, EPR will fall back and check the page for any values that match the default sheet number pattern.
If a match for the default pattern is then found, it will use that value.
If no match is found for either alt. or default sheet number patterns, EPR will leave sheet number blank. Staff will need to supply the sheet number manually.
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| title | Alt. Sheet Number Pattern Limits |
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Agencies are limited to either one (1) global alternate sheet number pattern, or, if an agency is using the Project-level "Service Area" field, one (1) alternate sheet number pattern can be configured for each different "Service Area" value. |
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How Sheet Numbers Are Used
EPR checks a specific zone within incoming document pages to try to identify a sheet number that matches a predefined pattern. If it finds one, it will use the information one of two ways:
When Partial Submittal is OFF, any sheet numbers found may be displayed on the page thumbnail on the Review page, but are not used for anything else.
When Partial Submittal is ON, however, sheet numbers are REQUIRED since they are used to link pages from the newest submittal version to the previous one. If a sheet number does not match an existing page, it is treated as new and added at the end of the document. (This order can be changed later.)
Proper linking of page versions using Sheet Numbers allows EPR to automatically migrate markups (both comments, sketches, etc.) to the latest version of a document page, even when resubmitted plans consists of only new and changed pages instead of the full set.
Document Page Linking
Partial Submittal OFF (Default) - Sheet numbers are NOT required | Partial Submittal ON - Sheet numbers ARE required | |
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With Partial Submittal OFF, sheet numbers are NOT required to link pages. Instead, EPR will link pages |
using the order of the pages within the document.
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since EPR will link pages |
using the sheet numbers provided. |
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Markups are moved from one version to |
another based on their respective page order in the document.
| Markups are moved from version to version based on matching the sheet numbers provided.
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Modifying Sheet Numbers During First (1st) Submittal
While the automated process is designed as a first pass for identifying sheet numbers, document pages and sheet numbers that don't fit the criteria described in previous sections can limit its effectiveness. To help with cases where automated identification is unsuccessful, the project Sheet Numbers tab offers users a secondary way to add missing sheet numbers or correcting mismatched sheet numbers. Using the Sheet Numbers tab to review sheet number accuracy is strongly encouraged.
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To add or update sheet numbers manually:
Open a project record and navigate to the SHEET NUMBERS tab. (If the SHEET NUMBERS tab is not visible, then Sheet Number "View" permissions will need to be granted by your EPR Administrator.)
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Select a Document
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drop-down,
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select the document filename.
A column listing each document page in the 1st Submittal will load, with any identified sheet numbers displayed beneath the page thumbnails.
If a thumbnail is missing a sheet number, you can check for the sheet number in two ways:
To check a single page, click on its thumbnail and it will enlarge. Your cursor will magnify any area you hover over.
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To check all sheets at once, click on the
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Show Sheet
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Numbers toggle to display a zoomed in view of the sheet number area for all thumbnails. (This may take time if there are many pages.)
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Update the Sheet Number value as necessary to match the correct value shown in the preview.
To edit a sheet number, click on
(the pencil-shaped edit icon) beneath the preview and edit accordingly.Duplicate sheet numbers are not
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acceptable.
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For first submittals only, users can also click the AUTOCOMPLETE option on the upper right to automatically set sheet numbers for any pages without one.
The system will set the automated sheet number to “P#”, where # is based on where the page falls within the document; for example, the tenth page in the document would be set to “P10.”
Pages that already have sheet numbers will retain those values.
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Once all pages have a sheet number, click SAVE to confirm any changes.
Any sheet number changes will display the next time a user opens or reloads the review page for the document.
Pages without sheet numbers will still display at the end of the document.
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Users are strongly encouraged to add any missing sheet numbers and correct misidentified sheet numbers as soon as possible to reduce the potential for mapping errors down the line. In particular, usersUsers are advised to add missing sheet numbers for a submittal before the next submittal is received. |
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Modifying Sheet Numbers for Resubmittals
Modifying sheet numbers for a resubmittal is similar to the process outlined above, with one important caveat: updates must occur sequentially, starting with the first submittal forward through the second submittal, third, etc.
Note that only the two latest submittals will remain visible on the Sheet Numbers tab, so it is important to ensure that the earliest submittals have the proper sheet numbers set first.
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From the
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Select a Document
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drop-down, select the document filename (resubmittals will be linked to the original filename).
Starting with the second submittal, several columns will load instead of just one:
The far-left column displays the previous submittal pages.
The center-left column displays the newest submittal pages that have already been linked to a page in the previous submittal.
The center-right column (labeled "Result") displays the aggregate document set combining the latest version of each page. This is the set that will eventually be returned to the applicant.
The far-right column displays any pages from the newest submittal that have not been linked to a previous page.
Unmatched pages will show up on the right side under “Unmatched sheets” column.
Drag and drop sheets from this column over to the correct sheet match, if needed. This will auto-update the sheet number.
Update any incorrect sheet numbers, if needed.
Enter missing sheet numbers for new pages listed in the "Unmatched sheets" column. (New pages will remain in this column until the next submittal.)
Duplicate sheet numbers are not allowed.
Once all page have a sheet number, click SAVE to confirm changes.
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Sheet Numbers |
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matter because EPR uses them to link previous and new page versions together. This allows markups from the previous submittal to be pulled forward into the new submittal so reviewers can pick up where they left off. |
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