Fabricating at Risk
The practice of a fabricator starting to build custom components before formal submittal approval is complete, done to save schedule time, which means the fabricator risks having to redo the work if the submittal comes back with required changes.
Why it matters
Custom fabricated items, millwork, structural steel, specialty glazing, often have long lead times that can threaten a project's schedule if the fabricator waits for every approval before starting. Fabricating at risk trades that schedule protection for real financial risk, since rework on an already-built custom component is far more expensive than correcting a drawing.
On a real project
A custom millwork fabricator begins cutting material for a reception desk before the submittal is formally approved, in order to meet a tight schedule, accepting the risk that any required revision in the approval comments will mean redoing some of the work already completed.
Who this matters most to
A Project Engineer tracks which fabricators are working at risk on a given project, since it changes how urgently a submittal review needs to move and what's actually at stake if changes come back.
Where this goes wrong
A fabricator building at risk finishes a custom component just before the submittal comes back with a required dimensional change. The already-completed work has to be partially redone, costing far more in time and material than if the fabricator had simply waited for approval before starting.