This page is about purchasing arrangement and risk ownership. It is not a line-by-line install deliverable list. For the storefront install scope checklist, use what’s included in storefront glass installation.
Two buying modes, one package of parts
Commercial storefront and window packages usually include aluminum framing, glass, anchors or anchor hardware as specified, gaskets, and related accessories. The question is who buys that package and who owns the work after the truck leaves the plant.
Supply-only (material-only) is a purchase of product. The seller’s obligation ends at the delivery point named in the purchase order, unless the PO adds receiving help or staging. Field layout, anchors, sealants, hardware set, and punch sit with the GC or a separate installer.
Furnish-and-install is a subcontract. The glazing contractor buys the system, runs submittals, coordinates fabrication release, receives material, installs, and closes punch. Manufacturer product warranties still pass through. The install warranty rides with the installing contractor.
Neither mode changes Florida product approval or permit requirements by itself. What changes is who is on the hook when a dimension is wrong, a crate is damaged, or a sealant joint fails punch.
GC responsibility matrix (template)
Use this as a buyout checklist. Fill the cells for your project. It is a template, not a record of any ACG job, and not legal advice.
TEMPLATE ONLY. Typical Florida GC practice. Confirm every cell against the PO and subcontract. Not a project record.
| Stage | Supply-Only (typical) | Furnish-and-Install (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Design coordination | Owner / Architect own design intent. GC coordinates. Supplier may answer product questions. Shop drawings often by others. | Owner / Architect own design intent. Glazing sub owns shop drawings and product data package per subcontract. |
| Buyout | Owner or GC purchases from Supplier. Install labor is a separate buy. | Glazing sub purchases from Supplier under its PO. Single Division 08 buyout. |
| Approvals / submittals | Supplier provides data sheets and approval docs. Who stamps and who submits to AHJ: Owner/GC/installer per contract. | Glazing sub owns submittal package and revision tracking. Final AHJ acceptance path remains project-specific. |
| Fabrication | Supplier fabricates after approved release from the buyer named on the PO. | Supplier fabricates after glazing sub releases. Glazing sub owns dimension risk vs field openings. |
| Shipping / freight | Supplier ships to named delivery point. GC or receiver owns unloading, storage, and damage claims after transfer per Incoterms/PO. | Glazing sub coordinates delivery window, receiving, and staging. GC still owns site access and crane if required by contract. |
| Field install | GC or separate installer. Supplier is not the installing contractor unless added by change order. | Glazing sub. Anchors, glazing, sealants, hardware set per approved shops. |
| Punch / closeout | Installer and GC. Material defects route to Supplier; workmanship defects route to installer. | Glazing sub owns punch for its scope. Material defects still route to Supplier under the manufacturer warranty path. |
| Warranty | Manufacturer product warranty pass-through. Install warranty is separate and belongs to the installer. | Manufacturer pass-through plus glazing sub install warranty. |
Column parties in practice: Owner, GC, Glazing sub, Supplier. Assign one primary owner per cell on every project.
Design coordination and buyout
Design intent stays with the architect and owner on both modes. What moves is shop drawing ownership and who pays for revision cycles after field measure.
On supply-only, the GC often buys from a supplier while a separate crew installs. That split works when openings are locked, the schedule is clear, and someone owns field verification before fabrication release. It fails when the PO says “per plans” and the field opening does not match the schedule.
On furnish-and-install, the glazing sub prices both material and labor in one package. Buyout is cleaner for the GC. The glazing sub carries the coordination between shops, glass makeup, and site conditions.
Approvals and fabrication release
Product data, Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA documents where required, and shop drawings are paperwork. Who gathers them and who submits them are different jobs.
Fabrication should not start on a verbal. Release needs approved shops (or a written release-at-risk from the buyer named on the PO). On supply-only, that buyer is often the GC or owner. On furnish-and-install, it is the glazing sub. Wrong release owner is how you get glass cut to an obsolete schedule.
Shipping, field install, and punch
Freight terms decide when title and risk of loss transfer. Read the PO Incoterms and the delivery address. A dock drop is not the same as set-in-place.
Supply-only receiving is a GC problem: crane, forklift, dry storage, and a damage log before the truck leaves. Furnish-and-install still needs GC site access, but the glazing sub owns the receiving checklist for its material.
Punch splits the same way. Material defects (wrong lite, finish failure under manufacturer terms) route to the supplier path. Workmanship (sealant, plumb, hardware adjustment) routes to whoever installed. Mixing those paths late is expensive.
Warranty split and risk transfer
Do not treat “warranty” as one word. Product warranties come from manufacturers and pass through. Install warranties come from the installing contractor.
Risk transfer moments that matter on every buyout:
- Approved shop drawing date vs verbal field dimensions
- Fabrication release signature
- Freight handoff and signed receiving ticket
- Substantial completion / punch acceptance for the glazing scope
Write those four dates into the buyout notes. They decide who pays when something is late or damaged.
How to ask for the right quote
Send elevations and the door and window schedule. Add one sentence: material-only (supply-only) or furnish-and-install. If you need both options, ask for two scopes on the same opening list, not one ambiguous price.
ACG works from West Palm Beach, Naples, and Tampa. Call (772) 486-7711. FL CGC #1531993.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is supply-only commercial glazing?
Supply-only means the seller furnishes framed units, glass, and related materials to the jobsite or staging point. Field install, sealants, and punch remain with the GC or a separate installer unless the purchase order says otherwise.
What is furnish-and-install glazing?
Furnish-and-install puts buyout, submittals, fabrication release, receiving, field install, and punch under one glazing subcontractor. Manufacturer warranties still pass through. The install warranty rides with the installing contractor.
Who owns product approvals on a supply-only buy?
The supplier typically provides product data and approval documents. Who stamps, submits, and tracks AHJ comments is a contract assignment. Confirm it in the PO and Division 01 before buyout.
How should a GC request a material-only vs installed quote?
Send elevations, the door and window schedule, and a one-line scope note: material-only or furnish-and-install. That single line prevents a mixed bid and a late risk transfer.