Construction Specifications Writing

Harold J. Rosen, PD, Hon. CSI, CCS, is retired after an illustrious career as a construction specifications writer, which includes serving as a chief of specification for the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and as an independent specifications writer. He was awarded the highest honor by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) by being named an Honorary Member in recognition for his many decades of pioneering work on formats and practices for construction specifications writing. Robert S. Weygant, CSI, CDT, SCIP, is owner of Sumex Design, a BIM consulting and development firm located in New Hampshire. He is focused on development of BIM components for manufactured products and systems while promoting the use of new interoperability standards, the integral link between BIM and construction documentation. He has been the national chair of the BIM Practice Group for CSI and a member of the Institute Technical Committee. Mark Kalin, FAIA, FCSI, CCS, SCIP, LEED AP, is President of Kalin Associates, an independent specification consulting firm in the Boston area. He has been the national chair of the Sustainable Facilities Practice Group of the CSI and president of Specifications Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP). For the AIA, Mark has served as chair of the MasterSpec Review Committee, and the Specifications Professional Interest Area. For CSI, he has been president of the Boston Chapter and now serves on the national CSI Technical Committee. He has also taught a course on specifications writing at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. John R. Regener Jr., SAIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP, is an architect and independent specifications writer in Irvine, California, with thirty-five years of experience in producing and applying construction contract documents for commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential projects. Active in CSI education programs and leadership, he is a national leader in SCIP.

Preface. Introduction.

1 The Role of Specifications.

Documents for Construction.

Bidding Documents.

Contract Documents.

Specifications.

Study Questions.

2 Relationship between Drawings and Specifications.

What Goes Where.

The Drawings.

The Specifications.

Coordinating the Design Process.

Terminology.

Considerations for Users of Drawings and Specifications.

Study Questions.

3 Organization of Specifications.

History of Construction Specifications Organization.

Organizing Specifications According to MasterformatTM 2004.

Study Questions.

4 The Project Manual and Specifications Sections.

The Project Manual Concept.

Alternative and Supplemental Formats for the Project Manual.

Study Questions.

5 Formats for Specification Sections.

Need for Formats for Specification Sections.

SectionFormat.

PageFormat.

Study Questions.

6 Types of Specifications.

Methods for Writing Specifications.

Study Questions.

7 Specifications Writing Principles.

Determining Content for the Specifications.

Specifying.

Study Questions.

8 Bidding Requirements.

Three Basic Bidding Documents.

Study Questions.

9 General Conditions of the Contract.

Contractual Relationships.

Other Public Agency and Corporate General Conditions.

Study Questions.

10 Supplementary Conditions of the Contract.

Supplementary Conditions.

Guide for Producing Supplementary Conditions.

Study Questions.

11 Bonds, Guaranties, and Warranties.

Bonds.

Warranties and Guaranties.

Study Questions.

12 Division 01 - General Requirements.

Scope of Division 01.

Relationship of Division 01 Sections to Other Documents.

Writing Division 01 Sections.

Study Questions.

13 Modifications.

Modifications to Bidding and Contract Documents.

Addenda.

Change Orders.

Other Modifications.

Study Questions.

14 Specifications Language.

General Precepts.

Applications.

Study Questions.

15 Specifications Resources.

Overview.

Construction Specifications Resources.

Study Questions .

16 Product Selection.

Product Selection Factors.

Mandated Requirements.

Design Criteria.

Substitutions and Product Options.

Communicating and Recording Product Selections.

Study Questions.

17 Specifications Writing Procedures.

Getting Started.

Product Selections.

Project Information.

Specifications Format.

Specifying Method.

Specifications Detail.

Order of Sections to Be Produced.

Editing and Writing Specification Text.

Specifications Checklists.

Study Questions.

18 Master Guide Specifications.

Specification Guides and Intact Masters.

Public Agency Master Guide Specifications.

Commercial Master Guide Specifications.

Office Master Guide Specifications.

Study Questions.

19 Computer-Assisted Specifications.

Introduction.

The First Four Decades of Automation.

Transforming the Specification Process.

Word Processing Software.

Computers and Peripheral Equipment.

Word Processing Enhancements for Specifications.

Knowledge-Based, Computer-Assisted Specifications.

Specifiers Property Sets (SPie).

Study Questions.

20 Preliminary Project Description.

Uniformat®.

Project Description.

Preliminary Project Description.

Computer-Assisted PPDs.

Study Questions.

21 Outline and Shortform Specifications.

Outline versus Shortform Specifications.

Outline Specifications.

Preliminary Project Description (PPD) Versus Outline Specifications.

Shortform Specifications.

Study Questions.

22 Green Specs/LEED Specs.

Sustainable Design.

LEED Specifications.

Green Products.

Green Project Master Specifications.

Resources.

Study Questions.

23 Building Information Modeling.

Changing Specification Practice.

Standards and Formats for BIM.

Organizing BIM Data.

The Evolving Role of the Specifier.

The Ever-Evolving Specification.

Changing the Specifier’s Workflow.

Conclusions.

Study Questions.

Appendix A Project Manual Checklist.

Appendix B Sample Division 01 - General Requirements.

Appendix C Sample Preliminary Project Description.

Appendix D Sample Outline Specifications.

Appendix E Sample AIA Documents.

Appendix F Sample EJCDC Documents.

Study Questions: Answers.

Index.