How to Write Specifications

Specifications are the written requirements for a material, product, or service for a
proposed project, like a building, bridge or machine. For architectural projects, the
specifications are part of the Contract Documents included with the bidding and construction
requirements and the drawings. This guide will cover what how to organie specifications, the
t!pes of specification methods and specific t!pe of language used for writing specifications.
Purpose of Specifications
Q Specifications should describe the t!pe and qualit! of ever! product required for the
project.
Q The specifications should describe the requirements for fabrication, erection,
application, installation and finishing.
Q Specifications should describe the qualit! of workmanship necessar! for the project.
This includes all phases of creation and installation starting with manufacturing,
fabrication, and application, through installation, finishing and adjustment.
Q Specifications should include an! necessar! codes and standards applicable to the
project.
Q The specifications should also include descriptions and procedures for alternate
materials, products or services if necessar!.
Organization of the Project Manual
Contract Documents contain the bidding and construction requirements, drawings
and specifications. The project manual is the bound written portion of the Contract
Documents. The project manual is t!picall! organied according to MasterFormat
1
. The
project manual contains the following elements"
Introductory Information
Title #age
Certifications #age
Table of Contents
Guide to Use of the Project Manual $used b! man! specifiers%
Bidding Requirements
&id Solicitation" 'dvertisement()nvitation to &id
)nstructions to &idders
)nformation 'vailable to &idders
&id Forms and Supplements
Contracting Requirements
'greement
*eneral Conditions of the Contract
Supplementar! Conditions of the Contract
+
For more information about MasterFormat see Construction Secifications !riting Princiles and Procedures b! ,arold -. .osen.
&onds and Certificates
Secifications
Division /+ 0 *eneral .equirements
Divisions /1 through 23 0 Technical Specifications
"endices
'ppendices are not included in MasterFormat but the! are useful for
including copies of information, reference documents, e4isting conditions
photographs or e4ample forms for use in administration.
Organization of Specifications
)t is important for the specifications section of the project manual to be arranged
in an orderl! and comprehensive format. )f the section is organied clearl! and follows a
defined procedure it is less likel! that the specifier will overlook or forget something. )t
will also help the contractor, estimator, inspector, or other reviews find information more
easil!.
SectionFormat is a nationall! approved, industr!5accepted standard that provides
a defined procedure for organiation of the specifications section. )t provides guidelines
for the arrangement of information within the technical section of specifications. The
concise orderl! method reduces the chance for omissions or duplication of information
and it assists users of the document b! consistentl! locating similar information in the
same place in each Section. SectionFormat has three separate parts"
Part 1 # General$ This section describes administrative, procedural and
temporar! requirements specific to this section of specifications.
Part % # Products$ This section describes, in detail, the materials,
products, equipment, s!stems or assemblies to be used in the project.
Part & # '(ecution$ This section describes, in detail, an! preparator!
actions and how the products shall be incorporated into the project.
To go along with SectionFormat is PageFormat. PageFormat is a standardied
presentation of te4t for each page of a specification Section. )t provides a concise and
orderl! arrangement of 'rticles, #aragraphs and Subparagraphs and it addresses the
ph!sical arrangement on the page, such as margins, indents, headers and footers. The
following list is the levels of organiation for PageFormat"
PageFormat 6evels
#'.T + 0 *787.'6 67976 $First 6evel%
+./+ '.T)C67 $Second 6evel%
'. #aragraph $Third 6evel%
+. Subparagraph $Fourth 6evel%
a. Subparagraph $Fifth 6evel%
+% Subparagraph $Si4th 6evel%
Types of Specifications
There are four methods of specif!ing. There is no defined rule for using one
method over another or about combining methods, but care should be taken to avoid
redundanc! or contradictions. The four methods are"
Q Descriptive
Q #erformance
Q .eference Standard
Q #roprietar!
Descriptive Specifications
:nder this method of specif!ing the e4act properties of the materials and
methods of installation are described in detail without using proprietar! or
manufacturer;s names. Descriptive specifications are commonl! used for
products for which no standards e4ist, on projects where using proprietar! names
is restricted, and in situations where the 'rchitect(7ngineer want to e4ercise tight
control over the specified work. There are five steps for preparing descriptive
specifications"
+. .esearch available products
1. .esearch the important features required for the product.
<. Determine which features to describe in the specification and
which features to show in the drawings.
2. Describe the important features.
=. Specif! qualit! assurance measures $i.e. submittals, certifications,
testing or inspection activities%
'dvantages to using descriptive specifications"
Q Descriptive specifications specif! e4actl! what the design intends.
Q The! are applicable to all conditions, methods or situations of a
project.
Q The! are applicable to all sies and t!pes of projects.
Q The! permit free competition because the! do not restrict the use
of specific products or manufacturers.
Disadvantages of descriptive specifications"
Q The! require the specifier to take special care in describing the
design intent in order to achieve the desired results.
Q Descriptive specifications tend to take up more space because the!
require more verbiage than other methods.
Q The! ma! be more time consuming than other methods to create
and write.
Q The! are being used less often as more complete reference
standards are being developed and implemented.
Performance Specifications
:nder this method the required end results are specified along with the
criteria b! which the performance will be judged and the method b! which it can
be verified. The contractor is free to choose the materials and methods that
compl! with the performance specification. The! are generall! used to encourage
the use of new and innovative techniques that ma! lead to more economical
construction. The! are also used to supplement other specification methods.
'dvantages to using performance specifications"
Q >nl! the end result or design intent is specified, this gives the
Contractor fle4ibilit! in selecting and appl!ing products.
Q The! permit free competition.
Q The! can be applicable in all t!pes and sies of projects.
Q #erformance specifications delegate the technical responsibilities
to the construction industr!, where the Contractor instead of the
'rchitecture(7ngineering firm is responsible for the results.
Disadvantages to using performance specifications"
Q The! can be time consuming to produce and ma! result in long,
detailed specifications.
Q The! are more difficult to enforce than other methods of
specif!ing.
Q The! ma! be too elaborate for simple or minor projects.
Q #erformance specifications delegate the technical responsibilities
to the construction industr!, where the Contractor instead of the
'rchitecture(7ngineering firm is responsible for the results. $This
is both an advantage and disadvantage because it depends who
wants certain responsibilities and control.%
Reference Stanar Specifications
:nder this method reference is made to an established standard defined b!
associations ver! knowledgeable about a certain part or phase of construction.
.eference standard specifications are used for ?commodit!? products in the
marketplace, where brand names are not important. Steps for preparing reference
standard specifications are"
+. The standard must be recognied as authoritative b! the industr!.
1. The standard must be available to all parties involved in the
project.
<. The specifier must know the standard. 'ssure that the standard
relates to the current project and does not present duplicate or
conflicting information.
2. 7stablish a date of the standard.
=. )ncorporate the standard correctl! into the specifications.
@. 7nforce the requirements of the standard.
'dvantages to using reference standard specifications"
Q The standard is usuall! widel! known and accepted b! the
industr!.
Q The! do not limit competition.
Q The! dramaticall! shorten the length of specifications.
Disadvantages to using reference standard specifications"
Q There ma! be no appropriate standard to reference, because
standards are written for the most commonl! used and generall!
available products.
Q Standards generall! refer to the minimum requirements.
Q The standard ma! become obsolete or out5of5date, because of
advances and changes in technolog! and the creation of new
products.
Q The! require a lot of research and care in use.
Q The! must be incorporated properl!, including all supplementar!
information.
Proprietary Specifications
:nder this method the actual brand names, model numbers and other
proprietar! information is specified. The! are primaril! used for private
commercial projects where the >wner knows what products the! want. There are
two t!pes of proprietar! specifications, closed and open. The primar! difference
between the two t!pes concerns substitutions.
Closed
Closed specifications generall! prohibit substitutions. >ne or
more products are specified, and no substitutions will be considered.
>pen
>pen specifications permit substitutions. >ne or more products
are specified, but other manufacturers will be considered. )t is necessar!
to specif! the process and criteria the alternate manufacturers will be
judged b!.
'dvantages to using proprietar! specifications"
Q The! allow for close control of product selection.
Q The drawings can be more complete and more detailed because
the! can be prepared based on precise information from the
selected manufacturer.
Q The specification can be shorter.
Q The! simplif! the bidding b! narrowing competition and
eliminating product pricing as a major variable.
Disadvantages to using proprietar! specifications"
Q The! reduce the competition.
Q The! ma! specif! products the Contractor is not familiar with or
has had little e4perience with.
Q Care should be taken to assure no error is made when specif!ing
model numbers or product designations.
!onrestrictive Specifications
8onrestrictive specifications are used when public authorities restrict the
use of proprietar! specifications. 7ither a different method needs to be used that
can be met b! several manufacturers, or 1 to < manufacturers must listed as
additional possibilities in a proprietar! specification.
Selecting a Metho of Specifying
The following questions are helpful to consider when tr!ing to decide which
method of specif!ing is most appropriate.
Q Ahat does the >wner requireB
Q Ahat method best describes the design intentB
Q Ahat method is most appropriate for the project sie and comple4it!B
Q Ahat method will result in the best qualit! of workB
Q Ahat method will result in the best price for the workB
Specification "anguage
Specification language should be precise. 9ague and ambiguous te4t can be open
to multiple interpretations. This section covers how to be precise and clear when writing
specifications and it includes a few things to avoid and how to be concise and save space.
#our important $s for specification writing
Q &e Clear" 'void ambiguit!, use proper grammar and chose precise words to
conve! the message.
Q &e Correct" #resent information accuratel! and precisel! using proper
terminolog!.
Q &e Complete" Do not out important or necessar! information. &revit! at the
e4pense of completeness should be avoided.
Q &e Concise" 7liminate unnecessar! words but at the e4pense of clarit!,
correctness, completeness or grammar.
Sentence Structure
)mperative Cood
)mperative mood puts the verb that defines the action as the first word in
the sentence. )t is the recommended method for specifications covering
installation of products and equipment. )t is easil! understandable and concise.
74amples" Sread adhesive with notched trowel.
Install equipment plumb and level.
"ly two coats of paint to each e4posed surface.
)ndicative Cood
)ndicative mood uses the passive voice with the use of the word shall in
nearl! ever! sentence. Sometimes this can create unnecessar! wordiness and
monoton!.
74amples" 'dhesive shall be spread with notched trowel.
7quipment shall be installed plumb and level.
Two coats of paint shall be applied to each e4posed
surface.
Streamline Writing
This technique uses a colon $"% to mean shall or shall )e. Streamlined
specifications are ver! concise and clear to read. The subject before the colon is helpful
when scanning the specifications for ke!words.
74amples" 'dhesive" Spread with notched trowel.
7quipment$ )nstall plumb and level.
#ortland Cement" 'STC C +=/, T!pe +
Wors to %voi
T!picall! the articles a* an and the are not necessar! and can be deleted where
clarit! is not diminished. 'void making an article or pronoun out of the following wordsD
such, said, and same. The use of the word all is usuall! unnecessar!.
'void" )nstall the equipment plumb and level.
Such accessories shall be silver plated.
#olish said floor with wa4.
#olish same floor with wa4.
Store all millwork under shelter.
&'ample
References
The Construction Specifications )nstitute. +he Project Resource Manual* CSI Manual of
Practice, =
th
ed. 8ew Eork" Cc*raw5,ill, 1//=.
#ilus, -effre! C. ?Specifications Cini5Course #art 1.? Class lecture notes reviewing The #roject Canual.
:niversit! of 8ebraska56incoln, 6incoln, 1//3.
.osen, ,arold -. Construction Secifications !riting Princiles and Procedures, =
th
ed.
,oboken, 8ew -erse!" -ohn Aile! F Sons, )nc., 1//=.