Section 18

Special Specifications

18.1 Introduction

A special specification should be used to pay for an item of work if :

C There is no Standard Specification that covers the type of work.

or
C The work is substantially different from the standard specifications and the
differences have a cost effect. If the cost of the differences is minimal (on a unit
basis), then a special specification is not needed, notes on the Plans will suffice.
Notes that involve substantial cost changes are not fair to the Contractors
bidding on a project since they may be missed in the rush to prepare a bid.

The use of special specifications should be minimized. Efforts should first be made to use
a standard specification. However, the use of a special specification is appropriate when
introducing new products or techniques. More detailed information on specification
procedure, item number prefixes and item number serialization is presented in Chapter 21
of the Highway Design Manual.

18.2 Special Specification Procedure

Once the decision to use a special specification has been made, the first step should be
to check if a suitable specification has been written for another project. The Design Quality
Assurance Bureau produces Addenda Catalogs listing the titles of thousands of special
specifications from Department projects. Separate catalogs are produced for metric and
common unit specifications. From these listings it may be possible to find an appropriate
special specification or at least something that can be used as a basis to create a new
special specification. The specification should be read to make sure it meets the project
needs. If it does, request that the Special Specification Coordinator have the specification
coded for use in the project. The request should include:

C A copy of the specification

C Plan sheets showing the proposed work.
C The Project Identification Number
C The PS&E date
C The designer’s name

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If no specification is available that covers the situation, then it is necessary to write a new
specification either by modifying an existing specification or starting from scratch.

18.3 Writing a Special Specification

Special specifications should mirror the standard specifications as much as possible. All
special specifications contain the same six elements, either by inclusion or by reference.
These elements are:

C Title - This should be a short description of the main portion of the work; it may
be four lines long.
C Description - This is a more detailed statement of the work involved.
C Materials - Material requirements should reference readily available standards,
such as:

C Department MATERIAL DETAILS from Section 700 of the Standard

Specifications Construction and Materials.
C A.S.T.M. Standards.
C A.A.S.H.T.O. Materials Standards
C Recognized national standards such as American Water Works Association.
C Federal Standards

Alternately, the following less desirable call outs may be used:

C Generic descriptions of commercially available materials that do not limit the

Contractor’s choices to less than three manufacturers.
C Three or more commercial product names with the phrase "or equal as
approved by (PICK ONE - Regional Director, D.C.E.S., D.C.E.T.S., etc.)"
C Three or fewer commercial product names with no equals allowed.

These less desirable call outs may require justification, See Chapter 21 of the
Highway Design Manual for more information. To prevent delays during
construction and prevent misinterpretation, the designer should communicate
their intent for the ‘or equal’ to the group designated. In Technical Services,
coordination with the Materials or Geotechnical Engineering staff is appropriate
as construction and specification questions are directed to them by their regional
counterparts. In most cases, Materials or Geotechnical Engineers are already
involved, if not, their involvement should be sought by the designer.

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C Construction Details - The Standard Specifications should be referenced, if

appropriate, and then exceptions or additions listed. Do not repeat paragraphs
from the Standard Specifications, since if the Standard Specifications were to
be revised the special specification would then be in error.

C Method of Measurement - This section is the cause of most problems. It must be

very clear what is being measured and then the estimate must reflect that
measurement. For example, if the specification were to say "the exposed face
of the noise barrier," the Contractor would probably demand that both sides be
measured. This is probably not what was intended.

C Basis of Payment - In addition to stating what is included in the bid price, this
section should state what is excluded from the cost (e.g., "The unit price bid shall
include the cost of all labor, materials and equipment necessary to complete the
work, except excavation will be paid under separate item(s)"). Progress
payment schedules should be included as appropriate.

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18.4 Format for Special Specifications

C A simple addition to a standard specification would appear as:

ITEM 603.0502 07 Round Corrugated Steel Pipe (38 mm x 13 mm,

150 mm diameter, 16 gage) with End Plugs

All the provisions of Section 603 pertaining to Round Corrugated Steel Pipe shall
apply and in addition the Contractor shall plug each end of the pipe with standard
galvanized steel end plugs.

The cost of furnishing and installing the end plugs shall be included in the price
bid for this item.

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C 25 mm borders are provided all around.

C Pay item and the five main section titles should be in Universal 11 point Bold
Underlined type.

C General text should be in Times New Roman 11 point type.

C Title should be a header appearing on each page.

C Page numbers and date should be a footer appearing on each page.

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A more complex specification including all six elements would appear as:

ITEM 562.50 16 - FASCIA PRECAST CONCRETE BEAMS

DESCRIPTION

This work shall consist of furnishing and erecting Fascia Precast Concrete Beams as shown
on the Contract Plans and in accordance with these specifications.

MATERIALS

The Fascia Precast Concrete Beams shall meet the requirements of the P.C.C.M. Bolts, nuts,
washers and plates used for anchoring the Fascia Precast Concrete Beams shall meet the
requirements of ASTM F568M, A563M, F463M and A709M GRADE 250 respectively and
shall be galvanized in accordance to Section 719-01.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

The requirements of the P.C.C.M. shall apply in their entirety. In lieu of the precast beam
shown on the Contract Plans, the Contractor shall have the option of submitting his own
design to the D.C.E.S. for approval. In submitting such a design, the Principal-Controlling
Dimensions shall not be altered. The Contractor may also provide extra prestressing steel
in the beam shown on the Contract Plans for handling and transporting.

METHOD OF MEASUREMENT

The Contractor will be paid the Lump Sum price bid for the "Fascia Precast Concrete Beams".

BASIS OF PAYMENT

The Lump Sum bid price shall include the cost of labor, materials and equipment necessary
to complete the work.

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