SPECIFICATIONS

(EQS 2304)

1.0 SPECIFICATIONS
1.1 Session Objectives

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Understand the definition and relevance of

specifications in construction.
INTRODUCTION

Knowledge of specification writing principles and

procedures is essential to the specifier in an
architectural or engineering firm in order to prepare
sound, enforceable construction specifications. Unless
skills are properly developed to understand and apply
these principles, and unless expert knowledge of
materials, contracts, and construction procedures is also
applied, the architect or engineer cannot communicate
successfully with the ultimate users of the
specifications:
facility owners, general contractors, subcontractors,
materials suppliers, code
authorities, and quality assurance inspectors.
Specifications, as written instructions,
are frequently judged by courts as having greater
importance than
drawings when these documents are in conflict, with
judgments based
usually on what is contained in the specifications. This
means that
specifications should be carefully prepared by
knowledgeable people.
DOCUMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION

When an Owner decides to build, renovate, or reconstruct a

facility, the Owner
usually engages others to prepare documents describing the
Work to be performed
and the contractual requirements under which construction
and related
administrative activities are accomplished.
DOCUMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION

The Architect or Engineer, and his or her various

consultants, prepare documents
for construction of the facility. These develop over time,
from conception of the
design through gestation of design development, through
the birth pangs of
bidding/pricing and construction, until delivery of the
completed facility at closeout
of the construction Contract. Many types of documents are
used during design and
construction, but for actual construction three basic
types of documents are used:
1. Bidding and Contract Requirements: Text documents
2. Drawings: Graphic documents
3. Specifications: Text documents

BIDDING DOCUMENTS

“Bidding documents” is a term generally used to describe

the documents furnished
to bidders. For traditional design-bid-build projects, the
Architect/Engineer and
Owner prepare the set of Bidding Documents, consisting of
bidding requirements,
Drawings, and Specifications. These are issued to
prospective general contractor
bidders for competitive bidding and for the Owner to
select the Contractor named
in the Agreement and referenced in other Contract
Documents.
BIDDING DOCUMENTS

The primary difference in documents between Bidding

Documents and Contract
Documents is the inclusion in the Bidding Documents of
Bidding Requirements.

Bidders, the Bid Form, and other documents to be submitted

to the Owner for the
Owner's selection of the Contractor and modifications to
the documents issued
during bidding (addenda). The Bidding Requirements are
removed after bidding
and selection of the Contractor and are replaced by the
Contract Requirements.
CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

The Contract Requirements typically consist of the

executed (signed) Agreement with
its related documents, such as insurance forms, bonds, and
certifications. Note: the
Bidding Documents typically include copies of the
Agreement form and the
Conditions of the Contract.

two other types of documents are included in the Bidding

Documents and the Contract Documents: the Drawings and the
Specifications.
CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
“Contract Documents” is the term used for documents
identified in the Agreement
(construction Contract).

Considering the typical design-bid-build project, the

Contract
Documents consist of the following:

• Agreement —A written agreement between the Owner and the

Contractor summarizing the work to be performed, the
Time in which the Work shall be completed, and the
Contract Sum to be paid. Also identified in the
Agreement are the Contract Drawings, the Contract
Specifications, and other referenced documents such as
bond forms, insurance certificates, other
certifications, Contractor's qualifications statement,
documentation of the Contractor's financial status,
subcontractors and suppliers lists, special warranty
documents, and just about any other type of written
document that the Owner requires.
• Conditions of the Contract—Typically, these consist of
the General Conditions and the Supplementary Conditions.
General Conditions are typically preprinted standard
documents prepared by professional societies such as
(for architectural projects)
• Drawings—Graphic descriptions of the Work to be
performed by the Contractor.
• Specifications—Written descriptions of the Work to be
performed by the Contractor.
• Modifications - “Modifications” are changes to the
documents after execution (signing) of the Agreement.
Prior to execution of the Agreement, changes are
generally made using Addenda.
SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications are that portion of the Contract Documents
consisting of the written requirements
for materials, equipment, systems, standards and
workmanship for the Work, and performance of related
services.
Because construction projects vary in complexity and
scale, dividing the specifications into Sections should
reflect the relative complexity and scale of the
construction; that is, large, complex projects with many
types of products requiring very detailed descriptions,
and stringent requirements for quality assurance require
lengthy specifications.
Conversely, projects of simple construction and small
scale can be addressed with succinct text. As construction
technology and project delivery arrangements have become
more sophisticated, construction specifications have
become more voluminous in order to accommodate
increasingly stringent requirements.
TERMINOLOGIES
Preliminaries
A description of the project that allows the contractor to
assess costs in required by the method and circumstances
of the works before the construction starts.
• General summary
• Form and type of contracts
• Facilities to be provided by the contractor

Pre-amble
A preamble is an explanation of a document.
• A description of the parities to the contract
• A summary of the negotiations
• The objectives of the project

Bills of Quantities
Serve as a basis for submitting the bid where all prices
are entered for carrying out all the works
Bills of Quantities
Serve as a basis for submitting the bid where all prices
are entered for carrying out all the works.
The bill of quantities assists tenderers in producing an
estimate of:-
Construction costs for their tender, and, as it means
all tenderers will be pricing the same quantities.
It also provides a fair and accurate system for
tendering.
Each invited tenderer bids against the bill of
quantities, stating their price for each work item.

List of Prime Costs and Provisional Sums

An allowance, for the supply of work or materials to be

provided by a supplier; This allowance exclude any of the
profit mark up or attendance.
Inserted into tender documents for a specific element of
the works that is not yet defined in enough detail.
Activity

i. Define specifications.
ii. Explain the importance of specifications in construction.