Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Technical Committee
Manual
Reported by the ACI Technical Activities Committee
ACI TCM-23
First Printing
February 2023
The technical committees responsible for ACI committee reports and standards strive to avoid
ambiguities, omissions, and errors in these documents. In spite of these efforts, the users of ACI
documents occasionally find information or requirements that may be subject to more than one
interpretation or may be incomplete or incorrect. Users who have suggestions for the improvement of
ACI documents are requested to contact ACI via the errata website at http://concrete.org/Publications/
DocumentErrata.aspx. Proper use of this document includes periodically checking for errata for the most
up-to-date revisions.
ACI committee documents are intended for the use of individuals who are competent to evaluate the
significance and limitations of its content and recommendations and who will accept responsibility for
the application of the material it contains. Individuals who use this publication in any way assume all
risk and accept total responsibility for the application and use of this information.
All information in this publication is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or
implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular
purpose or non-infringement.
ACI and its members disclaim liability for damages of any kind, including any special, indirect, incidental,
or consequential damages, including without limitation, lost revenues or lost profits, which may result
from the use of this publication.
It is the responsibility of the user of this document to establish health and safety practices appropriate
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to health and safety issues and the use of this document. The user must determine the applicability of
all regulatory limitations before applying the document and must comply with all applicable laws and
regulations, including but not limited to, United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) health and safety standards.
Participation by governmental representatives in the work of the American Concrete Institute and in
the development of Institute standards does not constitute governmental endorsement of ACI or the
standards that it develops.
Order information: ACI documents are available in print, by download, through electronic subscription,
or reprint and may be obtained by contacting ACI.
Most ACI standards and committee reports are gathered together in the annually revised the ACI
Collection of Concrete Codes, Specifications, and Practices.
Officers
Michael Brown, Chair Matthew Senecal, Secretary
Voting Members
Theresa Ahlborn Kamal Khayat
Oscar Antommattei Carl Larosche
Robert Frosch Barzin Mobasher
Wassim Ghannoum Anton Schindler
Mary Beth Hueste Thomas Van Dam
Keith Kesner W. Jason Weiss
Contact Information
TAC Secretary: Matt.Senecal@concrete.org
Committees: Kim.Olesky@concrete.org
Documents: Shannon.Banchero@concrete.org,
Denise.Pedersen@concrete.org
SPs and Sessions: Barbara.Coleman@concrete.org
1
ACI 2023 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MANUAL 3
PART 1—ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OF committee goals. ACI often attracts structural engineers,
TECHNICAL COMMITTEES educators, and materials specialists. Committees are encour-
aged to expand expertise and participation by including
CHAPTER 1—ORGANIZATION architects, specifiers, contractors, younger members, and
those outside the mainstream of ACI activity.
1.1—Technical Activities Committee (TAC) Technical committee chairs may create long-standing
The Technical Activities Committee (TAC) is respon- subcommittees and short-term task groups within the main
sible for the oversight of technical committee activities; the committee to assist with committee work.
development of ACI standards; and the technical content Changes to a document proposed by a subcommittee or a
of convention programs, archival publications, and special task group must be approved by the main committee.
publications of the Institute, including peer-reviewed arti- ACI committee members are expected to contribute to
cles in periodicals and symposium volumes. TAC reviews the committee’s work products, including written works.
all technical committee documents and is the final authority All work products of ACI committees belong to ACI. Tech-
on technical issues in all publications. nical committees are consensus bodies. By participating in
Each TAC member is assigned liaison responsibilities for committees, ACI committee members acknowledge that the
several technical committees, is designated as the TAC contact, rights to such work products, including any copyright, reside
and is listed on the committee roster on the website as the TAC with ACI.
contact. TAC contacts are expected to keep TAC abreast of 1.2.1 Number designations
the activities of the committees. Chairs should keep the TAC Staff assigns a number to each committee. Technical
contact fully aware of committee activities and progress and are committees are organized into five groups based on their scope:
encouraged to contact them for advice or information. 100—General
TAC establishes subcommittees to assist in its oversight 200—Materials and properties of concrete
responsibility. Actions of TAC subcommittees are subject to 300—Design and construction
review and approval by TAC. TAC subcommittee chairs are 400—Concrete reinforcement and structural analysis
appointed by the TAC chair. 500—Specialized applications and repair
1.1.1 TAC Secretary Staff also assigns designations for subcommittees and task
The role of TAC Secretary is currently assigned to the groups.
Director of Engineering. 1.2.2 Comparison of subcommittee and task groups
1.1.2 TAC Construction Standards Subcommittee (TCSS) Table 1.2.2 is a summary of the similarities and differ-
The TCSC assists technical committees in preparation and ences between subcommittees and task groups.
maintenance of construction standards in the correct format
and language, and in management of code development by Table 1.2.2—Differences between subcommittees
the Institute. and task groups
1.1.3 TAC Repair and Rehabilitation Subcommittee (TRRS) Topic Subcommittees Task groups
The TRRC advises TAC on issues related to repair and Availability All committees All committees
rehabilitation, including evaluation, maintenance, and Establishment Committee chair Committee chair
protection. TRRC coordinates the efforts of technical Front page is accessible
Front page is accessible
committees as they report information on existing concrete only from main committee
ACI webpages on the overall directory
page and is not visible to
and masonry construction. and is visible to the public
the public
1.1.4 TAC Productivity and Constructability Subcommittee Voting Main committee Main committee
(TPCS) membership membership not required membership required
The TPCS assists select standards-writing committees by Associate
Not permitted Not permitted
identifying issues in standards that may adversely affect the membership
productivity of concrete operations and the constructability Balloting rules No ACI requirements No ACI requirements
of concrete structures. Standards-writing committees identi-
fied by TPCS receive input on productivity and constructa- 1.2.3 Subcommittees
bility issues throughout the balloting process of a standard For committees with a broad mission, long-standing
before TAC review. subcommittees can help address different aspects of the
committee’s work.
1.2—Technical committees The main committee chair establishes the subcommittee.
TAC forms technical committees and assigns each a The chair submits a title, mission, goals, and roster to ACI.
mission. A technical committee mission identifies the knowl- The subcommittee consists of a chair and voting members.
edge area the committee is responsible for and is usually not There are no other categories of membership for a subcom-
document-specific. The chair of each technical committee is mittee. Voting members do not have to be members of the
responsible for organizing and populating the committee to main committee. Subcommittee ballots are not bound by
achieve the mission. Committee size is influenced by several main committee balloting rules. Unless otherwise directed
factors, such as the mission, balance of interests, geographic by the chair, simple majority of those voting carries the
location of the committee members, and the current issue. Although subcommittee members who are nonvoting
members of the main committee may participate and vote on a specific document, usually on new technology. TAC forms
subcommittee ballots, they do not vote on main committee ITGs and assigns their mission. An ITG may operate as a joint
ballots. Refer to 3.2 on formal balloting. committee with other organizations. The rules for technical
The chair of the main committee approves the roster for committees presented in this manual apply to ITGs.
all subcommittees and the policies and procedures proposed To request establishment of an ITG, send the following
by subcommittees. There are three types of subcommittees: information to the TAC Secretary:
editorial, steering, and liaison. (a) Explanation on how the new technology innovation
1.2.3.1 Editorial subcommittee will fit into ACI’s general mission
An editorial subcommittee provides a uniform editorial (b) Advantages of the new technology over existing tech-
review of each document. The subcommittee usually consists nology in that field
of an individual or a small group with editorial experience. (c) List of competing technologies, if any
1.2.3.2 Steering subcommittee (d) List of technical papers, reports, and other publications
In a large committee, a steering subcommittee may that address the new technology
be established to assist the chair by providing input on (e) List of field demonstration projects, if any, using the
committee actions and plans. new technology
1.2.3.3 Liaison subcommittee (f) A statement demonstrating the maturity of the new
Liaison members represent another country or outside technology to warrant the development of an ITG document
organizations with an established relationship with ACI and for the transfer of this technology
are appointed to facilitate exchange of information with (g) List any ACI technical committee(s) whose mission
ACI. Such organizations may include technical societies, includes this technology
trade associations, and standards-developing organizations. (h) Title and mission for the ITG
No more than one liaison member from an outside organiza- (i) A slate of members and at least one candidate for chair
tion can be appointed on a given committee. (j) A work plan and schedule
1.2.4 Task groups (k) A target time to complete the mission of the ITG
Task groups are established by the main committee chair 1.3.2 Reorganization
to perform short-term tasks for the committee. Members of Occasionally, it may be necessary for TAC to reorganize a
task groups must be members of the main committee. The committee or merge committees. The reasons for such steps
chair submits a title, mission, goals, and roster to staff. A may include:
website will be created for the task group. The task group (a) The committee has completed its assigned mission and a
consists of a chair and voting members. There are no other smaller committee is needed to maintain committee documents
categories of membership for a task group. Members of task (b) The mission or direction of the committee needs to be
groups must be members of the main committee. The task changed
group is not bound by balloting rules. (c) Committee reorganization is needed to accomplish the
assigned mission
1.3—Committee establishment, reorganization, (d) A standards-only writing committee is beginning a
and discharge new cycle
1.3.1 Establishment Upon reorganization, TAC may appoint a new chair and
TAC considers and approves requests to establish new discharge all members or appoint a new chair who is respon-
technical committees or Innovation Task Groups (ITGs) and sible for reviewing current membership. The committee will
appoints the committee chair and TAC contact. The title and inherit the documents from the merged committee and, once
mission of the new committee are published in CI. revised, the documents will receive new numerical designa-
1.3.1.1 Request to establish a new technical committee tions. Any new publication of the document will need to be
To request a new technical committee, send the following balloted by the inheriting committee.
information to the TAC Secretary: 1.3.2.1 Reorganization with discharge of members
(a) A proposed title and mission for the committee If TAC appoints a new chair and discharges the committee
(b) An explanation of why a new ACI committee should membership, all committee members are notified of the
be established reasons for the discharge and given an explanation of
(c) A list of potential members future plans. Former committee members can apply for
(d) A slate of candidates for the position of chair reappointment.
(e) A list of short-term goals of the committee 1.3.2.2 Reorganization with retention of members
(f) A discussion of potential overlap and conflict with If the present membership is to be retained, subject to
other committees review, the chair must:
Additionally, TAC may request a representative of the (a) Review the activity of voting committee members and
proposed committee to attend the TAC meeting when forma- change the classification to a nonvoting status or terminate
tion of the new committee is discussed. committee membership of those who have not demonstrated
1.3.1.2 Request to establish an Innovation Task Group (ITG) adequate activity
Innovation Task Groups (ITGs) are temporary technical (b) Review the overall committee composition and decide
committees that are formed to accelerate the development of on committee membership changes to obtain balance of
interests (if required) and to maintain a reasonable size to An existing committee may request to sponsor a joint
accomplish tasks session or workshop with another organization when at
(c) Add new committee members who have expertise least 2/3 of committee voting members vote in favor of the
related to the committee’s mission and who can provide proposed arrangement. The chair must forward comments
vitality to the committee from negative voters to the TAC secretary for approval by
The chair may request a statement from a committee TAC. This is considered an administrative ballot and nega-
member on their desire to continue to serve. If a response to tive votes do not need to be resolved. The following ques-
the request is not received in a reasonable time (2 months is tions should be addressed in the request to TAC:
recommended), the chair may consider it to signify a lack of (a) What is the proposed title and mission for the joint
interest and decide to terminate that individual’s committee session or workshop?
membership. (b) Who will be the lead sponsoring organization?
A membership questionnaire (on the Chair/Officer Work (c) How will the interests of both organizations be served?
Area of the committee webpage) may be used to ask (d) How will the joint sponsorship bring a wider and
committee members if they desire to continue as active quicker acceptance of results?
members, change membership status, or resign. (e) What are the session or workshop goals and the antici-
1.3.3 Discharge pated time frame for achieving these goals?
TAC may discharge a committee that has completed its (f) After achieving these goals, does the proposed
mission, is inactive, or is ineffective. TAC discharges an ITG committee anticipate development of an SP?
when the ITG document(s) is published. (g) Where and when would the joint session or workshop
be held?
1.4—Joint committees and committee cooperation 1.4.2 Joint committees
with other organizations ACI technical committees can become joint committees
1.4.1 Cooperation with one or more cosponsoring organizations. According to
ACI committees can informally cooperate with other orga- ACI policy on joint committees, joint committees may be
nizations, as long as committee operating procedures are formed when the following criteria are met:
not impacted. If, however, that cooperation includes formal (a) Objective is desirable and within the field of ACI
activities, such as creating technical documents, organizing endeavor
conferences, or symposium sessions, these activities must be (b) Interests of both societies will be served
approved by TAC. (c) Joint participation will avoid duplication of effort
Individuals who want to be involved in creating industry- (d) Joint participation will speed document development
specific technical information on material properties of (e) Joint participation will bring wider acceptance of
concrete or design, construction, inspection, and repair of results
concrete structures, should join ACI committees. Individuals (f) Joint participation offers greater prospect of funds for
who want to be involved with test method or specifications research and experimentation
for reinforced concrete-related materials should join ASTM (g) Prospective membership would be harmonious, even
International committees. This division of responsibilities though there might be anticipated differences of opinion
between ACI and ASTM was formalized in 1936. (h) ACI will receive full recognition in any publicity given
1.4.1.1 Seminars or workshops with cosponsoring the joint committee
organizations Joint committee status may be initiated by the ACI Board
ACI technical committees can sponsor joint seminars or of Direction, the Board, or the ACI Executive Vice President
workshops with one or more cosponsoring organizations if on behalf of the Board, may determine that it is in ACI’s
the following criteria are met: strategic interest for a committee to begin cooperative efforts
(a) Objective is desirable and within the field of ACI with another organization. In that case, TAC will work with
endeavor the committee to determine the most appropriate means for
(b) Interests of both societies will be served equally well cooperation.
(c) Joint participation will avoid duplication of effort Joint committee status requests can also be submitted to
(d) Joint participation will speed document development TAC. An existing committee may request to become a joint
(e) Joint participation will bring wider acceptance of committee with another organization when at least 75% of
results committee voting members vote in favor of the proposed
(f) Joint participation offers greater prospect of funds for arrangement. The chair must forward comments from nega-
research and experimentation tive voters to TAC. This is considered an administrative
(g) Prospective membership would be harmonious, even ballot and negative votes do not need to be resolved.
though there might be anticipated differences of opinion The following questions should be addressed in the
(h) ACI will receive full recognition in any publicity given request to TAC:
the joint seminar or workshop (a) What is the proposed title and mission for the joint
Joint seminar or workshop requests are to be submitted committee?
to TAC using the session request procedure of ACI and the (b) Who will be the lead sponsoring organization?
appropriate procedure for the cosponsoring organization. (c) How will the interests of both organizations be served?
(d) How will the joint sponsorship speed and bring a wider Regular attendance at committee meetings is important
acceptance of results? because that is where members usually arrive at consensus
(e) What are the committee goals and the anticipated time on major issues, resolve negative votes on letter ballots,
frame for achieving these goals? solve problems, plan future activities, and accomplish much
(f) After achieving these goals, does the proposed committee of their work.
anticipate a change in committee or sponsorship status? Meeting schedule conflicts are difficult to avoid because
(g) Where and how often would the joint committee hold of the number of ACI committees and the varied interests
regular meetings? of the voting members. Before granting voting member
There are two options under which a technical committee status to an applicant, the chair should verify that the appli-
can operate as a joint committee: 1) ACI is the major sponsor cant will be able to attend meetings and participate actively
and another sponsoring organization is the minor sponsor; or in the committee work. If an applicant cannot attend these
2) ACI is the minor sponsor and another sponsoring organi- meetings, another membership category may be desirable.
zation is the major sponsor. The chair may waive meeting attendance requirements
When ACI is the major sponsor, joint committees are to under justified circumstances, provided the voting member
operate in accordance with the ACI Technical Committee contributes to the work of the committee.
Manual. The minor sponsor may provide technical input 1.5.1.3 Privileges
during the TAC document review and provide names of Voting members receive minutes, information on items
individuals for TAC to consider when creating a chair slate. being balloted, and correspondence; may express opinions
The committee is designated as a joint committee in all and make motions during committee meetings; vote on all
communications. ballots; have the right to appeal committee action; and have
When ACI is the minor sponsor of a joint committee, the access to the committee’s webpage.
balloting and operating procedures are determined by the 1.5.1.4 Term
major sponsor. All items approved by the joint committee Voting membership has no set term.
are submitted to the TAC Secretary for review by TAC. 1.5.1.5 Appointment
ACI requires that the committee is designated as a joint The chair appoints voting members of technical commit-
committee in all communications. tees based on the applicant’s personal knowledge and
When a joint sponsorship is approved by TAC and the expertise. Appointment as a voting member is not based
Board, a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU), on affiliation or employment. An applicant’s affiliation or
including a specific agreement on committee operations, must employment will be considered, however, in determining
be developed with the other organization(s). The ACI Execu- balance of interests.
tive Vice President is responsible for the execution of MOUs. ITG voting members are appointed by the ITG chair.
Voting members are appointed at two stages: 1) at the forma-
1.5—Membership categories tion of the ITG; and 2) after the first draft is completed but
ACI technical committees have four categories of before the first ballot of the document. At formation, the
members: voting members, associate members, consulting voting membership shall include the chair and at least three
members, and liaison members. All four categories have other individuals. After the first draft, at least three additional
access to the technical committee webpage. Only voting voting members shall be appointed; however, membership
members can vote on ballots; however, associate, consulting, should not exceed 10 voting members. These additional
and liaison members are allowed to offer opinions on ballots. voting members should represent a wide range of interests
Information about the qualifications, requirements, privi- outside the ITG and have no direct economic interest in the
leges, term, and appointment for all membership categories outcome of the document.
is given in 1.5.1 through 1.5.4. All membership changes The information published in an ITG document will be
must be emailed to headquarters along with a reason for the included in a later ACI committee document; therefore, to
change in membership. facilitate communication and connection with related tech-
1.5.1 Voting members nical committees, the ITG chair is encouraged to appoint
1.5.1.1 Qualifications members from related technical committees as voting
Voting members must be able to contribute to accomplish members on the ITG.
the committees’ goals. They must have the training, knowl- 1.5.2 Associate members
edge, experience, time, and facilities to perform the work. 1.5.2.1 Qualifications
Voting members do not have to be ACI members but it is Associate members must be ACI members or be a
strongly recommended. member of a cosponsoring organization in the case of a joint
1.5.1.2 Requirements committee.
Voting members are required to participate actively in 1.5.2.2 Requirements
committee work by contributing technical information, Associate members have no formal committee responsibilities.
promptly returning all committee ballots, replying to corre- 1.5.2.3 Privileges
spondence, and regularly attending committee meetings. Associate members receive minutes, information on items
Committee business is conducted through email; there- being balloted, and correspondence; may express opinions,
fore, voting members need to provide an email address. but not vote, during committee meetings; may express opin-
ions, but not vote, on all ballots; and have access to the 1.5.4.3 Privileges
committee’s webpage. Liaison members receive minutes and information on
1.5.2.4 Term items being balloted, may express opinions and vote during
Associate membership has no set term; however, when subcommittee meetings, are expected to vote on all subcom-
individuals no longer maintain their ACI membership, when mittee ballots, and have access to the main and subcom-
individuals no longer maintain their ACI membership, their mittee webpages.
associate memberships on technical committees are also 1.5.4.4 Term
terminated. Liaison members are appointed for a 3-year term and may
1.5.2.5 Appointment be reappointed.
All ACI members (individual, organizational/sustaining repre- 1.5.4.5 Appointment
sentatives, student, young professional, honorary, and fellow) Liaison members are appointed to ACI subcommittees as
can be appointed as an associate member to a maximum of three voting members and to the main committee as nonvoting
technical committees. A person maintaining a membership in an liaison members. ITGs have one liaison member from CIC.
organization that cosponsors ACI joint technical committees can
be appointed to a maximum of three such joint committees. An 1.6—Committee membership
associate membership request does not require chair approval. 1.6.1 Application for membership
A person applying for voting membership may be Each prospective committee member (either main
appointed as an associate member by the chair for a variety committee or subcommittee), regardless of membership
of reasons, including maintaining balance of interests within category, is to submit a committee application (found on the
the committee or limiting voting membership changes ACI website), which will be forwarded to the chair of the
during balloting of a committee document. appropriate technical committee.
1.5.3 Consulting members With the exception of the chair and associate members,
1.5.3.1 Qualifications ACI membership is not required for technical committee
Consulting members do not need to be ACI members, but membership, but is desirable. All committee members are
should have the expertise within the mission of the committee. encouraged to join ACI.
1.5.3.2 Requirements 1.6.2 Appointments and membership changes
Consulting members have no formal committee Chairs should add new members on a regular basis and
responsibilities. remove inactive members while maintaining balance of
1.5.3.3 Privileges voting interests. Effective committees should have sufficient
Consulting members receive minutes, information on turnover so that new ideas are constantly considered. The
items being balloted, and correspondence; may express opin- chair shall decide on all membership changes, including
ions, but not vote, during committee meetings; may express appointments to all membership categories, (except asso-
opinions, but not vote, on all ballots; and have access to the ciate membership), terminations, or changes of member-
committee’s webpage. ship status, and notify the TAC Secretary. These actions
1.5.3.4 Term will be checked by staff for TCM compliance. The effective
Consulting membership has no set term. appointment date is the date when the membership changes
1.5.3.5 Appointment appear on the committee website. No changes in member-
Consulting members of technical committees are appointed ship voting status can be acted on during an open ballot
by the chair based on the applicant’s special expertise or a or during the week of an ACI convention. For example, a
long-time association with the committee or its mission. member cannot change from voting member to associate or
After a document is drafted, the chair of an ITG may associate to voting while a letter ballot is open or during ACI
appoint up to three nonvoting consulting members in addi- conventions.
tion to the voting members. These consulting members act ACI staff sends the individual and chair a formal appoint-
as outside reviewers and are asked to provide a detailed ment, termination, or status change notice showing the effec-
review of the document. tive date.
1.5.4 Liaison members Committee members accepting committee appointments
1.5.4.1 Qualifications give ACI permission to post their contact information on
Liaison members are appointed, by chair of the main the ACI website in a password-protected area, accessible by
committee, based on their affiliation with the related orga- other ACI committee members.
nization. Liaison members need not be ACI members 1.6.3 Appointments to joint committees
but should have the expertise within the mission of the When ACI is the major sponsor of a joint committee,
committee. If the liaison member’s affiliation with the appointment of members conforms to ACI guidelines. When
related organization is terminated, the liaison membership ACI is the minor sponsor of a joint committee, appoint-
on the ACI technical committee is also terminated. ment of members conforms to the other society’s guide-
1.5.4.2 Requirements lines. Written agreements between ACI and other organiza-
Liaison members are expected to facilitate the exchange tions may regulate membership of joint committees when a
of information between the ACI technical committee and the different arrangement is desired.
related organization. 1.6.4 Overlap of membership between committees
The chair should review the missions of closely related Membership should ensure balanced coverage of the
committees and develop overlapping membership where desir- subject.
able, as cross-representation aids coordination. Sometimes it is 1.7.1 Interest categories
necessary to use capable voting members in multiple committee The interest categories appropriate to the development of
assignments. Voting membership on more than three technical consensus in any given standards activity are a function of the
committees, however, is discouraged. nature of the standards being developed. Interest categories
1.6.5 Appointment not approved are discretely defined, cover all materially affected parties
The chair may decline an application for voting member- and differentiate each category from the other categories.
ship for various reasons, including lack of qualifications, 1.7.1.1 Producer
inability to attend committee meetings, committee balance, A producer interest is an organization, including any
timing of a critical ballot, or committee size. repacker or relabeler, or both, who manufactures, fabricates,
1.6.6 Membership termination assembles, distributes, or reprocesses a finished product
The chair should review periodically each voting that is used or applied by a contractor that is covered in
member’s performance. Voting members should partici- the committee’s mission. A voting member affiliated with a
pate actively by attending meetings regularly, answering producer interest shall be classified as a Producer.
correspondence, and returning letter ballots. Chairs should 1.7.1.2 Designers (including Engineers/Specifiers/
contact inactive voting members and encourage them to Architects)
become more active, consider resigning, or become an asso- A Designer interest is any organization, such as an archi-
ciate or consulting member of the committee. Because of tectural firm, engineering firm, or architectural and engi-
ACI’s stringent voting requirements, voting members who neering firm issuing contract documents, administering the
do not return ballots may stop a committee from success- work under contract documents, or both that is covered in
fully balloting a document. Failure of a voting member to the committee’s mission. A voting member affiliated with a
participate actively in committee activities may result in Designer interest should be classified as a Designer.
termination of membership. 1.7.1.3 Contractors (including Applicators/Installers)
When a voting member’s inactivity is documented, A Contractor interest is any organization with whom the
the chair may decide to change the individual’s member- owner enters into an agreement for construction of the work
ship status to associate or consulting or may terminate the that is covered in the committee’s mission. A voting member
membership. These actions become official when staff acts affiliated with a Contractor interest should be classified as a
on the chair’s decision. Before terminating membership of a Contractor.
voting member, the chair is encouraged to discuss the situa- 1.7.1.4 Owners (End-consumers)
tion with the TAC contact. An Owner interest is an organization, such as a corpora-
1.6.7 Resignation from membership tion, association, partnership, individual, or public body or
Committee members resign by notifying the chair and the authority with whom the contractor enters into an agreement
TAC Secretary of such intent. Staff sends an official notice and for whom the work is performed as is covered in the
confirming the resignation. committee’s mission. A voting member affiliated with an
1.6.8 Appeal of membership action Owner interest should be classified as an Owner.
Individuals may appeal a membership action to TAC, such 1.7.1.5 Academics/Educators
as a membership termination or a membership application that An Academic interest is an organization, such as a college,
has been declined. The person submits the appeal to the TAC academy, school, or other educational institution, that
Secretary. The committee’s TAC contact reviews the appeal provides educational or training services. A voting member
and recommends action to TAC. The person may request to affiliated with an Academic interest should be classified as an
attend the TAC meeting when the appeal is considered. Academic. For example, an instructor, educator, or student
would be considered an Academic.
1.7—Balance of interests 1.7.1.6 Researchers
All committees should have broad-based membership to A Researcher interest is an organization who conducts
ensure balanced coverage, including members who represent research and development or provides experimental testing
interests materially affected by the committee’s documents. services related to the committee’s mission. A voting
All materially affected interests should have the opportu- member affiliated with a Researcher interest should be clas-
nity for fair and equitable participation. These members can sified as a Researcher.
be classified into several interest categories that represent 1.7.1.7 Consultants
segments of the industry. ACI is an international organization A Consultant interest is an organization, including indi-
and committee documents should reflect practices that are viduals or entities in the fields of life safety, security, engi-
broadly applicable (refer to Appendix A). Wide geographical neering, or in any particular building component, equipment,
distribution of committee members guards against publication or system that has acquired detailed, specialized knowledge
of documents that are restricted to local practices. and experience in the design, evaluation, operation, repair, or
The chair shall classify every member of a standards- installation of what is covered in the committee’s mission. A
writing committee into one of several interest categories (as voting member affiliated with a Consultant interest and that is
defined in 1.7.1.1 through 1.7.1.7). not otherwise classified should be classified as a Consultant,
except that a consultant retained by a Producer interest that Members may appeal their interest category to the
is covered in the committee’s mission should be classified as committee chair and ultimately to TAC. Committees seeking
Producer. exceptions to the requirements of this section can request
1.7.1.8 General interest TAC consideration. Questions regarding committee balance
Any voting member who does not fit into any of the will be resolved by TAC. TAC will consider many factors
discretely defined categories above should be classified as affecting balance. This will include, but not be limited to,
General interest. the total number of producer members on the committee, the
1.7.2 Safety- and non-safety-related standards and documents number of members from a particular interest category, and
Codes are safety-related standards. Specifications are the number of members representing a specific product.
non-safety related standards. Guides, reports and other non- More than one voting member from the same organiza-
mandatory language documents are not considered stan- tion is discouraged on any committee. Voting membership
dards. Existing ACI codes are listed in the following: from a single organization constituting more than 10% of the
ACI CODE-216.1-14(19) committee requires TAC approval.
ACI CODE-307-08 1.7.4 Membership termination to achieve balance
ACI CODE-313-16 To achieve balance of voting member interest, the chair
ACI CODE-318-19(22) may change voting members to nonvoting categories or
ACI CODE-318.2-19 terminate voting membership. This is done only after the chair
ACI CODE-332-20 has shown that a substantial effort has been made to obtain
ACI CODE-349-13 balance by adding new voting members and assigning new
ACI CODE-350-20 and existing members to appropriate categories of interest.
ACI CODE-350.3-20 When a change of employment produces a change in clas-
ACI CODE-355.2-22 sification that results in an imbalance in voting interests, a
ACI CODE-355.4-19(21) voting membership can be terminated or changed to another
ACI CODE-369.1-22 membership category. Reappointment as a voting member
ACI CODE-374.1-05(19) can be considered when balance of voting member interest is
ACI CODE-376-11 achieved and if the person requests reappointment.
ACI CODE-437.2-13
ACI CODE-440.11-22 1.8—Committee officers
ACI CODE-550.3-13 1.8.1 Chair
ACI CODE-550.4-18 Each technical committee shall have a chair and a TAC
ACI CODE-550.5-18 contact. All other committee officer positions are established
ACI CODE-550.6-19 at the chair’s discretion.
ACI CODE-550.7-19 The chair is responsible for leading the committee to
ACI CODE-562-21 accomplish its mission and goals. The chair has many
1.7.3 Criteria for committee balance specific responsibilities, including:
Standards-writing committees must have a balance of (a) Initiating voting and consulting membership actions,
voting member interests to support the development of including appointment, membership recruitment, evalua-
competent and objective standards. The criteria for balance tion, changes of voting category, and discharge
are that: (b) Preparing and distributing meeting agenda and minutes
(a) no interest category constitutes more than one-third in a timely manner (approximately 3 weeks before and after
of the membership of a committee that writes safety-related a meeting)
standards or (c) Maintaining communication with the TAC contact
(b) no interest category constitutes more than one-half (d) Conducting committee meetings
of the membership of a committee that writes non-safety- (e) Establishing task groups and subcommittees as needed
related standards (that is, the committee writes specifica- (f) Scheduling committee meetings
tions, but not codes). ACI committees that write only non- (g) Initiating committee letter ballots
standardized documents (that is, guides and reports only) (h) Submitting committee documents to TAC
are encouraged to be in balance but are exempt from these (i) Providing leadership training for possible successors
criteria. (j) Attending the TAC chair breakfast workshop at each
A member’s interest category shall be related to the convention
mission of the committee, and so a member’s interest cate- (k) Maintaining committee’s webpages
gory can be different on different committees. Committees 1.8.1.1 Chair qualifications
that develop ACI standards must always be in balance. The A chair of an ACI technical committee must be a member
chair reviews and adjusts voting membership and assigns of ACI. Prior service as vice chair or secretary and voting
interest categories to establish and maintain balance of the membership on the committee augment the candidate’s
committee. Balance of interests is not required in subcom- experience.
mittees or task groups. The success of any committee effort depends largely on
the skills of the chair. Chairs of ACI technical committees
must be able to perform the chair responsibilities outlined in A secretary is encouraged to support the chair by recording,
1.8.1 and possess the following strengths: preparing, and distributing meeting minutes; assisting with
(a) Demonstrated ability and knowledge in the field the balloting process; and handling correspondence. The
covered by the committee secretary is appointed at the chair’s discretion.
(b) Demonstrated leadership ability
(c) Administrative ability and initiative CHAPTER 2—TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
(d) Available time and facilities to perform the work OPERATIONS
(e) Ability to attend all ACI conventions
1.8.1.2 Chair term 2.1—Mission and title
TAC usually appoints a chair for a 3-year term, which The main purpose of ACI technical committees is to
expires at the end of an ACI spring convention. A chair may disseminate information through publications and conven-
be reappointed for one additional term. Unusual circum- tion sessions within the scope of the committee mission.
stances are required to justify reappointment of a chair TAC gives the chair considerable authority to accomplish
beyond 6 years. the committee mission. In most cases, missions are broad
ITG chairs are appointed for the duration of the ITG. so as not to limit the document type a committee produces.
An incoming chair is granted officer rights on the Mission statements are usually in the form of: “Develop and
committee webpage 30 days before the term becomes report information on <topic>.” A change to the mission or
effective. An outgoing chair will maintain officer rights on title must be approved by committee ballot before submitting
the committee webpage for 30 days after the term ends. to TAC. This is considered an administrative ballot. Tech-
The website roster will show incoming and outgoing chairs nical committee missions may be viewed in two categories:
with temporary classifications, such as incoming and 1) general technical knowledge, such as fracture mechanics
outgoing chair. or durability; and 2) industry-specific knowledge, such as
1.8.1.3 Chair candidates parking structures.
Chairs are responsible for preparing a number of individ- Committee missions and titles are approved by TAC and
uals to assume the committee leadership to ensure continuity. posted on the committee webpage. A committee request to
Each year, chairs are asked to identify at least three possible change the mission will be considered by TAC.
replacements, in order of preference, with specific ratings
in various categories. ACI staff will notify all committee 2.2—Goals
members of the impending conclusion of their chair’s term Each committee periodically reviews and prepares specific
one convention before the chair term ends. Voting committee goals that support the committee mission. Appointed chairs
members interested in the position may submit their name to will be asked to submit the goals to be completed during
the outgoing chair to be included on the list of candidates for their term. The chair submits information on the progress
TAC consideration. of the committee goals using the Modify Committee Home
1.8.1.4 Chair appointment link on the webpage. Any or all of the goals in 2.2.1 to 2.2.5
Appointment and reappointment of technical committee may be included.
chairs are among TAC’s most important responsibilities. 2.2.1 Develop new documents
TAC considers the advice of chairs when appointing their A committee may prepare an ACI document within the
successors, but chair appointments are TAC’s responsibility. mission of the committee. TAC approval is required before
TAC may interview the proposed candidates during the developing a new ACI document.
selection process. 2.2.2 Maintain existing documents
TAC considers the chair qualifications of the candidates Technical committees are required to periodically reap-
and other factors when selecting chairs, including: prove, update, revise, or withdraw their documents. TAC
(a) Rotating the chairs among all qualified committee approval is not required before updating a published docu-
members to keep committee output vigorous ment; however, the committee should inform TAC of the
(b) Ensuring that an individual does not chair more than intent not to revise an ACI document. If the committee does
one ACI technical committee at a time not revise, reapprove, or withdraw a document within the
(c) Ensuring participation of all segments of the concrete 8-year period, TAC may reapprove or withdraw it without
industry in committee activities committee recommendation.
1.8.1.5 Chair resignation 2.2.3 Sponsor convention sessions and related publications
A committee chair resigns by notifying the TAC Secretary A committee may sponsor sessions at ACI conventions
and is asked to supply three replacement chair candidates. within the committee mission and may develop a related
1.8.2 Vice chair publication such as an ACI Symposium Publication (SP).
A vice chair can assist the chair in administering the TAC approvals are required for the development of sessions
committee, and is appointed at the chair’s discretion. and special publications.
Appointment does not imply that the vice chair will become 2.2.4 Develop seminars
the next chair. ACI’s Educational Activities Committee (EAC) reviews,
1.8.3 Secretary approves, and manages all ACI seminars. In cooperation
with educational committees, a committee may develop ACI
seminars or workshops within the committee mission. This Chairs must submit a request to hold a physical interim
includes suggesting qualified seminar topics, speakers, perti- meeting at least 3 months in advance. If approved, a notice
nent topics, or appropriate presentation materials. of the meeting place and time will be published in Concrete
2.2.5 Develop video information International (CI).
A committee may develop video information. TAC 2.3.5.2 Virtual interim meetings
approvals are required for the development of video products. Chairs can hold a virtual interim meeting through their
committee webpage on the ACI website or through other
2.3—Meetings means provided the notification requirements are met. The
All technical committee meetings (except closed or virtual virtual meeting must be set up at least 2 weeks in advance.
interim meetings) are open to visitors. The chair is encour- No public notice is required because virtual meetings cannot
aged to give a brief introduction of the committee work and accommodate visitors. The virtual meeting interface will
periodically summarize progress during the meeting. generate an email regarding the virtual meeting, which will
2.3.1 Conducting committee meetings be sent to committee members.
Committee chairs are to exercise control to ensure orderly 2.3.6 Closed meetings
discussion at meetings. This is particularly important in A closed committee meeting is permitted if the chair states
large committees. Use parliamentary procedures, known as that the matter under consideration is administrative rather
Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules of Order for passing than technical. For example, a meeting to discuss a slate of
a motion is superseded by ACI rules if the motion is related potential chairs is closed. Discussion of technical matters
to technical committee documents. If the chair cannot in a closed meeting is not allowed. For a closed meeting,
attend the meeting, he or she should designate an individual the chair makes the usual arrangements through staff for
to chair the meeting so that committee work can continue the meeting room but is solely responsible for notifying
uninterrupted. members of the meeting. Closed meetings are not listed
2.3.2 Quorum in the convention booklet. A closed meeting may only be
For issues involving technical documents, a quorum of attended by committee members and ACI staff.
40% of all voting members must be present at the meeting 2.3.7 Visitors
to conduct business. ACI uses conventional rounding (for Visitors are welcome at committee meetings because
example, decimals greater than or equal to 0.5, round up). committee work is of interest to the public, but their pres-
ACI Committee 318, and other standards-writing commit- ence should not interfere with committee work. The chair
tees that have requested and received TAC exception to the should keep the presence of visitors in mind by periodically
40% rule, must comply with the requirements in 3.3.2. summarizing meeting progress.
2.3.3 Administrative actions 2.3.8 Agenda
For passage of administrative actions at committee meet- The chair should prepare the agenda in advance of the
ings, affirmative votes are required from at least 50% of meeting and post it to the committee’s website. The chair
the voting members present at the meeting. Administra- should send a notification to the committee members and
tive actions include motions regarding sessions, SPs, goals, the committee’s TAC contact when the agenda has been
mission changes, meeting times, and approval of minutes. posted and bring printed copies to the meeting for committee
2.3.4 Convention committee meetings members and visitors.
Committee meetings take place at ACI conventions. ACI 2.3.9 Minutes
committees are expected to meet at every ACI conven- Record important deliberations, resolution of negative
tion. Committee chairs are responsible for scheduling and votes, and decisions reached during committee meetings in
calling committee meetings. Committee officers can request the meeting minutes. Minutes provide a continuous record
meeting rooms through the committee’s website. Chairs of committee work and help prevent repeated discussion of
communicate with ACI staff for guidance and to ensure the same subject. Post minutes to the committee’s webpage
sufficient early notification and inclusion of the meeting in approximately 3 weeks following the meeting. Approve the
the convention booklet. minutes by web ballot or at the next committee meeting. Post
Committee members and ACI staff must be notified at least minutes to the committee webpage.
21 days in advance if a scheduled meeting is to be canceled. In addition to recording motions and voting results, the
Only members that are physically present at the meeting minutes should include the names of committee members
can vote. A member cannot call or videoconference into the and visitors in attendance and voting members not present.
meeting to cast a vote.
2.3.5 Interim committee meetings 2.4—Communication
Interim meetings can occur provided the requirements for Effective communication is vital to committee activity and
physical or virtual meetings are met; however, such meet- progress. To ensure timely completion of committee work,
ings are not to replace a convention meeting. concise correspondence with prompt attention and reply by
The agenda and minutes for the interim meeting must be members is necessary.
posted on the committee website in accordance with 2.3.8 Committee chairs and secretaries are encouraged to use
and 2.3.9. the committee webpage to speed committee communication.
2.3.5.1 Physical interim meetings 2.4.1 Correspondence within a committee
Make available to the entire committee correspondence Each chair is expected to review and regularly update
related to committee activities. This allows the members to their committee webpage with respect to committee mission
be up-to-date before meetings so that committee discussions statements, documents, and member balance. Changes and
are more effective. updates to the website content can be executed by clicking
Make correspondence available to the main committee on the Modify Committee Home on the committee page, or
officers so that they are aware of the work and better able to contacting your TAC representative.
coordinate the committee effort. 2.4.7 Questionnaires
2.4.2 Correspondence between committees Chairs may find it useful to gather information by using
Correspondence between committees usually occurs questionnaires. Carefully design questionnaires so as to elicit
between the chairs, with copies sent to the TAC Secre- meaningful responses. Send a copy, along with a summary
tary. If committee members correspond on committee of the results or other appropriate information, to the TAC
activities, send copies to the chairs of the respective Secretary. The summary should be made available to the
committees. committee and all respondents.
2.4.3 Correspondence with TAC and ACI headquarters A membership questionnaire may be used to ask committee
The committee files at ACI headquarters are the official members if they desire to continue as active members,
files. The chair can either post all important correspondence, change membership status, or resign.
agenda and minutes, complete records of ballots, and resolu-
tion of negative votes to the committee’s website as appro- 2.5—Breakfast meeting for technical committee
priate, or distribute copies to all committee members, the chairs
TAC chair, TAC contact, and the TAC Secretary. Anything At each ACI convention, TAC holds a breakfast meeting
sent to staff for processing, such as a document submittal, for technical committee chairs. These meetings are designed
must be accompanied by instructions. Refer to the ACI to allow the committee chairs to meet and interact with their
website’s Document Development page, which can be found TAC contacts, find out what is expected of them as chairs,
under the Committees tab. Any material received at ACI hear about new developments, and ask questions.
headquarters without instructions is regarded as an informa- The technical committee chairs are expected to attend
tion copy and, after the contents are noted, is placed in the these meetings. If the chair is unable to attend a meeting, the
committee file. chair is to name an alternate so the committee can be repre-
Post-draft documents to the website or distributed to all sented at each meeting. Only one person should represent
committee members, TAC Chair, TAC Contact, and TAC the committee. At the spring meeting, the incoming chairs
Secretary. Add the following disclaimer to the bottom of are also invited to attend.
each page of a draft document: “This draft is not final and is
subject to revision. Do not circulate or publish.” 2.6—Technical committee certificates
The ACI President and staff, other than the TAC Secre- ACI recognizes technical committee members with the
tary, do not need copies of correspondence unless it relates following types of certificates for technical committee
to Institute matters outside of technical committee work. participation and outstanding service by committee
If a committee is joint with another organization, addi- members.
tional distribution of correspondence may be required. 2.6.1 Chair certificates
2.4.4 Discussion in outside publications On behalf of TAC, ACI sends a certificate of apprecia-
If an outside publication publishes articles or comments on tion to outgoing technical committee chairs. The certificate
a technical committee’s area of expertise, a committee can recognizes the contributions of the person for chairing a
respond by a letter to the editor or other appropriate means. specific committee and the years of service.
The committee may reiterate published ACI information, but 2.6.2 Outstanding service by committee members
must not present new technical information without TAC The committee chair may recognize a committee member
approval. TAC must approve all letters written by commit- who has performed outstanding service, such as:
tees to outside entities. Individual committee members may (a) Extraordinary effort in the production or revision of a
express their opinion as appropriate, but must indicate they committee document
do not represent ACI. (b) Leadership and administrative skills in organizing and
2.4.5 Coordination among committees conducting a successful technical session
The missions of several committees may be closely The chair shall obtain TAC contact approval before recom-
related and the work of one committee may affect or overlap mending this recognition to ACI. ACI issues the certificate
with another. To avoid publishing conflicting information in with the committee chair and the TAC contact as signatories.
ACI documents, chairs must be aware of their committee’s 2.6.3 Del Bloem Distinguished Service Award
work in relation to other technical committees and reference The Institute established a Distinguished Service Award
other ACI documents when applicable. If a chair is unaware in 1969 to recognize noteworthy work on ACI technical
of another committee’s work, a visit to that committee’s committees. The name of the award was changed to the
webpage is helpful. The TAC contact or staff can assist the Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award in 1972 in
chair in identifying related committee work. honor of the late Delmar Bloem who had demonstrated,
2.4.6 Committee reporting and webpage management over a period of many years, the characteristics and dedi-
cation required for the award. The award is given to a CHAPTER 3—BALLOTING
current (or recent) chair of a technical committee, or
under special circumstances, to deserving individuals 3.1—Voting methods and rules
other than committee chairs, in recognition of outstanding Letter ballots and meeting ballots are the two methods of
performance. voting available to committees.
One award may be given each year; however, there may ACI’s consensus process consists of three rules applicable
be none or more than one recipient in any particular year. to letter and meeting ballots: the 1/2 rule, the 40% rule, and
Any ACI member can nominate another member. Nomi- the 2/3 rule (refer to Table 3.1).
nators will submit to ACI Headquarters an email or letter
emphasizing the chair or committee member’s outstanding Table 3.1—Three rules applicable to letter and
performance on a particular committee. meeting ballots
Nominations submitted by January 31 will be considered Rule Description Use
by TAC at the summer meeting. TAC approves the candi- At least half of all eligible Letter ballots for
dates at their summer meeting, and submits names and cita- The 1/2 rule voting members* must cast an technical committees
tions to the Board for approval in the fall. The awards are affirmative vote and ITGs
At least 40% of all eligible Meeting ballots for
granted the following spring and the recipients are listed on
The 40% rule voting members* must cast an technical committees
the ACI website and in CI. affirmative vote and ITGs†
The number of affirmative Letter and meeting
2.7—Staff assistance The 2/3 rule votes must be at least twice the ballots for technical
Although the ACI engineering staff is not large enough to number of negative votes committees and ITGs
provide a permanent liaison for each committee, staff can *
Eligible voting members are all voting members on the committee roster, not only
the number of members who voted.
assist a chair with technical, editorial, or administrative tasks. †
Exceptions to the 40% rule are given in 3.3.2.
If a member votes negative on an item and has editorial is not considered a final letter ballot. Balloting information
comments that are not part of the negative, they must be and tools are found on the ACI website under Committees,
clearly marked as editorial. If the comments are not clearly Document Development Guidance.
marked, the chair must communicate with the negative voter 3.2.2 Initiation and format
to clarify which comments are editorial. A committee chair can initiate a letter ballot at any time, or a
TAC strongly encourages the use of the balloting feature voting member can call for a letter ballot by making a motion
on the committee website for all letter ballots. at a committee meeting. To pass such a motion, a majority of
3.2.1 Passage of letter ballot items voting members present at the meeting must vote affirmatively.
Items on a letter ballot pass if both the 1/2 rule and 2/3 The chair formats the letter ballot items as deemed suitable.
rule are satisfied. It is suggested to distribute the ballot items in portable docu-
The 1/2 rule is satisfied if at least half of all eligible voting ment format (pdf) (not as word processing files) with page
members on the committee roster cast an affirmative vote. and line numbers. Committee members can then reference
The 2/3 rule is satisfied if the number of affirmative votes the page and line numbers when making comments using the
is at least twice the number of negative votes. document ballot form. The chair should upload the document
A letter ballot item supersedes all previous ballots on that ballot form, available on the ACI website, with the ballot.
same item. 3.2.3 Time frame
A summary of the process to analyze letter ballot results is All letter ballots must specify a closing date, which should
shown in Fig. 3.2.1. be no less than 30 days from the date of initiation.
The final letter ballot is defined as the last letter ballot that To specify a balloting period shorter than 30 days, the chair
contained an item that completed the document, allowing the must obtain approval from the committee’s TAC Contact,
committee to submit it for TAC review. A letter ballot item and notify the TAC Secretary of the approval. In such a case,
to find negative votes from previous ballots nonpersuasive the chair must ensure that all voting members received the
letter ballot and have had the opportunity to vote. An accept- If the negative voter does not provide a reason for the
able method is for the chair to contact any voting member negative vote, the vote is recorded as a negative without
who has not responded a few days before the ballot closes. comment. A negative without comment is considered an
There are no restrictions on the maximum number of days abstention when determining if a ballot item passes, does
that may be specified for a balloting period. For example, not need to be resolved by the procedures given in 3.4, and
the chair may extend the closing date if an insufficient requires no further committee action.
number of ballots are received by the closing date. All 3.2.5.4 Abstentions
voting members must be notified in the case of an extension An ACI letter ballot must allow for members to submit
and given the opportunity to vote or change their existing abstentions. Abstentions impact letter ballots because only
vote. All votes received, including negative votes received affirmative and negative votes are counted when applying
during the extended voting period, shall be included in the the 1/2 rule to determine if a ballot passes. Voting members
ballot analysis. Votes received after the closing date are not usually abstain if they do not have enough relevant expertise
counted and do not have to be resolved. Balloting ends at to cast an educated vote, or if they have a conflict of interest
11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. with the item being balloted. In addition, only affirmative
3.2.4 Distribution and negative votes are counted when applying the 2/3 rule to
A letter ballot shall be distributed to all committee members. determine if a ballot passes.
A letter ballot can be distributed by the web balloting feature 3.2.5.5 Ballots not returned
of the committee’s ACI website or by e-mail. Web balloting is If a member does not return a vote on a letter ballot, their
the preferred method, and chairs are encouraged to use the ACI ballot is recorded as not returned. An unreturned ballot is
website to issue and tabulate letter ballot results. If the chair considered an abstention when determining if an item in a
prefers not to use the web balloting feature, the ballot must ballot passes, and can therefore impact the result in the same
include the due date for ballot response, method to respond to manner as an abstention. If an insufficient number of ballots
the ballot, voting options, and ballot description. A notice of the are returned by voting members, items in the ballot will not
web ballot shall be sent to the TAC contact. The results of the receive enough affirmative votes to meet the 1/2 rule.
letter ballot must be placed on the agenda of the next committee 3.2.5.6 Comments from nonvoting members on committee
meeting and reported in the minutes of that meeting. Associate, consulting, and liaison members may submit
3.2.5 Votes comments on letter ballot items. The comments are not
Voting members, including the chair, are required to vote counted in the final ballot tally, do not affect the outcome of
on every item on all letter ballots. For web ballots, submit a a ballot item, and do not have to be resolved. However, these
vote using the web ballot form or as required by the chair. comments must be distributed to the committee for review.
3.2.5.1 Affirmative votes 3.2.5.7 Comments from TPCS
An ACI letter ballot must allow for members to submit Standards-writing committees identified by TPCS receive
affirmative votes. Affirmative votes require no further input on productivity and constructability issues throughout
committee action. the balloting process of a standard before TAC review.
3.2.5.2 Affirmative votes with comments When notified by the TPCS Chair that a standard has been
An ACI letter ballot must allow for members to submit selected for review, the Technical Committee Chair desig-
affirmative votes with comments. An affirmative vote with nates one or more committee representative(s) to interface
comment is considered as an affirmative vote when deter- with TPCS, and the TPCS Chair designates one or more
mining if an item in a letter ballot passes. If the committee TPCS Contact(s) to interface with the technical committee.
chair deems a comment is editorial and appropriate, the The technical committee representative identifies ballots or
chair has the authority to implement the change if there are published text in the document for TPCS review and conveys
no objections by voting members; no further action by the this information to the TPCS Contact. The TPCS Contact
committee is required. will be appointed as a consulting member of the technical
If the chair or voting member believes that the comment committee and will also review each document ballot to
is not editorial, or if there is doubt, the committee chair must identify items in need of TPCS review. The TPCS Contact
ballot the comment. may also identify issues in published committee standards in
The chair may also decide to relegate the changes need of TPCS review that are not being balloted.
suggested by the voter to new business to be addressed in a The TPCS Chair will assign a review group to evaluate
later revision of the document. each identified ballot item or issue in a published committee
3.2.5.3 Negative votes with reason standard. The review group will consist of TPCS members
An ACI letter ballot must allow for members to submit and may also contain outside reviewers with specific
negative votes. If a committee member casts a negative expertise. Comments by the review group should focus
vote on an item in a letter ballot, a reason for the negative on addressing constructability and productivity issues and
vote must be included. The voter should provide alterna- will be reviewed by TPCS to develop a consensus list of
tive wording or a solution that would satisfy the voter’s comments. These comments will be returned to the technical
concerns. All negative votes cast on an item in a letter ballot committee chair by the TPCS Chair.
are considered by the committee using the resolution proce- Comments on ongoing ballots will be submitted to the
dures described in 3.4. technical committee through the letter ballot process. There-
fore, it is important that the committee representative notify nology. If a member believes that a committee document
the TPCS Contact of any known balloting dates as early under ballot would require a user of the resulting ACI docu-
as possible. Comments on existing text will be conveyed ment to violate the intellectual property rights, such as patents
directly to the committee representative. or copyrights, that member is expected to alert the committee.
Comments from TPCS do not affect the outcome of a If the committee includes information on patented items
ballot item and do not have to be resolved. However, these within a document, include the disclaimer in 14.2.7.
comments must be distributed to the committee for review.
A response to each comment must be produced, and the 3.3—Meeting ballots
technical committee must vote to approve the responses. A meeting ballot is a vote taken at either a convention or
Approved responses are returned to staff and the TPCS interim meeting in response to a motion made by a voting
Chair and will be available to TAC during the document member. Meeting ballots can be used to vote on whether an
review. existing document should be revised or withdrawn, resolve
3.2.6 Analysis and further action negatives on a meeting ballot, respond to TAC review
Once the letter ballot is closed, the chair reviews all comments of an approved document, respond to public
votes received on individual items of the ballot and deter- discussion comments, and administer administrative ballots.
mines if each item satisfies the 1/2 and 2/3 rules. At this Meeting ballots cannot be used to ballot a new document or
point, the chair shall notify the committee of the letter ballot new revisions to a document. No new material is voted on at
results, including all editorial comments and negative votes meetings.
received. Letter ballot items that do not pass can be revised A meeting ballot consists of a single item. This one item
and submitted for another letter ballot or withdrawn from is in the form of a motion and may address different actions:
further consideration. resolution of all, several, or one negative vote; responses to all,
If a ballot item passes but some members cast negative several, or one TAC or public discussion comment; or other
votes, further action by the committee is required. All nega- items. This one item passes or fails. Meeting ballots allow for
tive votes cast on a passing ballot item must be resolved by flexibility in separating information that causes the ballot to fail,
the committee using the procedures described in 3.4. If a in reorganizing information included in the ballot item, and in
negative cannot be resolved on an item that pertains to a immediately reballoting information that has consensus.
revision of a document, the ballot item can be withdrawn 3.3.1 Passage of item by meeting ballot
and no change is made to the document that relates to the The 40% and 2/3 rules must be satisfied for an item to pass
ballot item. by meeting ballot. The 40% rule is satisfied if at least 40% of
3.2.6.1 Updating results all eligible voting members on the committee roster cast an
A negative vote withdrawn by a negative voter changes affirmative vote. The 2/3 rule is satisfied if the number of affir-
the vote tally and thus, the ballot meets the 1/2 and 2/3 rules. mative votes is at least twice the number of negative votes.
A withdrawn negative is reclassified as affirmative or absten- The committee must consider negative votes on the meeting
tion based on 3.4.1. ballot by using procedures in 3.4.
3.2.6.2 Revising and reballoting Meeting ballot results, including number of voting
Even if an item passes, the chair may decide that too many members present at the time of ballot, must be reported in
negative votes have been received and it is not practicable to the meeting minutes.
attempt resolving them, or that the ballot has identified major TAC recommends that the chair abstain on meeting
deficiencies in the document. In either case, the chair informs ballots, unless the chair’s vote influences the outcome of the
the committee members that the ballot items will need to be item being balloted. For example, the chair’s vote may be
revised and reballoted. Each ballot on an item supersedes the needed to meet the 40% rule.
previous ballot on the same item, so the negative votes from 3.3.2 Exception to the 40% rule
the previous ballot do not have to be resolved. ACI Committee 318 and other committees that write stan-
3.2.7 Subcommittee letter ballots dards can use the 1/2 rule instead of the 40% rule for the
Committees with subcommittees shall establish proce- number of affirmative votes required to pass an item in a
dures for subcommittee letter ballots. The purpose of meeting ballot. The exception only applies to standards. The
subcommittee ballots is to obtain the consensus opinion exception must be balloted and passed by the committee and
of that group, which is passed on to the main committee. then the committee must request and secure TAC approval
The chair may require subcommittees to follow all of ACI’s before implementing the 1/2 rule.
consensus procedures; however, because an item approved
by the subcommittee must still be balloted by the main 3.4—Consideration of negative votes
committee to be accepted, there is no ACI requirement that Some negative votes received on letter or meeting ballot
negatives on subcommittee ballots be resolved. Reasons for items that have passed require further action by the committee.
unresolved negative votes on subcommittee ballots need to Negative votes on administrative ballots, such as selecting the
be forwarded to the main committee. day and time of the next meeting, do not require resolution.
3.2.8 Patented items Resolution not required
During balloting of the document, the committee must be The following negative votes do not have to be resolved
informed if the document refers to the use of patented tech- and no further action is required by the committee:
(a) Negative votes without comment received on a letter ballot The balloted resolution of negative votes must be recorded
(b) Negative votes that have been withdrawn in the meeting minutes. Figure 3.4 provides a summary of
(c) Negative votes on finding the reason for a previous the process for resolving negative votes.
negative vote unrelated to the balloted item; however, the 3.4.1 Withdrawal of negative vote (no change to document)
committee must ballot the comment as unrelated A voter may withdraw a negative vote during a committee
(d) Negative votes on finding the reason for a previous meeting or in writing between meetings. Withdrawal of a
negative nonpersuasive negative vote must be recorded in the meeting minutes.
Resolution required The voter may be willing to withdraw the negative vote
The following negative votes need to be resolved by the based on either an editorial change or no change. If a voter
committee: withdraws a negative vote, the chair records the vote in the
(a) Negative votes on letter ballots to approve new or final vote tally as affirmative or as an abstention in accor-
revised wording in a document dance with the voter’s wishes.
(b) Negative votes on a letter or meeting ballot to approve The voter’s decision to withdraw a negative vote may
revising a committee document to satisfy a persuasive nega- be on the condition that the committee considers the item
tive vote or a resulting change to the document in response as new business. This agreement must be recorded in the
to TAC comments or public discussion committee minutes and the item is listed on the agenda for
Methods of resolution future meetings until action is taken.
A negative vote is resolved through letter or meeting ballot 3.4.2 Unrelated to ballot item (no change to document)
in one of three ways: The chair, through an item on a letter ballot or a voting
(1) The committee may ballot to find that the reason for member at a meeting, may make a motion that the stated
the negative vote is unrelated to the balloted item. reason for the negative vote is unrelated to the balloted
(2) The committee may ballot to find that the reason for item.
the negative vote is nonpersuasive; giving reason for finding By letter ballot
negative nonpersuasive. The chair issues a letter ballot with an item to find the
(3) The committee may ballot to find that the reason for reason given for a negative vote unrelated and provides
the negative vote is persuasive and approves a revision to supportive information. The ballot item must satisfy both the
the balloted item.
1/2 and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this ballot item ballot must satisfy both the 40% and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative
do not need to be resolved. votes on a successful ballot must be resolved by another meeting
By meeting ballot ballot or by letter ballot, unless the negative voter agrees that
During a meeting, a voting member makes a motion that formal resolution of the negative vote is not required. Such an
the reason given for a negative vote is unrelated and provides agreement shall be recorded in the minutes.
a statement to support the motion. The committee discusses If a ballot to change a document in response to a persua-
the motion and then votes. The ballot must satisfy both the sive negative vote fails, the negative vote must be resolved
40% and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this ballot do under 3.4, or the committee must withdraw the item and
not need to be resolved. ballot a revised item that addresses the negative vote.
If a letter ballot item or meeting ballot to find a nega- If a document is revised in response to a persuasive nega-
tive vote unrelated fails, the negative vote must be resolved tive vote, the meeting minutes must report that the nega-
under 3.4.3 or 3.4.4. tive was found persuasive and give the approved technical
If the ballot to find a negative vote unrelated is successful, change and the vote count.
the ballot results and the committee’s reasons are reported in 3.4.5 Appeals
the meeting minutes. The vote is recorded in the minutes as A member whose negative vote is found unrelated or
an abstention. The comment may be considered as new busi- nonpersuasive has the right to a procedural appeal. The appeal
ness by the committee. must be submitted to TAC. The appeal cannot be submitted
3.4.3 Nonpersuasive (no change to document) before the committee balloting on the document is complete.
The chair may issue a letter ballot or a voting member at
a meeting may make a motion that the stated reason for the 3.5—Ballot summaries
negative vote is nonpersuasive. The results of all web and meeting ballots must be recorded
By letter ballot in the committee minutes, as minutes are the official record
The chair issues a letter ballot with an item to find the of committee actions. If a separate ballot summary of a letter
reason given for a negative vote nonpersuasive and provides ballot was mailed to the committee, it must be attached to
a statement to support the action. The ballot item must the minutes of the next meeting. Alternatively, the text of the
satisfy both the 1/2 and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on minutes can summarize the ballot results.
this ballot item do not need to be resolved. Additionally, a formal ballot summary must be submitted
By meeting ballot to the TAC Secretary for each letter ballot at the time the
During a meeting, a voting member makes a motion that document is submitted to TAC for review. A ballot summary
the reason given for a negative vote is nonpersuasive, and allows a complete ballot history to be maintained at ACI
provides a statement to support the motion. The committee headquarters during the development and processing of a
discusses the motion and then votes. The ballot must satisfy document to publication. The ballot summary must include:
both the 40% and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this (a) A list of the items balloted
ballot do not need to be resolved. (b) The date the ballot was initiated
If the ballot to find a negative vote nonpersuasive fails, (c) The closing date
the negative vote must be resolved under 3.4.4, or the (d) A list of voting members at the time of the final ballot
committee must withdraw the item from further consider- (e) For each item, the initial vote tally, including:
ation and ballot a revised item. Ballot results are reported in (i) The number of affirmative votes
the meeting minutes. (ii) The number of affirmative with editorial comment
If the ballot to find a negative vote nonpersuasive is votes
successful, the ballot results and the committee’s reasons are (iii) The number of negative votes and names of each
reported in the meeting minutes. The original negative vote negative voter
is recorded in the minutes as a nonpersuasive negative. (iv) The number of abstentions and names of voters who
3.4.4 Persuasive (technical change to document) abstained
Unless the negative vote is withdrawn, is found to be unre- (v) The number of ballots not returned and the names of
lated, or is found to be nonpersuasive, the negative vote must voters who did not respond
be considered to be persuasive. The committee must vote to (vi) The resolution of each negative, including a
approve a technical change to the document in response to summary for subsequent letter or meeting ballots
the negative vote. (f) For each item, the final vote tally if any votes changed
By letter ballot due to consideration of negatives.
The chair issues a letter ballot with an item to accept the A copy of the ACI web ballot results page along with
proposed change. The ballot item must satisfy both the 1/2 and documentation on resolution of negative votes is sufficient.
2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on a successful ballot item
must be resolved by another letter ballot or by meeting ballot. 3.6—Procedures when ACI is the minor sponsor
By meeting ballot When ACI is the minor sponsor of a joint committee, the
During a meeting, a voting member makes a motion to balloting and operating procedures are determined by the
accept the proposed change. The committee discusses the major sponsor. All items approved by the joint committee
motion, considers suggested amendments, and then votes. The are submitted to the TAC Secretary for review by TAC.
but otherwise use ACI style. After publication by ACI, if ASTM International, those standards should be referenced
a material specification falls within the scope of an ASTM in ACI documents.
subcommittee, ACI staff sends the test method to the ASTM 4.2.1 New standard
staff manager responsible for the committee that addresses Committees must obtain TAC approval before beginning
that area of technology. work on a new ACI standard. The proposal, sent to the TAC
4.1.2.3 Test methods Secretary, should indicate why it is needed and include a
Test methods prescribe means of testing for compliance preliminary outline. If a design standard is proposed, a list of
of materials or construction methods that are proposed for ACI or other standards that are likely to reference the design
or used in projects. They are written to the testing agency standard must also be submitted. Once TAC approves work
and may be incorporated by reference in material specifica- on the new standard, ACI staff will assign the document a
tions, construction specifications, or Contract Documents. numerical designation—for example, ACI PRC-123 or ACI
They are subject to the process rules as described for mate- PRC-123.X. The letter “X” will be replaced by a number at
rial specifications. time of publication.
Test methods are only to be developed when an ASTM Construction specification language and format require-
standard test method has not been developed. The committee ments differ from other ACI documents. ACI construction
is to follow the document outline and format shown in the specifications are written in accordance with Chapter 6.
Form and Style of ASTM Standards (www.astm.org) for Committee E707—Specification Education hosts seminars
preparing a test method, but otherwise use ACI style. After occasionally on specification writing and the ACI website
publication, ACI staff sends the test method to the ASTM staff has an online presentations for viewing.
manager responsible for the committee that addresses that 4.2.2 Revising existing standards
area of technology. ACI test methods must be withdrawn if Committees are expected to revise, reapprove, or withdraw
ASTM subsequently develops a test method for the subject. a standard within 5 years from its adoption date. When the
4.1.2.4 Inspection services specifications Standards Board releases the standard for publication, it is
Inspection services specifications are reference speci- officially adopted. TAC or Staff shall notify the committee
fications written as part of a contract between Owner and chair, 4 years after the document adoption date, that the docu-
inspection agency. There is no recommended format for this ment is approaching required revision, reapproval or with-
type of specification, but it should conform to ACI style. drawal. The Chair shall submit a report to TAC before the 5th
4.1.2.5 Testing services specifications year on the status of the committee’s action on the document.
Testing services specifications are reference specifica- The committee shall submit a written request to TAC prior
tions written as part of a contract between Owner and testing to the end of the 5th year requesting an action to be taken by
agency or between Contractor and testing agency. TAC. Standards cannot be reapproved beyond 10 years if no
action has been taken on the standard. The Committee Chair
4.2—Procedures shall designate committee members undertaking revision of
The following is the procedure for processing ACI a construction specification who are to receive training as
standards: discussed in 4.2.1 before beginning work.
(1) Preparation of a new document or revision of an TAC may remove those standards from the ACI Collection
existing document (4.2.1 and 4.2.2) that have not been reapproved or revised within 5 years of the
(2) If the document is to be proposed as an American adoption date. If the committee does not revise, ballot reap-
National Standard (ANS), staff submits a PINS to ANSI and proval, or ballot withdrawal of a standard within the 5-year
any resulting comments shall be addressed in accordance period, TAC may withdraw it without committee action.
with Clause 2.5.1 of the ANSI Essential Requirements 4.2.2.1 Reapproval
(3) Letter balloting of the draft document by the committee The committee may ballot to reapprove a standard because
(4) Submission of the committee-approved document for the information in an existing standard, while not new, is
TAC review still valid. The first reapproval of a standard is for 5 years. A
(5) Revision of the document in response to TAC comments* second reapproval for not more than 5 years may be allowed
(6) A 45-day public discussion period through ACI and by TAC if the committee reports an acceptable plan for revi-
ANSI. Staff notified ANSI of the public discussion. sion of the standard within the second reapproval term. The
(7) Submissions of committee-approved responses to committee is required to letter ballot the reapproval. The
comments received during the public discussion period for reapproval may include updating referenced standards and
TAC review. All views and objections on proposed ANS are minor editorial improvements of notation, terminology,
addressed in accordance with Clause 2.6 of the ANSI Essen- metrication, or other similar items. A reapproval must not
tial Requirements include technical changes. The committee must submit its
(8) Submission to Standards Board and ANSI for final recommendation for reapproval of the standard to TAC for
approval approval. Include a letter ballot summary and a statement
It is not the intent of ACI to duplicate published work. that technological progress at this point does not require
Where satisfactory consensus standards exist for material revision, or that the document is currently being revised
specifications and test methods, such as those developed by but the revision is not complete. Include a summary of the
updates to the document. Generally, TAC reviews only the
committee’s ballot summary and the summary of updates. A consistency in style and format. Members of the edito-
reapproval does not change the year of adoption but the note rial subcommittee need to be familiar with the format and
“Reapproved” with the year of reapproval is added to the style of ACI standards.
document number. 4.2.5 Circulating draft standards
4.2.2.2 Revision Mark drafts of ACI standards as “This draft is not final
The committee should revise a standard when the informa- and is subject to revision. Do not circulate or publish.” The
tion in the standard needs to be updated. Committees should chair may only circulate the draft to individuals outside the
consider “new business” items from the previous standard committee, TAC, and ACI staff to obtain expert technical
when working on a revision. advice not available in the committee or to ensure that all
The committee must letter ballot revisions according to interested parties are given an opportunity to express view-
Chapter 3 and submit the document to TAC for review. Upon points when developing an ACI standard.
adoption of a revised standard, the existing version is marked Committee standards, at any stage of development, must
historical and no committee action is required. (A standard not be released for publication other than to ACI or cospon-
is designated historical when it has been superseded by a sors of joint committees, except on approval of TAC. Similar
revision.) The revised standard’s number receives the new restrictions apply to test data or unpublished technical infor-
year of adoption. mation circulated in a committee.
Committees are to submit to TAC reason statements for Posting draft or published documents on independent
revisions to ACI standards, including background informa- websites is not permitted. Posting draft standards on the
tion and explanations of the significance of the revisions. committee’s ACI website is encouraged.
4.2.2.3 Withdrawal 4.2.6 Coordination of ACI standards
The committee should ballot for withdrawal of the stan- 4.2.6.1 Industry standards
dard when the committee determines that the information it Table 4.2.6.1 lists committees that write the governing
contains is obsolete and should not be revised. A letter ballot standards for a specific industry.
of the committee is required. The recommendation for with-
drawal should include a statement that, in the judgment of Table 4.2.6.1—Industry standards
the committee, the standard is no longer useful or amenable ACI design and construction
to updating. The committee’s recommendation and related standards
ballot summary must be submitted to the TAC Secretary for ACI committee New Repair
review by TAC. 301 — Specifications for Concrete Construction —
Upon TAC’s approval of the recommendation, the docu- 318 — Structural Concrete Building
Design —
Code
ment is no longer included in the next edition of the ACI
562 — Evaluation, Repair, and
Collection. It may still be available for purchase from ACI Rehabilitation of Concrete Buildings
— Design
as a historical standard. 563 — Specifications for Repair of
4.2.3 Maintenance of the content of ITG standards — Construction
Structural Concrete in Buildings
After an ITG standard is published, TAC will request an 307 — Concrete Chimneys Design —
ACI committee to assume jurisdiction over the ITG stan- 313 — Concrete Bins and Silos Design —
dard. Related technical committee(s) may have been identi- 332 — Residential Concrete Work Design —
fied during formation of the ITG. 350 — Environmental Engineering
Design —
The technical committee should: Concrete Structures
(a) Review and revise the content of the ITG standard 346 — Cast-in-Place Pipe Construction —
or incorporate the information into an existing committee 349 — Concrete Nuclear Structures Design —
standard 359 — Concrete Components for
Design —
Nuclear Reactors
(b) Ballot the revised content of the ITG standard as soon
376 — Concrete Structures
as practicable because the ITG standard only has a 5-year for Refrigerated Liquefied Gas Design build —
life in the ACI Collection; however, TAC can extend that Containment
time. To request an extension, the Chair should e-mail the
TAC Secretary requesting an extension and a reason why an 4.2.6.2 Interaction among standards-writing committees
extension is necessary. ACI committees listed in Table 4.2.6.1 develop standards
4.2.4 Committee editorial review that are specific to an industry. ACI does not want to create
The committee’s editorial subcommittee or task group standards with overlapping scopes; therefore, TAC limits the
should edit a standard thoroughly before final committee letter number of ACI standards to one for each industry for new
ballot. When submitting the standard to TAC, the chair should and existing construction. For example, in the commercial
state that the editorial subcommittee has completed its task. building industry, ACI 318 is the design standard, ACI 301 is
The editorial subcommittee should review the stan- the construction standard, ACI 562 is the repair design stan-
dard for organization, sentence structure, grammar, dard, and ACI 563 is the repair construction standard. With
redundancy, spelling, and typographical errors. Because approval from TAC, technical committees whose topics are
many people contribute to a standard, it is essential intended to address specific industry segments are free to
that the subcommittee review the separate sections for create a standard within its mission as long as the standard
does not overlap that of another standard. Ensure the scope part of the TAC review process, staff sends standards that
of the standard does not overlap that of another ACI standard. contain sections on construction to the CLC for review.
4.2.6.3 Proposed changes from outside of committee 4.2.6.7 Coordination with TAC
Committees are permitted to propose changes to the TAC assists committees in preparing standards. As part of
ACI standards given in Table 4.2.6.1, such as ACI 318. the TAC review process, staff sends construction standards
The proposed change has to be approved by the submit- to TCSC for review. The TCSC reviews draft construction
ting committee in accordance with balloting procedures of standards for conformance to ACI format, style, and clarity
Chapter 3. The communication should include the proposed of expression.
change in strikeout/underline, reason for change, and tech- TAC established the TPCS to assist standards-writing
nical background. The committee receiving the proposed committees to improve productivity and constructability.
change is expected to consider the change in a timely fashion The TPCS review occurs during the document balloting
and notify the submitting committee of the results. process before TAC review and is facilitated by the estab-
4.2.6.4 Coordination among technical committees lishment of lines of communication between TPCS and the
Coordination with other technical committees is an impor- document-writing committee.
tant part of developing standards. Some reasons for coordi- 4.2.6.8 Coordination of terminology
nation with other committees are: Concrete-related terms are defined within “ACI Concrete
(a) To incorporate or reference information from another Terminology” (CT) to promote consistent use of termi-
committee standard nology in ACI standards.
(b) To minimize instances of standards with parallel or Technical committees define terms in their standards,
overlapping scopes and are to ensure consistent usage within both the technical
(c) To minimize technical conflicts between committee committee and ACI. The CT is available on the ACI website.
standards Individuals may submit proposed CT changes to TAC. The
If there are substantial technical conflicts between the stan- CT is updated on a yearly basis.
dards of two technical committees, the matter can be referred TAC reviews each standard’s definitions at the time of
to TAC. It is acknowledged that standards submitted for TAC submission for TAC review.
review may be in conflict with or vary from published ACI 4.2.7 Translation of ACI standards
documents. If committees are aware of such conflicts, the Translation of an ACI standard into a language other
submitted standard should substantiate identified conflicts. than English may be permitted. Refer to the Board Policy
4.2.6.5 Standards sponsored with other ACI technical on translation of ACI products. Where the Board Policy
committees requires review and approval by the policies of the origi-
ACI committees may agree to cosponsor a standard when nating committee, TC considers an editorial change and no
the scope of the standard overlaps their missions. Commit- further balloting by TAC is required.
tees may request to jointly sponsor a standard when at least 4.2.8 Patented items
75% of voting members from each affected committee ACI technical committee standards cannot and do not
vote in favor of the proposed arrangement. The chairs must endorse or promote patented products or proprietary tech-
forward the comments of negative voters to TAC. In such nology of any kind. ACI standards shall not refer directly
arrangements, one committee is the major sponsor and the to a particular patent or proprietary technology by use of
others are minor sponsors. trademarks or trade names. If a standard’s requirement can
The procedure for processing the document through the only be satisfied practicably by use of a patented material,
committees is as follows: product, process, procedure, or apparatus, full and apparent
1. Major sponsor committee ballots document and resolves disclosure of the controlling patent shall be made within the
negatives commentary of the design standard or the optional require-
2. Minor sponsor committee ballots document; at least ments checklist of the specification.
50% of committee must vote affirmative ACI standards shall not mandate the use of patented
a. If the ballot passes, the negatives and comments are items, but they may allow patented technology as a possible
sent back to the major sponsor committee for resolution. solution. During the balloting of such a requirement, the
b. If the ballot fails, the minor sponsor committee can committee will be informed on the ballot that the ballot item
choose to no longer cosponsor the document. includes references to patented technology. If a member
3. Major sponsor committee submits document to TAC, believes that a committee standard under ballot would
showing all ballots and negative resolutions require the user of the resulting standard to violate the intel-
The standard designation includes all sponsoring commit- lectual property rights (such as patents or copyrights), that
tees. Rosters of all sponsoring committees appear on the member is expected to alert the committee. If the committee
document. includes information on patented items within a standard,
4.2.6.6 Coordination with the Construction Liaison staff will include the patent disclaimer.
Committee (CLC) If an Accredited Standards Developer receives a notice
Part of the ACI Board of Direction’s Construction Liaison that a proposed, revised, or approved American National
Committee (CLC) mission is to review technical committee Standard may require the use of such a patent claim that is
standards that deal with constructability and economy. As not already covered by an existing assurance, the procedures
TAC will review the entire standard, even if only one The committee can agree with an S comment and make
section has been revised. a change to the standard, disagree (no documentation is
4.4.3.1 TAC review group required), or agree to take the issue up as new business.
Each standard is assigned to a TAC review group (RG) that Responses to TAC comments must be approved by the
is composed of a TAC member as review chief, two other committee by either letter ballot or meeting ballot, regard-
TAC members as primary reviewers, and a staff liaison. All less of whether the response resulted in a change to the stan-
comments received from TAC members, external reviewers, dard. If a comment is strictly editorial and appropriate, the
TCSC, CLC, staff, and chairs of coordinating committees are chair has the authority to implement the editorial change.
compiled as TAC review comments and distributed to the RG Include in the ballot the standard with the proposed changes
by the review chief. resulting from the proposed responses to TAC comments
The TAC RG reviews all comments and meets with a using Track Changes.
committee representative, usually the chair, to discuss the After the standard has been revised in response to TAC
TAC review comments. The review chief leads the discus- review comments, the following shall be submitted to ACI
sion on TAC’s behalf. Staff:
4.4.3.2 Review comment classifications (a) The revised standard in Microsoft Word® format
Reviewers classify each of their comments as primary (P), showing the changes to the version approved by TAC using
editorial (E), or secondary (S) and also provide specific page the strikeout/underline feature
and line number references for each comment, or label them (b) All original or revised artwork
as “Page 0” and “Line 0” for general (G) comments that (c) The comment form including the committee responses
apply to the entire standard. to the TAC review comments
Primary (P) comments identify technical issues that the (d) A ballot summary on the responses to TAC review
committee must address before publication of the standard. comments, including any related committee minutes and
Editorial (E) comments identify editorial issues that negative withdrawals
the committee must address before publication of the When compliance with TAC review comments is verified,
standard. The committee is expected to implement all E staff proceeds with preparing the standard for public comment.
comments unless the committee agrees that the change is If a committee decides to abandon a standard after TAC
not an improvement or that it would change the intended approval has been received, the committee is required to
meaning. letter ballot this decision. The balloting summary of the
Secondary (S) comments identify technical or editorial decision to abandon the standard must be submitted to ACI
issues that should be addressed either in this standard or the staff. This ballot is considered an administrative ballot and
next revision of the standard. the negatives need not to be resolved.
General (G) comments identify issues general to the entire Technical committees must respond to TAC review
standard that the committee must address before publication comments within 2 years of the review, otherwise TAC
of the standard. approval is withdrawn. In such cases, the committee must
4.4.4 TAC decision resubmit the standard for TAC review and respond to a new
After the RG meets with the committee representative, the set of TAC review comments. In exceptional cases, TAC
RG makes a recommendation to TAC regarding the stan- may extend the time frame for acceptance of the committee
dard. TAC considers the recommendation and makes one of responses upon written request from the committee chair
two decisions on the standard: with detailed explanation of the reasons.
1. Draft standard is approved for further processing, contin- 4.4.4.3 Standard not approved
gent upon satisfactory response to TAC review comments in If the standard is not approved by TAC, the committee is
a timely manner and Standards Board approval. usually expected to revise, reballot, and resubmit (commonly
2. Draft standard is not approved for further processing, called “3R”) the standard to TAC. The decision not to
and it is returned to the committee for revision, reballoting, approve is usually the result of major technical deficiencies
and resubmission (commonly called “3R”). in the standard. Therefore, TAC expects a comprehensive
The committee is notified of TAC’s decision, and the offi- effort by the committee before the standard is resubmitted.
cial TAC review comments are sent to the committee for When a standard is not approved, the TAC RG will indi-
consideration. cate what they believe is necessary to revise the standard.
4.4.4.1 Standard approved Although TAC expects the committee to address issues
When the standard is approved, the committee should raised during the TAC review when revising the standard,
act promptly to prepare a response to each TAC review the committee is not expected to respond individually to
comment. each review comment.
4.4.4.2 Responding to TAC comments
The committee must document its response to each TAC 4.5—Public discussion process
review comment. The committee can agree with a P, E, or G 4.5.1 Release for public discussion
comment and make an appropriate change to the standard When TAC approves a proposed standard, the balloting
or disagree with reason. When the committee disagrees, a history shall be given procedural review by the ACI Stan-
reason statement for the disagreement must be documented. dards Board. Upon review of the standard’s balloting history,
the Standards Board either approves opening the proposed Balloting of the closure will be given procedural review by
standard for public discussion or returns the proposed stan- the ACI Standards Board. Upon Standards Board agreement
dard to TAC with comments. that ACI’s procedures have been followed, the Standards
4.5.2 Public discussion Board releases the discussion and closure for publication in
Proposed standards, other than code cases, approved by an ACI periodical, on the ACI website, or both, and recom-
the Standards Board are made available for a 45-day public mends publishing the standard as an ACI standard. Other-
discussion and comment period. Upon TAC recommendation, wise, the Standards Board returns the balloting of the closure
the proposed standard, or its revision, is published for public to TAC with comments. Upon publication of the closure and
discussion in an ACI periodical, on the ACI website, or both. any approved revisions, the standard is complete.
When the proposed standard is to be published for public 4.5.5 Adoption as an ACI standard
discussion on the ACI website, an email that provides instruc- When the Standards Board releases the standard for publi-
tions on how to access the standard on the ACI website and cation, it is officially adopted.
how to submit comments is sent to all ACI members. A notice 4.5.6 Approval as an American National Standard
of availability for review is also published in CI. The public A proposed ACI standard will be submitted to ANSI, using
discussions will begin no more than 30 days before the CI procedures in accordance with ANSI Essential Require-
issue in which a notice of availability is published. In addi- ments. Upon successful ANSI processing, the ACI standard
tion, each issue of CI includes a Public Discussion page with is adopted as an American National Standard.
a summary of standards open for public discussion. Public
discussion drafts will have the following disclaimer on the 4.6—Appeal of committee actions related to
bottom of each page: “This draft is not final and is subject to standards development
revision. This draft is for public review and comment.” Persons who have directly and materially affected inter-
4.5.2.1 Code case ests and who have been or will be adversely affected by any
A code case is adopted upon Standards Board approval and procedural action or inaction by an ACI technical committee
published in CI with a number for each code case and the adop- related to the development of a standard have the right to
tion date. A code case can lead to a change in the next edition appeal. Standards developed under the ACI consensus
of the code. With this action, the code case is completed. process may be appealed, but appeals may be filed only on
4.5.2.2 Provisional standard procedural grounds.
Upon TAC recommendation and Standards Board The ACI TAC, as the committee responsible for estab-
approval, a proposed standard may be published as an lishing and enforcing procedures for ACI technical commit-
ACI provisional standard before or during the public tees and standards, will consider the appeal and will have
discussion period. TAC establishes an expiration date for final authority. If an appeal specifically calls into question
the provisional standard and such a standard shall not be an action of TAC itself, the appeal will be considered by the
reapproved. A provisional standard may be referenced by Standards Board, who will have final authority.
other standards. Once public discussion and closure is A voting committee member also has the right to appeal
completed, the term provisional is removed from the title a TAC decision regarding a standard under development
of the standard. by a committee. In such cases, appeals must be filed within
4.5.3 Committee response to public comments six months after the committee action in question to be
The technical committee must prepare and ballot a considered.
response to all comments received by the Institute during Once a standard under development is released for public
the public discussion period. While the Institute and the comment, any materially affected party may file an appeal.
committee welcome all comments, those that pertain to Appeals must be filed within 6 months after the draft is
provisions that have not been changed in the current revision released for public comment.
are usually considered as new business for the next revision. 4.6.1 Appeal requirements and procedure for submittal
In this case, an acknowledgment, a short explanation, and The appellant must submit an appeal package in writing
proposed committee actions under new business is usually to the TAC Secretary. The required elements of an appeal
an appropriate closure response. package are the appellant (including name, affiliation, and
After the response to public comments is prepared, it contact information), standard under appeal, basis of appeal
must be approved by the committee by either letter ballot (citation of relevant procedure), rationale for appeal (how
or meeting ballot. The committee-approved responses are was the procedure not followed), substantiation of how the
submitted to the TAC Secretary for review and approval by appellant is materially affected, and supporting documenta-
TAC. The public commenter will be notified of the commit- tion. The burden of proof to show adverse effect shall be on
tee’s response and notified of their right to appeal, according the appellant. Because appeals are normally heard at ACI
to Section 4.6. Upon TAC approval, the balloting results are conventions, all appeal packages must be submitted in writing
forwarded to the Standards Board. The committee responses to the TAC Secretary at least 6 weeks before a convention
to all public comments are posted online for a minimum of for inclusion on the agenda of the hearing committee (TAC
90 days. or Standards Board). Packages received within this 6-week
4.5.4 Release for publication window may be deferred to the next convention.
4.6.2 Appeal review and adjudication process
For appeals of technical committee action or inaction, published on the front page of the committee document. Asso-
the matter will be adjudicated by TAC according to the ciate members are not listed. When a committee reapproves a
following process, except that if an appeal calls into question code, the committee roster published with the original code is
a specific action/inaction of TAC, then the Standards Board retained, and the roster of the current committee is not shown.
will adjudicate the appeal. The chair may list other individuals who contributed to the
Upon receipt of an appeal package, the TAC Secretary document and should receive recognition.
informs the TAC Chair of the appeal and will perform a Place an appropriate note immediately below the roster. The
preliminary investigation , which will include informing the acknowledgement should not list specific contributions. An
chair of the committee that is the subject of the appeal. The example of an appropriate note is: “Special acknowledgements
appeal will be placed on the TAC agenda for discussion at to {list of individuals} for their contributions to this Code.”
the next appropriate meeting. (c) Synopsis—A one- or two-paragraph synopsis should
At the discretion of TAC, information may be indepen- state the code’s scope and purpose, and should inform
dently gathered by ACI staff or another appointed task without going into too much detail. Each synopsis is printed
group. At TAC’s discretion, hearing(s) may be scheduled in Concrete International, and should therefore make sense
(typically at the next scheduled TAC meeting) to allow TAC when read independently of the code.
to hear directly from both the appellant and the committee (d) Keywords—Keywords indicate significant topics
representatives relevant to the standard in question. TAC covered by the code. The title, synopsis, and table of contents
will consider the information gathered from the appeal, of the document are good sources for keywords. List up to
investigation(s) and hearing(s) and will deliberate in closed 20 keywords. The keywords should reflect the code’s subject
session. Based on results of its deliberations, TAC will ballot matter without being too general. For example, avoid listing
a written response to the appeal. Formal response to the “concrete” or “water-cement ratio.” List keywords in alpha-
appeal will be issued by letter from the TAC Secretary to the betical order and separate them with semicolons. Do not use
appellant, with copy to the chair of the committee that is the multiple forms of the same word as keywords.
subject of appeal, relating the findings and final decision of (e) Table of contents—A table of contents includes titles
TAC regarding the appeal. of chapters and articles only. Do not include page numbers
Upon receiving an appeal, the hearing committee (TAC or in the table of contents; page numbers are assigned by staff
Standards Board) will resolve the appeal at the next sched- after final formatting of the document.
uled meeting. Any member of the hearing committee with a (f) Preface—A preface is a brief summary of the subject,
conflict of interest on the subject matter of the appeal will be scope, and purpose of the code. It may contain a general
removed to ensure the hearing committee is fair and unbiased. identification of important code changes. If the code is to be
If an appeal is upheld, the standard shall not be processed approved by the International Code Council (ICC), it must
further, but will be returned to the originating committee to include the following statement: This code was developed
address the findings of the appeal and re-initiate the standard by an ANSI-approved consensus process. This code can
review process related to the subject of the appeal. supplement a current (ICC) building code, supplement the
codes governing new and existing structures of a local juris-
CHAPTER 5—FORMAT AND LANGUAGE FOR diction authority, or act as a stand-alone code in a locality
CODES that has not adopted an existing building code.
5.2.2 Code chapters
5.1—General The first three chapters in codes are:
Design requirements are written for the licensed design Chapter 1—General
professional. Responsibilities of the licensed design profes- Chapter 2—Notation and definitions
sional are presented in ACI PRC 132-14. Chapter 3—Referenced standards
A code provision should provide a single requirement. The code’s remaining chapters provide requirements in
Code provisions can include equations, lists, tables, or figures. the general order of design, construction, inspection, and
ACI codes may have attached nonmandatory text, called commissioning. Design chapters can include loads, analysis,
commentary, which is not considered part of the code. structural systems, assessment of existing systems before
repair, and member design and detailing. Construction chap-
5.2—Organization ters can include limits on materials, material properties,
5.2.1 Front matter formwork, and construction processes. Inspection chapters
The organization of front matter of ACI codes is: can include quality assurance and quality control along with
(a) Title—The title of the code appears prominently on the component testing to measure performance.
first page, and it should read “Topic—Code Requirements Design chapters are directed to the licensed design
and Commentary”; for example, “Structural Concrete— professionals.
Code Requirements and Commentary”. In codes, construction and inspection chapters instruct
(b) Roster—All voting members (on the main committee the design professional to include requirements in Contract
and subcommittees), consulting members, and liaison members Documents.
at the time of the opening date of a document’s last letter ballot Codes may be written with performance-based require-
before submission for TAC review, are listed on the roster ments or with prescriptive requirements or both.
The following is a description of information to be Codes can only reference mandatory language standards,
included in Chapters 1, 2, 3, and a member chapter. or parts thereof.
Referenced standards should be developed by an open
CHAPTER 1 consensus process.
GENERAL Avoid referencing standards that reference technical
Chapter 1 includes the items in the following list. ACI information presented in previous versions of the same code.
codes should only address construction issues as they relate Satisfying such references creates technical inconsistencies
to the code’s design assumptions. Where required, ACI codes and conflicts with the current code.
can direct the licensed design professional to include perti- Organize referenced standards according to the spon-
nent construction information in the contract documents. soring group.
The adopting authority having jurisdiction over an ACI List sponsoring groups in alphabetical order, as illus-
code needs to be clarified to avoid confusion. trated in Section 6.4.
1.1—Scope
1.2—General
1.3—Purpose CHAPTER X
1.4—Applicability DESIGN CHAPTER
1.5—Interpretation In codes, a design chapter contains all the information,
1.5.1 The official version of this standard is the English directly or by reference, required to analyze design or detail
language version using inch-pound units published by the a structure, member, or a component.
American Concrete Institute. Below is a sample outline.
1.5.2 In case of conflict between the official version of the
code and other versions of the code, the official version governs. CHAPTER X
NOTE: Use the language in 1 .5 .1 and 1 .5 .2 in all codes X.1 Article
1.6 Building Official X.1.2 Section
1.7 Written for Licensed Design Professional working for X.1.2.3 Sub-section
an Owner as the licensed design professional-of-record or X.1.2.3.4 Paragraph
within other contractual relationships, as a licensed design X.1.2.3.4(a) Sub-paragraph
professional in a Design-Build team.
1.8 Testing and Inspection CHAPTER Y
1.9 Approval of special systems of design, construction, or CONSTRUCTION CHAPTER
alternative construction materials A construction chapter contains information, directly or
by reference, required to construct the Work. Articles in a
CHAPTER 2 construction chapter may include and require certain mate-
NOTATION AND DEFINITIONS rial requirements including strength and durability, toler-
2.1 Code notation ances, and construction processes.
The terms in this list are used in the code and as needed
in the commentary. CHAPTER Y
R2.1 Commentary notation Y.1 Article
The terms in this list are used in the commentary, but not Y.1.2 Section
in the code. Y.1.2.3 Sub-section
Units of measurement are given in the Notation to assist the Y.1.2.3.4 Paragraph
user and are not intended to preclude the use of other correctly Y.1.2.3.4(a) Sub-paragraph
applied units for the same symbol, such as feet or kip.
2.2 Code definitions CHAPTER Z
The following terms are defined for general use in this code. INSPECTION AND TESTING CHAPTER
R2.2 Commentary definitions Inspection and testing for quality assurance and for
For consistent application of the code, it is necessary that conformance to the completed plans and specifications
terms be defined where they have particular meanings in the should be within the owner’s scope of responsibility to elimi-
code. The definitions given are for use in application of this nate any appearance of conflict of interest. In codes, provi-
code only and do not always correspond to ordinary usage. sions can require the licensed design professional to include
A glossary of most-used terms relating to cement manufac- specific inspection and testing items to be included in the
turing, concrete design and construction, and research in contract documents.
concrete is contained in “ACI Concrete Terminology” (CD) 5.2.3 Back matter
available on the ACI website. The back matter in codes may include appendixes and an
index.
CHAPTER 3 Appendixes can include code requirements, or they can
REFERENCED STANDARDS be informational only, in which case they should not contain
technical requirement. Appendixes, when used as part of the
EXAMPLE
CHAPTER X
X.1—Article
X.1.2—Section
X.1.2.3—Sub-section
X.1.2.3.4—Paragraph
Reinforcement “spacing” refers to the center-to-center
X.1.2.3.4(a)—Sub-paragraph
distance between reinforcement and does not require addi-
tional description. “Clear spacing” is the distance between
5.3—Language edges of reinforcement elements and must be stated explicitly.
5.3.1 Verb usage The adjective “minimum” should be used with caution
1. Codes use only mandatory verbs in conjunction with measured distances, such as “minimum
2. To direct or permit an action, “shall be” is normally used spacing,” because it can imply a minus tolerance of zero.
3. To define a condition in present tense, “is” and “are” are 5.3.3 Comparative phrases
normally used When comparing measurements, use “longer,” “higher,”
4. Permissive verbs, such as “may” or “should” are never or “deeper.”
used in the code but can be used in the commentary When comparing distances, use “longer” or “shorter;”
5.3.2 Adjectives and adverbs although “greater” is acceptable.
Use adjectives or adverbs to achieve precision; they should When comparing reinforcing bars, use “bigger” or “larger.”
not be ambiguous. Don’t use shortened or jargon terms. When comparing areas or volumes, use “larger.”
When referring to the material, use “reinforcing steel” or 5.3.4 Preferred words or phrases
simply “reinforcement.” Don’t use “a and/or b;” use “a, b, or both.”
The adjective “special” is reserved for seismic applica- Don’t use “either...or.” Although “either...or” is used in
tions, inspectors, and post-tensioned anchorage devices other contexts, “either” is not usually required within a code.
defined in AASHTO. The exception is when a sentence begins with “either.”
Don’t use “neither” or “nor.”
EXAMPLE
Use: R.1.1.5 ... Recommendations for design and Preferred Avoid
construction of some structures... axial load (to describe an externally
axial force
applied load)
Instead of: R1.1.5 ... Recommendations for design and
axial force (to describe an internal
construction of some special structures... axial load
member force)
calculate compute
The adjective “structural” is unnecessary when describing corbel bracket for a wall or column
members or concrete. Use the adjective “nonstructural” continuous (to describe a condition
where appropriate. that exists over two or more adjacent full length
members)
full length (to describe the full extent of a
continuous
single member)
shear force (to describe a shear action) shear Include the date and title of the referenced standard in
shear (to describe a force value) shear force Chapter 3.
twice double The latest version of the referenced standard is the
flexural moment bending moment preferred reference.
torsion torque If a code includes exceptions to a referenced standard or
directly (to describe relative position) immediately a historical version of the standard is referenced, provide an
explanation in the commentary. Consider asking the spon-
5.4—References soring group to revise the standard so that exceptions or
5.4.1 References to provisions and chapters reference to a historical standard are not needed.
The entire code must be satisfied, so reminder references
to related provisions are unnecessary. The commentary can 5.5—Commentary to a code
be used to alert the user to related provisions. 5.5.1 General
A code must be understandable and usable without
EXAMPLE the need for a commentary. The commentary text, tables,
Use: Deep beams shall be designed by taking nonlinear figures, or illustrations must not interpret a code in a way that
distribution of strain into account, or by Appendix A. conflicts with the code text, or create ambiguity in the code.
Instead of: Deep beams shall be designed by taking Commentary is denoted with an “R” designation before the
nonlinear distribution of strain into account, or by Appendix provision number, including equations and figures.
A. (Refer also to 11.7.1 and 12.10.6.) Commentary may provide:
(a) Basis for a code provision including pertinent
If a code has member chapters, provisions in member references
chapters can reference provisions in other nonmember chap- (b) Cross reference to related material in other standards
ters; however, provisions of other member or nonmember or in other code sections
chapters usually should not reference provisions of member (c) References to address situations outside the stated
chapters. limits of a provision
If cross referencing is necessary, check the cross refer- (d) Discussion highlighting new code provisions (remove
ences to ensure there is no circular logic path. this type of commentary in subsequent code versions)
5.4.2 Compliance phrases (e) Explanation of how a provision may be used or refer
Use “conform to” instead of “satisfy” or “in accordance to another section
with” for compliance with material requirements. (f) Guidance and coordination for design and construction
relevant to the execution of the Work
(g) Discussion of methods by which performance criteria
EXAMPLE
may be measured and assured
Use: Design of parking lots shall conform to yyy.
(h) Instructions for commissioning a Work for assumption
Instead of: Concrete xxx shall satisfy yyy.
by the Owner
Commentary should not:
Use “in accordance with” instead of “satisfy” or “conform (a) Repeat the code provision
to” for design actions. (b) Provide general design and construction education
(c) Provide design aids or examples
EXAMPLE (d) Provide exceptions to the code provision
Use: Concrete xxx shall be in accordance with yyy. (e) Contain additional code requirements
Instead of: Design of xxx shall satisfy yyy. (f) Use mandatory language, except to paraphrase or
explain a code provision
Use “in accordance with” instead of “shall provide” for
design selections.
EXAMPLE
Use: Concrete for members subject to freezing-and-
EXAMPLE
thawing exposures is to be air entrained in accordance
Use: Ast shall be in accordance with....
with 5.3.3.
Instead of: Ast shall provide...
Instead of: Concrete for members subject to freezing-
and-thawing exposures should be air entrained in accor-
Use “in accordance with” instead of “shall provide” for
dance with 5.3.3.
design selections.
5.4.3 Referenced standard style
A reference to a standard within a provision should 5.5.2 Commentary references
include only its serial designation and not its title or date, A reference should be:
unless referring to a standard for historical purposes. Stan- (a) Explicitly relevant
dards that are written in mandatory language and referenced (b) In English
in the code are considered referenced standards. (c) Peer reviewed
EXAMPLE EXAMPLE
Use these formats in the text: Title page—Title, roster, synopsis, keywords, and table
(a) One author: (Smith 2015) of contents
(b) Two authors: (Smith and Jones 2015)
(c) Three or more authors: (Smith et al. 2015) Part 1—General
(d) Separate works by different authors with a semi- 1.1—Scope
colon: (Smith 2015; Jones and Johnson 2015) 1.2—Interpretation
(e) Separate works by same author with a comma: 1.3—Definitions
(Smith 2001, 2015; Jones et al. 2015) 1.4—Referenced standards
(f) If an author or group of authors has two works with 1.5—Submittals
the same year, designate them “a” and “b” (and so on, as 1.6—Delivery, storage, and handling
necessary): (Smith et al. 2015a,b; Jones 2015) 1.7—Quality assurance, quality control, and acceptance
of work
CHAPTER 6—FORMAT AND LANGUAGE FOR
Part 2—Products
CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
2.1—Materials
2.2—Accessories
6.1—General
2.3—Off-site fabrication
ACI construction specifications are written to the
Contractor, must be referenced in Contract Documents, and Part 3—Execution
may be included in the general building code. The construc- 3.1—Preparation
tion specifications may include Owner-provided services 3.2—Transportation
that the Contractor is required to use to complete his work. 3.3—Installation
Construction specifications follow the single-item or multi- 3.4—Testing inspection
item format listed in 6.2. 3.5—Repair
ACI Specifications are not to include commentaries unless 3.6—Cleaning
specifically permitted by TAC. The attached Notes to Speci-
fier are written to specifiers in nonmandatory language and Notes to Specifier
are not a part of the specification.
General Notes
Single-item specifications address a single product or
process, and are similar to the Construction Specifications Foreword to Checklists
Institute’s (CSI) narrow scope specification.
Multiple-item specifications address more than one tech- Checklist references
nical product or process, and are similar to CSI’s broad Mandatory requirements checklist
scope specification. Optional requirements checklist
The Notes to Specifier usually include a list of cited
references, a Mandatory Requirements Checklist, and an 6.2.2 Numbering within single-item specifications
Optional Requirements Checklist. Provisions in the specification are numbered sequentially.
The Mandatory Requirements Checklist identifies provi-
sions that do not have a default requirement and specific
EXAMPLE
requirements must be provided in Contract Documents.
1.2.3.b
The Optional Requirements Checklist identifies alternatives
1 denotes Part 1 (Requires heading)
to default requirements or optional requirements that the spec-
2 denotes Article 2 (Requires heading)
ifier may want to incorporate through Contract Documents.
3 denotes Provisions 3 (No heading)
Reference to other ACI construction specifications is allowed
b denotes subprovision or a list
in an ACI specification. Refer to 6.4.3 for additional guidance.
American Concrete Institute – Copyrighted © Material – www.concrete.org
36 ACI 2023 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MANUAL
6.2.6.3 Definitions
The following terms are unique to specifications and shall
be included without modifications, if used, in the specification.
Words capitalized in the definitions below should be capital-
ized throughout the specification. See 10.2.2 for guidelines on
writing definitions.
6.2.9 Description of Notes to Specifiers Specifications Institute, as adapted for ACI requirements.
Notes are appended to the specification and are not part The language is imperative and terse.
of the specification. These notes are for the specifier and G5. If ACI Specification XXX is referenced in Contract
include general notes, foreword to checklists, references, Documents along with another ACI specification that
and checklists. The general notes provide guidance on how contains overlapping provisions, identify which require-
to incorporate the ACI specification into Contract Docu- ments are in conflict and state in Contract Documents which
ments. The foreword to the checklists explains how to modify requirements govern.
the ACI specification in Contract Documents for the project.
There are two types of checklists: the mandatory requirements Foreword to checklists
checklist and optional requirements checklist. The mandatory F1. This foreword is included for explanatory purposes
requirements checklist identifies information that is required only; it is not a part of ACI Specification XXX.
to be included in Contract Documents because there is no F2. ACI Specification XXX may be referenced by the
default requirement in the specification. The optional require- specifier in the technical specifications of the Contract Docu-
ments checklist identifies alternatives to default require- ments for any building project, together with supplementary
ments or optional requirements for which there are no default requirements for the specific project. Responsibilities for
requirements. A default requirement is a limiting requirement project participants must be defined in the technical specifi-
that has been selected for the specification. Unless other- cations of the Contract Documents. ACI Specification XXX
wise specified in Contract Documents, default requirements cannot and does not address responsibilities for any project
are mandatory conditions of the specification. The optional participant other than Contractor.
requirements checklist provides guidance to the specifier in F3. Checklists do not form a part of ACI Specification
specifying alternative or additional requirements. Checklists XXX. Checklists assist the specifier in selecting and speci-
do not provide explanations for the requirements; instead, fying project requirements in the technical specifications of
refer to ACI guides and reports for additional information. the Contract Documents.
To assist the specifier, checklists notes can include: F4. The Mandatory Requirements Checklist indicates
(a) Reference citations work requirements regarding specific qualities, procedures,
(b) Recommended values materials, and performance criteria that are not defined in
(c) Alternative products ACI Specification XXX. The specifier must include these
(d) Alternative installation procedures requirements in the technical specifications of the Contract
Refer to 6.2.9.4 for checklist format. Documents.
6.2.9.1 General notes, foreword to checklists, and list of F5. The Optional Requirements Checklist identifies speci-
references fier alternatives or additions. The checklist identifies the
ACI construction specifications shall include the following sections, parts, and articles of ACI Specification XXX and
wording without modification except for insertion of title the action required or available to the specifier. The specifier
and number of the ACI specification. Paragraphs F4, F5, and should review each of the items in the checklist and make
F6 may be omitted if they do not apply. adjustments to the needs of a particular project by including
those selected alternatives or additions as mandatory
NOTES TO SPECIFIER requirements in the technical specifications of the Contract
Documents.
General notes F6. Cited references—Documents and publications that are
G1. ACI Specification XXX is to be used by reference in the referenced in the checklists of ACI Specification XXX are
technical specifications of the Contract Documents. Do not listed below. These references provide guidance to the specifier
copy individual sections, parts, articles, or paragraphs into the and are not considered to be part of ACI Specification XXX.
technical specifications of the Contract Documents because (Provide a list of the applicable references using the
taking them out of context may change their meaning. format in 8.3.)
G2. If sections or parts of ACI Specification XXX are 6.2.9.2 Mandatory requirements checklists
copied into the technical specifications of the Contract Docu- Notes are provided in the mandatory requirements check-
ments or any other document, do not refer to them as an ACI list if a product or installation procedure is required for
specification. construction within the scope of the specification but there
G3. A statement such as the following will serve to make is no default requirement in the specification. Minimize the
ACI Specification XXX a part of the technical specifications number of items in the mandatory requirements checklist.
of the Contract Documents: The following shows an example of notes in a mandatory
“Work on (Project Title) shall conform to all requirements checklist.
requirements of ACI (Specification number with
date suffix and title) published by the American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Michigan,
except as modified by these Contract Documents.”
G4. Each technical section of ACI Specification XXX is
written in the three-part section format of the Construction
EXAMPLE EXAMPLE
Mandatory Requirements Checklist Optional Requirements Checklist
Section/ Section/
Part/Article Notes to Specifiers Part/Article Notes to Specifiers
4.2.2.8 Indicate the specified compressive strength of 5.3.2.6 If bond is required at construction joints,
Specified concrete fc′ for various portions of the Work. Joint specify acceptable joint preparation. The
strength Sample language for Contract Documents: preparation following joint preparations are acceptable:
“The specified compressive strength of (1) Adhesive applied in accordance with the
concrete, fc′, for all concrete in the Work is manufacturer’s recommendations
4000 psi.” (2) Surface retarder in accordance with
manufacturer’s recommendations
Items outside the scope of the specification, such as direc- (3) Roughened surface that exposes the
tions on how to write Contract Documents or project admin- aggregate uniformly and does not leave
istrative requirements, cannot be included. The General laitance, loosened particles of aggregate, or
Notes provide guidance on how to incorporate the specifi- damaged concrete at the surface
cation into Contract Documents. Do not add a mandatory (4) Portland-cement grout of the same
requirement for the scope statement that requires the speci- proportions as the mortar in the concrete in
fier to specify the scope. Reminders to the designer of what to an acceptable manner.
include on project drawings may be included in the checklist Sample language for Contract Documents:
notes but are not appropriate in the specification text because “At construction joints, roughen the surface
the specification is not written to instruct the designer. that exposes the aggregate uniformly and
6.2.9.3 Optional requirements checklists does not leave laitance, loosened particles
The specifier may want other requirements in place of the of aggregate, or damaged concrete at the
default requirements in the reference specification. In addi- surface.” Alternatively, the specifier may
tion, the specifier may wish to require items for which there allow Contractor to choose any of the four
are no default requirements in the specification. The optional options.
requirements checklist informs the specifier of the options
that may be invoked and can provide sample language that 6.2.9.5 Referral phrases and checklists
the specifier can use in Contract Documents. Limited discus- The committee must ensure that there is an entry in the
sion or citations explaining circumstances when an option appropriate checklist for every occurrence of a referral
should be invoked may be included. phrase (6.3.11) in the text of the specification. Conversely,
6.2.9.4 Checklist format every checklist entry must refer to a provision with a referral
Use the following format for each item in the mandatory phrase. If there is no referral phrase in a provision, there
and optional requirements checklists. In the left column, should not be a checklist entry referring to that provision.
provide the numbering of the referenced article and provide
a brief description of the subject. In the right column include 6.3—Language
the following: 6.3.1 Tolerances
(a) Concise instruction to specifier Refer to ACI 117 unless it does not cover a required
(b) Concise guidance to specifier (optional) tolerance. Specify tolerances not covered and notify ACI
(c) References for additional guidance (optional) Committee 117 of the need for additional tolerances.”
(d) Sample language to invoke optional requirement (optional)
The following is an example of an entry in an optional EXAMPLE
requirements checklist. Tolerances for reinforcement location shall be in accor-
dance with ACI 117.
EXAMPLE
Use: “Cure concrete.”
Instead of: “The concrete shall be cured so that it will
gain strength.”
6.3.3 Gender-specific language Likewise, do not use technical slang such as “rebar,” “pour
Avoid using gender-specific terms. Such terms can often concrete,” “wet concrete,” and “freeze/thaw.” Refer to 9.6.3
be replaced by “operator” or “person.” for additional examples of preferred terminology.
6.3.4 Subjective language 6.3.9 Approved
Use specific, objective language rather than vague, subjec- Do not use the word “approved” when referring to
tive descriptions. Do not use the following words or phrases: Architect/Engineer review of Contractor submittals. Use
“accepted,” “reviewed,” or similar terms that do not relieve
adequate Contractor of obligations under contract documents.
all 6.3.10 Responsibilities
any ACI specifications provide requirements that are performed
appropriately by Contractor. Therefore, it is not necessary to begin provi-
approximately sions with “Contractor shall…” Refer to Contractor only if
comprehensive necessary to avoid misinterpretation of responsibility.
detailed 6.3.11 Referral phrase
each Three types of referral phrases are used in ACI Specifica-
every tions to indicate to the Contractor that there may be additional
good requirements in Contract Documents and to alert the Archi-
in a workmanlike manner (or other similar phrases) tect/Engineer that there is a checklist entry for that provision.
immediately If the referral phrase, “as indicated in Contract Documents,”
nearly is used in the provision, the specifier must include the provi-
rigorous sion requirements in Contract Documents for the specifica-
shall function as intended tion to be complete. The Mandatory Requirements Checklist
to the satisfaction of the specifier provides instructions on what needs to be specified.
significantly If the referral phrase, “unless otherwise specified,” is
special used in the provision, the specifier may wish to include
substantial an alternative to the default requirement in Contract
such Documents. The Optional Requirements Checklist
thoroughly provides guidance on the alternative that may be speci-
usual fied in Contract Documents.
If the referral phrase, “if specified,” is used in the
6.3.5 Time-related requirements provision, the specifier may wish to include an addi-
Specify ending points for time-related requirements. tional requirement in Contract Documents. The
Optional Requirements Checklist provides guidance
EXAMPLE on the requirement the specifier may wish to include in
Use: “Keep forms wet until concrete is placed.” Contract Documents.
Instead of: “Keep forms wet.” 6.3.12 Compliance phrases
Use “conform to” if referring to compliance with mate-
6.3.6 Qualitative requirements rials specifications and “in accordance with” for compliance
Avoid qualitative requirements and refer to measurable with test methods and practices.
parameters. 6.3.13 Article use
“The,” “a,” and “an” are used to impart specificity to a
EXAMPLE noun. They are not required when the subject or object is
Use: “Masonry units shall have a surface temperature of known or has been previously identified. Such words that
36°F or greater when placed in the structure.” do not require an article before their use are: Architect/Engi-
Instead of: “Keep masonry units warm.” neer, Contractor, Contract Documents, inspection agency,
licensed design engineer, and Owner.
6.3.7 Repetition of items
Specify an item one time only. If needed again, refer to the EXAMPLE
item by its original provision number. Do not use the word Use: “Testing agencies shall be accepted by Architect/
“section” before the provision number. Engineer.”
6.3.8 Jargon and slang Instead of: “The testing agencies shall be accepted by
Do not use legal jargon. ACI specifications become legal the Architect/Engineer.”
documents by being referenced in Contract Documents.
Write specifications with more emphasis toward effective 6.3.14 Pronouns
communication than toward use of legal terms. Do not use The use of personal pronouns is discouraged.
such terms as “herewith,” “hereinafter,” “as per,” “thereof,” 6.3.15 Options
or “wherein.” It is acceptable to use the verb “may” to indicate that the
Contractor can exercise an option if prescribed conditions
If the referenced specification has requirements that decide to write a guide for writing a project-specific speci-
conflict with the main specification, the main specification fication for a particular aspect of concrete construction. The
should state that its provisions govern in case of conflicts with resulting document would not be published as an ACI stan-
the referenced specification. An example of the language to dard but would be developed as a guide in accordance with
use is: “Provisions of this Specification shall govern if there Chapter 7. The document would be titled “Guide for Speci-
are conflicts with ACI XXX.” fying (enter topic covered).” An example is ACI PRC-506.5
6.4.3.2 Referencing sections of multi-item specifications “Specifying Underground Shotcrete—Guide.” Such guides
A construction specification may refer to applicable sections should not be referenced in Contract Documents. The speci-
of another multi-item specification. The same principles fier must include in the Contract Documents the provisions
discussed in 6.4.3.1 apply. The specifier will need to review recommended in the Guide.
the entries in the mandatory and optional requirements check- 6.5.2 Format
list that pertain to the referenced sections and provide missing There is no rigid format for writing this type of guide. In
information in the Contract Documents. Language similar to general, the guide may contain technical discussion on the
the following should be used in the specification that refers factors to be considered in specifying the requirements for
to sections of a multi-item ACI construction specification: a particular construction activity. The discussion would be
“Requirements for (insert scope of work) shall be accordance followed by a guide specification in two-column format,
with Sections x, y, and z of ACI XXX including supplementary with the left column providing the recommended specifica-
requirements indicated in Contract Documents;” for example, tion text and the right column providing notes to the speci-
“Requirements for formwork, reinforcement, concrete mate- fier. The content of the guide specification should follow
rials, concrete production, and construction of cast-in-place the general three-part format discussed in 6.2. The recom-
concrete shall be in accordance with Sections 1,2, 3,4, and 5 mended specification text should be written in terse manda-
of ACI 301 including supplementary requirements indicated tory language using the imperative mood as discussed in 6.3.
in Contract Documents.” The provision that refers to sections The following examples of the content of a guide specifica-
of a multi-item ACI construction specification should have a tion are taken from ACI PRC-506.5.
corresponding entry in the mandatory requirements check-
list that instructs the specifier to review the mandatory and Recommended specification Notes to Specifier
optional requirements checklists pertaining to those sections Submit proposed methods for Consider these additional
in the referenced specification and provide the necessary mixing, conveying, finishing, submittals:
information or requirements in the Contract Documents. The curing, and testing along with a list • The shotcrete placement plan
of proposed equipment for each • Specific provisions to cure and
following is an example of the language to be included in the
task. protect in-place shotcrete.
mandatory requirements checklist: “Review the items in the
Usually a Type I, II, or III cement
mandatory and optional requirements checklist in the Notes is specified, but other types
to Specifier of ACI XXX that apply to the referenced sections Cement shall conform to ASTM
may be specified under certain
C150 or be of the type specified by
of ACI XXX and provide the necessary requirements in the the owner.
circumstances. Type II or other
Contract Documents.” types may require special attention
to the accelerator compatibility.
Care is required if referring to sections of another ACI
construction specification. The committee needs to under- For mixtures volume-batched on
site, check aggregate moisture The suggested frequency is daily
stand the content of the referenced sections to avoid having content and mixture proportions unless moisture content obviously
missing, redundant, or conflicting provisions in the commit- at the frequency specified by the has not changed.
tee’s specification. In some ACI multi-item specifications, engineer.
there may be specialty sections that invoke general sections Shotcrete that is nonconforming
If the project QA organizations
of the specification. For example, Section 6 of ACI 301 on shall be removed and replaced by
determine to accept the shotcrete
.architectural concrete invokes Sections 1 through 5 of ACI the contractor. Alternatively, if
“as-is,” no further remedial action
approved by the owner, additional
301. Thus, if a construction specification were to refer to shotcrete shall be applied.
will be necessary.
the provisions for architectural concrete in ACI 301, the
In the case of natural curing, an
recommended wording is: “Requirements for cast-in-place 85% relative-humidity condition
architectural concrete shall be in accordance with Sections 1 Natural curing is allowed only if
is not by itself sufficient and may
the underground environmental
through 6 of ACI 301 including supplementary requirements conditions are satisfactory, such
need to be augmented by spraying
indicated in Contract Documents.” water on the finished shotcrete.
as when the relative humidity is
Extremes of heat, cold, or excessive
above 85%.
evaporation and dry-out due to
6.5—Guide for specifying concrete construction airflow should always be avoided.
6.5.1 General
There may be cases where a Committee decides that it 6.6—Appendixes
is not possible to write a reference construction specifica- Appendixes are generally not allowed in specifications;
tion that would have general applicability. This may occur however, they may be included if they are approved by TAC.
if the construction activity to be covered by the specifica- Appendixes are considered to be written in nonmandatory
tion is complex and the requirements may be based on language and can only contain information-only material.
site-specific conditions. In such cases, the Committee may They appear after the checklists.
American Concrete Institute – Copyrighted © Material – www.concrete.org
44 ACI 2023 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MANUAL
7.3.2 Existing guides and reports document for an incremental revision. This option allows
Committees are expected to reapprove, revise (full or quicker dissemination of the latest information approved by
incremental), or withdraw a document within 8 years from the committee. The guidelines below should be used to deter-
its adoption date. The adoption date is the month and year mine when incremental document revisions are appropriate.
of first publication. TAC may remove those documents (a) Incremental document revisions should be consid-
from the ACI Collection that have not been reapproved or ered for substantive changes, such as technical changes or
revised within 8 years of the adoption date. In the case of updated examples.
an ITG document, the document is removed from the ACI (b) Incremental document revisions should not be consid-
Collection after 5 years; however, TAC can extend the time ered for documents that are deemed standards (that is,
period. To request an extension, the Chair should e-mail the codes; code cases; acceptance criteria; design, materials, and
TAC Secretary requesting an extension and a reason why an construction specifications; and test procedures).
extension is necessary. (c) Incremental document revisions should not be consid-
If the committee does not recommend reapproval, revision ered for documents that are 10 years or more after their last
(full or incremental), or withdrawal of a document within the full review.
8-year period, TAC may reapprove or withdraw it without (d) Incremental revisions to a document are limited to
committee action. once per year.
7.3.2.1 Reapproval Minimum requirements for an incremental document revi-
The committee may decide to reapprove a document sion are the following:
because the information in an existing document, while not (a) Substantive changes that are useful to the industry are
new, is still valid. The first reapproval of a document is for required, but associated changes should also be made so that
5 years. The second and subsequent reapprovals (if any) are the document is current.
for 3 years. The committee is required to letter ballot the (b) Updated references should be provided including
reapproval. Negative votes do not need to be resolved, but referenced standards.
the ballot must still pass the 1/2 and 2/3 rules. The reap- (c) Updated notation and definitions should be included
proval may include updating references and minor edito- when new items are added or modified.
rial improvements of notation, terminology, metrication, or (d) Changes must be balloted and approved through the
other similar items. A reapproval must not include technical full committee voting process prior to review by TAC,
changes. consistent with full document reviews.
The committee must submit its recommendation for reap- (e) All proposed changes must be highlighted or tracked in
proval of the document to TAC for approval. The recommen- the revised document for TAC review.
dation includes a letter ballot summary and a statement that Committees must obtain TAC approval before submit-
technological progress at this point does not require revision ting an incremental revision for review. The incremental
or that the document is currently being revised but the revi- document revision form, sent to the TAC Secretary, should
sion is not complete. Include a summary of the updates to include a summary of major changes and justification for the
the document. Generally, TAC reviews only the committee’s incremental review request. When a document receives an
ballot summary and the summary of updates. A reapproval incremental revision, committees may request an extension
does not change the year of adoption but “Reapproved” with of the 8-year cycle for a full document review. The dura-
the year of reapproval is added to the document number. tion of the extension will depend on the timing and scope
7.3.2.2 Revision of the incremental revision. Typical extensions are 2 to 3
The committee should revise a document when the infor- years. A maximum of a 10-year extension may be granted
mation in the document needs to be updated. Committees at the discretion of TAC, at which time a full revision of the
should consider “new business” items from the previous document is required by the committee and will be reviewed
document when working on a revision. by TAC.
The committee must letter ballot revisions according to 7.3.2.3 Withdrawal
Chapter 3 and submit the document to TAC for review. The committee should recommend withdrawal of a docu-
7.3.2.2.1 Full revision ment when the committee determines that the information it
A full revision requires a complete review and reballoting contains is obsolete and should not be revised. A letter ballot
of an existing document through the full committee. Updated of the committee is required. Negative votes do not need
information should be added and outdated content should to be resolved, but the ballot must still pass the 1/2 and 2/3
be removed, as appropriate. All changes must be balloted rules. The recommendation for withdrawal should include
and approved through the full committee. Upon adoption a statement that, in the judgment of the committee, the
of a fully revised document, the existing version is marked document is no longer useful or amenable to updating. The
historical. (A document is made historical when it has been committee’s recommendation and related ballot summary
superseded by a revision.) The revised document’s number must be submitted to the TAC Secretary for review by TAC.
receives the new year of adoption. Upon TAC’s approval of the recommendation, the docu-
7.3.2.2.2 Incremental revision ment is not included in the next edition of the ACI Collec-
In lieu of conducting a full document revision, the tion. It may still be available for purchase from ACI as a
committee may consider updating selected portions of a historical document.
7.3.2.4 ITG guides and reports pendent websites is not permitted because control, copy-
After an ITG document is published, TAC will request an right, and document status are not secure.
ACI committee consider the incorporation of the content of 7.3.5 Coordination of information
the ITG document into a new or existing committee docu- 7.3.5.1 Technical committees
ment. Related technical committee(s) may have been identi- Coordination with other technical committees is an impor-
fied during formation of the ITG as described in 1.3.1.2. tant part of processing documents. Some reasons for coordi-
The technical committee should: nation with other committees are:
(a) Review and revise the content of the ITG document (a) To provide agreement for information that will be
or incorporate the information into an existing committee incorporated or referenced in another committee document
document (b) To improve quality of the document through the input
(b) Ballot the revised content of the ITG document as soon of another committee
as practicable because the ITG document only has a 5-year (c) To minimize instances of documents with parallel or
life in the ACI Collection; however, TAC can extend the time overlapping scopes
period. To request an extension, the Chair should e-mail the (d) To minimize technical conflicts between committee
TAC Secretary requesting an extension and a reason why an documents
extension is necessary. If substantial difficulties arise between two committees,
7.3.3 Documents sponsored with other ACI technical the matter can be referred to TAC.
committees Documents submitted for TAC review may be in conflict
ACI committees may agree to cosponsor a document with or vary from existing ACI documents. The committees
when the scope of the document overlaps their missions. should identify conflicts between the submitted document
Committees may request to jointly sponsor a document and existing ACI documents and provide reasons for the
when at least 75% of voting members from each affected differences, if applicable.
committee vote in favor of the proposed arrangement. The 7.3.5.2 Construction Liaison Committee (CLC)
chair must forward the comments of negative voters to TAC. Part of the ACI Board of Direction’s Construction Liaison
In such arrangements, one committee is the major sponsor Committee (CLC) mission is to review technical committee
and the others are minor sponsors. documents that deal with constructability and economy. As
The procedure for processing the document through the part of the TAC review process, staff sends documents that
committees is as follows: contain sections on construction to CLC for review.
1. Major sponsor committee ballots document and resolves 7.3.5.3 Terminology
negatives TAC reviews each document’s definitions at the time
2. Minor sponsor committee ballots document; at least of submission for TAC review. If the committee wants
50% of committee must vote affirmative to develop a unique definition for a term defined in “ACI
a. If the ballot passes, the negatives and comments are Concrete Terminology” (CT), they must provide the reason
sent back to the major sponsor committee for resolution for the modification.
b. If the ballot fails, the minor sponsor committee can 7.3.6 Translation of ACI documents
choose to no longer cosponsor the document Translation of an ACI document into a language other
3. Major sponsor committee submit document to TAC, than English may be permitted. Refer to the Board Policy
showing all ballots and negative resolutions on translation of ACI products. Where the Board Policy
The document designation includes all sponsoring requires review and approval by the policies of the origi-
committees. Rosters of all sponsoring committees appear on nating committee, TAC considers translation an editorial
the document. change and no further balloting by the committee is required.
7.3.4 Restrictions on circulating drafts 7.3.7 Guides and reports authored by ACI chapters
Add the following disclaimer to the bottom of each page ACI chapters may publish their documents without TAC
of a draft document: “This draft is not final and is subject to approval. They must, however, use a disclaimer stating that
revision. Do not circulate or publish.” Include date of the the document was prepared and reviewed by the chapter and
final draft. The chair may only circulate the drafts to indi- has not been reviewed or approved by ACI. Chapter docu-
viduals outside the committee, TAC, and ACI staff to obtain ments must only use chapter logos on their documents.
expert technical advice not available in the committee or to If a chapter wishes to use the ACI logo, the document
ensure that all interested parties are given an opportunity to must be processed through an ACI technical committee and
express viewpoints. receive a TAC review and approval.
Committee documents, at any stage of development, must
not be released for publication other than to ACI or cospon- 7.4—Writing guides and reports
sors of joint committees, except on approval of TAC. Similar 7.4.1 Format
restrictions apply to test data or unpublished technical infor- Refer to Chapter 8 for format of a guide or a report.
mation circulated in a committee. 7.4.2 Units
Posting of draft documents on the committee’s ACI In accordance with ACI Board Policy, guides and reports
website is encouraged. Posting of draft documents on inde- shall be published in dual units (14.3). The primary units shall
be stated in inch-pound followed by SI units in parentheses.
Soft unit conversion of a document may be considered and staff have agreed upon editorial items, staff submits the
editorial. No further balloting by the committee is required edited document to TAC for review.
to approve the unit conversion. When hard unit conversions 7.5.3 TAC review
are developed, they must be balloted. One of the most important functions of TAC is the review
This dual-units requirement may be waived by TAC in of technical committee documents. TAC reviews documents
exceptional circumstances. TAC approval to waive the for:
requirements for dual units is required before submitting (a) Technical content and correctness
the document to TAC. The application must describe the (b) Potential conflicts, duplications, and overlaps with
circumstances supporting a waiver. other ACI documents
Design examples and certain figures and tables do not (c) Compliance with ACI formats
need to be in dual units because of the resulting complexity (d) Clarity
if dual units were incorporated. The submitted document is sent to TAC and selected
For additional information on units, refer to Chapter 11. external reviewers who are experts on the subject matter and
7.4.3 Notation who are not members of the committee submitting the docu-
Refer to Chapter 10 for information on notation. ment. ACI staff also forwards the document to committees
7.4.4 Style that have guides or reports that may cover the subject matter
Refer to Chapter 9 for information on style. in the document to help identify conflicts, duplications, and
7.4.5 Editorial review overlaps between committee documents. Reviewers are
The committee’s editorial subcommittee or task group given approximately 4 weeks to review the document and
should thoroughly edit a document before final committee submit comments.
letter ballot. TAC may review the entire document, even if only one
The editorial subcommittee should review for document section has been revised, because a revision of one section
structure, sentence structure, grammar, redundancy, spelling, of the document may necessitate a change elsewhere in the
and typographical errors. Because many people contribute to document.
a document, it is essential that the subcommittee review the 7.5.3.1 TAC review group
separate sections for consistency in style and format. The Each document is assigned to a TAC review group (RG)
editorial subcommittee should be familiar with Chapters 8 that is composed of a TAC member as review chief, two other
and 9. TAC members as primary reviewers, and a staff liaison. All
comments received from TAC members, external reviewers,
7.5—TAC review CLC, staff, and chairs of coordinating committees are
7.5.1 Submission package compiled as TAC review comments and distributed to the
All materials required for submitting documents for TAC RG by the review chief.
review shall be submitted to the TAC Secretary by the The TAC RG reviews all comments and meets with a
deadlines listed on the Document Development Guidance committee representative, usually the chair, to discuss the
webpage. Submitting the document by the deadline does TAC review comments. The review chief leads the discus-
not guarantee placement in the next TAC document review sion on TAC’s behalf.
cycle. TAC typically accepts the documents in the order 7.5.3.2 Review comment classifications
received. With the submittal, the chair shall include: Reviewers classify each of their comments as primary (P),
(a) An electronic copy of the document in Microsoft Word® editorial (E), or secondary (S) and also provide specific page
(b) Original artwork and line number references for each comment, or label them
(c) A ballot summary of the final letter ballot(s), including as “Page 0” and “Line 0” for general (G) comments that
resolutions to all negatives apply to the entire document.
(d) A summary of revisions to the existing document in the Primary (P) comments identify technical issues that the
case of a revision committee must address before publication of the document.
The committee is encouraged to provide a list of at least Editorial (E) comments identify editorial issues that the
three potential external reviewers for the document. committee must address before publication of the document.
Documents prepared by joint committees may be subject The committee is expected to implement all E comments
to the review procedures of the sponsoring organizations. unless the committee agrees that the change is not an
Coordinate with staff the required submissions to such improvement or that it would change the intended meaning.
organizations. Secondary (S) comments identify technical or editorial
7.5.2 Staff editorial review issues that should be addressed either in this document or the
TAC has directed staff to perform an editorial review next revision of the document.
of each document that is submitted for TAC review. Staff General (G) comments identify issues general to the
reviews the document for grammatical errors, misspelled entire document that the committee must address before
words, ambiguous statements, and checks the document for publication of the document.
compliance with ACI style. All staff-recommended editorial 7.5.4 TAC decision
changes are sent to the chair for approval. Once the chair After the RG meets with the committee representative, the
RG makes a recommendation to TAC regarding the docu-
ment. TAC considers the recommendation and makes one of to a new set of TAC review comments. In exceptional
the following decisions on the document: cases, TAC may extend the time frame for acceptance of
(a) Document is approved for publication, contingent the committee responses upon written request from the
upon satisfactory response to TAC review comments in a committee chair with detailed explanation of the reasons.
timely manner 7.5.4.3 Document not approved
(b) Document is not approved for publication, and it is If the document is not approved by TAC, the committee is
returned to the committee for revision, reballoting, and usually expected to revise, reballot, and resubmit (commonly
resubmission (commonly called “3R”) called “3R”) the document to TAC. The decision not to
The committee is notified of TAC’s decision, and the offi- approve is usually the result of major technical deficiencies
cial TAC review comments are sent to the committee for in the document. Therefore, TAC expects a comprehensive
consideration. effort by the committee before the document is resubmitted.
7.5.4.1 Document approved When a document is not approved, the TAC RG will indicate
When the document is approved, the committee should act what they believe is necessary to revise the document. Although
promptly to prepare a response to each TAC review comment. TAC expects the committee to address issues raised during the
7.5.4.2 Responding to TAC comments TAC review when revising the document, the committee is not
The committee must document its response to each TAC expected to respond individually to each review comment.
review comment. The committee can agree with a P, E, or G
comment and make an appropriate change to the document 7.6—Appeal of committee actions related to
or disagree with reason. When the committee disagrees, a documents
detailed reason statement for the disagreement must be Persons who have directly and materially affected inter-
documented. ests and who have been or will be adversely affected by any
The committee can agree with an S comment and make procedural action or inaction by an ACI technical committee
a change to the document, disagree (no documentation is related to the development of a document have the right
required), or agree to take the issue up as new business. to appeal. Documents developed under the ACI consensus
Responses to TAC comments must be approved by the process may be appealed, but appeals may be filed only on
committee by either letter ballot or meeting ballot, regardless procedural grounds.
of whether or not the response resulted in a technical change The ACI TAC, as the committee responsible for estab-
to the document. If a comment is strictly editorial and appro- lishing and enforcing procedures for ACI technical commit-
priate, the chair has the authority to implement the change. tees and documents, will consider the appeal and will have
Include with the ballot the document with proposed changes final authority. If an appeal specifically calls into question
resulting from the proposed responses to TAC comments an action of TAC itself, the appeal will be considered by the
using Track Changes. Standards Board, who will have final authority.
After the document has been revised in response to TAC During the development of a document in committee,
review comments, the following shall be submitted to ACI only voting members of the relevant committee may file an
Staff: appeal of a committee action. A voting committee member
(a) The revised document in Microsoft Word® format, also has the right to appeal a TAC decision regarding a docu-
showing the committee’s changes using the strikeout/under- ment under development by a committee.
line feature 7.6.1 Appeal requirements and procedure for submittal
(b) All original or revised artwork The appellant must submit an appeal package in writing
(c) The comment form including the committee responses to the TAC Secretary. The required elements of an appeal
to the TAC review comments package are the appellant (including name, affiliation, and
(d) A ballot summary on the responses to TAC review contact information), standard under appeal, basis of appeal
comments, including any related committee minutes that (citation of relevant procedure), rationale for appeal (how
provide records of the resolution of negative votes and nega- was the procedure not followed), substantiation of how the
tive withdrawals appellant is materially affected, and supporting documenta-
When compliance with TAC review comments is verified, tion. The burden of proof to show adverse effect shall be on
the document is adopted. The adoption date is the same as the appellant. Because appeals are normally heard at ACI
the publishing date. conventions, all appeal packages must be submitted in writing
If a committee decides to abandon a document after TAC to the TAC Secretary at least 6 weeks before a convention
approval has been received, the committee is required to for inclusion on the agenda of the hearing committee (TAC
letter ballot this decision. The balloting summary of the or Standards Board). Packages received within this 6-week
decision to abandon the document must be submitted to ACI window may be deferred to the next convention.
staff. This ballot is considered an administrative ballot and 7.6.2 Appeal review and adjudication process
the negatives do not need to be resolved. For appeals of technical committee action or inaction,
Technical committees must respond to TAC review the matter will be adjudicated by TAC according to the
comments within 2 years of the review, otherwise the TAC following process, except that if an appeal calls into question
approval may be withdrawn. In such case, the committee a specific action/inaction of TAC, then the Standards Board
must resubmit the document for TAC review and respond will adjudicate the appeal.
Upon receipt of an appeal package, the TAC Secretary 8.1.1.2 TechNote outline example
informs the TAC Chair of the appeal and will perform a The structure and body of a TechNote consists of an intro-
preliminary investigation, which will include informing the duction; a short, concise question; followed by the answer,
chair of the committee that is the subject of the appeal. The which is a brief summary of the subject matter; discussion;
appeal will be placed on the TAC agenda for discussion at and an optional summary. The TechNote format is found on
the next appropriate meeting. the Document Development Guidance webpage.
At the discretion of TAC, information may be indepen-
dently gathered by ACI staff or another appointed task 8.1.2 Description of required front matter
group. At TAC’s discretion, hearing(s) may be scheduled (a) Title—The title of the document appears promi-
(typically at the next scheduled TAC meeting) to allow TAC nently on the first page, and it should read “Topic—Report
to hear directly from both the appellant and the committee (or Guide)”; for example, “Foundations for Dynamic
representatives relevant to the standard in question. TAC Equipment—Report”.
will consider the information gathered from the appeal, (b) Roster—All voting members (of the main committee
investigation(s) and hearing(s) and will deliberate in closed and the subcommittee that developed the document),
session. Based on results of its deliberations, TAC will ballot consulting members, and liaison members at the time of
a written response to the appeal. Formal response to the the opening date of a document’s final letter ballot before
appeal will be issued by letter from the TAC Secretary to the submission for TAC review are listed on the roster published
appellant, with copy to the chair of the committee that is the on the front page of the committee document. Associate
subject of appeal, relating the findings and final decision of members are not listed. When a committee reapproves a
TAC regarding the appeal. document, the committee roster published with the original
The hearing Committee (TAC or Standards Board) will document is retained, and the roster of the current committee
endeavor to conduct appropriate investigations and hearings is not shown.
within 1 year of receipt of an appeal and issue a final decision The chair may list other individuals who contributed to the
within 18 months of the date of appeal, though adjustments document and should receive recognition.
may be necessary to complete a thorough consideration of Place an appropriate note immediately below the roster.
the matter. The appellant and subject committee officers will The acknowledgement note should not list specific contri-
be informed by the TAC Secretary if delays are encountered butions. An example of an appropriate note is: “Special
in meeting this schedule. acknowledgements to {list of individuals} for their contri-
If an appeal is upheld, the document shall not be processed butions to this [report or guide].”
further, but will be returned to the originating committee to (c) Synopsis—A one- or two-paragraph synopsis should
address the findings of the appeal and re-initiate the docu- state the document’s scope and purpose, and should inform and
ment review process related to the subject of the appeal. spark interest without going into too much detail. Each synopsis
is printed in Concrete International (CI), and should therefore
CHAPTER 8—FORMAT AND LANGUAGE FOR make sense when read independently of the document.
GUIDES AND REPORTS (d) Keywords—A list of items discussed in the docu-
ment that aid users in retrieving material. The title, synopsis,
8.1—Format and table of contents of the document are good sources for
8.1.1 Outline keywords. Approximately three to 10 keywords are required.
Below is an example of an outline with the required The keywords should reflect the document’s subject matter
sections for ACI guides and reports, with the exception of without being too general. For example, avoid listing
TechNotes. “concrete” or “water-cement ratio.” List keywords in alpha-
8.1.1.1 Guide and report outline example betical order and separate them with semicolons. Do not use
multiple forms of the same word as keywords.
(e) Table of contents—A table of contents includes titles
EXAMPLE
of chapters and sections. Do not include page numbers in the
Title page—Title, roster, synopsis, keywords, and table
table of contents; page numbers are assigned by staff after
of contents
final formatting of the document.
CHAPTER 1—Introduction and Scope
(f) References—Final chapter; includes standards and
1.1—Introduction
cited references.
1.2—Scope
8.1.3 Description of chapters
CHAPTER 2—Notation and definitions
Chapter 1—Introduction (1.1) and Scope (1.2)—provides
2.1.—Notation
the history, the scope of the document and context of the
2.2—Definitions
information, and may provide a brief description of each
FINAL CHAPTER—References
chapter in the document.
Chapter 2—Definitions and notation—list the notation
Appendix (if used)
used throughout document. Arrange in alphabetical order,
Appendix A—Title
with roman letters appearing first and Greek letters at the
A.1—Title
end. Upper-case letters should come before lower-case
letters in the list. Define technical terms that are unique to Avoid using gender-specific terms, such as “he,” “she,” or
the document. Refer to “ACI Concrete Terminology” (CT) “man,” when possible. Such terms can often be replaced by
on the ACI website. “operator” or “person.”
For documents with terms defined, add the following 8.2.4 Vague language
statement: Do not use vague adjectives or adverbs.
ACI provides a comprehensive list of definitions through
an online resource, “ACI Concrete Terminology.” Defini-
EXAMPLE
tions provided here complement that source.
(a) Adequately
Other chapters—Present information in a logical order.
(b) Appropriately
8.1.4 Description of back matter
(c) Comprehensive
Appendixes—Some documents use appendixes to
(d) Currently
present supplementary information such as long deriva-
(e) Immediately
tions, research data, or sample calculations. Use a separate
(f) Presently
appendix for each main purpose, lettered consecutively
(g) Recently (recent)
(Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.). Appendixes, if included,
(h) Rigorous
should follow the reference chapter. Appendixes should also
(i) Significantly
be listed in the table of contents.
(j) Substantial
8.1.5 Numbering and titles
(k) Usual
Chapters and sections should have titles. Items may or
may not be titled, but number them consecutively following
the decimal designation system. The numbering system 8.2.5 Active versus passive voice
should not exceed four levels. When possible, write in the active voice. This means that
the subject of the sentence performs the verb of the sentence,
which makes for more forceful and direct writing. The
EXAMPLE passive voice usually employs a form of the verb “to be.”
Chapter 1—Chapter (title) When using the passive voice, the subject of the sentence
1.1—Introduction—Section (title) receives the action of the verb.
1.1.1 Item
1.1.1.1 Sub-item
EXAMPLE
Active: The manual provides helpful hints for writing
8.2—Language
technical papers.
8.2.1 General principles
Passive: Helpful hints for writing technical papers are
Technical writing must be precise and convey a single,
provided in this manual.
specific meaning. Using multiple terms when referring to a
single item or idea creates confusion, and can lead to misin-
terpretation of information. ACI requirements for technical 8.3—References
writing include: Cited references should be in the author/date format.
(a) Avoid words or phrases that have more than one All references must be mentioned at least once in the
meaning that can be applicable to the context of the document document to be included as a reference. References need to
(b) Do not use slang expressions be published and accessible to the public. References should
(c) If there is any doubt that a specific phrase or term can not be made to withdrawn documents, except for historical
be confused with another and it must be used in the docu- documents. ACI does not publish bibliographies. Include
ment, define the exact intended meaning at its first mention each element of the authored reference, including month and
or in the definitions chapter page number(s) where applicable.
(d) Use terminology and definitions from the CT unless
there is a technical reason for using a different definition
8.2.2 Clarity
ACI technical document language should not hedge or
convey uncertainty, as this causes the document to lose cred-
ibility to the reader. Avoid beginning sentences with phrases
such as “It is recommended that…,” “Committee XXX recom-
mends that…,” or “It is suggested that...” It is understood that
the document presents recommendations of the committee.
When using phrases such as “It has been observed that…”
or “Research has shown that...,” the reader wonders, “Who
observed? What research?” In these instances, identify the
source or cite a reference.
8.2.3 Gender-specific language
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
CHAPTER 10—REFERENCES Whitmore, D., Installation of Embedded Galvanic
ACI committee documents and documents published by Anodes, American Concrete Institute, http://www.
other organizations are listed first by document number, concrete.org/general/RAP-1.pdf (accessed Feb. 17, 2016)
full title, and year of publication followed by authored
documents listed alphabetically.
If there is no author, the owner of the site may be substi-
tuted for the author.
American Concrete Institute
ACI PRC-212.3-04—Chemical Admixtures for
Concrete EXAMPLE
American Concrete Institute, Concrete: A Century of Inno-
American Society of Civil Engineers vation, American Concrete Institute, http://www.concrete.
ASCE/SEI 7-10—Minimum Design Loads of Buildings org/staffreport/concrete.html (accessed Feb. 17, 2016)
and Other Structures
For electronic journals, follow the same format for paper
ASTM International journals, and add the URL.
ASTM C39/C39M-12—Standard Test Method for
Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens
EXAMPLE
Authored documents Suryavanshi, A. K., “Cementitious Adhesive for Ceramic
Kosmatka, S. H.; Kerkhoff, B.; and Panarese, W. C., Tiles,” Concrete International, V. 26, No. 8, 2004, http://
2002, Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, EB001, 14th www.concreteinternational.com (accessed Feb. 17, 2016)
edition, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL, 372 pp.
Mathur, R.; Lee, H.; and Orsolini, G., 1999, “Two- Websites:
Level Design Spectrum for Highway Bridges,” Seismic For website with no author and a publication date
Response of Concrete Bridges, SP-187, K. Krishnan, ed.,
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, pp. EXAMPLE
345-360. American Concrete Institute, 2021, ACI Adopts Three New
Position Statements, Last modified April 28, 2021, https://
Cite references in the text as follows. www.concrete.org/news/newsdetail.aspx?f=51732818
EXAMPLE In-text citation: (American Concrete Institute 2021)
(Smith 2013) one author
(Smith and Jones 2013) two authors For website with no author or date of publication
(Smith et al. 2013) three or more authors
(Smith 2013; Jones and Johnson 2013)...separate works EXAMPLE
by different authors with a semicolon American Concrete Institute, n.d., “ACI Adopts Three
(Smith 2012, 2013; Jones et al. 2013)..separate works New Position Statements,” Accessed Oct. 1, 2021, https://
by the same author with a comma www.concrete.org/news/newsdetail.aspx?f=51732818.
(Smith et al. 2013a,b; Jones 2013)...if an author or group
of authors has two works with the same year, designate In-text citation: (American Concrete Institute, n.d.)
them “a” and “b” (and so on, as necessary).
PART 4—STYLE
A project-specific correlation is required to estimate
in-place strength from the wave speed (ACI PRC-228.1). CHAPTER 9—ACI TECHNICAL WRITING STYLE
For writing style questions or issues not addressed in the
Refer to Helgason and Hansen (1974) for information TCM, refer to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.
on fatigue strength of reinforcing bars.
Research at the University of Nebraska (Amorn et al. 9.1—Units
2007) has shown that deformed wire has similar fatigue The primary units are stated in inch-pound units followed by
resistance to that of reinforcing bars. SI units in parentheses.
Instead of:
Specified compressive strength, Required average compressive
psi strength, psi
fc′ < 3000 fcr′ = fc′ + 1000
3000 ≤ fc′ ≤ 5000 fcr′ = fc′ + 1200
5000 < fc′ fcr′ = 1.10fc′ + 700
9.3—Figures
9.3.1 Figure captions
Each figure requires an italicized caption. The word
“figure” must be abbreviated as “Fig.” followed by the
provision number, an Em dash (—), and the caption. The
first letter of the title is capitalized, the remaining letters are
lowercase. Place a period at the end of figure captions.
9.3.2 Figure captions
Figure numbers are the same as the provision or section
number. If a provision or section refers to more than one
figure, add a letter suffix to the figure number. Begin sentences
with the full word “Figure” rather than the abbreviation “Fig.”
9.3.3 Figure quality and copyright
Transmit each figure as an individual file of the highest
available quality in an editable format. Figures cannot
be placed in the text as images or object. Figures that are
embedded in the Microsoft Word® document are usually not
of the best quality and are used by ACI Staff as a reference
only with respect to the general position within the docu-
ment. ACI expects that committees have permission to use
Where practical, place a variable being defined on the left
the figures that are in a document. If a figure requires permis-
side of the expression.
sion, contact ACI to coordinate permission. ACI Staff places
all figures in their proper position before publication. All
Use:
submitted figures should have high contrast and be easy to
Specified compressive strength, Required average compressive
psi strength, psi
read. Adhere to the following guidelines when submitting
graphics for documents.
fc′ < 3000 fcr′ = fc′ + 1000
For electronic photos:
3000 ≤ fc′ ≤ 5000 fcr′ = fc′ + 1200
(a) .eps, .tif., .jpg, or high-resolution (600 dpi) .pdf files
fc′ > 5000 fcr′ = 1.10fc′ + 700 are the preferred formats. Avoid .bmp or .gif files.
(b) Photos should be a minimum of 300 dpi and need to be
at least 3.33 in. wide.
9.6.4 Numbers List all notation used in the document in Chapter 2. The
Within the body of text, always spell out numbers less notation description given in Chapter 2 must be consistent
than 10 unless accompanied by units of measurement or a within the document.
decimal place. Use numerals for numbers 10 and higher, 10.1.2 Rules for writing notations
unless at the start of a sentence. Notation descriptions should be unique, brief, and provide
Use commas to separate numbers greater than 9999. the essence of the term. Follow these rules when making a
Numerals should not be used to begin a sentence. When symbol:
a sentence cannot be restructured to move the numeral else- (a) Use italicized Roman letters for dimensions, force, and
where in the sentence, spell out the number. temperature
9.6.5 Hyphens (b) Use Greek uppercase letters for mathematics
Punctuate two or more compound adjectives with hyphens (c) Use Greek lowercase letters for dimensionless terms
or commas. (d) Subscripts may be a single letter or an abbreviation
Use hyphens between whole numbers and fractions that 10.1.3 Format
precede a unit abbreviation. When listing notation, uppercase notation precedes lower-
Do not use a hyphen for an adjective composed of a case notation of the same letter. Roman letters precede
number and a unit. Greek letters.
Hyphenate the following commonly used industry terms: 10.1.4 Notation use in text
(a) Post-tensioning The following notation is widely used and the descriptions
(b) Saturated surface-dry should not be repeated in places other than Chapter 2:
(c) Strike-off As, Av, b, bw, d, db, h, fc′, fy, fyt, ℓd, ℓn, Mn, Mu, Nn, Nu, Pu, Pn,
(d) High-range water-reducing admixture s, t, Tn, Tu, Vu, Vn, λ, and ϕ.
9.6.6 Serial comma Other notation description is typically given on initial use
The serial comma is used in ACI technical writing. There- within a section. For subsequent use of the notation, use only
fore, when listing three or more items that are separated by the notation symbol.
commas, a comma should precede the word “and” or “or”
before the last item.
EXAMPLE
9.6.7 Footnotes
First use of notation in section:
Footnotes should not be used in provisions or sections, but
Concrete shall be proportioned to provide an average
they may be used in tables and figures.
compressive strength, fcr′, as prescribed...
9.6.8 Parentheses and brackets
Don’t use parenthetical expressions.
Subsequent use of notation in section:
9.6.9 Abbreviations
The value of fcr′ used as the basis for selection...
Define abbreviations or acronyms in the body of the docu-
ment in each chapter the first time they are used.
9.6.10 Capitalization Notation should not begin a sentence.
Capitalize specific types, classes, or categories; any Use “greater than” or “less than” in text and the symbols
mention of a specific figure, table, or equation; and the “>” and “<” in tables and equations.
names of ACI certification programs.
9.6.11 Per versus “/” 10.2—Definitions
Typically, a slash (solidus) should be used between unit Definitions are listed in Chapter 2 of guides, reports,
abbreviations when one unit is being measured per the other. and codes in alphabetical order. List definitions in Part 1
The exceptions are units commonly expressed as acronyms, of single-item specifications and Section 1 of multi-item
such as mph and psi. specifications. Define technical terms that are unique to the
document. Refer to Concrete Terminology (CT) on the ACI
website for definitions. The committee should not prepare a
EXAMPLE definition for non-concrete-related terms that are defined in
For best results, 3 gal./lb (9 L/kg) should be added. a dictionary or by another recognized authority.
Use the word “per” to separate units that are not The committee should prepare a definition for concrete-
abbreviated. related terms that are important to understand the document.
The committee may prepare a definition for a non-
9.6.12 And/or concrete-related term that is important to understand the
Don’t use “a and/or b;” use “a, b, or both.” document and is not adequately defined in a dictionary, but
such a term will usually not be included in the CT.
CHAPTER 10—NOTATION AND DEFINITIONS The committee may duplicate terms that are defined in the
CT in a document if those terms are deemed important and
10.1—Notation necessary to understand that particular document.
10.1.1 General
Use abbreviations in conjunction with numerals (the area The most difficult part of conversions is selecting the
is 10 m2); write out names if numerals are not used, such as appropriate number of significant digits to use after making
“area is measured in square meters.” a conversion. Given the number of digits in the conversion
Indicate the product of two or more units in abbreviated factors and that conversions are usually made on a calcu-
form by using a dot positioned above the line—kg·m·s–2. lator, it is possible to end up with impractical converted
Do not mix names and abbreviations—write N·m or values. In all conversions, the number of significant digits
newton meter, not N·meter or newton·m. retained should be such that accuracy is neither sacrificed
11.5.2 Percentages, decimals, and fractions nor exaggerated by the conversion process.
Use the percent (%) symbol when using percent as a unit For example, consider a concrete with a 6 in. slump.
for a ratio with a denominator of 100. Do not add a space
between the number and the percent symbol. 25.4 mm
(6 in.) × = 152.4 mm
Do note use percent on numbers that include decimals. 1.0 in.
Table 11.6.1—Conversion factors for commonly used values in the concrete industry
From Multiply by To get
Area
1 square yard (yd2) 0.8361274 square meter (m2)
1 square foot (ft2) 0.0929034 (exact) square meter (m2)
1 square inch (in.2) 645.16 (exact) square millimeter (mm2)
Area per volume (coverage)
1 square foot per gallon (ft2/gal.) 0.02454 square meter per liter (m2/L)
Energy
BTU 1055.87 joule (J)
Heat
thermal conductivity (k value) (BTU / ft·h·°F)) 1.730735 watt per (meter·kelvin) (W/(m·K))
thermal resistance (R value) (ft2·h·°F/BTU) 0.176110 square meter·kelvin per watt ((m2·K)/W)
specific heat (BTU / (lb·°F)) 4186.800 joule per (kilogram·kelvin) (J/(kg·K))
Force
1 pound (lb) 4.448222 newton (N)
1 kip (1000 lb) 4.448222 kilonewton (kN)
Length
1 inch (in.) 25.4 (exact) millimeter (mm)
1 foot (ft) 0.3048 (exact) meter (m)
1 yard (yd) 0.9144 (exact) meter (m)
1 mile (mile) 1.609 44 kilometer (km)
Mass
1 pound (lb) 0.4535924 kilogram (kg)
1 ton (=2000 lb) 0.9071847 metric ton (t)
ton, long (=2240 lb) 1016.047 kilogram (kg)
ton, short (=2000 lb) 907.1847 kilogram (kg)
Mass per volume
1 pound per cubic foot (lb/ft3) 16.018846 kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3)
1 pound per cubic yard (lb/yd3) 0.5932764 kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3)
1 pound per gallon (lb/gal.) 0.1198264 kilogram per liter (kg/L)
Pressure (stress)
1 pound per square inch (psi, lb/in.2) 6.894757 kilopascal (kPa)
1 pound per square foot (psf, lb/ft2) 47.88026 pascal (Pa)
1 kip per square inch (ksi, kip/in.2) 6.894757 megapascal (MPa)
Temperature
Fahrenheit (°F) (°F – 32)/1.8 (exact) Celsius (°C)
Celsius (°C) 1.8 °C + 32 (exact) Fahrenheit (°F)
Temperature difference (°F) 5/9 Temperature difference (°C)
Volume per mass and volume per volume
1 fluid ounce per cubic yard (oz/yd3) 38.68071 milliliter per cubic meter (mL/m3)
1 fluid ounce per 100 pounds (fl oz/100 lb) 65.19847 milliliter per 100 kilogram (mL/100 kg)
1 gallon per cubic yard (gal./yd3) 4.951132 liter per cubic meter (L/m3)
ties of the steel may differ from those in the United States. general, there is no need to make a distinction between mass
Report the properties of the steel used such that the reader and weight except when performing a dynamic structural
can understand the reinforcement without detailed knowl- analysis. In this case, the mass of the object has to be used in
edge of a particular country’s design standard. the calculations. The mass is obtained by dividing the weight
11.6.5 Degree of precision in pounds by the gravitational acceleration g, which is 32.2
In the context of this section, precision refers to the ft/s2. The resulting quantity has the unit slug.
lowest common working limit for a measured quantity. For In the SI system, kilogram is the unit of mass and newton
example, a measuring tape is commonly shown to 1/8 in. is the unit of force. The weight of an object in newtons is
It is not appropriate to report or require more precision obtained by multiplying the mass in kilograms by 9.81 m/s2,
in measurements than is appropriate for the values being which is the gravitational acceleration in SI units.
discussed. When converting a quantity in units of pounds to the
11.6.6 Mass versus weight corresponding quantity in SI units, make sure that the correct
Mass represents the amount of substance in an object conversion factor is used. For example, pounds of cement
and weight represents the gravitational force acting on the in a mixture represent the mass (amount) of cement and
object. In the inch-pound system, the pound (lb) is used as would be converted to kilograms by multiplying the number
both the unit of weight (or force) and as the unit of mass. In of pounds by 0.4545924. On the other hand, a dead load in
pounds would be converted to newtons by multiplying the session, such as the name of the moderator, the general topic,
number of pounds by 4.448222. and goals of the session.
11.6.7 Decimal point and implied tolerances 2. Final approval of the session program, which requires
If numerical limits are given in a document, the tolerances submitting all final details about the session, including
should also be given. If tolerances are not stated explicitly, a list of all speakers and the titles and abstracts of their
then tolerances are implied by the way the limit is written. For presentations.
example, if a temperature is specified as 23°C, by the rules TAC uses the following criteria when approving session
of rounding, any temperature between 22.5°C and 23.5°C requests:
will round to 23°C and satisfy this requirement. However, (a) The request form indicates a strong justification for the
if the temperature is specified as 23.0°C, then the permitted session, including:
range is from 22.95°C to 23.05°C. If a numerical limit is (i) A statement on the scope of the session and how it
given as a whole number, the implied tolerance is ±0.5, if would benefit the attendees
a limit is given to the nearest 0.1 the implied tolerance is (ii) How the speakers are selected
±0.05, and so forth. These principles need to be considered (iii) A description of the content of the session
when using decimal points in numerical limits. (iv) An abstract for each presentation
(b) The scope and outcome are relevant to ACI’s mission,
PART 5—SESSIONS AND VIDEO PRODUCTS including:
(i) Presentation of new documents
CHAPTER 12—CONVENTION SESSIONS AND (ii) Emerging technology
RELATED PUBLICATIONS (iii) Awareness of an established technology
(c) The session is sponsored by more than one technical
12.1—Committee planning committee
ACI offers mini sessions and convention sessions that are (d) The session topic is relevant to the convention theme.
held at ACI conventions. A technical committee may seek to publish papers related to
Mini sessions are limited to 1 hour in length and are held their sessions as an ACI Special Publication (SP)
during the first hour of a committee’s regularly scheduled There is only one-step process for approving mini sessions.
meeting time. Each presentation should be a minimum of Committees should submit requests for mini sessions to TAC
10 minutes. Mini sessions support PDH’s and symposium at least 6 months before the planned convention.
publications are permitted; however, presentations will not 12.2.1 Session moderator training
be recorded. ACI will provide an LCD projector and screen The session moderator and comoderator are encouraged to
for mini sessions; however, speakers must provide their own review the online Session Moderator Training available on
laptops. the ACI website.
ACI technical committees should regularly plan technical
convention sessions at ACI conventions. Committees need to 12.3—Sponsorship of technical sessions at non-
initiate an administrative ballot for a new technical session. ACI conventions
Presentation materials used during technical sessions at Technical committees may sponsor technical sessions that
ACI conventions are to be high quality and are expected are held outside ACI conventions. The technical content of
to report new or unpublished work that adds to the existing the proposed session is to be consistent with the commit-
knowledge base. Presentations that promote the use of tee’s mission and there is to be no financial obligation by the
proprietary products without sufficient, objective, supporting committee or the Institute. The request shall be submitted to
data are generally not acceptable. the SP and Session Coordinator.
Depending on the subject and the number of presentations TAC will consider a request to publish proceedings from
that can be generated, the committee may decide to plan a a technical session held outside an ACI convention. Refer to
session, multiple sessions, or a symposium. The guidance in 12.5.1 for details.
this chapter applies to sessions and symposia, referred to as
sessions for simplicity. 12.4—Convention session procedures
A typical convention technical session is 2 hours in length. 12.4.1 Initiating a session
A symposium is a larger event and usually consists of at least A technical committee usually volunteers to either
four 2-hour sessions, two of which may run concurrently. sponsor or cosponsor a technical session, but TAC may ask
The ACI website contains the necessary forms for requesting a committee to assume such an assignment. If appropriate,
a technical session. the committee should consider inviting other committees to
cosponsor the session.
12.2—TAC approval Session topics should relate to the convention theme
TAC uses a two-step process to approve technical conven- if possible, but it is not required. Potential session topics
tion sessions: may include presentations of new committee documents,
1. Preliminary approval of a session proposal, which new research findings, case histories, or timely topics that
requires submitting basic information about the proposed the committee determines will be of interest to convention
attendees.
After deciding to sponsor a session, the committee selects a (f) The sessions and dinner cannot be held to conflict with
session moderator who will have overall responsibility for the the Opening Reception, the President’s Reception, or the
session. A co-moderator should also be selected, and a task group Concrete Mixer.
may be organized to assist in selecting session presentations. Sessions honoring prominent ACI members should
12.4.2 Preliminary TAC approval adequately reflect and represent their field of activity and
The preliminary technical session request form is completed may consist of either multiple sessions or a symposium and
by the committee chair or proposed session moderator and are titled accordingly:
submitted to staff from the ACI website. The proposal should (a) Session Honoring [Name of prominent ACI member],
indicate to TAC that the committee is planning the session Part 1: [Title], Part 2: [Title], etc. Sessions usually consist of
with a clear objective (200 to 300 words) and has chosen a minimum of two 2-hour sessions.
session topics that will be of widespread interest. (b) Symposium Honoring [Name of prominent ACI
TAC reviews the session request and accepts it, declines member], Part 1: [Title], Part 2: [Title], Part 3: [Title], Part
it, or requests additional information before making a deci- 4: [Title], etc. Symposia usually consist of a minimum of
sion. When TAC approves a session, a time slot is reserved four 2-hour sessions.
by staff at the requested convention. The session moderator 12.4.5 Speakers
will be notified of the TAC decision by staff. A call for There are several sources to identify prospective speakers
papers (presentations) in Concrete International (CI) may such as the committee itself, known authorities in the subject
be submitted online. field, or a call for papers in CI.
12.4.2.1 Deadlines for preliminary TAC approval 12.4.5.1 Calls for papers
The committee should submit a preliminary technical Calls for papers or presentations are published announce-
session request form to TAC at least two conventions before ments in CI requesting people to submit abstracts for
the convention where the technical session will be held. presentation at ACI conventions or other meetings. Calls
If the committee plans to have a call for papers, more lead for papers are initiated on the ACI website. Complete
time is required. Refer to 12.4.5.1 for guidance on preparing all fields of the form, including whether a manuscript
a call for papers or presentations. Refer to the ACI website is expected to be submitted if the abstract is selected.
for technical session and SP deadlines. Issue the call for papers or presentations as soon as TAC
12.4.3 Time allotted for presentations approves the preliminary session request. The call should
Typically, each convention session consists of 2 hours indicate the session objective and list examples of poten-
with an appropriate number of 20-minute presentations, tial topics for presentation. Give the name of the person to
adequate time for floor discussion, and speaker introduc- whom the abstracts are to be sent along with the deadline
tions. Sessions with fewer than four presentations are for receipt of abstracts and the date for final papers (for
discouraged and sessions with more than six presentations SPs). (Abstracts should be sent to the moderator 8 months
will not be approved. Session moderators are responsible for before the technical session.) Refer to a current issue of CI
monitoring presentation times, discussions, and the timely for examples of calls for papers.
conclusion of each presentation and the session. A typical time schedule is:
TAC and the Convention Committee require that a time- Time (months) before
table of speakers be published in the convention program Actions the technical session
and posted outside the session room. This allows for Submit preliminary request for session 12
convention attendees to plan their time to attend specific Submit preliminary request for companion
18
session SP (optional)
presentations.
Initiate Call for Papers (presentations) at the
12.4.4 Sessions honoring prominent ACI members
ACI website. There is a 3-month lead time 16
The ACI Board of Direction approved a policy in 1991 for for publication of the notice in CI.
honoring prominent ACI members with sessions at conven- A Call for Papers is published in three
13 to 11
tions with the requirements that: consecutive issues of CI.
(a) The honored individual has made an outstanding All abstracts should be received by the
contribution to ACI and the concrete industry. moderator(s) so that the committee can 8
(b) The Committee has the responsibility of evaluating the select final speakers.
honored individual’s contributions and approving this event.
(c) The request for sessions honoring prominent ACI 12.4.5.2 Selecting speakers
members is reviewed for technical content and approved by Contact prospective speakers early, but do not make defi-
TAC. nite arrangements until receiving preliminary TAC approval.
(d) The proposal for sessions and dinner honoring a prominent At initial contact, speakers should have an idea of the presen-
ACI member is submitted for consideration to the Committee tation subject and possible title.
by TAC after approving the technical content. Prospective speakers should prepare an abstract (2000
(e) The sessions and dinner must be approved at least to 300 words) of the presentation as soon as possible and
one convention in advance by the Convention Committee. submit it to the session moderator for the committee’s
consideration.
The sponsoring committee should review the submitted ACI Event Services staff will secure the necessary stan-
abstracts with regard to the theme of the session. In selecting dard audio visual equipment for the session once staff is
speakers, consider the quality of past presentations by advised of the committee’s needs.
prospective speakers, if such information is available. Avoid Staff sends copies of authors’ guides and guidelines for
selecting speakers who have a history of failing to appear at preparing slides to session moderators for distribution to the
previous conventions to make their presentations. Submit to speakers.
the Event Services Department the names and addresses of 12.4.8 Presentation materials
speakers who are not ACI members so that they can receive Quality slides are important to the overall quality of a
registration forms. Encourage speakers to visit the ACI presentation. TAC encourages speakers to prepare slides
website for the latest convention information. using Microsoft PowerPoint®. Presentations should be
12.4.5.3 Notifying speakers professional in appearance. Presenters should refrain from
Upon selection by the sponsoring committee, notify the use of brand names and specific product endorsement
speakers that they are on the tentative program, inform them whenever possible. Small logos are acceptable.
of the allocated presentation time, and ask them to proceed
with preparing their presentation. 12.5—Publication of session papers in an ACI
If paper versions of the presentations are to be considered for Symposium Publication
session or symposium publication (SP), indicate the deadline The committee may wish to publish papers from convention
for submission of manuscripts and approximate date for notifi- sessions or a symposium in a Symposium Publication (SP). A
cation of acceptance. Also, advise the speakers that selection of minimum of 10 papers is recommended for an SP. ACI SPs
a presentation for convention session does not guarantee publi- are published in PDF format. Contact ACI staff if interested
cation of a paper and that manuscripts are reviewed in accor- in publishing in a different format. Individual authors are
dance with the ACI publication policy. encouraged to submit their papers for consideration by an ACI
ACI does not pay speakers’ expenses or travel, or offer an periodical if a collection of papers as an SP is not planned.
honorarium. An SP may include papers from convention sessions, papers
Notify speakers who are not selected for the program. submitted but not presented, and other papers dealing with the
If an SP is planned and if the abstracts have merit, those same subject matter received by the Institute and approved by
submitting the abstracts may be asked to prepare papers to the committee for inclusion in the SP. Papers must be orig-
be considered for the SP with other papers developed from inal unless otherwise approved by TAC. Committees must
the technical session. approve by administrative ballot a request to sponsor a special
12.4.6 Final TAC approval publication before submitting such a request to ACI.
For final approval by TAC, submit all details of the If an SP is to be available at the time of the technical
technical session, including summary of the session to be session, it requires careful planning, coordination with the
published in the convention program (200 to 300 words), the SP and Session Coordinator, and a rigid timetable for manu-
name and contact information of the moderator(s) and of each script submissions and reviews. Technical session and SP
speaker, titles of their presentations, and abstracts (200 to 300 deadlines are available on the ACI website.
words) for each presentation. The final session request form is Final manuscripts and all backup material should be
completed online by the session moderator, who has completed submitted at least 3 months before the technical session to
the session moderator training, and submitted to staff. These ensure that the SP will be available for sale at the conven-
forms can be found on the ACI website. TAC will make a final tion or other event. In rare cases, however, the SP may still
review to determine whether the session will be approved. If be published after the technical session. In this case, final
the session receives final approval, staff will notify the moder- manuscripts and all backup material must be submitted to
ators and the committee chair. The information in the final the SP and Session Coordinator no later than 6 months after
approval form will be used in the preconvention program the technical session.
mailing, in CI, and in other publicity announcements. The Information on obtaining TAC preliminary and final
sponsoring committee should arrange for appropriate local approvals and preparing an SP can be found on the ACI website.
publicity, specialized publicity, and attendance from particular 12.5.1 SP from conferences outside ACI conventions
groups that might be interested in the session. TAC will consider requests to publish proceedings from
The committee may not alter the details of the session technical sessions held at conferences outside an ACI
once final approval has been granted without the permission convention, provided the following requirements are met:
of TAC. Submit any requested changes to the SP and Session (a) The conference must have formal cosponsorship by ACI
Coordinator. (b) The technical session must be associated with an ACI
12.4.6.1 Deadlines for final TAC approval committee
Sessions must be submitted for final TAC approval no later (c) A financial agreement must be in place for publishing
than the Friday after the end of the preceding convention. the SP
Failure to meet the deadline will postpone TAC review and (d) ACI’s SP procedures must be followed on all papers
thus the session may be postponed or not approved. Cosponsorship by ACI requires the approval of the ACI
12.4.7 Staff assistance Executive Vice President. The topic of the SP should precede
the name of the conference in the title. Submit the request,
along with a discussion of the financial implications for ACI review more than 25% of the papers for any SP or 10 papers,
to the SP and Session Coordinator. whichever is less.
12.5.2 SP honoring an individual The editor should provide the SP and Session Coor-
SPs honoring an individual can have a title and preface dinator with a list of the reviewers and how many papers
dedicated to the individual. The topic of the SP, however, each reviewer has been assigned. When the SP editor has
should precede the name of the individual being honored in authored one of the papers, the editor shall submit that paper
the title. The preface should be no more than 1 page (approx- to the SP and Session Coordinator, who will assign anony-
imately 600 words). The preface should discuss the individ- mous reviewers.
ual’s contribution to the concrete industry. Reviewers follow the criteria listed in the manuscript
12.5.3 Preliminary TAC approval review forms available on the ACI website. Reviews
For preliminary TAC approval, the committee must submit should be returned to the editor within 30 days. At least two
a preliminary SP request to the ACI Staff SP and Session reviewers must recommend publication. If one of the two
Coordinator before proceeding with production of an SP. reviewers does not recommend publication, a third reviewer
TAC approves or declines preliminary SP requests based on shall be assigned. For convention sessions, session papers
appropriateness of the subject matter and anticipated useful- that are not to be published in the SP are permitted to be
ness of the publication. When a decision is made to publish shared with the audience if the author gives permission.
an SP, the committee should submit an online preliminary Inform the session audience that these papers can be found
SP request form to the ACI staff SP and Session Coordinator on the ACI website for a short time following the session.
before proceeding with production of an SP. This request All papers made available on the session handout page must
should: be reviewed by the editor for style before posting.
(a) Identify the SP editor(s), including contact information The editor provides authors with copies of anonymous
(b) Provide a brief overview of the proposed SP review comments and instructions for submitting final manu-
(c) List proposed paper titles and authors, including their scripts. Authors must address review comments in preparing
contact information (this requirement may be waived if a their final manuscripts, and must provide an explanation to
call for papers is planned to be issued in CI) the editors why particular review comments were not incor-
(d) Provide a timetable leading to the publication of the SP porated into the final manuscript.
(e) Identify individuals serving on the scientific committee The editor is responsible for determining that the final manu-
that will advise the sponsoring committee on matters related script addresses all review comments in a satisfactory manner.
to the session and serve as reviewers for the papers. It is Final manuscripts for all papers, along with all reviews, a
advantageous to have the scientific committee composed, at preface providing background information and a summary of
least partially, of representatives from other ACI committees the SP contents, and any other information requested are then
with an interest in the topic of the SP. These other commit- submitted to ACI staff for final TAC approval.
tees should also be considered for cosponsorship of the SP 12.5.6 Final TAC approval
12.5.4 Preparation of papers For final TAC approval, the committee must submit a final
Information on the ACI website includes: SP request to the ACI Staff and Session Coordinator, including
(a) Information for SP editors (processing information, the completed SP, the table of contents, preface, all papers,
initial and final approval requirements, initial and final paper the reviews for all papers with the reviewers’ names, copy-
submission checklists, calls for papers, review forms, and right transfer forms, and the number of accepted and declined
paper awards criteria) papers. TAC reviews the final documentation and verifies that
(b) Information for SP paper authors (manuscript guide- procedures have been followed. Following TAC approval,
lines and copyright transfer form) ACI staff prepares materials for publication of the SP.
All SP papers, including figures, require dual units. SI
(metric) or inch-pound units of measurement can be used CHAPTER 13—DEVELOPMENT OF VIDEO PRODUCTS
as primary units. The secondary units must be provided in ACI technical committees may decide that, for a particular
parentheses. topic, the most effective means of communication is a video.
Some papers presented at a convention session might not The distribution of video products is a rapidly moving area of
be published. Experience shows that some oral presenta- technology and it is anticipated that videos will be produced
tions cannot be adapted to written format. After the SP editor in a standard movie format for playback on computers. The
selects presentations for the session or symposium publica- movie files may be distributed as part of a Special Publication
tion, notify the presenters promptly that an SP is planned, published on a DVD, or by other methods approved by TAC.
and invite them to prepare a manuscript for review. Give Videos are to be professional quality and report informa-
authors a firm deadline for submission of manuscripts. tion that adds to the existing knowledge base. Videos that
12.5.5 Review of papers describe proprietary products without sufficient, objective,
TAC generally delegates coordinating the reviews of SPs supporting data are not acceptable.
to the SP editor. The editor selects at least two qualified The ACI logo and committee sponsorship should be visu-
reviewers for each paper. Except in special cases approved ally shown at the beginning of the video and in ending credits.
by TAC before papers are reviewed, a reviewer must not
warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular reports, limited experience with field applications,
purpose or non-infringement. and the opinions of committee members. The
“ACI and its members disclaim liability for damages presented information and recommendations, and
of any kind, including any special, indirect, inci- their basis, may not be as extensively developed
dental, or consequential damages, including without and tested as those for more mature technologies.
limitation, lost revenues or lost profits, which may This report identifies areas in which information is
result from the use of this publication. believed to be less fully developed, and describes
“It is the responsibility of the user of this document related research needs. The professional using this
to comply with all applicable laws and regulations document should understand the limitations of this
of any nature, and to establish environmental and/or document and exercise judgment as to the appro-
health and safety practices appropriate to the specific priate application of this emerging technology.”
circumstances involved with its use. ACI does not
in any way represent, imply, or warrant that the 14.2.5 Translation disclaimer
information in this document complies with any or The first page of a translated document shall include the
all laws, nor does it make any representations with following statement:
regard to environmental and/or health and safety
issues and the use of this document. The user must (a) “Copyright by the American Concrete Institute
determine the applicability of all laws and regulatory (ACI), Farmington Hills, MI. All rights reserved.
limitations before applying the document and must This material may not be reproduced or copied, in
comply with all applicable laws and regulations, whole or part, in any form or media, without the
including but not limited to, United States Occupa- written consent of ACI.”
tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (b) “This document was originally published in
health and safety standards. English. Consequently, whenever there is doubt
“Participation by governmental representatives in about the exact meaning, it is the English version
the work of the American Concrete Institute and that must be taken as authentic.”
in the development of Institute standards does not (c)“This translation is not able to, nor intended to,
constitute governmental endorsement of ACI or the supplant individual training, responsibility, or judg-
standards that it develops.” ment of the user of the information presented. Indi-
viduals who use this publication in any way assume
14.2.3 Statement describing ITG reports all risk and accept total responsibility for the appli-
The first page of Innovative Task Group (ITG) documents cation and use of this information. All informa-
shall include the following statement: tion in this publication is provided ‘as is’ without
warranty of any kind, either express or implied,
“ACI encourages the development and appropriate including but not limited to, the implied warranties
use of innovative technologies through the publi- of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose
cation of the Innovation Task Group Documents. or non-infringement.”
These documents present information and recom- (d) “ACI and its members disclaim liability for
mendations based on available test data, technical damages of any kind, including any special, indi-
reports, limited experience with field applications, rect, incidental, or consequential damages, including
and the opinions of committee members. The without limitation, lost revenues or lost profits,
presented information and recommendations, and which may result from the use of this publication.”
their basis, may not be as extensively developed and
tested as those for more mature technologies. This 14.2.6 Metric unit conversion disclaimer
document identifies areas in which information is The first page shall include the following statement:
believed to be less fully developed, and describes
related research needs. The professional using this “The official version of this ACI document uses
document should understand the limitations of this inch-pound units. A conversion of an ACI docu-
document and exercise judgment as to the appro- ment into SI units is for the convenience of users.
priate application of this innovative technology.” Care has been taken to ensure that the conversion is
correct; however, ACI does not guarantee its accu-
14.2.4 Statement describing Emerging Technology Reports racy. Official interpretation of this ACI document
The first page of an ETR shall include the following statement: shall be based only on the U.S. customary units.”
“This ACI document contains requirements that structure. To develop reliable information, committees
can, at the time of the document’s adoption by ACI, strives to maintain expertise and participation from varying
be satisfied practicably only by use of a patented geographic regions, as well as a balance of interests among
material, product, process, procedure, or appa- producers, users, consultants, and general interest.
ratus. ACI does not endorse this technology. The Design and construction of the concrete infrastructure
selection of any design methodology or use of any has become a global business for many organizations. We
patented technology is at the option of the user.” want these organizations to come to ACI for reliable infor-
mation that is relevant to the region, design, or construction
14.2.8 Certification statement that is occurring. ACI documents, therefore, will generally
Documents including certification shall have the following benefit users by obtaining committee consensus on issues
statement: that includes experts from different regions and countries.
“The materials, processes, quality control measures, Avenues for committee international outreach
and inspections described in this document should ACI committee output is information, so the purpose
be tested, monitored, or performed as applicable of a committee’s international outreach must be related to
only by individuals holding the appropriate ACI improving or expanding committee information. Tech-
Certification or equivalent.” nical sessions (or symposiums) are a common way for a
committee to publicly discuss various aspects of a topic that
14.3—ACI metrication policy doesn’t yet have consensus. Once there is sufficient investi-
The ACI Board of Direction approved the following gation and experience with a relevant topic, a committee can
policy on metrication: create a consensus document. Once consensus is obtained
The general policy of ACI shall be that all new and revised and reported in a committee document, technical sessions
ACI codes and specifications shall be published in two sepa- can be an outlet for that information.
rate versions, one using inch-pound units and one using hard- ACI committees, thus, have two available informational
converted SI units. Exceptions to this policy will depend upon outputs, sessions, and documents.
industry needs and TAC approval. All new and revised ACI 1) Committee membership
standards and other publications shall use dual units. Nonar- The best way to include viewpoints from various global
chival information, such as visual materials used at conven- regions in ACI documents is to have experts from those
tion sessions, shall use units of measurements selected by the regions join the committee as voting members, attend meet-
author. All conversions shall conform to the latest version ings, and contribute to the discussions. Recognizing this
of IEEE/ASTM SI 10, supplemented where applicable by is not possible in all cases, international experts can also
ASTM E621. In hard conversions, due consideration shall be have limited involvement with the committee as associate
given to uniformity among Institute documents and to avail- members or liaison members. These memberships cannot
ability of metric products for concrete construction. vote and attendance is not required. Associate membership
ACI Board Committees shall establish provisions to is only available to ACI members, and Liaison membership
implement this policy. is only available if the individual represents an organization
TAC shall review and recommend revisions to this policy that has an established relationship with ACI. To determine
to the Board on an as-needed basis to meet the demand for if an outside organization is an established one with ACI,
metrication of ACI documents. contact the Managing Director, Engineering.
2) Session sponsorship
APPENDIX A—TAC’S INTERNATIONAL Outside organizations can cosponsor a technical session
OUTREACH at ACI conventions, or ACI can cosponsor an international
symposium held outside the ACI convention. In either event,
ACI’s strategic interests a technical committee(s) must request TAC approval for the
From ACI’s recently approved strategic plan, ACI’s vision session/symposium using the normal request procedure.
is a future where everyone has the knowledge needed to Archiving of presentations and papers can be achieved by
use concrete effectively to meet the demands of a changing an ACI SP (the default arrangement), or an alternate arrange-
world. ACI’s mission is to develop and disseminate ment as agreed to by the cosponsoring organizations.
consensus-based knowledge on concrete and its uses.
ACI wants to positively impact the global concrete commu- Summary
nity through mutually beneficial alliances. To achieve this, ACI technical committees are a diverse group. Some commit-
ACI will establish and expand strong and productive rela- tees already have many active members from around the world,
tionships with external organizations and individuals whose while others have a few, and some minimal contact with inter-
missions and visions are similar to ACI’s. national experts. TAC encourages all committees to consider if
international outreach would benefit the work of the committee.
Purpose of ACI technical committees’ international
outreach
A technical committee mission focuses on a knowledge
area that is related to the concrete technology or infra-
American Concrete Institute – Copyrighted © Material – www.concrete.org
ACI 2023 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MANUAL 67
M N
Material specifications, 4.1.2.2, 4.1.2.3, 4.2 Negative votes, 3.2.5.3, 3.4
Meetings, 2.3 Nonpersuasive, 3.4.3
Agenda, 2.3.8 Persuasive, 3.4.4
Closed, 2.3.6 Resolution, 3.2.5.3, 3.4, 3.4.2, 3.4.4, 3.5
Minutes, 2.3.9 Unrelated, 3.4.2, 3.4.5
Quorum, 2.3.2 Withdrawal, 3.4.1
Visitors, 2.3.7 Nonmandatory language document disclaimer, 14.2.1,
Members, committee, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 14.2.2
Appeal, 1.6.8 Notation
Application, 1.7.1 Codes, 5.2.2
Appointments, 1.5.1.5, 1.5.2.5, 1.5.3.5, 1.5.4.5, 1.6.2, General information, 10.1
1.6.3, 1.6.5, 1.7 Guides and reports, 7.4.3, 8.1.3
Associate, 1.5.2, 1.6 Style, Chapter 10
Balance of interests, 1.7
Categories, 1.5 O
Chairs, 1.8.1, 2.3.1, 2.4, 2.5 Officers, 1.8, 2.3.4, 2.4
Classification, 1.8 Organization and operation of technical committees,
Consultants, 1.7.4 Part 1
Consulting, 1.5, 1.5.3, 1.7.4, 3.2.5.6 Overlapping membership, 1.6.4
General interest, 1.7.3 P
Joint committees, 1.4.2, 1.6.3 Patented items, 3.2.8, 4.2.8
Liaison, 1.2.3.3, 1.6, 1.6.4, 4.2.6.6, 7.3.5.2 Disclaimer, 14.2.7
Not appointed, 1.6.2, 1.7.5 Percentages, 11.5.2
Officers, 1.8, 2.3.4, 2.4 Photographs, 9.3,3
Overlap, 1.6.4, 2.4.4, 4.2.6.2, 4.2.6.4, 4.2.6.5, 4.4.3, Policies, ACI, Chapter 14
7.3.3, 7.3.5, 7.5.3 Publication, 14.1
2. Section 1.7.1 was revised by deleting user. See Sections 1.7.1.1 through 1.7.1.8 for the listing of balance categories.
· Technical committees that produce consensus reports, guides, specifications, and codes.
· Periodicals: the ACI Structural Journal, Materials Journal, and Concrete International.
Benefits of membership include a subscription to Concrete International and to an ACI Journal. ACI
members receive discounts of up to 40% on all ACI products and services, including documents, seminars
and convention registration fees.
As a member of ACI, you join thousands of practitioners and professionals worldwide who share
a commitment to maintain the highest industry standards for concrete technology, construction,
and practices. In addition, ACI chapters provide opportunities for interaction of professionals and
practitioners at a local level to discuss and share concrete knowledge and fellowship.