BT4: SPECIFICATIONS & SPECS WRITING PT. 1

Construction Documents

consist of contract documents and bidding requirements. The purpose

is to communicate the written and graphic design for administration of the construction contract.

3 basic construction documents

- Drawings (working drawings)

• Conditions of the Contract

• Specification

Bidding Documents

is a term used to describe the documents furnished to bidders. They include not only contract documents. but also bidding requirements. These are supplied by the owner during bidding phase of a project prior to construction.

Contract Documents

Those printed documents that comprise a contract which include owner-architect agreement or contract form, drawings, and/or plans, specifications, general conditions, special provisions, all addenda, modifications and changes thereto together with any other items stipulated as being specifically included.

Agreement

[contract form elements] The contract between the owner and the contractor undertaking the project described in the contract documents including all supplemental agreements thereto and all general and special provisions pertaining to the work or materials therefore; a written agreement between the owner and contractor setting forth the work to performed, the time for completion, and the contract sum.

Contract Forms

[Contract Documents] Includes, agreement, performance bond, payment bond, and certificates

Standard Contract Documents for agreement

[contract form elements]

- Owner- Architect Agreement

• Owner- General Contractor Agreement

• Owner- Specialty Trade Contractor Agreement

• General contractor- Specialty Trade Contractor Agreement

• Owner-Project Management Agreement

- Owner- Construction Management Agreement

Performance Bond

[contract form elements] The approved form of security furnished by the contractor and his surety as a guarantee of good faith on the part of the contractor to execute the work in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Payment Bond

[contract form elements] The approved form of security furnished by the contractor and his surety as a guarantee of good faith on the part of the contractor to pay all obligations arising from the contract.

Certificates

[contract form elements] Include certificates of insurance and certificates of compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Conditions of the contract

[Contract Documents] These consist of the general conditions,

supplementary conditions, and other conditions. The conditions of the contract are those portions of the contract documents which define, set forth, or relate to contract terminology, the rights and responsibilities of the contracting parties and others involved in the work, requirements for safety and compliance with laws and regulations, general procedure for the orderly execution and management of works.

General conditions

[types of contract conditions] Printed documents stipulating the procedural and the administrative aspects of the contract; it also sets forth the many of the rights, responsibilities, and relationships of the parties involved. Thus they are general clauses that establish how the project is to be administered. They contain provisions which are common practice nationwide. Standard documents published by professional societies are often used.

Supplementary Conditons

[types of contract conditions] The supplementary conditions represent that part of the contract documents which supplements and may also modify provisions of the general conditions. These supplements or modifications may be needed to provide requirements unique to a specific project, for example, wage rates.

Special Provisions

[contract documents] are instructions which may be issued to the bidding to supplement and/or modify drawings, specifications, and/or general conditions of the contract.

Specifications

[contract documents] A written document describing in detail the scope of work to be done, materials and equipment to be used, method of installation or application and the quality of workmanship for a certain work to be placed under contract; generally it does not include material cost; an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product or service; a written, verbal description of work to be performed. As a legal consideration, specifications shall govern over drawings.

specification

is usually utilized in conjunction with working (contract) drawings in building construction. Construction __________ must be accurate, clear and concise- regardless of the type of building they are written for or whether they are architectural or engineering __________. Clearly written __________ are essential because they remove speculation about requirements and thus enable contractors to bid the project more intelligently.

supplementary

[kinds of specifications] These are additional information which may be issued as an addition or amendment to the,provisions of the specifications.

guide

[kinds of specifications] is a standardized document intended to provide guidance to the specifier in preparing a particular portion of the contract documents.

Drawings

These are graphical presentations of the work involved in the project. These include all supplementary details and shop drawings.

Working Drawings

Drawings intended for u.se by a contractor, sub-contractor or fabricator, which form part of the contract documents for a building project; it contains wins the necessary graphicru information to manufacture, erect, fabricate or construct a building or portion thereof.

Architectural Drawing Documents

[working drawings] Drawing documents prepared by an architect for a construction project, e.g. plans, elevations, sections and other details.

Engineering Drawing Documents

[working drawings] are technical in nature, used to fully and clearly define requiremems for engineering items or work. and is usually created in accordance with standardized conventions and details.

include structural. electrical. mechanical. sanitary plans and details

Addenda

are written or graphic instruments that supplement the bidding documents for lhe purpose of clarifying, collecling or adding to the specifications previously issued.

these are changes made before contract execution.

Contract modifications

Instructions, change orders, directives, and so on written after execution of the Contract

Change orders

[contract modifications] A written order to the contractor, signed by the owner and the architect/engineer, issued after the execution of the contract authorizing a change in the work, or an adjustment i·n the contract sum

Field orders

[contract modifications] AKA construction change authorizations

A written order effecting a minor change in the work; not involving an adjustment in the contract sum or an extension of the contract time, issued by the architect/ engineer to the contractor during the construction phase.

Supplemental instructions

[contract modifications] are minor instructions or iuterpretations not involving change orders.

Allow the architect/ engineer to direct changes not involving changes in contract sum or time.

Project Manual

A complete set of bid and contract documents that include the bidding requirements, contract forms, contract condii-ious and project specifications.

Submittal

Document or material provided to the Architect/Engineer for review or acceptance.

Insurance

Since the are many risk and liabilities that concern the architect, engineers , contractors and other allied profession in the construction of a project there should be a basic insurance requirement and coverage that may be necessary to safeguard the interest of all pruties to the contract including the designers.

specifications

is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product. or service

A written or printed description of work to be done, forming part of the contract and describing qualities of material and mode of construction, and also givi11g dimension and other information not shown in the drawings.

Legal consideration

[functions of specs] Courts generally held on the event of conflict between drawings and specifications, the specifications, as a written document, govern.

Insurance Consideration

[functions of specs] requirements governming contractor's and owner's liability, and fire insurance are usually incorporated _in the general conditions or in supplemcmary conditions and again, made a part of the specifications by incorporation therein.

Bidding Requirements

[functions of specs] include the Invitation to Bid, the Instructions to Bidders, the Bid Form, and the Bid Bond,

Alternates Options

[functions of specs] the specifications provide a basis for the contract's estimate aud the submission of a bid. _____ are established by the architect and owner for the deletion of work, the addition of work and for the substitution of materials. These are written are listed in the Bid Form.

Sub-contractor's Limits

[functions of specs] Drawings generally show all of the work to be done and the interrelationship of various parts.

Contractor Limits

[functions of specs] General Requirements, will establish the limits of each ptime contract

Inspection and Testing Procedures

[functions of specs] (Quality Control) the specifications established inspection and testing procedures to be followed during the construction operations.

Design Criteria

[functions of specs] in some instances there are some design that could not be reflected in the drawings.

MASTER SPECIFICATIONS

instead, most design firms, govenm1e.nt agencies, and large corporations use master specifications as basis for their projecl specifications. These master specifications include items of work normally encountered by that organization. Each master section includes standard clauses normally applicable to the item of work and lists numerous possible al1ernatives

MASTERFORMAT

A uniform classification system for construction specifications that is divided into several sections, each of which is sequentially muubered and named.

lt is the most widely used standard for organizing specifications and other written information for commercial and institutional building projects in the U.S.

also known as Uniform System.

MASTERSPEC

is a master specification for the construction industry developed by Production Systems for Architects and Engineers (PSAE), now the Professional System Division of the American Institute of Architects (AJA). It is one of the most complete and widely used guide specifications available.

SPECTEXT

is copyrighted by the Construction

Sciences Research Foundation and published by Construction Specification Institute. lt is published in CSl's 16-division format.

SPECSystem

(the successor of SweetSpec) is an interactive expert system for writing specifications.