BT 4: Prelims

Contract forms

printed or written document containing terms and conditions that are set and agreed upon by contracting parties, the same should be signed by or on behalf of the parties confirming their willingness to enter into and be bound by the terms of the contract

Insurance

necessary to safeguard the interest of all parties to the contract, including the designers

Specification

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

Design criteria

in some instances there are some design that could not be reflected in the drawings

Performance specification

stipulates how a particular component or system must perform without giving the means to be employed to achieve the results

Proprietary specification

stipulates the use of specific products, systems, or processes without provision for substitution; one which the specifier states outright the actual make, brand name, model number, catalog number, and other proprietary information of a product or the installation instruction of a manufacturer is indicated

Closed specification

generally brand name specifications; used basically where material is required to match existing material in terms of quality, type, and performance

Work

entire construction or separately identifiable parts thereof required to be furnished under the contract documents.

Erection

Installation in place of components of a building/structure

Alteration

Construction in a building/ structure involving changes in the materials used, partitioning, location/ size of openings, structural parts, existing utilities and equipment but does not increase the over-all area thereof

Conversion

A change in the use or occupancy of a building/structure or any portion/s thereof which has different requirements

Repair

Remedial work done on any damaged or deteriorated portion/s of a building/ structure to restore its original condition

Demolition

The systematic dismantling or destruction of a building/structure, in whole or in part

Volume method

involves a three-dimensional aspect of the project; an extension of the area method but involves the height of the building project as height affects cost of the project; generally used when estimating small to medium project since it involves a standard height and deviation may be considered minimal

Parametric method

involves the identification of several major factors in estimating such as architectural, structural, electrical, plumbing/ sanitary, mechanical, etc. components of the project each with a corresponding percentage cost

Detailed estimate by quantity take-off (Quantity survey) method

considered as the most precise of the different types of estimating method; Materials are quantified base on specifications - type, composition, application, commercial sizes and other parameters

Combination method

may be used although not that accurate if the project and the scope of work is incomplete or some areas of the project are not clearly defined, hence, a combination of different methods becomes practicable

Construction Documents

consist of contract documents and bidding requirements; purpose is to communicate the written and graphic design for administration of the construction contract

Bidding Documents

a term used to describe the documents furnished to bidders; include not only contract documents, but also bidding requirements; supplied by the owner during the bidding phase

Contract Documents

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

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

Performance Bond

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

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

Include certificates of insurance and certificates of compliance with applicable laws and regulations

Conditions of the Contract

consist of the general conditions, supplementary conditions, and other conditions; 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 the work, payments to the contractor, and similar provisions of a general, non-technical nature

General 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

Supplementary Conditions

represent that part of the contract documents which supplements and may also modify provisions of the general conditions

Special Provisions

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

Specifications

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, it does not include material cost and quantity

Supplementary Specifications

These are additional information which may be issued as an addition or amendment to the provisions of the specifications

Guide Specifications

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. should include among others the location of materials, equipment, and fixtures

Working Drawings

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

Architectural Drawing Documents

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

Engineering Drawing Documents

technical in nature, used to fully and clearly define requirements for engineering items or work, and is usually created in accordance with standardized conventions and details

Addenda

written or graphic instruments that supplement the bidding documents for the purpose of clarifying, correcting or adding to the specifications previously issued; they are written or graphic instruments which modifies or interprets the bidding documents, including drawings and specifications, by additions, deletions, clarifications, or corrections

Contract Modifications

Instructions, change orders, directives, and so on, written after execution of the contract; those additions to, deletions from, or modifications of the work that are made after the agreement has been signed; can be issued at any time during the contract period

Change Orders

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 in the contract sum, or the contract time as originally defined by the contract documents; may add to, subtract from, or vary the scope of work

Field Orders or Construction Change Authorizations

A written order effecting a minor change in the work (e.g. the labor to produce the construction required by the contract documents, or materials or equipment incorporated or to be incorporated in such construction), 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

minor instructions or interpretations not involving change orders; allow the architect/ engineer to direct changes not involving changes in contract sum or contract time

Project Manual

A complete set of bid and contract documents that include the bidding requirements, contract forms, contract conditions and project specifications

Submittal

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

Legal consideration

Courts generally held on the event of conflict between drawings and specifications, the specifications, as a written document, govern

Imperative Mode

the recommended method for instructions covering installation of products and equipment

Indicative Mode

The traditional language of specification sentences; passive voice. This requires the use of the word "shall" in nearly every statement

Insurance consideration

insurance requirements governing owner's liability, contractor's liability, and fire insurance are usually incorporated in the general conditions or in supplementary conditions and again, made a part of the specifications by incorporation therein

Bidding requirements

include the invitation to bid, instructions to bidders, bid form, and bid bond

Alternates Options

established by the architect and owner for the deletion of work, the addition of work and for the substitution of materials; written and listed in the Bid Form

Sub-contractor's limits

drawings generally show all work to be done and the interrelationship of various parts

Contractor limits

General Requirements establish the limits of each prime contract

Inspection and Testing Procedures (Quality Control)

the specifications established inspection and testing procedures to be followed during the construction operations

Descriptive specification

stipulates exact quantities and qualities or properties of materials to be furnished and how they are to be assembled or installed in a construction

Reference specification

refers to a standard specification to indicate the properties desired in a material or component and the methods of testing required to substantiate the performance of products

Brand name specification

type of specification where the desired product is specified by the name given by the manufacturer or by the manufacturer's name and model number

Open specification

all manufacturers whose product meet performance or description specified, may qualify to bid

Combination specification

may be a combination of performance, descriptive and reference specifications but never a combination of open and closed specification; product may be required with specific physical characteristics and to conform to a particular standard

Method system

employed when the specifier describes in detail the materials, workmanship, installation, and erection procedures to be used by the contractor in the conduct of their work operations in order to achieve the result expected

4Cs for specification

clear, correct, concise, complete

Shall

used with reference to the work required to be done by a contractor or supplier; denotes the things the supplier shall do, documents they shall supply, features they shall build into the equipment, or performance levels the equipment shall meet

Will

used in connection with acts and actions required of the owner of the architect/engineer; used by the owner or purchaser as a self-imposed requirement; denotes the information the owner will supply, the documents the owner will review, and approvals the owner will issue

Streamlined mode

this technique uses a colon (:) to mean shall or shall be; very concise and clear to read

Masterformat

A uniform classification system for construction specifications that is divided into several sections, each of which is sequentially numbered and named; most widely used standard for organizing specification and other written information for commercial and institutional building projects in the US; also known as Uniform System

Masterspec

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 (AIA)

Spectext

copyrighted by the Construction Sciences research foundation and published by Construction specification institute.

Specsystsem

an interactive expert system for writing specifications

Construction

All on-site work done from site preparation, excavation, foundation, assembly of all the components and installation of utilities and equipment of buildings/ structures

Addition

Any new construction which increases the height or area of an existing building/ structure

Renovation

Any physical change made on a building /structure to increase its value, utility and/or to improve its aesthetic quality

Moving

The transfer of any building/ structure or portions/s thereof from its original location or position to another, either within the same lot or to a different one.

Estimates

Approximation, projection or prediction of a quantity of work; a statement of the approximate or projected cost of work to be done, such a building or any other project that entails material, labor and services costs; a general calculation of size , value, magnitude , extent of work to be done including materials, labor and other parameters that require quantification

Detailed Estimate of Construction Cost

forecast of construction cost prepared on the basis of a detailed analysis of materials and labor for all items of work, as contrasted with an estimate based on current area, volume, or similar unit costs

Bill of materials

A term used to describe the materials, sub-components needed to manufacture a finished product

Quantity survey

A term describing the detailed calculation of all components necessary to construct a building generated by quantity of materials, labor and other parameters; a detailed analysis and listing of all items of materials and equipment necessary to construct and complete a project

User unit method

involves the determination of user or occupants to quantify space and to establish cost, e.g. number of students, patient beds, inmates, etc

Area method

involves costing and quantification using area and multiplier or factor; commonly used to provide a rough estimate of project cost by multiplying area by cost per unit area (usually square meter) based on prevailing rate

Modular cost method

applies to repetitive work or work made of similar components or project composition such as apartment, housing units or hospital room units where cost can be calculated based on the cost per unit, the total cost of the project can be calculated by multiplying the unit cost and the number of units

Excavation

earth volume (m3) = volume of excavated earth

Backfilling

total earth volume (backfilling) = volume of excavation + 25% of loose volume of earthfill