Topic 05 - Specification Language

BLDG TECH 4 – SPECIFICATION WRITING
AND QUANTIY SURVEYING
SPECIFICATION
LANGUAGE
Repititions...
“Architect” “Contractor” “Owner”
“shall be” “will be”

Example;
“Certain things shall be done by the

contractors, other things will be done
by the owner”
“to be” “are to be” “shall be” “must be”

SPECIFICATION LANGUAGE
1. Clarity and Phraseology

It is incumbent upon all personnel
involved in the preparation and
review of contract specifications to
make sure that the responsibilities
of the contractor are carefully
defined and precisely expressed.
2. Careful and Detailed

Attention in Preparation
and Review Result in
Economy and Few Claims.
Careful and Detailed attention to the
preparation and review of the contract
specifications will result in better and
more economical projects and fewer
claims.
3. Dont’s in specifications.
Do not use vague words, phrases,
and other similar expressions.
They add nothing. They are not
enforceable and confuse the issue
in case of claims.
a. Poles shall be straight and true
b. Workmanship shall be of the highest
quality
c. Workmanship shall be of the highest grade
d. Accurate workmanship
e. Securely mounted
f. Installed in a neat and workmanlike
manner
g. Skillfully fitted
h. Properly connected
i. Properly assembled
j. Good working order
k. Good materials
l. In accordance with applicable published
specifications
m. Product of recognized reputable
manufacturer
n. Tests will be made unless waived
o. Kinks and bends may be caused for
rejection
p. Carefully performed
q. Neatly finished.
r. Metal parts shall be cleaned before
painting
s. Suitably housed
t. Smooth surfaces
u. Pleasing lines
v. Of an approved
w. Of standard type, etc.
x. Highest quality
y. Any
z. Etc.
4. Responsibility of informa-
tion accuracy and sufficiency
Do not try to place upon the
contractor the resposibility for the
possible inaccuracy in, or the lack of,
information on the part of the owner.
5. Definite meanings
Avoid Words having varied or indefinite
meanings.
Do not say : “The equipment shall be re-
moved and replaced as indicated.”
Say : “remove equipment during
alteration thereof and reinstall after
completion.”
6. Avoid ungrammatical
omission of the articles.
Do not say : “Contractor shall paint
ceilings of office.”
Say : “Paint the ceiling of the office.”
7. Avoid using long,

hyphenated terms,
and words such as:
“hereinbefore” and
“hereinafter.”
8. Avoid using pronouns.

“he” , “ his”, “this”, “they”, “their”,
“who”, “it”, and “which”.
10. Definite terms
‘Provide’ is define in the general
provisions as ‘furnish and install’.
When material and/or equipment
are only to be furnished by the
contructor, the term ‘furnish’ should
be used, and when material and/or
equipment are only to be installed
by the contractor, the term ‘install’
shall be used.
11. Appropriate words

Use words “remove existing and
provide new” in lieu of “replace”.
12. Standard phrasing

To standardize phrasing in project
specifications, materials shall
“conform to” a referenced
specification, and workmanship
shall be “in accordance with” a
specification.
13. Sentence Construction
Either the imperative mood or the
indicative mood, passive voice, is
suitable for use in the development
of specifications. The imperative
mood is preffered and should be
used for instructions covering ins-
tallation of products or equipment.
14. Simplification
Together with clarity, completeness,
and precision, brevity is an impor-
tant consideration in writing speci-
fications. The most concise way of
writing the specification should be
sought. Brevity is often the best way
of ensuring clarity.
a. Use the imperative mood

where it results in the use of
fewer words and does not
reduce the clarity of the
technical and contractual
intent.
For example:
Instead of : “Installation of screw-
jointed and solder-jointed
tubing: All pipe and tubing
shall be cut accurately to
measurements established
by the contractor without
springing or forcing.”
Say : “Installation of screw-
jointed piping and solder-
jointed tubing: Cut piping
and tubing accurately to
required measurements
and work into place without
springing or forcing.”
b. Eliminate redundant and

superfluous wording such as
“conforming to”, “all”, and “type”.
For example:
Instead of : “Aluminum paint conforming
to Fed. Spec. TT-P-38.”
Say : “Aluminum paint: Fed. Spec.
TT-P-38.”
c. Reduce repetition of the

subject by combining
sentences,but avoid
complicated compound
sentences and stilted
phraseology.
d. Tabulate requirements
instead of writing a long
paragraph stating
requirements.
e. Do not repeat the

description of requirements
which are described
adequately in references
incorporated in the
specification.
15. Acceptable terms
Avoid using unfamiliar words,
coloquial terms, jargon, and
shipboard terms. For example,
do not use “bulkhead” for wall,
“deck” for floor or “head” for
toilet.
16. Avoid using abbreviations
and acronyms.
Use abbreviations for units such
as psi, cfm, and kw and be
consistent in their use. If
necessary, use only standard, well
understood abbreviations which
are in common usage and not
subject to misinterpretation in
the specification.
17. Footnotes, Symbols.
a. Avoid using footnotes to convey
additional information.
b. Avoid using symbols. Never use ‘
for foot, “ for inch, o for degree, or
# for pound. Spell out such item.
c. Avoid using exponents, subscripts,
or superscripts. Spell out each
item.
18. No open-ended
requirements.
Avoid using open-ended
requirements such as “as may
be required”, “as necessary”,
“an approved type”, as
directed”, “as approved”,
“subject to approval”, and
“satisfactory to the Owner.”
“The Contractor shall

provide core samples as
required.”
In this case, the contractor
must base his bid on 100%
coring.
“The Contractor shall provide

core samples of 60% of the
depth of the hole.”
In this case, the contractor know
what is required and satisfactory.
19. Avoid emphasis.
Avoid underlining any
portion of a paragraph or
capitalizing phrases or works
for the sake of emphasis. All
of the requirements are
important in obtaining the
desired product or service.
20. Avoid using trade names,
copyrighted names and other
proprietary names applying
exclusively to the product of one
company, unless the item(s)
cannot be describe adequately
because of technical involvement,
construction, or composition.
20. Avoid using trade names,
copyrighted names and other
proprietary names applying
exclusively to the product of one
company, unless the item(s)
cannot be describe adequately
because of technical involvement,
construction, or composition.
21. No dimensions or locations
Avoid using dimensions or
locations in the specification: this
information belongs on the
drawings. However, if dimensions
need be specified, the dimensions
should always have a tolerance.
22. Spell out figures under 10
except units of time and
measurements, and use numerals
for figure for figures 10 and above.
Dimensions are always presented
as numerals, and “one” or “zero”
should always spelled out when
used singly.
23. Whenever possible,

decimals should be used
instead of fractions.
24. Avoid using the term
“and/or” in specifications.
The effectiveness of the

specification depends on precise
language used to convey
concepts in an unambiguous
manner.
25. Avoid specifying an item to
be “provided as indicated”
or “as shown”.
The provision of items shown on the
drawings is already a part of the
contract. Also, if an item is specified
to be “provided as indicated” or “as
shown” and is not shown or indicated
the Contractor has a valid argument
that it was not intended to provide
this item.
26. All classification items shall

appear with the first letter
of the term capitalized.
e.g., Type, Grade, or Class.

27. In instances where several

items are listed in series,
commas shall be placed
after each item or subject,
including the one just
prior to the conjunction.
28. When a statement of
limitation is written out,
the phrase shall be stated,
“The diameter shall not be greater

than” to express maximum limit, or
“The diameter shall not be less
than” for stating a minimum limit.
29. “Unless otherwise specified”
shall be used to indicate
alternative course of action.
This phrase shall be used only when

its meaning can be classified by
providing a reference to another part
of the specification.
30. Use “shall” whenever
expressing a binding
provision.
The following statements correctly
employ “shall”;
“Power Connector: The input power
cable shall be supplied with...”
“Data Format: The Contractor shall
furnish CD data file...”
31. Use “should” and “may”
whenever it is necessary to
express nonmandatory pro-
visions.
This seldom necessary in a well
written Specification.
For example, the statement, “The
connector should have polarized
blades.” really indicates a
preference for a power plug with
polarized blades.
“Should” and “may” are used to
express an option and are
frequently abused.
For example, the statement, “The

data should be furnished on CD but
may be provided on 80-column
punch card,” does not preclude the
Contractor from furnishing CD.
Revived statement of the example:
“The data should be furnished on

either CD or 80-column punch
card; however, CD is preferred.”
32. The terms “ flammable” and

“nonflammable” shall be used
in lieu of the terms
“inflammable”, “uninflammable”,
and “nonflammable”
33. Figures, Illustrations and Graphs
a. A “ figure” is an illustration or
graph which may constitute an
integral part of the Specification.
It must be clearly related to and consis-

tent with the text of the associated para-
graphs.
b. Figures shall be consecutively

numbered and each figure cross-
referenced to the associated
paragraph when it is not adjacent.
All figures must be titled,
regardless of where they appear in
the Specification.
c. If figures are numerous and their

location would interfere with
correct sequencing of paragraphs,
they may be placed in numeral
sequence at the end of the
Specification material and before
any index or appendix.
d. The inclusion of figures in the

Specification is discourage and
should be permitted only under
the most unusual circumstances.
34. Tables
a. A table is an arrangement of
data in lines and columns and
should be used when data can
be presented more clearly this
way than by the text. Elaborate
or complicated tables should
be avoided.
b. References in the text must be

sufficiently detailed to make
the purpose of the table shall
be restricted to data pertinent
to the associated text.
c. Each table must cross-reference

the associated text when it is not
adjacent. If space does not
permit, a table may be placed at
the beginning of the succeding
page or, if it is extensive on
separate page.
d. Tables shall be numbered with

consecutive Roman numerals
in the order in which they are
referenced initially in the
Specification and the number
and title shall be placed above
the table.
e. When required, tables may be

rotated counter-clockwise 90
degrees.
f. Place footnotes to a table or

figure below the figure or table.
Footnotes may contain
mandatory information that
cannot be presented as data
within the table.
STEP BY STEP
SPECIFICATION WRITING
STEP BY STEP SPECIFICATION WRITING
STEP 1 List down all pertinent
work items to be covered
in the project according
to the 16-division
Uniforn Construction
Index (UCI). Refer to
Appendix: Masterformat
for the master list of
section titles and numbers.
STEP 2 Collect product literature,
technical brochures, or any
available specifications
written for the specific
division and rewrite to
conform to the three-part
section format as described
in the CSI Document.
STEP 3 Review and check the
specification language.
STEP 4 Compile, review and edit

the specifications. Using
computer in editing and
checking of errors is an
advantage.
STEP 5 Make a Final copy.
END
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION!
65

Topic 05 - Specification Language

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Topic 05 - Specification Language

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Topic 05 - Specification Language

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BLDG TECH 4 – SPECIFICATION WRITING

AND QUANTIY SURVEYING

“Architect” “Contractor” “Owner”

“shall be” “will be”

“Certain things shall be done by the

“to be” “are to be” “shall be” “must be”

1. Clarity and Phraseology

2. Careful and Detailed

7. Avoid using long,

8. Avoid using pronouns.

11. Appropriate words

12. Standard phrasing

a. Use the imperative mood

b. Eliminate redundant and

c. Reduce repetition of the

e. Do not repeat the

“The Contractor shall

“The Contractor shall provide

23. Whenever possible,

The effectiveness of the

26. All classification items shall

e.g., Type, Grade, or Class.

27. In instances where several

“The diameter shall not be greater

This phrase shall be used only when

For example, the statement, “The

Revived statement of the example:

“The data should be furnished on

32. The terms “ flammable” and

It must be clearly related to and consis-

b. Figures shall be consecutively

c. If figures are numerous and their

d. The inclusion of figures in the

b. References in the text must be

c. Each table must cross-reference

d. Tables shall be numbered with

e. When required, tables may be

f. Place footnotes to a table or

STEP 4 Compile, review and edit

STEP 5 Make a Final copy.

You might also like