Construction Administration: January 2012 Archives

Consultant specifications delivered to architects for inclusion in project manuals can produce some interesting coordination issues, especially when there is no time to make corrections before the scheduled publication.

Food Service Equipment Spec
The following (edited for brevity) was received from a food service consultant. I am not sure why order of precedence is considered a performance requirement.

1.04    Performance Requirements

A. Where architectural and engineering drawing and specifications differ from food service drawings and specifications, the food service documents govern.

B. Where food service drawings differ from food service specifications, the specifications govern.

C. Where food service equipment specifications differ from food service specifications, the equipment specifications govern.

D. Where food service detail drawings differ from other drawings and specifications, the detail drawings govern.

Were the documents really created giving the highest priority greatest scrutiny to those that are highest in the order of precedence? Probably not.

So What's the Problem?
That is just it. There is no problem!

The documents, through order of precedence, resolve all the problems, automatically. No intervention by the architect, engineers, food service consultant or owner is required. The order of precedence resolves the conflict without need of clarification by the design team. Potentially dangerous? You bet!

What if the detail drawings are wrong? Too bad! The contractor's price and contract relies on the detail drawings as the governing documents. If the design team finds the detail drawings are wrong after the contract is signed, the owner will pay for the change. If the condition is discovered late in construction, the owner may pay dearly, with a delayed opening and lost revenue.

A Better Course
When (Not IF but WHEN) discrepancies in the documents are discovered, the best course is always to require the contractor to ask the architect to interpret the documents' intent. Hopefully the contractor will ask questions sooner (during bidding) rather than later (while constructing the affected work). Requests for Interpretations (RFIs) give the contractor an opportunity to suggest a solution.

Then the architect has an opportunity to evaluate the discrepancy and make a decision about what was intended. He can choose the contractor's solution or issue one of his own.

Even if the solution results in a change, at least the result will be best for the project - not an arbitrary resolution based on the prescribed relative importance of the project documents.

Plan and Share
Draft your specifications early enough to circulate among the project team members for proper coordination. Minimal effort before documents are issued for bidding can save significant effort during construction administration.

What was my first project after graduating college with an architectural degree? A prominent design? No, measuring and documenting 65 existing buildings at Letterkenny Army Depot; calculating energy savings; estimating construction costs; and finally writing the project specifications using the Corps of Engineers master specs.

Did school prepare me for this assignment? YES and NO. I could certainly measure and document the existing buildings. Thanks to 4 years of MEP engineering in school, I could do the calculations. Estimating was a joint effort with the project manager, so I got by.

The Specs, Oh the Specs!
I heard specs mentioned once in school. It was in one class of the professional practice course - the 30 hour course to teach students everything they need to know about running an architecture business, including writing specs. Still I had never seen a spec and had no clue what it was.

Career Lessons
Joe Shatto, the project manager, guided me while I wrote my first spec. Joe was a great help. He was a long term CSI member and the president of the Central Penn Chapter of CSI at the time. He taught me what would become the content of CSI's Certified Document Technologist (CDT) program. Invaluable lessons early in my career.

Today, it is easier for many to learn the CDT concepts. There is no need for one-on-one teaching as for me. CSI has a well established program. CSI chapters help students prepare for the exam with local classes. Even on-line help is available.

Important Dates
Early Registration (discounted) February 2, 2012
Final Registration March 2, 2012
Test Dates April 2 to April 28, 2012

Registration
www.csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Events_1/CSI-Exam--2012-Spring-National-Exam-4212--42812.aspx

Basic Information
CDT - Certified Document Technologist www.csinet.org/cdt
CCS - Certified Construction Specifier www.csinet.org/ccs
CCCA - Certified Construction Contract Administrator www.csinet.org/ccca
CCPR - Certified Construction Product Representative www.csinet.org/ccpr

Choose Your Battles; Win the War
I must admit that I completed my CCS certification before CDT was conceived. But I must tell you that the certification gave me credibility as an architect specifier in an engineering company. When I challenged the engineers' specifications, there was a sense of authority. I could cite the CSI Manual of Practice. The engineers could not. I could provide reasons for writing as I did. The engineers could not. Did I win every battle? Certainly not. But the war was mine with a studious determination to make the specifications better.

The Challenge
Now I pass the challenge to you, as I have to my staff, to earn your certification and to bring the same credibility and respect to your work in construction. Begin with the CDT, the basis for all other certifications.