One of the significant reasons for the existence of specifications is to describe the level of quality to the products and work that go into a building project. Specifications establish the performance of the products and assemblies and their..
The Right and Wrong Time to Review Installers' Qualifications
by Elias Saltz | May 29, 2018 | bidding, Construction, Construction Administration, contract documents, Professional Practice, Quality Assurance, Specifications
Specifying Design-Assist - How?
by David Stutzman | Sep 15, 2014 | B2010, bidding, contract documents, Design Considerations, Division 08, Drawings, MasterFormat, PPD, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Specifications, UniFormat
It's a process, not just technical requirements. During design-assist, the architect of record, asks the contractor (usually a specialty subcontractor) to help develop system details and confirm system performance to meet project requirements. Typically..
It's Just a Spec
by David Stutzman | Jul 14, 2014 | Bad Specs, bidding, contract documents, Professional Practice, Quality Assurance, Spec language, Specifications, specifying
Yes it is a spec, and it deserves attention - the proper attention to be certain the contractor delivers what is required by the contract. The design team created the drawings and specifications defining the project to meet the owner's requirements and..
Estimates of the Cost of Work
by David Stutzman | Apr 21, 2014 | AIA, bidding, BIM, CSI, Estimate, PPD, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Revit, RS Means, AIA B101, Architect, UniFormat
When is the architect required to prepare an estimate of the Cost of Work according to AIA Document B101 Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect?
Minutes are Minutes and Not Addenda
by David Stutzman | Sep 9, 2013 | Addenda, Addendum, AIA, Bad Specs, bidding, Bidding Documents, Construction Administration, contract documents, CSI, invitation to bid, Meeting Minutes, Professional Practice, Specifications
The bidders are required to attend a pre-bid meeting. The owner, the design team, and (presumably) all the bidders attend. Each meeting follows essentially the same agenda.
SPECtember - Value Certified Construction Specifiers
by David Stutzman | Sep 2, 2013 | agreement, AIA, Bad Specs, bidding, CCS, CDT, Certified Construction Specifier, CONSTRUCT, Construction Administration, Contract, contract documents, CSI, Division 00, Drawings, General Conditions, General contractor, Order of precedence, Professional Practice, Project Manual, Quality Assurance, Specifications, Specifier, SPECtember
This month the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) will hold its annual convention and the Specifications Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP) will hold its annual meeting, both in conjunction with CONSTRUCT, an annual educational seminar..
100% Construction Documents
by David Stutzman | May 13, 2013 | bidding, Code Requirements, Construcion Documents, Construction Administration, contract administration, Drawings, permitting, Professional Practice, Specifications
How many times have you labeled construction document issues by percent completion? It's a fairly common occurrence. The documents are ready to be issued at the end of Design Development, so they are labeled 100% Design Development. Then during the..
Design-Build Division 00 and Division 01
by David Stutzman | Oct 29, 2012 | bidding, Construction Administration, Contracting, Design-bid-build, Design-build, Division 00, Division 01, General Requirements, Professional Practice, Project delivery method, Specifications
The architect asked that I review the "front end" documents written by the design-builder for a new construction project. The front end including bidding requirements, contract requirements, conditions of the contract, and Division 01. The project..
Defining Masonry Restoration Scope
by David Stutzman | May 22, 2012 | B2010, bidding, Design Considerations, Division 04, Masonry, Professional Practice, publications, Restoration, Specifications, Tech Tips
When is the scope of work on a restoration project prepared? On what does the contractor base his bid? Too often, the scope of work on a restoration project is poorly defined or incomplete. Learn what an architect can do to prepare construction documents..
Self-Inflicted Budget Difficulties
by David Stutzman | Oct 6, 2011 | bidding, Budget, outline spec, Outline Specs, Professional Practice, Specifications
I received the specification shown below from a friend, an independent manufacturer's representative today. Yes this is the total expansion control spec. And a Construction Manager is soliciting budgets from subcontractors and materials suppliers for the..