Building Design and Construction Handbook - Merritt - Ventech!

THE BUILDING TEAM—MANAGING THE BUILDING PROCESS 2.19
quired. If workmanship is not determined properly, unrealistic costs will result and
quality will suffer. Good specifications expand or clarify drawing notes, define
quality of materials and workmanship, establish the scope of the work, and describe
the responsibilities of the contractor.
The terms of the contract documents should obligate each contractor to guarantee
to the client and the architect or engineer that all labor and materials furnished and
the work performed are in accordance with the requirements of the contract documents.
In addition, a guarantee should also provide that if any defects develop
from use of inferior materials, equipment, or workmanship during the guarantee
period (1 year or more from the date of final completion of the contract or final
occupancy of the building by the client, whichever is earlier), the contractor must,
as required by the contract, restore all unsatisfactory work to a satisfactory condition
or replace it with acceptable materials. Also, the contractor should repair or replace
any damage resulting from the inferior work and should restore any work or equipment
or contents disturbed in fulfilling the guarantee.
Difficult and time-consuming to prepare, technical specifications supply a written
description of the project, lacking only a portrayal of its physical shape and its
dimensions. The specifications describe in detail the material, whether concealed
or exposed, in the project and fixed equipment needed for the normal functioning
of the project. If they are properly prepared, well-organized, comprehensive, and
indexed, the applicable requirements for any type of work, kind of material, or
piece of equipment in a project can be easily located.
The technical specifications cover the major types of work—architectural, civil,
structural, mechanical, and electrical. Each of these types is further divided and
subdivided in the technical specifications and given a general title that describes
work performed by specific building trades or technicians, such as plasterers, tile
setters, plumbers, carpenters, masons, and sheet-metal workers, to name a few.
The prime contractor has the responsibility to perform all work, to furnish all
materials, and to complete the project within a schedule. The contractor, therefore,
has the right to select subcontractors or perform the work with the contractor’s own
forces. In recognition of this, each specification should contain a statement either
in the General Conditions or in the Special Conditions, that, regardless of the subdivision
of the technical specifications, the contractor shall be responsible for allocation
of the work to avoid delays due to conflict with local customs, rules, and
union jurisdictional regulations and decisions.
Standard forms for technical specifications can be obtained from the Construction
Specifications Institute (CSI). The CSI publishes a Master List of Section Titles
and Numbers, which is the generally accepted industry standard. In it, technical
specifications are organized into 16 divisions, each with titles that identify a major
class of work. Each division contains basic units of work, called sections, related
to the work described by the division title. Following is the division format developed
by CSI:
1. General Requirements
2. Site Work
3. Concrete
4. Masonry
5. Metals
6. Woods and Plastics
7. Thermal and Moisture Protection
8. Doors and Windows