Various Types of Construction Specifications
Construction specifications are a part of the legal document of the agreement and it also forms a cornerstone of the project design. According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Document the Contract Documents for construction the agreement, conditions of the contract, drawing, specifications, and addenda.
Purpose of Construction Specifications
Construction specification describes the materials, products, installation procedures, and quality of the contract. The specification has 3 parts.
1. Performance.
2. Prescriptive.
3. proprietary.
Performance Specifications
It is a document that indicates the operational requirements of the installation. The contractor can understand the capability of the final installed product by performance specification. For instance, performance specifications can be used in industrial pumping systems.
The specification will provide a pumping rate of 500 gallons per minute, a pressure (20 psi), and the difference in height between the pump and the final destination (+40 feet). The specification will also specify that the liquid to be pumped will be at a temperature of 140?F and is corrosive (pH of 3). Now the contractor provides pumping equipment that meets the requirements which are required in the specification. The contractor will also be required to test equipment to make sure that is operating properly and will provide operations manuals.
The general concept of the performance specification is if the engineers can tell what they need and the contractors provide that as possible. It focuses on the outcome and shifts the selection of materials and methods. It offers flexibility in the approach of construction and reduces the amount of control of engineers.
Prescriptive Specification
It helps the contractor to understand the requirements of a specific project.
This specification is formatted in this way
General: This part contains references of national and international standards, design requirements, a list of required submittals from the contractor to the architect or the engineer, quality control requirements, and product handling requirements.
Products: The section describes in detail information about the required various products which is needed for the construction work.
Execution: It explains the preparation process of the material and the installation and the testing requirement.
It gives more control to the engineers or the architects rather than the contractors. It provides a set of rules for each project. It is a very popular used specification for highly complex projects.
Proprietary Specifications
Exclusive determinations are those that require the utilization of a solitary affirmed item type for a specific establishment. Exclusive determinations are regularly utilized in situations where there is existing gear or establishments effectively on location.
In these cases, the proprietor might need to keep up the consistency of materials or conceivably basically favors a particular kind of item. Additionally, in exceptionally complex establishments where there is just a single explicit piece of hardware that will achieve a predetermined undertaking, an exclusive detail is required.
Modelers and designers normally attempt to try not to use exclusive particulars with the exception of when totally fundamental, and will as a rule permit the project worker to choose from a rundown of endorsed providers. Requiring the utilization of one explicit item type can prompt the impression of partiality towards a specific producer and may dispose of rivalry during the offer stage, which may build the venture cost.
Standards of Construction Specification
The standards of construction specification are guided by the CSI. CSI stands for construction specifications institute. CSI created an index named MasterFormat. This index uses a six-digit system with digits in groups of two, such as 01 24 30.
In the index the first two digits describe the primary section and the second two digits identify the main headings and subheadings. The breakdown continues with the final two digits. For instance: Plain Steel Reinforcement Bars (03 21 11) Users are able to use a common system to reference and group materials and equipment while utilizing the specifications, pay applications, estimating programs, etc. by using MasterFormat.
Conclusion
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