Professional Practices

Unit 4 Specifications

Prepared ByGargi Sojitra

Contents

Definition
Objective, importance, use, types of specification
General and special specification
Specification for material and workmanship
Design and principles of specification
Sources of information
Typical specification of various item of works

Definition
Drawings show proportion and relative positions of
various elements of structures.
Hence a separate contract document known as
specification is made which gives the information
regarding the quality and workmanship needed to
complete the structure.
Combination of drawings and specifications completely
defines the structure, physically as well as technically.

Objects of
Specifications
To help the contractor filling the tender for the work be
able to correct rates for different items of work.
Information given in specification serves as guide to
contractor and supervising staff during execution.
Protects the owner from any damage due to bad
workmanship or low quality materials and at the same
time gives maximum freedom to perform the work to the
contractor. Thus the specifications describe and limit the
responsibilities of the owner and contractor.

Importance of Specifications
Drawing and specifications two important contract
documents.
Drawings graphical information.
Specifications written information
Provisions in the specifications given more legal
strength. Most contracts state that in case of any
discrepancy between drawings and specifications, the
provisions of specification shall govern.

Uses of Specification
Specifications serve as a guide to the contractor,
sub-contractors, materials suppliers, architect,
owners site supervisor etc.
In case of disputes between the owner and the
contractor, the specifications serve as a useful
legal document.

Types of Specifications
Specifications can be broadly divided into two
categories
Brief Specifications
Detailed Specifications

Brief Specifications
Brief description written by the quantity surveyor for
every item as the estimate is prepared.
Do not form part of the contract document.
Only useful for the person preparing the estimate.

Detailed Specification
Detailed specifications form a part of the contract
document and they are divided into three groups
General Provisions
Technical Provisions
Standard Provisions

General Provisions
Also known as conditions of contract.
Apply to the work as a whole.
Contain the conditions governing the contract

Technical Provisions
Describe the technical requirements of each type of
construction.
Contain detailed instructions regarding the desired
quality of the final product.
Also provide details about inspection and tests to be
carried out during construction to make sure the specific
requirements are being obtained.
Should be in accordance with provisions in the drawings
of the work

Technical Provisions
There are
provisions

three

types

of

technical

Specifications for materials and workmanship

Specifications for performance
Specifications for proprietary commodities

Specifications for Materials and

Workmanship
These specifications are written for engineering
structures like bridges, buildings etc. where it is not
possible to conduct any practical test to ensure that the
structure will perform its required services throughout
its desired period of utility.
Hence in such type of engineering structures, a rigid
control is essential over the materials and workmanship.
If the materials and workmanship are as per
specification the performance of the structure would
depend entirely on the structural design of the work.

Specifications for Materials and

Workmanship
For materials following properties should be included in
the specification
Physical properties such as strength, hardness etc;
Chemical composition of the material;
Electrical, thermal and acoustic properties;
Appearance of material;
Information regarding protection required during transport,
handling and storage of materials;
Information regarding the inspection and procedure of test for
the material along with the place of inspection and testing.

Specifications for Materials and

Workmanship
The following features should be included in
specifications for workmanship
Desired result should be specified keeping in mind the
practical limits of tolerance;
Detailed description of construction method of each
item
Instructions regarding the protection of the finished
work and the adjacent property.

Specifications for Performance

These specifications are based on
the overall
performance of the finished product and hence they are
written for equipment and machinery such as pumps,
motors etc.
The principle features to be included in this type of
specifications are
General description
Design and installation in case the work is to be done by a
third party, a separate contract is done. Also the responsibilities
of the main contractor are specified in the contract.
Provision for special equipment
Guarantee

Specifications for Proprietary

Commodities
Include the products which are standardized or patented.
Essential to know the quality of the product beforehand
as no control can be done over materials and
workmanship.
Hence only thing to be mentioned in this type of
specification will be to state the name of the brand or
firm.

Specifications for Proprietary

Commodities
It is not desirable in case of public works to
specify a certain trade name or brand due to the
following reasons
Creates monopoly for the article;
Doubt of favouritism is laid on the engineer writing
the specifications;
Better product may be available at lower cost.

Specifications for Proprietary

Commodities
To avoid such difficulties, one of the following clauses
may be used
Specify the selected brand and then it is followed by the phrase or
equal. May lead to disputes as equality can be questioned. Used
for minor items.
Clause added to the contract that if the contractor wishes to use
other products than the one specified, it should be clearly stated
in the filled tender along with the adjustments needed if the
substitute is approved.
Same procedure is adopted if changes are suggested during the
execution stage. Here the decision on the substitutes will be taken by
the engineer-in-charge.

Standard
Specifications

Standard
Specifications
For items occurring in all the works of similar
nature, the specifications are not written every time.
Specifications for such items are standardized.
Each office develops its owns standard specifications
over time.
Helps avoid the lengthy process of writing the
specification.

Standard
Specifications
Points to be taken care of
Extreme care should be taken to verify that the reference
made to the standard specifications is really suitable to the
particular work to be executed.
For variable requirements, blank spaces are provided in the
skeleton of the standard specification.
Standard specifications when accepted for a job should be
watched carefully and suitable additions, alterations,
improvements or corrections should be noted carefully so
that they can be used for future jobs.

Standard
Specifications
Standard specifications are prepared by government or
manufacturers of materials or professional bodies. Special
care should be taken when adopting specifications made by
manufacturers as they may be biased towards certain
products. PWD handbook is treated as standard
specification in India.
Standard specifications should be periodically revised to
include any changes in techniques.
Every city has its own building codes to suit the
requirements of the locality. These codes assume the shape
of standard specifications for the particular locality.

Classification of
Specification
Depending upon the method to be used in
describing the material or a method of
installation, the specifications can be
classified into three categories
Open specifications
Restricted Specifications
Closed Specifications

Open Specifications
Gives the physical, chemical properties of the material to be
used, the tests it must comply with or the results expected
and other such information.
It never gives a specific item of equipment or a trade name
or a proprietary commodity.
Used for public works.
A true open specification lays down minimum standards
and can be easily fulfilled by several manufacturers within
permissible limits.

Restricted
Specifications
The material is specified and the then the choice by the
contractor is limited to two or more manufacturers or
distributors.
Thus an approved list containing the catalogue number
or proprietary name of the product is specified and the
contractor has to choose from the same.
It promotes competition among manufacturers to get
their product included in the approved list.

Closed Specifications
The material or the product is designated by the trade
name mentioning the catalogue number, manufacturer
and sometimes a particular distributor from whom the
product is to be purchased.
May increase the cost of the project.
Avoids competition.
Usually the product is chosen carefully considering its
performance in the past, in other projects

Design of Specifications
Specifications should fit the specific requirements
of the project.
Specification complex and lengthy document.
Requires skill and wide technical knowledge.
Some of the important aspects of design of
specification are
Changes designer of specification should have field
knowledge which would help him to change, expand,
improve, modify or strengthen his specification for future
works if necessary.

Design of Specifications
Clearness specifications should be designed in
such a manner as to limit the misunderstandings and
misinterpretations to a minimum. Minimizes disputes.
Co-operation should provide a motive of cooperation between the clients engineer and the
contractor. Should prove useful to both the client and
contractor.
Cost initial cost of well designed specification may
prove to be more but it saves the cost incurred in extra
claims, delays, disputes and bad workmanship.

Design of Specifications
Designer the specifications should be designed by a
competent person having wide experience and high ability.
Flexibility specifications should be dynamic and not
rigid i.e. they should be adaptable to new inventions, ideas
and methods of construction.
Product Control a well designed specification
product control by the available equipment
contractor. Automation can also be adopted to
product control. This leads to fewer samples for
reduced costs, early completion and uniform work.

aims at
of the
achieve
testing,

Principles of Specification
Writing
Specifications written when the contractor is
not finalized.
It is important that the specifications are clearly
understood
by
contractors,
workmen,
supervisors etc. who may have little or no
technical training.

Principles of Specification
Writing
Essential principles of good specification writing are as
follows
Subject Matter : Subject matter of specification should relate
to the information required by the contractor. Requirements
which are to be enforced should be included in the
specification. Use of cross references should be kept to a
minimum.
Grammar : Rules of grammar should be followed. Style and
tense should remain same throughout. Hyphen, commas, semicolons to be used as required keeping in mind that presence or
absence of these should not change the meaning. Use of
pronouns should be minimum and it is advisable to repeat the
noun.

Principles of Specification
Writing
Abbreviations : Only the abbreviations which are well known
in the building industry should be given without giving
definitions. Facilitates easy understanding and reduces typing
work.
Development of Style : Main aim of specification writing to
present a clear picture of facts. No attempt should be made to
make the style elegant or impressive. The writer should develop
his own style of arranging the ideas with clarity and brevity.
Selection of Words : Use of words with suitable meaning.
Unfamiliar words, words having more than one meaning,
unusual technical and trade expressions, semi-legal words should
not be used.

Principles of Specification
Writing
Accuracy : Information given should be complete and correct,
otherwise contractor may claim for any extra cost due to
damage occurred to him by misleading information supplied by
the owner. Care should be taken that information is not
repeated in the specifications.
Conflicting Requirements : The clauses of the
specifications should be framed in such a way that no conflicts
of any type result. For instance, while writing the specification
for driving piles, both the requirements, namely, penetration of
the pile and its bearing capacity, should not be mentioned. In
some cases, the piles may have reached the required
penetration. But the specified baring power may not have been
developed. In other cases, the reverse may happen.

Principles of Specification
Writing
Practical Limits And Commercial Sizes: The specification
should be framed while keeping in view the practical limitations
of materials and workmanship and they should not specify
practical impossibilities. Also the specification should specify
use of commercial sizes and patterns of the materials. It becomes
expensive to manufacture special size and it also takes more time
to prepare such sizes.
Clearness : The specification should be clear as far as possible
and it should be observed that their meaning is not left the
engineer. Both the particles owner and contractor should follow
the same sense. Also the specification should state what the
contractor shall do and not do.

Principles of Specification
Writing
Fairness : The specification should be fair and they should not
be framed in such a way so as to throw all the risks on the
shoulders of the contractor. Also, all likely hazards, difficulties,
etc. should be specified in the specification so as to give a clear
picture of the work to the contractor. Unfair specifications may
lead the contractor to assume all such risk and put a higher price
in his tender to accommodate all such risks, in case they come
up.
Brevity : The sentences of the specification should be short,
simple and concise. As specification is a legal document, fewer
words will involve less risk of legal difficulties and as straight
forward specification would be clearly understood by the persons
filling the tenders, it may result into lower cost and early
completion of the work.

Sources of Information
Following are the main sources of information from
which the information regarding the specifications of
civil engineering work can be gathered or obtained
Contract Drawings : The draft drawings prepared in the
initial stage of the project contain useful details which are of
considerable assistance to the writer of the specifications.
Previous Specifications : In majority of cases, the
specifications of the executed jobs or jobs under execution can
be used as basis for the preparation of new specification of
similar job. This procedure expedites the work. However, care
should be taken to avoid unnecessary details and to include any
additional features for the new work.

Sources of Information
Requirements of Owner : If the owner desires to
incorporate certain requirement in connection with the job,
the same should be suitably included in the specification of the
work.
Site Investigations : It is desirable that the specifications
include the fullest information for the existing site conditions
such as extent of site clearance work, soil conditions, etc. The
contractor is thus kept away from making unnecessary
allowance for uncertain factors.

Sources of Information
Standard Specifications : The reference can be made to the
relevant standard specifications and thus, it permits a
considerable reduction in the length of specification clauses. It
also helps the contractor in easy understanding of the
specification requirements.
Trade catalogues : For specifications of the proprietary
commodities the reference can be made to the catalogues
supplied by the manufacturer of that item. However, if an article
is produced to a number of different patterns it is necessary to
quote the correct catalogue reference.

Typical
Specifications

Specification for
Excavation
Outline : Starting of work workmanship excavated
material protection to existing services measurement
what the rates include.
The excavation for the foundation trenches shall be
carried out in all sorts of soils as per plan and lining
approved at site.
The sides of the foundation trenches shall be truly
vertical and bottom shall be uniformly levelled.

Specification for
Excavation
The excavated material shall be stacked away from the sides of
the trenches of the excavation by at least 2 meters. The
excavated material shall be filled in the plinth in layers of 30
cm and well-watered. The surplus excavated materials shall be
spread out uniformly up to a lead of 100 meters.
All the existing services such as water pipes, sewers, electric
cables, etc. which are met with in foundation trenches shall be
carefully supported and protected by the contractor as per
instructions of the engineer.

Specification for
Excavation
The excavation shall be measured as per exact length and
width of the lowest step of footings according to drawings or
the engineers instructions. The depth of the trenches shall be
measured vertically from the average ground level taken at site
before starting the work.
The rate of excavation includes all timbering and other
supports which are necessary for securing the sides of the
trenches and the contractor shall be responsible for their
safety. No extra amount shall be paid to the contractor for the
excavation of the working space. The materials or valuables
found during excavation shall be the property of the owner.

Specification for Damp Proof

Course
Outline : Proportion - coarse aggregate cement - waterproofing compound mixing - preparation of base
laying - curing.
The proportion of damp proof course of cement concrete
shall be one part of cement, two parts of sands and four
parts of coarse aggregates or one part of cement one and
half parts of sand and three parts of coarse aggregate by
volume. The usual thickness of damp proof course shall
be 25 mm to 40 mm.

Specification for Damp Proof

Course
The coarse aggregate shall be clean, hard dense and free from
impurities such as earth coal dust and other organic
materials. The size of coarse aggregates shall vary from 12 mm
to 6mm.
The fine aggregate i.e., sand to be used shall be clean and
coarse of average 5 mm size and shall be from any organic or
vegetable matter.
The cement to be used shall be fresh and shall comply with the
standard requirements. The water-proofing compound to be
used shall be of standard specifications. The water to be used
shall be clean and fresh.

Specification for Damp Proof

Course
The mixing of all the materials in their required proportion by
volume shall be done on a clean and solid platform. Dry coarse
aggregates shall be stacked evenly on the platform. Sand and cement
in their required proportion shall be mixed dry till of uniform colour
and then this mixture shall be spread over the stacked coarse
aggregate. The materials shall be turned over once without adding
water and shall be turned over for at least three times after adding
required quantity of water gradually and slowly to give a uniform
concrete. Water-proofing compound in proportion as specified shall
then be added and mixed with concrete to make it water proof.

Specification for Damp Proof

Course
The base where damp proof course is to be laid shall be
constructed with bricks on edge or with frogs of the
bricks down. The top of the plinth bed over which damp
proof course is to be placed shall be thoroughly cleaned
with a steel brush, washed and wetted before laying
damp proof course. The wooden straight edges shall be
fixed on plinth wall having the same inner width as that
the required thickness of damp proof course.

Specification for Damp Proof

Course
Damp proof course shall be laid to the full width of the plinth or of
the superstructure as mentioned in the drawings or tender. It shall
be laid to the specified thickness over the plinth wall flush with the
floor surface and shall not be carried across the doorways or such
other openings. It shall be properly consolidated by temping and
leveled horizontally as well as vertically. Laying of damp proof
course shall be completed on the same day. The joints shall be given
at the openings. The concrete surface shall be roughened and
chequered when air dry to impart proper bondage with brickwork
above.
The work shall be kept well-watered for at least 7 days after laying, if
there is no commencement for further brickwork. In no case,
brickwork shall be commenced unless the fresh work has been
flooded with water for at least 48 hours.

Specification for Different

Activities
Specification for 1st Class Brickwork in CM (1:6)
Properties of bricks soaking in water mortar workmanship
measurement scaffolding

Specification for RCC Work (1:2:4)

Proportion cement fine aggregate coarse aggregate water
reinforcement centering mixing laying and curing finishing
of exposed surfaces

Specification for Terrazzo finish

Marble chips first coat second coat process of polishing measurement

Specification for Different

Activities
Specification for Plaster
Preliminary scaffolding procedure for first coat procedure for
second coat measurement

Specification for Whitewashing

Wall cleaning lime and gum workmanship cleaning
measurement

Specification for fixing 1 mm thick corrugated GI sheets

on wooden purlins
Sheets laps fixing precautions ridges - measurement

Specification for Different

Activities
Specification for 160 mm water-bound macadam road
for heavy traffic
Selection of the metal preparation of the sub-grade placing of
the road metal rolling final coat measurement

Specification for earthwork for road in embankment

Clearing land width setting of alignment borrow pits water
and consolidation finishing measurement

Thank You