Basics of Specification Writing

Extract from 1997 audit:  A well-written specification can do more to assure success of the acquisition effort than any other element of the contracting process.

AA specification is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, or service. (ASTM and Wikipedia definition) EExplicit means “fully and clearly expressed” (The American Heritage college Dictionary)

Specification Types  Statement of Work (SOW)  Statement of Objective (SOO) Regardless of type, the specification should provide the essential characteristics of the services / products being purchased. Emphasize achieving a specific result, not the process of getting there. The goal is getting a solution to a defined need.

Purpose of Specifications All specifications should…  Convey a complete and accurate understanding of what is required  Not be restrictive to encourage competition  Not require clarification to suppliers  Convey minimum performance / objectives to satisfy organizational needs  Utilize a standard format

Specifications should not…..  Contain intended evaluation methods  Contain any other “boilerplate” items  Contain general or special terms and conditions  Provide instructions on response preparation

Seek first to understand, then seek to be understood  Do effective research  What do they want? What do they really need?  Be curious and ask good questions – who, what, when, where?  Go and see…

Provide Clarity  Define acronyms, avoid abbreviations  Double check references  Avoid redundancies and contradictions  Use the consistent terminology throughout  Bidder, Proposer, Offeror (prior to submission)  Contractor, Vendor, Supplier (post-award)  Short sentences and simple language

Provide Clarity (continued)  Avoid ambiguous language:  good quality, reasonable time, maximum reliability  Proof for grammar and spelling  have co-worker assist  Spell check does not catch every flaw  Provide drawings as appropriate  Avoid “in-house” or technical jargon

Choose Words Carefully  Use shall only for mandatory requirements  Use should or may for non-mandatory or optional requirements Avoid the use of “and/or”…..”and” connects things while “or” separates and means either

Work Cooperatively  The agency is responsible for the initial draft.  seek input from end users  State purchasing will usually have questions and will usually make suggestions for fine tuning specifications.  The agency and state purchasing will collaborate as a team to create the final draft.

Pencil - Office Supply Catalog has 343 types:  Mechanical Pencil  Drawing Pencil  Golf Pencil  Colored Pencil  Erasable Pencil

Specification Example  GOOD: Pencil, #2 Lead, Wood, with Eraser  BETTER: Wooden Pencil, #2, Soft Lead, 100% Cedar, Eraser, Hexagonal Barrel, Yellow, PMA Certified Non-Toxic, 12/Box

Specs live forever….  The US standard for rail gauge, or the distance between the tracks is: 4 feet 8.5 inches

Specs live forever…. Why 4 feet 8.5 inches? Because that was the distance for pre-railroad tramways…….

Specs live forever…. And why were tramways built using 4 feet 8.5 inches? Because that is how wide wagons were built…..

Specs live forever…. And why were wagons built to that gauge? Because they had to fit into the existing ruts in the roads….

Specs live forever…. And who built these old rutted roads? The first long distance roads were built in Europe by Imperial Rome and the ruts were from the Roman chariots. Wagons had to match the ruts or would be destroyed.

Specs live forever…. So the US standard for rail gauge is due to the size of Roman chariots. So why were the Roman chariots 4 feet 8.5 inches???? Because that is the distance required to accommodate two horses a……..two horses…

And now, the twist to the story... There's an interesting extension to the story about railroad gauges and horses' behinds. When we see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. Thiokol makes the SRBs at their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory had to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses behinds. So, the major design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined by the width of a Horse's [rear]!