1. Construction Contract Documents
Design
Stage 1 Preconstruction
Stage 2: Procurement
Conceptual Planning
Stage3: Construction
Stage 4: Project Close-out
Construction Contract Documents
Topic 6
Chapter 2 1 1

2. Contract Documents Agreement Conditions of the Contract Drawings
Specifications
Addenda
Modifications

3. Bidding and Contract Documents

4. Drawings (plans, blueprints)
Physical, quantitative, visual description
Organized by sequence of construction
General information and site work
Structural
Architectural
Plumbing
Heating, air-conditioning, and ventilation (HVAC)
Electrical

5. Drawings (plans, blueprints)
Sections numbered separately
Sections begin with list of standard symbols and abbreviations
Each drawing page shows scale and approval signatures

6. Specifications Includes the following Title Page Table of Contents
Addenda
Bidding Requirements
Invitation to Bid
Instructions to Bidders
Information Available to Bidders

7. Specifications Includes the following (cont’d) Sample forms Agreement
Bid form
Bid bond
Performance and Payment Bonds
Other Sample Forms

16. Specifications Includes the following (cont’d)
Conditions of the Contract
General Conditions
Supplementary Conditions
Schedule of Drawings
Technical Specifications (Divisions 1 through 16)

17. Who needs specifications?
Contractor/Estimator
Purchasing agent
Inspector
Owner
Subcontractors
Materials and equipment manufacturers

18. General Conditions (boilerplate)
document establishing the legal rights, responsibilities, and relationships of the parties to the contract. The parties are the owner, owner’s representative, and the contractor

19. Standard General Conditions Documents
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Associated General Contractors (AGC) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
U.S. government Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC), ASCE, Construction Specifications Institute (CSI))

20. Value of Standard General Conditions
Familiar to all parties
Clearly understood
Legal interpretation is often known (court-tested)

24. Supplementary (Special) Conditions
Number of copies of contract documents to be received by the contractor
Type of surveying information to be provided by the owner
Material owner will provide
Specific information about material substitutions
Changes in insurance requirements

25. Supplementary (Special) Conditions
Requirements concerning the phasing of construction
Examination of the site
Start date for construction
Requirements for project security
Requirements for temporary facilities
Specific procedures for submitting shop drawings

26. Supplementary (Special) Conditions
Cost-reporting requirements
Job schedule requirements
Special cleaning requirements
Traffic control requirements
Discovery of artifacts of cultural or historical value

27. Technical Specifications (specs)
written document that covers the qualitative items of a project as opposed to the quantitative information provided in the drawings. Technical specifications modify or clarify what is shown in the drawings.

28. Problems Encountered in Specs
Conflicting information
(1) technical specs govern
(2) architect/engineer (A/E) makes determination
Omitted information in either drawings or specs
Assumption of “greater value” intended

29. Format of Technical Specs
Technical specifications are organized according to the general order of the work to be performed, beginning with site work and ending with finish work items. Divisions are defined in such a way as to segregate the work by craft jurisdiction.

30. Format of Technical Specs
CSI Masterformat Divisions
Division of bidding requirements, contract forms, and conditions of the contract
Division 1: General Requirements
Division 2: Sitework
Division 3: Concrete
Division 4: Masonry
Division 5: Metals
Division 6: Wood and Plastics
Division 7: Thermal and Moisture Protection

31. Format of Technical Specs
CSI Masterformat Divisions (cont’d)
Division 8: Doors and Windows
Division 9: Finishes
Division 10: Specialties
Division 11: Equipment
Division 12: Furnishings
Division 13: Special Construction
Division 14: Conveying Systems
Division 15: Mechanical
Division 16: Electrical

34. Format of Technical Specs
General contractors sometimes provide the subcontractors only with a copy of the technical section that relates to the work that they are contracting to perform. They neglect to give them copies of the General Conditions, Division 1, Supplementary Conditions, etc. that may also contain information that is relevant to the subcontractor’s portion of the work.

35. Format of Technical Specs
To alert subcontractors to the possibility of conditions and obligations not explained in the technical section provided to them, a statement such as the following is included at the beginning of each technical section: “Provide work under this section as shown or specified and in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents.”

38. Format of Technical Specs
Divisions are subdivided into sections which include three (3) parts
Part 1 - General: ground rules and scope of work
Part 2 - Products: descriptions of material, equipment, fixtures, and the manufacturing process utilized
Part 3 - Execution: detailed description of workmanship, erection, installation, and application procedures

40. Proper use of CSI specifications (divisions, sections/parts)

41. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Basic Categories
Performance: specifies the end result as measured by some noted criteria
Prescriptive: specifies the materials and workmanship

42. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Question: If the technical specification contains both prescriptive and performance instructions, is the contractor required to fulfill both portions of the specification? Explain.
The contractor need only fulfill the prescriptive portion. Once a specifier (designer) provides a recipe (prescription), he or she assumes responsibility for the outcome

43. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Other Forms of Specifications
Open Specification
Closed Specification
permits only a particular item or system
in principle, not legal for public work unless at least three choices are specified
can be prescriptive or performance
also called base bid (1 choice) or bidder’s choice (2 options)

44. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Other Forms of Specifications (cont’d)
Proprietary Specification: closed spec with no alternative
Or Equal Specifications
variation on the proprietary specification
should be avoided (Why?-judgement of what is equal is difficult)
Or Approved Equal Specifications
problematic for bidding
approval is not easily given

45. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Other Forms of Specifications (cont’d)
All-Inclusive Specifications
many questions unanswered
phrases like, “as directed by engineer,” or, “to the approval of the architect”
not good for bidding or fair administration of contract

46. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Other Forms of Specifications (cont’d)
Reference Specifications - establishes separate document as part of contract by citation
Standard Specifications

47. SPECIFICATION WRITING TIPS
Three Cs
Clear (organization and coordination)
Correct (consistency within and with drawings)
Concise (brief and to the point; not verbose)
Vocabulary (clearly defined terms, especially abbreviations)

48. SPECIFICATION WRITING TIPS
Begin at about 50% completion of drawings
Level of detail appropriate for complexity of project
Research (especially for prescriptive specifications)
Be careful of omissions and conflicts due to cutting and pasting
4specs.com

49. SPECIFICATION WRITING TIPS
CSI PARAGRAPH FORMAT
PART
1.1 ARTICLE TITLE
A. Paragraph
1. Subparagraph
a. Subparagraph
1) Subparagraph

52. Notice of Award Notice to the successful bidder to
Example: geotechnical investigation, topographic and bathymetric surveys:Example of a Notice of Award