SPECIFICATION WRITING GUIDANCE

Interpret each rule as if followed by unless context and common sense dictate
otherwise. Do not follow a rule if clarity is reduced. This is the #1 RULE.
From document #3.

The excerpts following these introductory pages are presented as general guidance for writing
Specifications.
The source documents numbered 1 to 4 are from foreign jurisdictions but the grammatical
principles are universally applicable.
Be aware of the jurisdictional specific content it most likely does not apply to NTG Requests for
Tender (RFT).
The source documents, and aspects in each to note, are;
1. Guide to Writing Specifications, Masterspec, New Zealand
http://www.masterspec.co.nz/filescont/Guide%20to%20writing%20specifications.pdf
This is a comprehensive guide. The content is appropriate to Australia and NTG in most aspects because
New Zealand uses a system similar to Australias NATSPEC, and because of the cultural similarities
between the two nations. The Classification and Coding section on pages 8 and 9 are slightly different to
NATSPEC.
2. Specification and Writing Style Manual, Oregon Department of Transportation, USA
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/SPECS/docs/forms_manuals/Specification_Writing_Style_Manual.pdf
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/SPECS/docs/forms_manuals/Change_Log.pdf
The USA documents use Imperial measurements, we use Metric. On page 7 the document suggests
avoiding use of the word shall but then uses it in table in a subsequent paragraph as an appropriate term.
Do not use shall in NTG RFTs.
3. Specification Style Guide, California Department of Transportation, USA
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/oe/specifications/Style_Guide_1999-2006.pdf
Minor jurisdictional differences.
4. A Guide to Writing Specifications, Los Angeles Unified School District, USA
http://psg.lausd.net/contracts/Docs/Guide%20to%20Writing%20Specs.pdf
Minor jurisdictional differences. Do not use shall in NTG RFTs.
5. Writing Better Technical Specifications, G Covey & G Faber, Somerset, Tasmania
http://www.coveyconsulting.com.au/Documents/paper_gc_gf_writing_better_technical_specifications.pdf
This document is written as guidance for engineers who are specifying works related to plant and equipment.
The document offers valuable general guidance.

The two documents cited below contain simple checklists which are reproduced here.
Developing Specifications for Purchasing, Queensland Government
http://www.qgm.qld.gov.au/00_downloads/bpg_devel.pdf
Step 3: Writing the specification
Some writing tips
Use simple, clear language without jargon (to minimise misinterpretation).
Define terms, symbols and acronyms (include a Glossary of Terms).
Be concise.
Do not explain the same requirement in more than one section.
Define each aspect of the requirement in one or two paragraphs where possible.
Adopt a user-friendly format.
Number the sections and paragraphs.
Seek feedback from someone unfamiliar with the requirement.
Discuss the draft and refine it.
There are no fixed rules on formats and structures because each specification reflects a different
requirement or
need. A specification should list the functional, performance and technical characteristics separately.
Specification Writing, Victorian Government
http://www.vgpb.vic.gov.au/CA2575BA0001417C/WebObj/D0956929GUIDELINEWEBCOPYSpecificationWri
ting/$File/D09%2056929%20%20GUIDELINE%20WEB%20COPY%20Specification%20Writing.DOC
4.2 Vetting Specifications
It is useful to have the specification vetted by someone other than the author.
The person vetting the specification should check that the specification:
is easy to read;
is easy to understand;
is clear;
is consistent with specifications for similar or the same goods and/or services;
has a logical structure; and
contains only essential information.

NATSPEC also has guidance documents for specification writers. Some of these are available via
the Documentation Services web site.

August 2005

Guide to Writing Specifications

August 2009

Table of Contents
Writing specifications ...................................................................................... 2
Specifying methods ......................................................................................... 5
The specification form ..................................................................................... 6
Classification and coding ................................................................................ 8
Master specification systems .......................................................................... 9
Issues affecting specifying ............................................................................ 12

Writing specifications
This guide will help you when writing specifications, particularly those based on a standard specification
system such as Masterspec. It also explains the approach taken in the Masterspec standard text to grammar
and style. This will act as a guide to amending existing and writing new, specification clauses.
If not defined, or taken from a listed reference document such as a New Zealand standard, words used in
Masterspec have the meaning defined by the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Writing style and punctuation
generally follows the New Zealand Style Book (GP Publications 1991).
While texts on construction specifications are not common Specifying Architecture by John Gelder
(published by NATSPEC, Australia) offers a good grounding in both the history and theory of specification
writing.

Writing style
Style is the cornerstone of readability, ensuring text is relevant and capable of being clearly understood by its
intended readership. Style includes a good but not pedantic approach to grammar, simple sentence structure
and correct punctuation. Style also means following the sometimes neglected rules of specification writing:
clarity accuracy repetition brevity logic
Clarity

means using plain English, avoiding legalese and jargon and restricting vocabulary to words in
common usage. Avoid using alternatives (like excavate for dig) just to make the text more
interesting. Nevertheless words should be selected to ensure that their meaning is clear and
unambiguous, while phrasing should be brief and expressed in the imperative mood. Use
Provide light fittings. not The contractor shall provide light fittings

Accuracy

Ensure consistency and accuracy by using the same simple terms throughout (use, supply,
submit) and employ accurate and consistent phraseology for repeated clauses. Avoid
generalisations, or unclear words or phrasing. Avoid acronyms and abbreviations, unless very
well known and incapable of simple error. Blanket clauses implying responsibility for the general
or the unknown, must be avoided.
Dont use gender-specific words and phrases. And avoid nominating specific control functions to
particular persons (say architect, engineer, surveyor) unless this is intended. In particular avoid
words such as approve or approved unless this is an essential requirement of the contract.
Avoid redundant and misleading paragraphs; in particular poorly or loosely worded SCOPE
clauses at the start of specification sections. SCOPE clauses are legally dangerous as they
could be taken by a contractor or subcontractor as encapsulating everything that is required.
They are best avoided altogether. At the most they should be restricted to a simple extension of
the section title.
Also avoid clauses such as read the General section with this section, which might imply that
the specification can be broken up into individual parts a dangerous process contractually.
And dont repeat general instructions to the contractor in every section unless there is a
particular concern (such as the prevalence for some workers to leave debris on site, or a
specific risk of damage to adjoining work or finished work).
Avoid listing overly specific, or indefinable requirements such as best trade practice, first class
work, or acceptable standard. Only require approval or inspection by. where this fulfils
some specific purpose.
Also carefully check secondary consultants and specialists specification sections to ensure
consistency of meaning. Some consultants can include indefinite phrases like builders work, or
include contractual issues, or even monetary amounts in among the technical data.

Repetition Documents are meant to be complimentary. The principles to follow are:

say everything, but say it only once. Repetition is inadvisable and legally dangerous
avoid erroneous information (such as listing a standard that is not referenced in the text)
just in case
if something applies, include it once, If something does not apply, remove it or leave it out
if information is on the drawings, dont repeat it in the specification, unless the subject
requires amplification
if an issue is covered in the conditions of contract, dont repeat it in the specification.
Matters of contract and/or tender must not be included within the technical text.
Brevity

You would not include irrelevant details on drawings and similarly there is no justification for
including irrelevant clauses or redundant words in the specification.

Logic

The Masterspec sections are set in an easily recognisable pattern, with logical and meaningful
clause titles and a logical numbering system for all clauses. Cross-referencing within the
specification is kept to a minimum, because of possible future changes or project-based
modifications. Where unavoidable, clause names rather than numbers are used for cross
referencing.
Keep matters of contract, tender and administration separate from the technical sections of the
specification, except for specific instructions on quality, or for instructing/informing others (such
as a sub-contractor); for example the obtaining of samples, tests and certification, the setting of
standards of performance, requirements to provide guarantees, warranties, as-builts, or
maintenance information. This approach allows the technical sections to be more readily used
with any chosen method of pricing, administration or contract. It also adds certainty for the
contractor and/or project manager when attempting to locate all relevant contract, pricing or
administrative requirements.
Dont specify for failure, such as specifying repairs following damage. That is for the conditions
of contract to resolve.
Dont address individual matters to the contractor. The whole document is addressed to that
one person or entity.

Words and meanings

Words whose meanings are unclear, subjective, or even too precise, should be avoided. In the USA design
professionals insurers often issue lists of what are known as red flag words. These are words which are
best avoided, or words which should only be used with caution and deliberate intent. Such words include:
Administer
Approve
Complete
Equal
Full
Minimise
Periodic
Suitable

advise
assure
control
estimate
guarantee
none
safe
supervise

all
best
direct
every
inspect
optimise
shall
will

any
certify
ensure
final
maximise
oversee
sufficient

Specification writing
The process of specification writing, conducted in parallel with design and drawing work, helps create the
proper balance between client, statutory, technical and aesthetic requirements. Who should write the
specification? Options in larger organisations include specialist specification writers, project managers, or
members of the project design group. The principle qualifications needed are:

familiarity with the project, including the design philosophy

expertise in editorial, technical and contractual matters
willingness and availability.

The Masterspec approach

Masterspec provide specification systems not off-the-shelf standard specifications. They require the specifier
to vet existing data, to create a project document. All Masterspec systems are formatted to suit electronic onscreen editing. Some specifiers may prefer to prepare a manual draft, but this significantly increases the final
checking process. Where a manual approach is used, always print draft sections directly off the current
electronic files to ensure that the latest edition is being used as a base.
The GENERAL sections incorporate explanatory clauses on:
The precedence of figured to scale dimensions
Trade divisions versus specification sections
The precedence between specifications, drawings and other documents (Note: precedence between
documents is also addressed in some standard conditions of contract)
Manufacturers requirements/specifications/instructions/details.
the use of capital letters as against lower case letters for descriptors (e.g. architect, owner,
contractor, acceptable solution, building consent, etc). While some publications capitalise such
descriptors to signify that they are a defined term, this is not grammatically correct and the
Masterspec text follows the rule of when in doubt use a lower case initial letter. Title case, where
the first letter of each word in the title of a book or other publication, is also avoided.
The updating of New Zealand and overseas standards and other industry references is covered by a clause
which states that current versions (at a nominated date) including all amendments, will apply. However the
subsequent replacement or withdrawal of a particular standard still requires the removal and replacement of
outdated references. The year of publication is not given for referenced documents, other than Acts of
Parliament.
Note however that where a standard is updated between edition dates for Masterspec, clause references
may also need to be amended to suit the new document as clause numbering in the new standard may have
changed.

Purpose
A project specification (along with the project drawings) has at least ten different purposes:
1
As a briefing document and a record of decisions made.
2
As a design record.
3
A demonstration of statutory compliance.
4
A cost planning tool.
5
A tendering document.
6
A contract document.
7
A project management aid.
8
An on-site manual.
9
As evidence in disputes.
10
A resource for facilities management and building maintenance.
While all functions are important, the contractual function is the most critical. If your specification is to act as
a legal safety-net for both you and your clients.
It must be accurate. It must not contradict itself or other related documents (drawings, schedules, other
consultants documents, standards and codes of practice, the Building Code acceptable solutions). It must
avoid factual or technical errors. It also must be project-specific, if it is to be any use in illustrating compliance
with the Building Code.

Writing project specifications

It has been said that designers pretend to write specifications and contractors pretend to read them. There is
a strong note of truth in this statement; the principal reasons being an undervaluing of the important role of
specifications in the design and construction process and the consequently dysfunctional nature of many
project specifications.
Consider the physical appearance of your current project specification. It should look professional, have a
robust cover, be securely bound together, but open easily at any page. Black type on white paper is
preferred, with a typeface of at least 10 point size. Serif lettering is still recognised by many people as being
the most legible (check any newspaper, novel, or text book) but you may personally favour another typeface.
Masterspec currently favours Arial 10 point, as being one that is common to all popular word processing
programmes.

Page formatting is also important, with a clear definition between divisions and clauses, the use of bold
and/or upper case titles and a reasonably narrow text width for ease of reading. Double-sided printing can
improve the documents professional look and reduce bulk, but production difficulties may preclude this.

Making it easy
A specification that is easy to navigate is more likely to be read, used and understood. The simple, repetitive
layout of all Masterspec specification systems makes this as easy and straightforward as possible. The
addition of a proper itemised Table of contents, not just a list of Contents is readily produced using normal
word processing functions and would assist users to find the information they seek.
The addition of a subject index, which tells the reader where sealants are listed, or information on flashings,
would add further value. These subjects are not always logically or consistently located, or they can be
located in more than one work section and the inclusion of a subject finder would overcome this.
Make your specification more professional by making it easier to use.

Specifying methods
The introduction of the performance-based New Zealand Building Act in 1992 provided a timely illustration of
how a desired end result can be specified rather than the means of achieving it.

Specifying by performance
While in theory a performance based approach should permit greater innovation and competition among
tenderers, the nature of most New Zealand building contracts does not allow significant benefits to occur.
The cost and time involved in producing the essential performance definitions, methods of verification and
confirmation of performance values is generally too high to be either practical or economic on most projects.
Nevertheless performance-based specifying of some elements is already in common use. Products such as
aluminium windows, demountable partitions, suspended ceilings, some mechanical services, ready-mixed
concrete and precast concrete products, are all specified quite satisfactorily by reference to performance
requirements, published technical data, or to certain tested and proven capabilities. This trend is certain to
increase.

Specifying by sample
Specifying by reference to a sample offers a relatively simple way to ensure a desired quality standard is
met. This is particularly useful in determining the standard of naturally sourced materials such as quarried
stone. Alternately a proprietary product of known quality perhaps a particular window section or balustrade
design can be used as a benchmark for contractors to match or surpass.

The prescriptive approach

The prescriptive (or by prescription) approach is where the means to an end are set out and defined in detail.
This detailed information is set out under three main headings: GENERAL, PRODUCTS and EXECUTION;
with a fourth SELECTIONS used when appropriate.
Different approaches used when specifying by prescription are:
Descriptive (spelling out in detail what is wanted)
Reference (specifying to a code, standard or other recognised document)
Brand name (nominating a particular brand, range of acceptable brands, or a specific product).
Brand name
While specifying by brand name is the most precise, it can also be restrictive and removes the opportunity for
competitive purchasing. In some instances it can be better to have a range of acceptable alternatives
nominated by the specifier, or in controlled circumstances, offered by the tenderer or contractor.
One justification for brand specifying is aesthetic; perhaps a certain level of quality or appearance is required
by the designer, or a particular piece of hardware, or proprietary window frame is preferred based on past
experience. Another justification is that specific manufacturers requirements for installation or attachment
can be built in to the specification text, ensuring that the material or product is used appropriately.
Manufacturers warranties are another potential advantage with brand specifying.

Reference
Specifying by reference to standards or codes of practice can be problematic. The wording of some
standards is often not definitive enough for contractors to price accurately. Or the standards requirements
might clash with those of the contract. Standards often recommend rather than require, while levels of quality
are generally set at minimum rather than optimum levels. They may also ignore any special aesthetic
requirements or specific climatic conditions.
Reference specifying is best used for defining associated requirements (tests, qualifications, etc) and for
describing specific material or product selections, rather than for describing the actual construction or
installation process.

The Masterspec approach to specifying

The Masterspec systems, along with most current New Zealand construction specification systems, is
generally prescriptive, but contains elements of the performance approach. Brand specifying is allowed as
an alternative to generic description in most cases.
Specifiers should note that tenderers/contractors are ambivalent on the issue of brand specifying vs generic
specifying. On the one hand they prefer the certainty offered by specifying a single brand, but on the other
hand demand the freedom to offer alternatives often from favoured suppliers, or products with which they
are familiar.
Special points to note are:
1

Avoid including both a generic description and a branded product or material. There could possibly
be a clash between the two (i.e. the branded product does not conform precisely with the generic
description).

Where a branded product is specified there is generally no need to also include a requirement to
comply with a New Zealand standard or other industry guide. This only leads to potential confusion
as to what is required, as a standard can include a range of complying options.

Define first for the tenderer and later for the contractor, whether they have the option of offering
substitute products or materials either as of right, as tender substitutions, or under specific
circumstances like non-availability. Where the specification is not open (i.e. the tenderer has no
right to nominate alternatives) use the phrase no substitutions to reinforce this fact.

Offer option 3. above only with due caution. A tenderers or contractors view of equivalency may be
somewhat looser than envisaged by the specifier. Consider instead putting forward a list of
acceptable alternatives, or set out precise guidelines for the approval of any proposed alternative
products, materials, or systems.

The specification form

A project specification should collect design decisions and allocate them according to the required
construction sequence. Information must also be easy to locate and simple to co-ordinate with project
drawings and related documents.
Drawings convey information in a graphic form and are usually the preferred means for providing information
on where and how. Qualitative or what information is often best described in writing. When this
qualitative information is gathered together the document is called a specification.
Lists or schedules of information (hardware or window schedules) are often a combination of graphic and
written data. Such schedules may be located either within the specification or on the drawings.
A schedule or bill of quantities is sometimes needed to define how much, in terms of quantity and cost. The
schedule of quantities and the specification can be combined, but this seldom if ever occurs today. There is
also less use of a schedule of quantity as a contract document, especially on smaller projects, where they
are seen more as a pricing tool and are often prepared by or on behalf of the contractor or developer.

Different ways
Historically, a specification contained a preliminaries and general section, which linked matters of tender and
contract and defined the various administrative, compliance and quality issues. This was followed by a series
of trade sections, set roughly in the sequence work occurred on site. Today your project specification is likely
to still generally follow this traditional pattern (with some changes to suit current construction practice) but
must also allow for the many different ways a specification can be employed:
during the design process
as part of a pricing mechanism
as a contractual (legal) document:
- designer to client
- owner to contractor
- contractor to subcontractor or supplier
as a means of compliance document
as a guide to construction and contract administration
as a record of what has been built
for facilities management.

Different forms
At one time designers and their clients did not need to know how the construction contract was divided up.
This is no longer the case. The contractor may now be the designers client, or the form of contract may give
the contractor greater power to determine not only how the building is constructed, but also what it will be
built of. A specification must also allow for varying methods of:
documentation
tendering/pricing procedure
forms of contract
trade-related as against element- or material-related building skills
discrete sections of the material and supply industry
separate contracts and contractors
different (and changing) contract strategies
different methods of working, applying, fixing
the purchase of off-the shelf building components
the contractors (and various subcontractors) influence on design
changes occurring during construction, due to cost restraints or changing technology.

The future
In the future, further subdivision of specification data may occur, dividing data into smaller and smaller units.
This will provide greater flexibility and allow information to be formed and reformed into the most convenient
and appropriate packages. Such repackaging may not be static and change may occur at any time during
the construction process.
The employment of work sections as the most logical and convenient piece of information is already being
re-examined internationally. The future may well see a move towards an element-based and/or object
oriented view of construction data. It is also likely that a closer relationship between the graphic data
produced using a CAD package and the related specification data will occur at some time in the future.

Classification and coding

Masterspec employs the CBI classification and coding system. CBI is consistent with CAWS (Common
Arrangement of Work Sections) the classification system used by the UK National Building Specification. CBI
is also compatible with the overarching UK classification system Uniclass (Unified Classification for the
Construction Industry) with the CBI headings replacing the CAWS headings used in Table J.

Work section codes

Work sections are identified by a 4-digit numeric code. The first digit signifies the class:
1.
General
2.
Site
3.
Structure
4.
Enclosure
5.
Interior
6.
Finish
7.
Services
8.
External
The remaining three digits define each work section within the overall class designation. For example:
1. 2 211 Removing vegetation
2. 2 221 Excavation
3. 2 222 Backfilling
4. 2 223 Removing subsurface constructions
etc

General sections
Associated with but not forming part of CBI is a standard format for General issues. This is presented on two
levels, the first comprising:
1.
The project
2.
Documentation
3.
Establishment
4.
Temporary works and services
5.
Project management
6.
Construction
Under each of these numbered headings are a series of sub-headings, designed to place relevant data in
the same order and location each time. This initially acts as a check-list for inclusion of all relevant issues
and later offers users of the project specification a greater degree of certainty in locating required
information. For example:
1.
The project
Description of work
Personnel
Site description
Site features and restrictions
While the first level is individually numbered (1, 2, 3, 4, etc) the second level names are listed as signposts
only, with the legal decimal numbering continuing on with only one decimal point.

Section format
A major concern for users of specifications (contractors, territorial authorities, subcontractors and suppliers)
is first discovering details of a particular requirement or supply item, and then being confident that all aspects
have been found.
Construction managers need to know what tests are required, while subcontractors need to know whether an
approved installer is called for. Suppliers need to find information on, for example, fixings and flashings
needed to complete a particular building element. The Masterspec format helps this to occur naturally and
easily.

The Masterspec format uses the internationally-recognised terms: GENERAL, PRODUCTS and
EXECUTION, with a fourth SELECTIONS added when needed. PRODUCTS (a more all-encompassing
term) has replaced MATERIALS, with EXECUTION replacing the more gender-specific WORKMANSHIP.
The Masterspec format is presented on three levels. The first two levels are:
1.GENERAL
Scope
Documents
Requirements
Guarantees
Performance

2.PRODUCTS
Materials
Components
Accessories
Finishes
Equipment

3.EXECUTION
Conditions
Assembly
Application
Finishing
Completion

4.SELECTIONS

Level 1
Level 2

The third level lists the wide range of individual items which lie under the Level 2 headings. For example,
under COMPONENTS are found JOINTERS, TAPES, FIXINGS, BRACKETS and HARDWARE. Under
FINISHING are listed JOINTING, SEALING, SURFACE PREPARATION and COATING.
As with the General sections, while the first level is individually numbered (1, 2, 3, etc) the second level is
listed as division headings with the legal decimal numbering continuing on with one decimal point only.

Clause numbering
Numbering within each division follows the legal-decimal system. Clauses in 1. GENERAL are numbered
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc; clauses in 2. PRODUCTS are numbered 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc.
Additional clauses can be added at the end of each division without upsetting the existing clause numbers.
Alternately where clauses are added or deleted, all clauses can be re-numbered once a section has been
customised.

Master specification systems

Construction specifications must be:
technically accurate
up to date
simple to use
easy to coordinate with the project drawings
and have a logical relationship with other related documents, including schedules of quantities
and standard conditions of contract and tender.
Achieving this is not an easy task, especially for the smaller design practice, which may not have access to
the wide range of information sources and support structures maintained by larger organisations.

Different ways to specify

Common ways architects use to produce project specifications are:
Using raw data
Creating every project specification from raw data would clearly be unwieldy, unnecessary and expensive.
However this approach still applies when specifying a new or unusual product, system, or process.
Adapting a previous specification
Adapting a specification from a previous project is an approach commonly employed by designers. However
this is unlikely to provide a specifier with the comprehensive range of selections and options needed for
specifying a new project. This approach can also offer a false impression that the content is up to date, when
it may not have been independently reviewed for some time.
This approach is inherently flawed and should be avoided, except for projects which closely mirror their
predecessor. Even then a better approach is to create an office master as a stable base for each project
type.
Using an office master
Most medium-sized and larger design practices maintain some form of office master specification system.
This may range from a system based on a series of standard sections, designed to be interleaved with
project-specific selections and clauses, through to sophisticated computer-based systems containing a full
range of clause and section options, for individual customising by the project specifier.

Using a master specification system

A master specification system takes this structured approach one step further. By maintaining access to a
wide range of industry expertise, a master specification system provider can offer greater certainty that the
systems database will accurately reflect industry thinking. A further critical ingredient is the ongoing
maintenance of the master specification systems reference base and technical content.
Standards, codes, Acts of parliament, industry references and accepted construction practice are all subject
to continuing development and change. Keeping abreast of the downstream effect of such changes is
difficult if not impossible for a single design practice to achieve successfully and economically.
The additional resources available to a master specification system provider allows them to fulfil this
important role. Individual specifiers can then concentrate on the core task of accurately reflecting and
recording project requirements.
Master specification systems arrange information in a form which allows project specifications to be complied
in a simple, direct manner. They include only proven construction methods, standards and conditions and
provide a range of suitable alternatives for building elements. They also enhance co-ordination, by following
generally accepted principles for setting the boundary between specifications and other parts of project
documentation.
Master specification systems assist the documentation, pricing and construction processes by offering a
default standard for presenting project data. This leads to familiarity with and confidence for all parties to the
construction process, in accessing and interpreting specification data.
Having a degree of independence, a master specification systems provider can act as a forum for the
exchange and consideration of a wide range of industry views (both local and international) leading to a
general consensus on best practice.

Approaches to specifying
Different approaches to specifying can be employed within a single master specification system:
The subtractive approach
Where the specifier deletes what doesnt apply, using a series of standard work sections.
This approach is particularly suited to preparing specifications based on a requirement to comply, or to
confirm compliance with, a prescriptive code or universal standard.
Even under New Zealands performance-based approach to building controls, project specifications will still
contain a strong prescriptive element. Most projects will also require the addition of project-specific data
and/or instruction, making a purely subtractive approach unworkable.
The additive approach
Where selections are made from a library of standard clauses, with the specifier adding project clauses and
selections.
The additive approach allows the specifier to mix and match clauses from the total specification database to
accurately reflect the project in hand. Being able to add project-specific selections and project-based
descriptive clauses, enhances the ability of a specifier to produce a truly customised specification.
Recommended approach
Master specification systems, such as Masterspec - particularly while they are presented as a series of
individual word processing files are generally customised using a mixture of subtractive and additive
techniques.
While a truly additive system may seem to offer advantages in terms of producing a truly customised end
product with minimum effort, this is unlikely to be practical unless or until a change is made to a database
specification system. Currently this change is not favoured by specifiers, due to the perceived need to learn
and retain new computer skills.
Why not a standard specification? Even for those designers involved in one type of project, a standard
specification will not provide the project-specific document current building control mechanisms demand.
Significant differences will also arise from one project to another, due to site constraints, or individual client
preferences.

10

Whatever customising technique is used, the same three elements need to be brought together to make up
the final document:

standard forms
a General section and
a series of technical work sections.

Other advantages of a master specification system

A master specification system, particularly a nationally recognised system, provides uniformity in
presentation and formulation and by using standardised terminology and definitions, ensures that they are
more widely accepted and understood.
Having access to such a system allows specifiers to keep up to date with changes in regulations, codes,
standards, work practices, products and technology. The system will also reflect an industry consensus on
what comprises current best practice, through the provision of updated text, guidance notes and regular
news bulletins on topical issues.
Risk management
The use of a nationally recognised system is an important risk management device. It encourages the
production of consistent, concise and easily understood specification clauses, minimises ambiguities (which
are generally held against the specifier in a court of law) and offers clients greater certainty that their
specification will produce the quality required and expected.
Master specification systems achieve this by maintaining a library of standard clauses, developed using
available knowledge and experience (local and overseas) from which project specifications can be created.
Such nationally based systems can also be instrumental in bringing about standardised descriptions of the
same thing for the same purpose, adding to clarity of interpretation.

11

Advantages for the construction team

Master specification systems assist all members of the construction team, by providing channels of
communication between research and development and day to day practice in the construction industry.
For the designer it allows the logical introduction of technical and product data during appropriate stages of
the design and documentation process.
For the specifier it provides the essential standard information, along with clear guidelines on the introduction
of project-specific data.
For the quantity surveyor and tenderer it ensures that information is presented in a consistent sequence and
pattern.
For territorial authorities and other regulatory bodies it provides a logical structure for discovering and vetting
compliance data.
For contractors it provides an unambiguous guide to pricing and construction.
For project supervisors it provides access to data in a logical, co-ordinated sequence.
For the building owner it provides, because of its clear, consistent structure, a transparent statement of
project content and quality.

Issues affecting specifying

There are a number of external influences on construction specifications, many of which require decisions to
be made by the specifier. Such influences include:
Codes of practice, regulations and Acts of Parliament
Technical standards
Conditions of contract
Tendering practice
Product and technical data
Conformance (the S mark)
Accreditation/certification (by the DBH)
Appraisal (by BRANZ)
Quality assurance (to ISO 9000)
Ongoing reform (energy conservation, government control of resources).

Specifying quality
The specification is both a quantitative and a qualitative document. Quality is tied to the life expectancy of
the project and the durability of individual elements and finishes: now subject to a degree of control under the
Building Act. Quality also involves the interpretation of a clients brief by the designer; and the desired level
of quality (minimum, median, maximum) should be reflected in the specification text.
Once a contract is signed, the contractor has an obligation (to their owners or shareholders) to complete the
contract as economically as possible, within the terms and conditions of the contract. On the other hand the
designer (or contract administrator) has a responsibility to ensure that the clients standards are met in terms
of both quantity and quality. This potential dichotomy needs to be understood and likely contentious issues
well covered, before the contract is signed.

Current and future issues

A number of current issues should be of concern to specifiers, as both legislation and public attitudes
continue to develop and change:

Is your specification intended to be open (i.e. allowing the tenderer/contractor to offer equal
alternatives to materials or products specified)? Alternately is it closed whereby what is specified
must be used? In either case, when the matter of substitutions arises, is there a set format for
contractors and contract administrators to follow?

Traditionally designers relied on all contractors being knowledgeable about the materials and

12

processes specified and to always provide best trade practice. Specifiers may need to consider
whether there should now be greater and more detailed guidance given on how to build as against
what to build.

The use of phrases such as in accordance with the manufacturers requirements may no longer
provide adequate instruction in some cases. Further, is there an implied responsibility for the
specifier/contract administrator to ensure the contractor does have and does refer to the relevant
manufacturers reference data?

Under the Building Act and underlying New Zealand Building Code, various building elements and
finishes must provide stated levels of durability. Many manufacturers provide advice on what steps
need to be taken to ensure that their products maintain these standards during the life of a building.
Is there a responsibility by the specifier to ensure that the owner is made aware of these on-going
responsibilities?

Some specifiers believe that matters required by law (i.e. Acts of Parliament, Regulations, etc) have
no place in a construction contract, as there are other mechanisms available for enforcing and/or
overseeing such issues (for example The Health and Safety in Employment Act administered by
OSH). While this principle may hold true in general, the need still remains for someone to remind the
contracting parties of specific obligations on matters such as public safety, safety in employment,
discovery of antiquities and the like.

These and other similar issues provide specifiers with a challenge to ensure that their specifications reflect
the building owners expectations and their obligations. None of these issues are clear-cut, but it may not be
possible to contract out of the responsibilities involved and the matters may need to be addressed. Specifiers
are advised to seek legal advice as they see fit.

Changing times, changing roles

Perhaps the most significant trend to have developed in the construction industry over recent years is the
decline in the designers influence on the construction process. An increasing number of projects now
proceed through the construction phase without any involvement by the designer, either as an observer on
behalf of the client, or as a technical expert.
The specification is becoming the designers only voice in determining what is constructed on site. Designers
may need to reconsider both the breadth and depth of what they specify, to ensure that their designs are
being accurately interpreted by others, without the benefit of the designers direct involvement.
Other traditional roles are also subject to change. The increasing influence of organisations offering
management services to building owners (i.e. project managers, cost planners, project planners) is inevitably
leading to those same management organisations requiring a greater say in the construction process. The
recent introduction of professional managers onto the construction site, effectively replacing or at least
reducing the long-held role of head contractor, will lead to significant changes in the way projects are
specified in the future.

13

Oregon
Department of
Transportation

Technical Services

Specification and
Writing Style
Manual

Office of
Project Letting

Specification
Unit

October 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - SPECIFICATIONS

1.1 Definitions .............................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Specification Organization ..................................................................................................... 1
1.2.1 Ten Division Format..................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Revision and Update Process................................................................................................ 2
CHAPTER 2 - WRITING SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 Writing Style and Considerations........................................................................................... 3

2.2 Grammar and Sentence Structure ......................................................................................... 3
2.2.1 Use Imperative Mood Writing Style.............................................................................. 3
2.2.2 Be Direct ...................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.3 Use the Present Tense ................................................................................................ 4
2.2.4 Write Positively ............................................................................................................ 4
2.2.5 Use Action Verbs ......................................................................................................... 4
2.2.6 Use Singular Nouns Rather Than the Plural Nouns .................................................... 5
2.2.7 Use Elliptical Clauses .................................................................................................. 5
2.2.8 Use Parallel Phrases ................................................................................................... 5
2.2.9 Avoid Prepositions ....................................................................................................... 6
2.2.10 Avoid Noun Sandwiches ............................................................................................ 6
2.2.11 Avoid Split Infinitives .................................................................................................. 6
2.2.12 Avoid Gender-Specific Terminology .......................................................................... 6
2.3 Writing Techniques ................................................................................................................ 7
2.3.1 Avoid Using the Words "shall", "will", "must", "should", and "may" .............................. 7
2.3.2 Avoid Using the Term "and/or"..................................................................................... 7
2.3.3 Avoid Unnecessary Qualifiers...................................................................................... 7
2.3.4 Avoid Unnecessary Phrases and Words ..................................................................... 7
2.3.5 Avoid Use of Exceptions .............................................................................................. 8
2.3.6 Avoid Redundancies .................................................................................................... 8
2.3.7 Write Short Sentences ................................................................................................. 8
2.3.8 Write Short Paragraphs ............................................................................................... 9
2.3.9 Be Consistent............................................................................................................... 9
2.3.10 Use Parallel Structure ................................................................................................ 9
2.3.11 Use Preferred Expressions ...................................................................................... 10
2.3.12 Omit Needless Words .............................................................................................. 12
2.4 Formatting and Punctuation................................................................................................. 12
2.4.1 Capitalization ............................................................................................................. 12
2.4.2 Punctuation ................................................................................................................ 13
2.4.3 Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................... 13

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2.4.4 Definitions .................................................................................................................. 13

2.4.5 Lists............................................................................................................................ 14
2.4.6 Tables ........................................................................................................................ 15
2.4.7 Numbers .................................................................................................................... 15
2.4.8 Dimensions ................................................................................................................ 16
2.4.9 Measurements ........................................................................................................... 17
2.4.10 Percentages............................................................................................................. 17
2.4.11 Equations ................................................................................................................. 17
2.4.12 Slopes ...................................................................................................................... 18
2.4.13 Parentheses............................................................................................................. 18
2.4.14 Tolerances ............................................................................................................... 18
2.4.15 Chemicals ................................................................................................................ 19
2.4.16 Phone Numbers ....................................................................................................... 19
2.4.17 References............................................................................................................... 19
2.4.18 Emphasis ................................................................................................................. 19
2.4.19 Commas................................................................................................................... 19
2.4.20 Spaces ..................................................................................................................... 19
2.5 ODOT Specific ..................................................................................................................... 20
2.5.1 Specification Duplication............................................................................................ 20
2.5.2 Law Citation ............................................................................................................... 20
2.5.3 Proprietary Items........................................................................................................ 20
2.5.4 Common Clauses and Phrases ................................................................................. 20
2.5.5 Measurement and Payment Clauses......................................................................... 21
2.6 Page Setup .......................................................................................................................... 22
2.6.1 General ...................................................................................................................... 22
2.6.2 Do's, Don'ts, and Other Considerations..................................................................... 22
2.6.3 Fonts, Margins, and Tabs .......................................................................................... 23
2.6.4 Table of Contents Fields ............................................................................................ 25
2.6.5 Headers and Footers ................................................................................................. 25
2.6.6 Page Break/Section Break......................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER 3 - PROJECT SPECIAL PROVISIONS

27

3.1 Assembling Project Special Provisions................................................................................ 27

3.1.1 Create a Bid Item list.................................................................................................. 27
3.1.2 Fill Out the Document Assembly Form (SPLIST) ...................................................... 27
3.1.3 Acquire Boiler Plate Special Provisions From the Web ............................................. 28
3.1.4 Create the Project Special Provisions Document ...................................................... 28
3.2 Initial Edits (Advanced Plan Stage)...................................................................................... 28
3.3 Final Edits (Final Copy)........................................................................................................ 31
3.3.1 Incorporating Remaining Information and Changes .................................................. 32
3.3.2 Boiler Plate Updates .................................................................................................. 32
3.3.3 Final Review and Proof.............................................................................................. 32
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CHAPTER 4 - PS&E SUBMITTAL

33

4.1 General ................................................................................................................................ 33

CHAPTER 5 - ADDENDA

34

5.1 General ................................................................................................................................ 34

5.1.1 During Advertisement ................................................................................................ 34
5.1.2 After Bid Opening....................................................................................................... 34

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CHAPTER 2 - WRITING SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 Writing Style and Considerations
A good specification is clear, concise, and easily understood. Simple words and short
sentences are used. Duplication is avoided. Specifications need to:
Provide clear, enforceable requirements that will be easily interpreted the same way by
both the Engineer and the Contractor. If more than one meaning can be interpreted, the
Contractor will make an interpretation that is most favorable to him.
Provide clear instructions. If a specification is silent on a point, the Contractor cannot be
expected to meet respective requirement without extra compensation.
Provide specific directions, not suggestions, explanations, or reasons.
Include only what is needed to obtain the desired end result.
2.2 Grammar and Sentence Structure
2.2.1 Use Imperative Mood Writing Style
The imperative mood gives direction where the subject (contractor) is implied and the verb
(provide), (furnish), (construct) expresses command.
Here is an example of the traditional indicative mood style of writing where the subject is
expressed:
The Contractor shall FURNISH the following materials:
Here is an example of the same sentence but written in the imperative mood style:
Furnish the following materials:
In this example, the subject is implied and the VERB EXPRESSES COMMAND.
Using the imperative mood results in specifications that are shorter, crisper, and easier to
understand.
However, when converting indicative mood to imperative mood some mistakes can occur.
For example, when selecting appropriate verbs to use in imperative statements, a natural
process might be turned into a Contractor action. Here are a couple of examples:
(1) Original: Any resultant rutting of the surface shall not exceed [ ] inches.
Incorrect Conversion: Rut the surface a maximum of [ ] inches.
conversion requires the Contractor to actually place ruts in the roadway.)

(The incorrect

Correct Conversion: Do not rut surfaces more than [ ] inches deep.

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(2) Original: The material shall be suitably stored and protected before oxidization can
occur.
Incorrect Conversion: Before oxidizing the material, make sure to store and protect it
properly. (The incorrect conversion requires the Contactor to actively work to oxidize the
material.)
Correct Conversion: Store and protect the material to prevent oxidation.
2.2.2 Be Direct
Talk directly to the readers. In the Agency's specifications, you are talking to the Contractor.
2.2.3 Use the Present Tense
Write so the specification speaks as of the time it is applied, not as of the time it is drafted.
Say

Do Not Say

Name the new directory.

You will need to name the new

directory.

2.2.4 Write Positively

Express negative ideas in positive form.
Say

Do Not Say

Changes will be made to the

Department of Transportation's
regulations only if the administrator
reviews them and concludes they
are lacking important information.

No changes will be made to the

Department of Transportation's
regulations unless the administrator
reviews them and concludes that
they are not lacking any important
information.

2.2.5 Use Action Verbs

Say

Do Not Say

applies to

is applicable to

concerns

is concerned with

pay

make payment

recognize

give recognition to

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2.2.6 Use Singular Nouns Rather Than the Plural Nouns

Using singular nouns instead of plural nouns avoids confusion of whether the noun applies
separately or jointly.
Say

Do Not Say

The guard will issue a security

badge to each employee who works
in Building D and each employee
who works in Building E.

The guard will issue security

badges to the employees who work
in Building D and Building E.

Exception: Use plural nouns for headings and titles.

2.2.7 Use Elliptical Clauses
An elliptical clause is a clause in which some words have been left out.
Say

Do Not Say

For excusable delays not caused by

weather, the Department pays your
added costs.

For excusable delays that are not

caused by weather, the Department
pays your added costs.

If the Engineer determines a claim is

without merit, you may pursue the
administrative claim procedure...

If the Engineer determines that a

claim is without merit, you may
pursue the administrative claim
procedure ...

2.2.8 Use Parallel Phrases

Parallel phrases balance a sentence when a series of words, thoughts, or ideas appear in
one sentence.
Say

Do Not Say

The British Museum is a wonderful

place where you can find ancient
Egyptian art, explore African
artifacts, and discover beautiful
textiles from around the world.

The British Museum is a wonderful

place to see ancient Egyptian art,
you can explore African artifacts,
and beautiful fine textiles from
around the world.

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2.2.9 Avoid Prepositions

Avoid prepositions but do not eliminate them if noun sandwiches or nonparallel phrases are
created as a result.
Say

Do Not Say

Engineer's authority

authority of the Engineer

falsework drawings

drawings for falsework

2.2.10 Avoid Noun Sandwiches

Noun sandwiches are strings of nouns grouped together.
Say

Do Not Say

Development of procedures to
protect human research subjects...

Human research subjects safety

protection procedures development...

2.2.11 Avoid Split Infinitives

An infinitive consists of the word to and the base form of a verb. A split infinitive occurs when
another word is placed between to and the verb.
Say

Do Not Say

Be sure to reply promptly to the

invitation.
or
Be sure to reply to the invitation
promptly.

Be sure to promptly reply to the

invitation.

2.2.12 Avoid Gender-Specific Terminology

Say

Do Not Say

crew member

crewman

drafter

draftsman

hours worked

manhours

personnel, workforce

manpower

supervisor

foreman

Exception: Use gender-specific terminology if required to match industry-standard

terminology or the law.
The word person does not make a sentence gender neutral.

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2.3 Writing Techniques

2.3.1 Avoid Using the Words "shall", "will", "must", "should", and "may"
Write in the imperative mood to eliminate them.
2.3.2 Avoid Using the Term "and/or"
The use of the combined words and/or indicates that items joined by it can be taken either
together or as alternatives. It makes the meaning of a document unclear. Select the correct
word to fit the meaning.
2.3.3 Avoid Unnecessary Qualifiers
Qualifiers do not add meaning to a sentence and will cause misinterpretations. Do not use
them.
EXAMPLES:
actual
all (only use to differentiate between partial and whole quantities)
any (only use to specify a choice)
completely
existing (with remove, reconstruct, salvage, abandon, or obliterate)
Do not use respective and respectively.
Say

Do Not Say

Forms are listed under the names

of their corresponding sections.

Forms are listed under the names

of their respective sections.

The hat shall be blue. The scarf

shall be green.

The hat and the scarf shall be blue

and green, respectively.

2.3.4 Avoid Unnecessary Phrases and Words

EXAMPLES:
Attention is directed to... (Use direct references.)
in this section or specified herein (Be specific and provide the section number.)
in the opinion (Opinions are not used in specifications.)
such as... (Do not give examples.)
immediately (This word can be interpreted differently.)

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2.3.5 Avoid Use of Exceptions

State a rule or category directly.
exceptions.

Do not describe the rule or category by stating its

Say

Do Not Say

Each person under 18 years of age

All persons except those 18 years or

older

Use an exception only to avoid long and cumbersome lists or elaborate descriptions. State
the rule or category first then state its exception.
Say

Do Not Say

Each state except Texas, New

Mexico, and Arizona must ration...
(In this case the category "each
State" is established first and then
the exceptions are stated.)

Alabama, Alaska,... (listing 47 states)

and Wyoming must ration...

Do not use general phrases such as "except as otherwise specified" or "except as otherwise
shown". Be specific and state the particular items to which the specification does not apply.
2.3.6 Avoid Redundancies
Do not use word pairs if the words have the same effect or where the meaning of one
includes the other.
Examples of word pairs to avoid:
any and all
authorize and direct
cease and desist
each and every

full and complete

order and direct
means and includes
necessary and desirable

2.3.7 Write Short Sentences

It is difficult to determine the intended meaning of a complex sentence.
Readable sentences are simple, active, affirmative, and declarative. The more a sentence
deviates from this structure, the harder the sentence is to understand.
Follow these guides for writing sentences:
State one thing and only one thing in each sentence.
Divide long sentences into two or three short sentences.

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 Remove all unnecessary words. Strive for a simple sentence with an implied subject
and implied verb. Eliminate unnecessary modifiers.
Say

Do Not Say

When the device is not in use during

a work shift, turn it off.

When the device is not in use for

less than one work shift, turn off the
device.

2.3.8 Write Short Paragraphs

Improve clarity of a specification by using short compact paragraphs. Each paragraph
should deal with a single, unified topic. Present lengthy, complex, and technical discussions
in a series of related paragraphs.
2.3.9 Be Consistent
Use simple specific words. Do not use abstract, vague, or different words to say the same
thing.
Say

Do Not Say

Each automobile owner must register

their automobile with the Department
of Motor Vehicles.

Each motor vehicle owner must

register their car with the Department
of Motor Vehicles.

2.3.10 Use Parallel Structure

Arrange sentences so that parallel ideas look parallel. When using lists, the lead-in sentence
along with each item in the list should read as though it is a stand alone sentence.
Parallel Structure (Yes):
The duties of the Executive Secretary of the Administrative Committee are to:
Take minutes of all meetings
Answer all correspondence
Write monthly reports
Nonparallel Structure (No):
The duties of the Executive Secretary of the Administrative Committee are:
To take minutes of all the meetings
The Executive Secretary answers all the correspondence
Writing of monthly reports

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2.3.11 Use Preferred Expressions

Say

Do Not Say

according to

in accordance with
conformance with
conforming to
as determined by

after

subsequent to

Agency

State

allow
allowed

permit
permitted

at no additional cost to the Agency

at no additional compensation
at no expense to the Agency
at no cost to the Agency
at no additional expense to the
Agency
at Contractor's expense

at the Agency's expense

at no cost to the Contractor

because

for the reason that

before

prior to

begin

commence

change

alter
modify
revise

do not

allow no
perform no
use no

end

terminate

enough

adequate number of
sufficient number of

except

excluding

for

in the interest of
with reference to

if
(except use when in reference to
time and where in reference to
location)

when
where
subject to
in case
in the event that

indicating that

affirming that

instead of

in lieu of

is

deems

keep

retain

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Say

Do Not Say

limits

parameters

meet the requirements of

shall conform to

no separate or additional payment

will be made for

will be considered incidental

notify

inform

obtain

get
procure
secure

on

upon

possible

feasible

produce
(except use manufacture to focus
on a specific production part)

fabricate

quantity

amount

request

ask

start

begin
commence

stop

cease

use

utilize
employ

way

manner

when

at the time

while

during such time as

When choosing a word not in this list, balance the following:

Use the most basic word
If the most basic word has many definitions and if those definitions can cause
confusion, use a more precise word
Use industry-standard words
When a law is referenced, use the core words of the law. Do not use the legalese.

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2.3.12 Omit Needless Words

Say

Do Not Say

about

with regard to

at

located at
at the following location

because

because of the fact that

by

by means of

do not

at no time

during

during the course of

during the duration of

for

for the period of

how

in a manner that
in a manner which

if

in the event of
should it appear that

including

including, but not limited to

later

at a later date

monthly

on a monthly basis

near

close proximity

no

there will be no

of

related to

of, about

pertaining to

that

such that

to

so as to
in order to

to, for

as a means of
for the purpose of

until

until such time

2.4 Formatting and Punctuation

2.4.1 Capitalization
Capitalization of terms is discussed in 00110.05 of the Standard Specifications. Capitalize
the words Agency, Contract, Contractor, and Engineer.
Capitalize Section where used with a number.

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Capitalize the terms Type, Class, and Grade when used in reference.
Capitalize each main word in tables.
2.4.2 Punctuation
Use the "outside method" of punctuation for placement of the comma and the period with
respect to quotation marks. Only punctuation that is part of the quoted matter is placed
within quotation marks.
EXAMPLE: The accepted quantities of wearing surface drains will be paid for at the Contract
unit price per each for the item "Wearing Surface Drains".
The period is not part of the bid item name, therefore the period is outside of the quotation
mark.
2.4.3 Abbreviations and Acronyms
Limit the use of abbreviations and acronyms. Use them when they are:
Listed in 00110.10 of the Standard Specifications
Listed in a reference standard
More familiar to the reader than its spelled-out form
Used in tables when space is limited
Do not use abbreviations and acronyms:
With a superscript
In headings
When only a few letters are eliminated
If in doubt about the familiarity of the abbreviation to the reader, define the abbreviation.
When introducing new abbreviations and acronyms, define them at their first occurrence.
2.4.4 Definitions
Include defined terms when:
They are not industry standard
A term has multiple meanings and could be interpreted multiple ways

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Do not define terms that:

Are defined in 00110.20 of the Standard Specifications
Use the term being defined in the text of its own definition
When defining terms:
List them in alphabetical order
Capitalize the term
End each definition with a period
Use bold type for the word being defined
Use a nonbreaking space, a nonbreaking hyphen, and a nonbreaking space between
the word being defined and the definition. (A nonbreaking hyphen is similar to a
nonbreaking space. It keeps everything together on the same line. (MS Word Hot Key:
Ctrl/Shift/hyphen key)
EXAMPLE:
Calendar Day - Any day shown on the calendar, beginning and ending at midnight.
2.4.5 Lists
Lists convey a series of requirements.
Structure lists of two or more items in vertical bulleted lists. Do not use numerals or alpha
characters. Indent each series of bullets.
EXAMPLE:
The duties of the technician include:
Providing tests
Preparing the following reports:
Morning test results
Afternoon test results
Attending meetings
List items by work sequence or most important to least important. If no logic, list
alphabetically.
Capitalize the first word of each item in a list.
Use a period at the end of each item in a list if an item is a complete sentence.

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Usually all items in a list apply therefore, avoid using "the following" when introducing
inclusive lists.
Say

Do Not Say

Miscellaneous metal consists of:

Miscellaneous metal consists of the

following:

When a list is not inclusive, add "one of the following", "either of the following", "any of the
following", or other phrase that specifies how the items apply when introducing the list.
Avoid beginning items in a list with articles (a, an, the). Lists without the articles are crisp
and provide the same information.
Say

Do Not Say

Bring:
Pen
Pencil
Calculator

Bring:
or
A pen
A pencil
A calculator

Bring a:
Pen
Pencil
Calculator

2.4.6 Tables
Create tables as shown in Table 00320-1. Begin table numbers with its corresponding
specification section number. When referencing a table, refer to it by its number; for
example: ...shown in Table 00320-1.
Table 00320-1
Table Title
Column Heading
Column Heading

Column Heading

Column
Subheading

Column
Subheading

Row Heading
Subheading
2.4.7 Numbers
Use numerals for quantities, sizes, measurements, and similar entities except:
Use a word at the beginning of a sentence.
When numbers are used to define both size and quantity, use a word for the quantity
(three 1/2 inch holes; not 3 1/2-inch holes).
Use the words million and billion.
Spell out numbers up to and including nine; use figures for 10 and above.

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Use arabic numerals unless roman numerals are used in a referenced document or detail, in
which case, match the document or detail.
Use commas in numerals containing 4 or more digits.
Do not use ordinal numerals.
Say

Do Not Say

first, second, tenth

1st, 2nd, 10th

Do not use fraction characters.

Say

Do Not Say

1/2", 1 1/2"

", 1"

Use a zero in the unit place of a number less than 1.

Say

Do Not Say

0.1

.1

Do not write out numbers then follow with numerals in parenthesis.

Say

Do Not Say

four
12

four (4)
twelve (12)

Add a nonbreaking space between -, +, or and its associated numeral when these signs
are used to modify the numeral rather than combine 2 numerals. (MS Word Hot Key:
Ctrl/Shift/space bar)
2.4.8 Dimensions
Do not repeat measurement units.
Say

Do Not Say

2 by 4 inches
5 to 10 feet

2 inches by 4 inches
5 feet to 10 feet

Use the word by in dimensions.

Say

Do Not Say

4 by 12 inches

4 x 12 inches

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2.4.9 Measurements
Spell out measurement units except when used in tables.
Insert a nonbreaking space between the number and the unit. (MS Word Hot Key:
Ctrl/Shift/space bar)
For temperatures, use the degree symbol in text and tables. Insert a nonbreaking space
between the numeral and the degree symbol. (MS Word Hot Key: Ctrl/Shift/space bar)
Say

Do Not Say

72 F

72 F

Use civilian time with lowercase and periods.

Say

Do Not Say

7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

7:00 AM to 8:30 AM

midnight

12 p.m.

noon

12 a.m.

Use calendar days or days. Do not use business days.

Do not specify time periods in weeks or months.
2.4.10 Percentages
Do not repeat percent in ranges and tolerances. Do not use the percent symbol except in
tables.
Say

Do Not Say

2 to 4 percent

2 percent to 4 percent

3 1 percent

3 percent 1 percent

5 percent

5%

2.4.11 Equations
Use the letter x for a multiplication sign.
Use the symbol for a division sign.
Use a nonbreaking space before and a nonbreaking space after a mathematical sign.
(MS Word Hot Key: Ctrl/Shift/space bar)
Except for complicated equations, avoid using subscript and superscript fonts.

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Simple equations may be used within text.

Display complicated equations on a separate line clear of text. If possible, use Microsoft
Word's Equation Editor software.
To define the variables, use indent hanging style and introduce them with the word Where
followed by a colon.
Here is an example of a formula with variables:
Use the following equation to calculate the air-dry weight:
W = (A x 62.3) (B - C)
Where:
W
A
B
C

=
=
=
=

air-dry weight (pound per cubic foot)

90 day weight of the cylinder as dried (pound)
saturated, surface-dry weight of cylinder (pound)
suspended-immersed weight of cylinder Pound)

2.4.12 Slopes
Show slopes with the vertical unit first followed by the horizontal unit.
uppercase V and uppercase H.

Include an

Example: 1V:5H
2.4.13 Parentheses
Avoid using parentheses.
Do not enclose in parentheses information that is essential to the specification.
Say

Do Not Say

Provide loaders and trucks to load

and haul the material.

Provide equipment (loaders and

trucks) to load and haul the material.

2.4.14 Tolerances
For tolerances, add a non-breaking space on each side of symbol. (MS Word Hot Key:
Ctrl/Shift/space bar)
Example: 4.2 0.1 inches

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2.4.15 Chemicals
Use chemical names; avoid using chemical formulas.
2.4.16 Phone Numbers
For Oregon phone number do not use parentheses around the area code. For all other
states, use the parentheses. Do not use periods.
Examples:
Oregon phone numbers: 503-986-2345
other states: (xxx) 352-4090
2.4.17 References
When referencing other documents or forms use the specified spacing as determined by the
referenced organization. For an ASTM or AASHTO reference, add a space between the
letter designation and the number. Do not add the number that indicates the year.
Say

Do Not Say

ASTM A 706

ASTM A706

AASHTO M 314

AASHTO M314

AASHTO M 183

AASHTO M 183-04

Refer to forms by form name and number.

2.4.18 Emphasis
Use bold type only for table titles, headings, and definitions.
Do not use bold, caps, underlining, quotation marks, or italics for emphasis.
2.4.19 Commas
Use only technically necessary commas. Do not use a comma just to indicate a pause.
2.4.20 Spaces
Use two nonbreaking spaces after each period and colon. (A nonbreaking space is a space
that is used to prevent words from breaking across two lines if it is the intent to keep the
words on the same line. It also provides a uniform spacing at the end of each sentence.
(MS Word Hot Key: Ctrl/Shift/space bar)
Use two nonbreaking spaces between a heading number and name. (MS Word Hot Key:
Ctrl/Shift/space bar)

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STATE OF CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
DIVISION OF ENGINEERING SERVICES
OFFICE ENGINEER

Specification Style Guide

for 1999 and 2006 Specifications

June 2007

CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 GENERAL ................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 OVERALL IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................... 1
1.3 IMPLEMENTATION OF MANDATORY CHANGES.................................................................... 1
2 ORGANIZATION FOR NEW SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................... 2
3 WRITING STYLE ............................................................................................................................... 3
3.1 REFERENCE FOR GRAMMAR, USAGE, CAPITALIZATION, AND PUNCTUATION ............... 3
3.2 FEDERAL REGISTER'S WRITING GUIDE ................................................................................ 3
3.3 BREVITY ..................................................................................................................................... 7
3.4 SECTION 1 DEFINITIONS.......................................................................................................... 8
3.5 INDUSTRY STANDARD ............................................................................................................. 8
3.6 PREFERRED EXPRESSIONS.................................................................................................... 9
3.7 SPECIFICATION DUPLICATION.............................................................................................. 11
3.8 COMMON CLAUSES AND PHRASES ..................................................................................... 13
3.9 PAYMENT CLAUSES ............................................................................................................... 13
3.10 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 14
3.11 PROPRIETARY ITEMS........................................................................................................... 16
3.12 LAW CITATION ....................................................................................................................... 16
3.13 PUNCTUATION AND TYPOGRAPHY.................................................................................... 18
3.14 ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................................... 19
3.15 DEFINITIONS.......................................................................................................................... 19
3.16 SYMBOLS ............................................................................................................................... 20
3.17 NUMBERS............................................................................................................................... 20
3.18 DIMENSIONS.......................................................................................................................... 20
3.19 EQUATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 20
3.20 FRACTIONS............................................................................................................................ 21
3.21 MEASUREMENTS .................................................................................................................. 21
3.22 PERCENTAGES ..................................................................................................................... 22
3.23 ADDRESSES .......................................................................................................................... 22
3.24 PHONE NUMBERS................................................................................................................. 22
3.25 RANGES ................................................................................................................................. 22
3.26 SLOPES .................................................................................................................................. 23
3.27 TOLERANCES ........................................................................................................................ 23
3.28 LISTS....................................................................................................................................... 23
3.29 TABLES................................................................................................................................... 24
4 COMPUTER USE ............................................................................................................................ 25
5 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................................. 25
6 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................................... 26
6.1 SSP EXAMPLE ......................................................................................................................... 26
10-1.__ SLOTTED PLASTIC PIPE DRAIN ..................................................................................... 26

3 WRITING STYLE
Interpret each rule as if followed by "unless context and common sense dictate otherwise." Do not follow a
rule if clarity is reduced. This is the #1 RULE.
3.1 REFERENCE FOR GRAMMAR, USAGE, CAPITALIZATION, AND PUNCTUATION
Use the guidance provided in CMOS for grammar, usage, capitalization, and punctuation. You can refer to
any number of writing guides when writing specifications. Most provide the same basic rules, but a few
differences in the rules exist. One guide was chosen to create consistency in Caltrans' specifications.
CMOS's Web site has answers to many grammar, usage, capitalization, and punctuation questions. The
Specification Style Guide provides rules:
1. From CMOS that are not typically used in everyday writing
2. Not covered in CMOS
3. Contrary to the rules in CMOS (only a few of these). For the contrary rules, follow the rules in this
guide.
Where the CMOS allows optional styles, choose the traditional style.
3.2 FEDERAL REGISTER'S WRITING GUIDE
Follow the principles in the Federal Register's "Principles of Clear Writing." For additional explanations, refer
to:
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/write/legal-docs/clear-writing.html.
Bracketed text is text not in the Federal Register's guide. The following rule numbers correspond with the rule
numbers in the Federal Register's guide.
1. Write in the active voice.
The active voice eliminates confusion by forcing you to name the actor in a sentence. This construction
makes clear to the reader who is to perform the duty.
The passive voice makes sentences longer and roundabout. Who is responsible is much less obvious.
Passive verbs have a form of the verb to be plus the past participle of a main verb.
Examples of passive verbs:
was received,
is being considered,
has been selected.
The passive voice reverses the natural, active order of English sentences. In the following passive example
the receiver of the action comes before the actor.
Passive:
The regulation (receiver) was written (verb) by the drafter (actor).
Active:
The drafter (actor) wrote (verb) the regulation (receiver).
The passive voice is appropriate when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or obvious [such as in conditional
clauses; for example, if alternative materials are used].

2. Use action verbs.

Don't Say

Say

is applicable to

applies to

make payment

pay

give recognition to

recognize

is concerned with

concerns

3. Use "must" instead of "shall."

shall

imposes an obligation to act, but may be confused with prediction of future action

will

predicts future action

must

imposes obligation, indicates a necessity to act

should

infers obligation, but not absolute necessity

may

indicates discretion to act

4. Be direct.
Talk directly to your readers. [In Caltrans' specifications, talk to the Contractor.] Use the imperative mood.
[Also, use "you" and "your."]
Directness avoids the passive voice:
Sign all copies.
Attach a copy of your W-2 to your return.
This style results in procedures that are shorter, crisper, and easier to understand.
5. Use the present tense.
By [writing] in the present tense, you avoid complicated and awkward verb forms.

Don't Say
The fine for driving without a license shall be
$10.00.

Say
The fine for driving without a license is $10.00.

6. Write positively.
If you can accurately express an idea either positively or negatively, express it positively.
It's better to express even a negative in positive form.

Don't Say
did not comply with
or
failed to comply with

Say
violated [only if referring to Contractor's
activities]

[Example:
If you violate Pub Cont Code 4100 et seq., the Department may exercise the remedies provided under
Pub Cont Code 4110.]

7. Avoid use of exceptions.

If possible, state a rule or category directly rather than describing that rule or category by stating its
exceptions.
Don't Say

Say

All persons except those 18 years or older

must . . .

Each person under 18 years of age must . . .

[Use "Section [Section no.] applies to [x]" or "[Requirement description] applies to [x]" or introduce
requirement with "For [x]."]
However, you may use an exception if it avoids a long and cumbersome list or elaborate description.
[Many of our section scopes are broad; therefore, it is often more clear to specify the items to which the scope
does not apply than to specify that the section applies only to particular item.]
[If a specification has exceptions, do not use general phrases such as "except as otherwise specified" or
"except as otherwise shown." Instead, specify the particular items to which the specification does not apply.]
8. Avoid split infinitives.
The split infinitive offends many readers, so avoid it if you can.
Don't Say

Say

Be sure to promptly reply to the invitation.

Be sure to reply to the invitation promptly.

or
Be sure to reply promptly to the invitation.

9. Use the singular noun rather than the plural noun.

To the extent your meaning allows, use a singular noun instead of a plural noun. You will avoid the problem
of whether the rule applies separately to each member of a class or jointly to the class as a whole.
Don't Say

Say

Unless you mean

The guard will issue security

badges to the employees
who work in Building D and
Building E.

The guard will issue a security

badge to each employee who
works in Building D and each
employee who works in Building
E.

The guard will issue a security

badge to each employee who
works in both Building D and
Building E.

[Use plural nouns for headings and titles, but do not change existing titles.
If an existing item description is in the plural, use the plural form. For a new item description, use the singular
form.]
10. Be consistent.
Don't use different words to denote the same thing. Don't use the same word to denote different things.
Don't Say

Say

Each motor vehicle owner must register his or

her car with the Automobile Division of the
Metropolitan Police Department.

Each automobile owner must register his or

her automobile with the Automobile
Division of the Metropolitan Police
Department.

The tank had a 200-gallon tank for fuel.

The tank had a 200-gallon fuel container.

11. Use parallel structure.

Arrange sentences so that parallel ideas look parallel. This is important when you use a list.
Nonparallel construction:
The duties of the Executive Secretary of the Administrative Committee are:
To take minutes of all the meetings; (phrase)
The Executive Secretary answers all the correspondence; and (clause)
Writing of monthly reports. (topic)
Parallel construction:
To take minutes of all the meetings;
To answer all the correspondence; and
To write the monthly reports.
12. Prefer simple words.
[See Preferred Expressions of this guide.
Also, refer to Plain Language Web sites such as
www.plainlanguage.gov and www.plainlanguagenetwork.org.]
13. Omit needless words.
Don't Say

Say

because of the fact that

because

for the period of

for

[highway right-of-way]
[including, but not limited to]

[highway]
[including]

14. Avoid redundancies.

Don't use word pairs, if the words have the same effect or where the meaning of one included the other.
[Examples of word pairs to avoid are:]
any and all

full and complete

authorize and direct

order and direct

cease and desist

means and includes

each and every

necessary and desirable

15. Use concrete words.

Abstract words can be vague and open to different interpretations. [Use] simple, concrete words. [Be
specific.]
Don't Say

If you mean

vehicles

automobiles

firearms

rifles

aircraft

helicopters

16. Don't use words that antagonize.

[Not applicable to specification writing.]

17. Avoid noun sandwiches.

Administrative writing uses too many noun clusters - groups of nouns "sandwiched" together. Avoid these
confusing constructions by using more prepositions.
Don't Say

Say

underground mine worker safety protection

procedures development

development
of
underground
procedures for protection of the
safety of mine workers

[The meaning becomes clear when the four-word sandwich is broken up.]
18. Don't use gender-specific terminology.
Avoid the gender-specific job title:
Don't Say

Say

crewman

crew member

foreman

supervisor

manpower

personnel, workforce

19. Write short sentences.

Readable sentences are simple, active, affirmative, and declarative.
The more a sentence deviates from this structure, the harder the sentence is to understand. Long, run-on
sentences are a basic weakness in legal documents. Legal documents often contain conditions which result
in complex sentences with many clauses. The more complex the sentence, the greater the possibility for
difficulty in determining the intended meaning of the sentence.
Solutions:
x
x
x
x
x
x

State one thing and only one thing in each sentence.

Divide long sentences into two or three short sentences.
Remove all unnecessary words. Strive for a simple sentence with a subject and verb. Eliminate
unnecessary modifiers.
If only one or two simple conditions must be met before a rule applies, state the conditions first
and then state the rule.
If two or more complex conditions must be met before a rule applies, state the rule first and then
state the conditions.
If several conditions or subordinate provisions must be met before a rule applies, use a list.

20. Make lists clear and logical in structure.

[List by sequence of work or most important to least important. If no logic, list alphabetically. Display lists of
3 items in vertical lists.]
21. Use short paragraphs.
A writer may improve the clarity of a [specification] by using short, compact paragraphs. Each paragraph
should deal with a single, unified topic. Lengthy, complex, or technical discussions should be presented in a
series of related paragraphs.
3.3 BREVITY
Be as brief as possible without reducing clarity.
Avoid prepositions (keeping in mind Federal Register's principle #17).
nonparallel clauses and phrases are created as a result.
7

Do not eliminate prepositions if

Examples:
Don't Say

Say

authority of the Engineer

Engineer's authority

working drawings for falsework

falsework working drawings

Use elliptical clauses.

Examples:
Don't Say
For excusable delays that are not caused by
weather, the State pays the Contractor's
added costs
Bid submission shows that the bidder has
investigated the site and understands the
scope of work.

Say
For excusable delays not caused by weather,
the Department pays the Contractor's added
costs
Bid submission shows the bidder has
investigated the site and understands the
scope of work.

Avoid unnecessary qualifiers.

Examples:
actual
all (except to differentiate between partial and whole quantities)
any (except to specify a choice)
existing (with remove, reconstruct, salvage, abandon, or obliterate)
Avoid "respective" and "respectively." According to The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., "These
words may usually be omitted with advantage."
Examples (from The Elements of Style):
Don't say
Works of fiction are listed under the names of
their respective authors.
The one mile and two mile runs were won by
Jones and Cummings respectively.

Say
Works of fiction are listed under the names of
their authors.
The one mile and two mile runs were won by
Jones and by Cummings.

3.4 SECTION 1 DEFINITIONS

Use definitions in Section 1 of the Standard Specifications appropriately.
Example:
traveled way: That portion of the roadway for the movement of vehicles, exclusive of shoulders.
3.5 INDUSTRY STANDARD
Use industry-standard terms.
Use terms in prevalent use by other states and the construction industry. Do not use terms unique to the
Department.
An exception to the use of a unique term must be justified and approved by the specification owner and the
Construction Division with concurrence by Legal.

A Guide to Writing Specifications

Compiled for:

The Los Angeles Unified School District

Procurement Services Group

February 2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION

PAGE

The Basics

Its a collaborative effort

Qualified Products List (QPL)

Design Specifications

Performance Specifications

Item Specifications

Freight and Delivery Specifications

10

Installation Requirements

11

Warranties

13

Extended Warranties

15

Statements of Work/Services

15

A note about Personal Services

16

Professional and General Services Contracts

17

Kinds of Statements of Work (SOWs)

18

Derailed/design SOWs

19

Level of Effort SOWs

19

Performance-based SOWs

19

Mechanics

26

The need for clarity

27

i
A Guide to Writing Specifications

February 2002

SECTION

PAGE

Sentence Structure

28

References

28

Paragraph cross-references

28

Use of acronyms

29

How grammatical errors in specifications are handled

29

Essential and nonessential dependent clauses

30

Restrictive and nonrestrictive dependent clauses

31

Multiple conjunctions

31

Specifications in the third person

32

Elegant variations

32

Types of ambiguities

32

Ambiguous words

33

Contextual ambiguities

33

Syntactic ambiguities

34

Punctuation to resolve ambiguities

35

Chains of prepositional phrases

36

Modifiers that apply to two or more nouns

36

Front-end work

37

Ellipsis

37

Totality

38

The slash /

39

ii
A Guide to Writing Specifications

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SECTION

PAGE

Verb tenses and auxiliary verb usage

40

More on word choices

42

Gender specificity

43

Lists

44

Bureaucratic prose

45

And finally

46

iii
A Guide to Writing Specifications

February 2002

MECHANICS

A Guide to Writing Specifications

26

Feb 2002

The need for clarity

The most obvious reason for writing clear specifications is to ensure that you
will inform the contractors well enough that they can actually produce or
provide the product you need. However, there is another reason why the
specifications and statements of work for public contracts must be clear:
fairness to all offerors.
If one offeror happens to have better access to inside information about the
work to be done than the others, then vaguely written specifications will give
that offeror an unfair advantage over competitors who may be perfectly
capable of doing the work, but lack knowledge about some of the details.
The protest that may result from such a situation will take a great deal more
time and effort to resolve than you would have to spend sharpening up a
vaguely worded document.
Being fair to all vendors is important for three reasons. The most obvious
when we are writing specifications for a public contract is that everyone has
a right to be treated equally by a public agency spending taxpayer money.
Requiring one vendors product to the exclusion of others would serve to
deny the others an opportunity to benefit by receiving the order. The
remaining two reasons apply to private business transactions as well as
public ones. First, its good business to encourage competition; without it
we pay higher prices. Second, having several independent sources for a
A Guide to Writing Specifications

27

Feb 2002

given product ensures a reliable supply of needed goods, and often permits
larger quantities to be obtained on short notice.

Sentence Structure
Keep your sentences short and simple. It doesnt matter if specifications
read like a grade school textbook. Were not trying for the Pulitzer Prize.
Many times, when sentences are so long and complex, its because the writer
became confused, and ended up saying something different from what was
intended, or maybe nothing at all.
There have been specifications for a job where the contractor had submitted
a claim. Only one sentence in the lengthy document described the essential
function of the equipment that was being procured. The sentence was so
long and complex that its author couldnt see some of his errors in grammar.
The errors made the sentence unenforceable. In that situation it was
impractical to do much other than pay the contractors claim, accept the
equipment as built, even though it didnt work right, and the agency staff
had to fix it themselves.

References
Four in this guide discuss different types of references.
1. References to other documents in the procurement package
2. Cross references to other paragraphs
3. References to specific specifications and standards

Paragraph cross-references
Paragraph cross-references cite other paragraphs within their own document. Such
citations are highly prone to error. It is not unusual for a reader to find a reference either
to the wrong paragraph or to a paragraph that doesnt exist. Hold your cross references to
a minimum.

A Guide to Writing Specifications

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Feb 2002

Use of acronyms
Acronyms are words that are made from the initial characters of an oftenrepeated phrase. For example, RFP is an acronym for Request for
Proposal. Usually they are capitalized, but when they are so widely used,
they become demoted to the status of ordinary English words. The standard
way of defining acronyms is to capitalize the words they represent, and then
follow those words by the acronym enclosed in parentheses.
Acronyms make documents hard to read, since the readers often have to stop
and refresh their memory of what some of the acronyms mean. When the
document is only a page or two long, its easy to scan backwards and find
the places in the text where the acronyms are defined. In a hundred-paged
document, its not so easy, and it sometimes takes a reader hours of
searching to find just one definition.
The ways to avoid this problem are to avoid using acronyms, especially ones
that are project-specific, and to put a glossary of acronyms in your
document. Make the glossary easy to find, and make sure each acronym is
defined.

How grammatical errors in specifications are handled

There are three categories of grammatical errors:
1. Those that dont affect the intelligibility of the sentence. An example
would be Joe ate less doughnuts than John. It should read fewer
doughnuts, but no one can argue about what the writer intended.
2. Those that make the sentence totally unintelligible. These dont often
get past the review cycle, but when they do, the contractors may
legitimately ignore them in providing the bid for equipment. Usually
were lucky and the contractor will tell us about them and we can fix
them in the specification.
3. Those that leave the sentence somewhat intelligible, but change the
meaning of the sentence to something different from what was
intended. For example, see the section below on restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. In this case, even a contractor who has a policy of
A Guide to Writing Specifications

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Feb 2002

goodwill towards the District is likely to build/provide equipment to

meet the erroneous requirement. Eventually, the error will be
discovered, and will be fixed through a modification, which results in
increased costs to the District.

Essential and nonessential dependent clauses

See also: restrictive and nonrestrictive (below)
The ability to distinguish between essential and nonessential dependent
clauses is an extremely important skill for specification writers. When a
clause that was intended to be essential is inadvertently written as
nonessential or vice versa, the requirement stated by it may be distorted or
lost. The visible difference between the two is nothing more than a comma
before the introductory word. The nonessential clause gets the comma.
Here is a list of introductory words and phrases that may introduce both
essential and nonessential clauses, and therefore require the utmost caution:
after
as
as if
as though
as soon as
at which

because
before
by which
for which
if
in order that

A Guide to Writing Specifications

since
so that
to which
unless
when
where

30

which
while
who
whom
whose

Feb 2002

Restrictive and nonrestrictive dependent clauses

When referring to clauses, the terms essential and nonessential are
interchangeable with the more commonly used terms restrictive and
nonrestrictive. We have used the terms essential and nonessential for
most of this text because they seem to express the distinction more simply.
An essential clause is essential to the meaning of the entire sentence. If you
take away an essential dependent clause, the main meaning of the sentence is
altered. Doing so to a nonessential clause, while removing information,
does not change the core meaning of the sentence.
Whenever someone says that a knowledge of grammar is not needed in order
to accurately express meaning, the distinction between restrictive and
nonrestrictive clauses is sure to be mentioned in the argument that ensues. If
you wish to be a credible writer, you must master this distinction.

Multiple conjunctions
When you write sentences with two or more conjunctions, you risk
producing an ambiguity. For example:
The flange shall be fastened by gluing and clamping or riveting.
This could mean gluing and clamping or riveting or it could mean
gluing and clamping or riveting, with the bold characters added for
clarity. Unfortunately, English does not provide us with a mans of declaring
the order of application of its logical operators the way computer languages
do. The burden of resolving the confusion of precedence is placed on the
writer, who must find a different way of expressing the idea without
ambiguity. In the above case try
The flange shall be fastened either by gluing and clamping or by riveting.

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Feb 2002

Specifications in the third person

Normally we write specifications so that they always refer to the third
person. Forcing your writing into the third person is difficult, and often
makes the sentences difficult to read. It runs contrary to the advice of
modern writing teachers who are trying to reform us, but the rest of the
world for the most part is expecting to see specifications written in the third
person, and writing them otherwise is inviting criticism. Hence, using the
words, I, we, and you is frowned upon.
If you MUST refer to the first or second person, be sure you define the
meaning of the pronouns, and use them only as defined.

Elegant variation
You probably have been taught for aesthetic reasons to avoid repeating the
same words and phrases. For specification writers, such practice may be
disastrous. Forget what your teacher told you; youre not competing for a
Pulitzer Prize. It is extremely important to clarify, that you refer to things
using exactly the same words every time.
Some good examples of synonymous (or nearly so) terms often erroneously
used together in training devise specifications are:
x trainee, student
x trainer, training device, training system, system, device
x Scenario, exercise, training exercise, script, mission, profile
If you intend to distinguish between the meanings of terms like these, you
must define each term in the document. If you intend no difference in the
meaning of two words, use only one of them.

Types of ambiguities
Ambiguous sentences can be interpreted to have more than one meaning.
Three types of ambiguities are found in sentences. These are:

A Guide to Writing Specifications

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Feb 2002

1. Ambiguous words,
2. Syntactic ambiguities, and
3. Contextual ambiguities.

Ambiguous words are words that may have more than one meaning. Most
English words have multiple meanings. In normal reading we usually can
tell from the context which meaning was intended. We really get in trouble
when someone goes looking for ways to misinterpret our words.
An example of an ambiguous word is run, which could have any of 67
different meanings. The ambiguous words any and include are so often
misused by people that they deserve special articles of their own, but that
discussion shall be for another day.
Adjusting your point of view will help you catch ambiguities.
Contextual ambiguity--Sometimes we find a sentence that has no
ambiguous words and can be reasonably diagrammed in only one way, but
still leaves its reader confused about its meaning. Consider the sentence:
All surfacesshall be painted white to increase reflectivity.
Does it mean paint all surfaces white? Or does it mean determine which
surfaces have lower reflectivity than white paint, and then paint them white
We know from other sources that the writer really wanted all surfaces to be
painted.

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The infinitive phrase, to increase reflectivity, was added to explain the

specifiers general intentions. In addition, it gave the reader two ways to
interpret the words.
Generally speaking, it is unwise to make explanatory statements in
specifications. They tend to cause results like the example. The example
sentence is taken from a real Federal Government case. The Government
won partly because the contractor did not have data to prove that some of the
surfaces were already more reflective than white paint. Even though the
Government won, the dispute caused time and labor to be wasted.
Another example is: The chicken is ready to eat. Does this mean that its
time to feed the chicken or that dinner is served? What do you think?

The only way you can avoid making errors of this type is by adjusting your
point of view and playing what-ifs in your head when you read the text.
The ability to catch conceptual errors in specifications and foresee their
possible effects comes with many years of experience.
Syntactic ambiguities occur when there are two or more ways to read the
structure of a sentence. Take, for example:
Flying aircraft may be hazardous.
This is an often-used example, and is attributed to a famous linguist named
Noam Chomsky. Does it mean the act of flying may be hazardous? Perhaps
it means that airplanes themselves may be hazardous. Maybe it means
theyre hazardous only when in flight. Regardless, it cannot be resolved
from the content of the sentence since flying may act as a noun, an

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adjective, or a verb. Things your English professor called misplaced and

dangling modifiers also cause syntactic ambiguities. In spoken English,
ambiguities are resolved by raising the pitch of a word. The rise in pitch is
called intonation. If you need to add intonation to a sentence to make the
meaning clear, the sentence most likely has an ambiguity.
Other types of syntactic ambiguities happen when pronouns arent clearly
tied to a single noun phrase, in strings of prepositional phrases and in
sentences with multiple conjunctions. Sometimes syntactic ambiguities can
be resolved by punctuating the sentence correctly.

Punctuation to resolve ambiguities

Hyphens tie together chains of words that serve as units, usually adjectival
phrases. Most people tend to neglect hyphens when they are needed.
Commas sometimes play a syntactic role in grouping clauses to indicate
their effectivity. For example:
The flange shall be fastened by three round-head screws, three flathead screws, and three fillister-head screws all of grade eight.
means youve specified that three of the screws must be of grade eight.
If you add a comma before all, then youve specified nine grade-eight
screws.
A comma preceding a dependent clause often indicates whether or not the
writer intends the clause to be essential to the meaning of the sentence. In
such cases, the presence of a comma may change a firm requirement into a
mere statement of fact.
Note well: commas in specifications demand extreme care.

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Chains of prepositional phrases

When you write a sentence containing a series of prepositional phrases all in
a row, you are running a risk of creating a syntactic ambiguity. The most
common textbook example is, He saw the man on the hill with the
telescope.
Another example that hits closer to home: The instructional materials
shall be prepared for use by District teachers. Who is supposed to prepare
the materials, the contractor of the teachers?
Granted, sentences with nested modifiers are often necessary in
specifications, but when you need to use one, be careful. Pay attention to
which word each phrase modifies. By some stretch of your imagination, if it
is possible for a reader to attach one of the phrases to a different word than
the one you intended, you must restructure the sentence. Remember, your
readers (contractors) may be very creative.

Modifiers that apply to two or more nouns

We often get confused when a writer tries to apply a modifier to two or more
nouns without writing the modifier twice.
Heres an example:
The flange shall be fastened by nuts and bolts of stainless steel.
Which is stainless, both the nuts and bolts, or just the bolts?
If you get into a dispute over specification requirements that have this kind
of an ambiguity, it will probably be settled by applying the modifier only to
the noun that appears nearest to the modifier. Unless the context indicates
otherwise, cases of confusion like this one are usually resolved by attaching
the modifier only to the nearest word that it may modify. Lawyers call this
approach to resolving ambiguities the doctrine of the last antecedent. It is
a rule that is easy to run afoul of, especially when the sentence in question is
long and complicated.

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Front-end work
Before you specify something, you must know what is really needed, and
whether or not building it is commercially practicable. Supposedly, a great
deal of front-end work has been done before you were assigned to write the
specifications. We know, however, that sometimes requirements are
overlooked or misidentified during these early phases of the project, and the
errors may impact the project in its later phases. Such is quite likely, since
keeping track of numerous requirements can be very difficult. Large
projects often collect their requirements in a database to help them cope with
the very large number of requirements.
We have ways to protect ourselves from errors in requirements. These are to
make sure that the end-user reads, understands, and approves the
specifications, and that the specifications are checked by knowledgeable
technical staff people before they are released.
Remember, competent professionals know the limits of their own technical
knowledge. They are never hesitant to seek help from other professionals
with different specialties. Remember, its a collaborative effort. Thats
teamwork!

Ellipsis is another related phenomenon of language mentioned in this

context because the notion is similar. When speaking in English, we often
leave out a word or short phrase without interfering with the understanding

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of cooperative listeners. This practice is also permissible in casual written

English. We say the missing words are understood.
When reading specifications, however, nothing is understood! Readers
are not necessarily cooperative, and may actually be looking for a way to
rationalize failure on their part to deliver acceptable goods.
Examine your sentences for cases where words are understood and insert
the missing words where they belong.
Example:
The generator shall supply the processor with 10.5 amperes
and the batteries 8.5 amperes.
A shall supply has been left out, and it is not clear whether the understood
phrase belongs after and or after batteries. The resulting statement is
ambiguous.
None of these phenomena are acceptable in specifications. You should be
aware that some contractors employ skilled analysts whose job it is to find
ways to interpret your words differently from what you intended. These
interpretations may be used as the basis for reducing requirements and for
the submissions of claims. The practice is commonly known as finding
money in the contract.

Totality
Totality is an idea that is easily expressed in words, but very rarely occurs in
real life. We use it whether we really mean it or not. When you use words
like: all, always, never, every, and none, you may be creating a
logical error. Conflicting requirements often result from totality statements
when something else in another sentence makes an exception to the totality.
Now that youre aware of the totality problem in language, heres a trick you
can play on your friends and co-workers:
Listen for them to use the phrase all the time in conversation. When they
do, take the statement literally and comment on its illogic. For example
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Tom: I go to the public library

all the time.
You: Tom, if you were at the
public library all the time,
then you wouldnt be here
in the office right now.

Needless to say, your friends will be impressed with the preciseness of your
reasoning. After doing this awhile, just a snicker will suffice. Soon youll
find that you have enriched their vocabularies with uncommon words like
often, usually, and sometimes.
Or ,
you will drive them crazy! Nonetheless, in specification writing you need to
be precise.

The slash mark /

Use of and/or
Properly called a virgule, the slash mark is often found in draft
engineering specifications. The purpose of this section is to convince you to
never use one in a specification. In fact, its not even good form in ordinary
writing.
The dictionary says about the virgule: an oblique stroke (/) used between
two words to show that the appropriate one may be chosen to complete the
sense of the text. Please note that its your contractor who gets to
decide which word is proper. Note also that the dictionary tells the
contractor to chose just one, not both.
When we write A/B, we usually mean either A or B or either A or B or
both or both A and B or number of As divided by number of Bs.
Theres no telling which one.

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In many cases, substituting a hyphen for the slash will fix the problem. For
example, we see instructor/operator in training device specifications where
instructor-operator would be more clear.
In most cases, youll have to write A or B or both, or whatever you really
mean.

Verb Tenses and auxiliary verb usage

When writing specifications, we always state requirements in the future
tense using the emphatic form shall. Hence, the finished product shall be,
shall produce, shall consumeThe weaker auxiliary verbs will, should,
and may do not express a requirement. In the case of will, the sentence
places responsibility on the purchaser/buyer. May grants permission, and
should states a preference. Must is ambiguous, since it may express a
presumption instead of a requirement.
All work where compliance or performance is blinding upon the contractor
must be expressed in mandatory language and must be distinguishable from
background or general information, which should be kept in the
Background element of the specification or SOW. So if the contractor
must do something, write, The contractor shall
For example:
John must love Deborah; after all, theyve been happily married for over
twenty years.
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Correct usage of shall and will in specifications is extremely

important, and is a frequent source of errors found in solicitations. Be clear
in what you say the requirements are.

Remember:
x Shall is used to express a binding requirementmandatory.
x Will is used to express a declaration of purpose on the part of
the purchaser/buyer or when futurity is required. (As a rule of thumb,
the contractor shall and the District will.)
x Should or may are used to express non-mandatory provisions. It is
best to avoid them, (Use of permissive or choice words is
appropriate if you intend to give the contractor flexibility.)

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More on word choices

x Define and be consistent with terminology. Make sure that you use
words and phrases (especially technical ones) in the same way
throughout the specification/SOW.
x Pronouns can be ambiguous. It is better to repeat a noun and avoid
misinterpretation. The words it, they, them, and their are
hazardous. When a pronoun is preceded by more than one noun
phrase, people may argue over which noun phrase the pronoun refers
to.

Consider the following example taken from a SOW:

Prior to accepting software or documentation developed
by subcontractors, the contractor shall evaluate them for
completeness, technical adequacy, and compliance with
District contract requirements.
What is to be evaluated? Is it the products, or is it the subcontractors?
Note that pronouns often refer to nouns in preceding sentences.
Check a few sentences to the left of each pronoun that you use for
nouns that the pronoun may refer to. Is your meaning clear?
x Avoid, any, either and and/or. These words imply that the
contractor has a choice. Use of permissive or choice words is
appropriate only if you intend to give the contractor flexibility.
x Avoid words and phrases which are subject to multiple meanings and
broad interpretations. Use active voice not passive. Passive voice
promotes ambiguity and leads to needlessly complex sentences.
x Try to use short, descriptive sentences to ensure clarity.
x Avoid using bureaucratic, scientific or complex terms except as
necessary. When you must use them, define them within the
specification/SOW.

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x Whenever possible, use simple words and terms in order to avoid

ambiguity.
x Stress that any papers, recommendations, etc., which the contractor
submits are drafts, not final copies. If you are procuring professional
services, then discuss the process which the District will be used to
review the contractors work.
x Avoid the appearance of personal services in the way in which the
SOW is written by including as much detail or as many performance
requirements as possible. Doing so will underscore that tasks are
sufficiently well defined to allow the contractor to perform
independently.
x Avoid words such as support or assist, which might imply joint
efforts between the District and its contractor unless the contracts
assistance or support roles are subsequently described in a manner
which makes it clear that the contractor will perform independently.
x Clearly delineate the contractors performance requirements.
x Avoid open-ended SOWs which contain on-going tasks without
defining completion.
x Avoid abbreviation unless they are of common usage or are defined at
the first usage.

x Specify or emphasize performance requirements, what is needed,

versus design approach, how to.

Gender specificity
It pays to make all the things you write gender-neutral. Avoid words like
man, he, him, and his, which might indicate that you havent
considered the person involved might be a woman. Instead, use person,
they, them, and their, and refer to people by their currently correct job

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titles like firefighter and server instead of the obsolete fireman and
waiter.

Lists
Whenever you compose a list in the text of your specifications, you should
take pains to make it complete and easy to read, and that its elements all
consist of parallel parts of speech.
Completeness of lists
Take the time to think of everything you could possibly want to include in
your list. Generally speaking, the best policy for specification writers to
follow is If you dont mention a thing explicitly, then dont expect to get
it.
Adding generalized list elements, like and others, and the like, or the
words not limited to will not get you something you havent mentioned
explicitly. Generalized list elements add little meaning to the text, and can
often be ignored by readers. If you must use generalized terms, then use
them alone and unaccompanied by specific items. By mentioning one thing
explicitly, you may be excluding others. So often and for so many years has
this method of interpretation been used that lawyers have a Latin name for it:
Expressio unis est exclusio alterius, which means to say one thing is to
exclude the other.
Sometimes generalized list elements are subject to interpretation according
to another legal canon know as ejusdem generis, which limits the
unwritten elements to members of the same family. For example, the list of
resistors, capacitors, inductors and other components could be interpreted
as not applying to transistors, since transistors are active components and all
the listed components are passive.
Readability of lists
When the elements of a list become numerous, the visual clutter of the text
makes it difficult to read, and readers are therefore likely to miss one or
more of the elements. This human-factors problem is easily solved by

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listing the elements vertically with bullets or subparagraph labels and

separated by blank lines. For example:
Temperature-rise specifications shall apply to:
a.
b.
c.
d.

resistors,
capacitors,
inductors, and
transistors.

As a rule, indented lists are always preferred in technical documentation.

Parallelism in lists
The elements of each list should all be the same part of speech. For
example, the list:
a.
b.
c.
d.

safety,
rowboats,
resuscitate, and
life preservers

is incorrect because resuscitate is a verb and all the other three elements
are nouns. This lists elements should have all be nouns.

Bureaucratic prose
You write with ease to show your breading,
but easy writings curst hard reading.
Richard B. Sheridan
(1751 1816)
Bureaucratic prose is a holdover from the 18th century, and the Federal
Government and public agencies have been trying for many years to put an
end to it. It is stuffy and impersonal; it uses needlessly difficult language
and is often written in the passive voice. These traits are so distracting that
readers have a hard time staying focused on important things the writers
have to say. Often, people who read a document written in bureaucratic
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prose end up knowing very little about the documents content. No wonder,
then, that important laws and regulations are sometimes inadvertently
violated.
Take the time to go over your drafts, looking for ways to say the same thing
in fewer words, simpler words, and shorter sentences. The labor will pay off
in terms of fewer misunderstandings and less chance of constructive
changes.
The District faces real problems in having contractors increase their profits
by exploiting unclear specifications and thereby generating the need for
rework. A solution to this problem comes with contractor performance
evaluations prepared by District staff and used as determining factors in
decisions about future contract awards.

And finally
The objective of this guide is to provide guidance and assistance to our
procurement professionals and our technical and program customers when it
is necessary to develop specifications or statements of work for
procurements. It is hoped that the guidance provided herein will result not
only in better-written procurement documents, but better products and
services delivered to the District, as well as realized cost savings.
Good luck with your specification writing!

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Addendum 1

GRAMMAR REVIEW
For most of us, the word "grammar" evokes painful memories
of tedious exercises done many years ago while we were
sitting on a hard seat and eagerly awaiting the bell. The subject
matter is forgotten, and all we remember is the pain.
Unfortunately, grammar is a foundation for further learning.
Without it we would have no terms in which to describe and
discuss language, and that's why this section has been
included.
We shall try to cover the topic as quickly and painlessly as
possible while nonetheless conveying an explanation of all the
grammatical terms used elsewhere in this guide. We'll briefly
cover only the topics you need right now. Consequently, weve
left out a great deal of information that you may wish to review
in your pursuit of better writing skills. For that information,
you may refer to Web pages posted by some genuine English
teachers:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/intro/intro.htm
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/

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Addendum 1

In the way of a warning, real grammarians may have fits over

some of the things weve said below. That's because we've
ruthlessly simplified a topic that properly should consume
many megabytes of disk storage, and could take years to
master.

To begin, lets review the main parts of speech:

Nouns and related types of words,

verbs and their helpers,
prepositions, and
conjunctions.
Then we finish up with a few words about
clauses.

If you understand it all, then you've had enough

grammar. Go back to learning about specifications.
That's imperative! If not read on.

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The noun family

A noun is the name of a person, a place, a thing or an idea.

Nouns have properties, like:

case (nominative, objective or possessive),

number (singular or plural),
gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and
countability (mass or countable).

Pronouns, like it, she and they take the place of a noun so you
don't have to repeat the whole noun or noun phrase. The
relative pronouns, which, that, and who perform the special
function of introducing relative clauses.
By the way, words that perform special functions like relative
pronouns are often called function words by modern
grammarians. The function words are the very core of the
English language; to them we attribute the fact that Lewis
Carroll's famous line:

'Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in
the wabe.

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This obviously an English sentence, even though it makes little

sense.
Adjectives, like slow, modify nouns. Adjectives, in turn, may
be modified by adverbs like painfully. More about adverbs in
a few minutes.
Articles, like the and an alert readers to the fact that that a
noun follows. Sometimes they're called determiners.
When nouns are grouped with their associated articles,
adjectives, and modifying clauses, the combination is
sometimes called a noun phrase.
Often found in technical English are strings of nouns grouped
together, like software life cycle model. In technical writing
texts they're often called noun sandwiches. Thank goodness
we don't have to write our specifications in German, because in
German the noun sandwiches are more like noun sausages, all
strung together into one great big word, like
datenverarbeitungstechnik.

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The verb family

Verbs are action words. Two good examples are go and write.
This is a good time to mention that a given word in English
often may appear in some places performing one function and
in other places performing another. An example would be the
word paint, which can function as either a noun or a verb.

You should paint your house every five years.

Sally sells paint and varnish.

Now back to verbs. Verbs are often made up of a main verb

plus one or more adjoining words known as auxiliary verbs,
or simply auxiliaries. They help to convey the author's
intended properties of the verb, like:

tense (the time when the action occurs),

mode or mood (a very complex property that affects the
manner in which the verb is applied), and
voice (the party who performs the act or the one on whom
the act is performed).

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There are numerous tenses in English, but the one we use

almost exclusively in specifications is the future tense. Thank
goodness we don't have to cover the topic of English tenses:
it's a dilly!
Mode in specifications is a slightly more complicated and very
relevant topic. The main subdivisions of mode in English are
the indicative and imperative. There's also another, called
subjunctive, but it's so rarely used correctly these days that we
could safely say it's no longer a part of the language. Here's an
example of verbs in the imperative mode:

Go to the store and get me a loaf of bread.

Simply stated, imperative verbs are commands. Nearly all

other verbs are indicative.
The voice of a verb is either active or passive. Active voice is
straightforward:

Deborah bought a loaf of bread at the store.

First the actor, then the verb, and then the object acted upon.
Passive voice reverses this order:

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A loaf of bread was bought at the store by Deborah.

Note that we could very well have left "by Deborah" off the
end of the passive-voice sentence.
Writing in passive voice has two effects:

1. It puts the object of the action up front where it gets

special attention. We do this often in specifications
because the emphasis in specifications belongs on the
product we're trying to describe.

2. It subordinates or eliminates the mention of who performs

the act. For this reason, bureaucrats often couch their
statements in the passive voice in order to downplay their
responsibility. In specifications, it permits us to leave off
endless repetitions of "by the contractor."

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All of the above are accomplished by the addition of auxiliary

verbs, which can also serve to shade the meaning of verbs.
Preceding a verb with a modal auxiliary like shall, will,
should, may, might, ought, and so on changes the way in which
the verb behaves. For example, correct usage of shall and will
in specifications is crucial: it determines which party, the
contractor or the District, is responsible for fulfilling the
requirement.
The category "adverb" is a catch-all for words that don't fit
very well in any other category. Most of them modify verbs or
adjectives, and most are formed by adding "ly" to an adjective,
but some of them are harder to describe. The word "just" in the
next example is such an adverb, and it seems to modify either
the verb "works," or the preposition "like," but it is better that
you refer to a genuine grammarian for an explanation of
exactly how it operates.

Prepositions

Prepositions are function words used in front of noun phrases

to express relationships. Most of them are very short words.
For example:

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John works in a cubicle, just like Dilbert.

Phrases formed by prepositions and their adjacent noun phrase

are called prepositional phrases, and they act as modifiers.
They often appear chained together, as in

He saw the man on the hill with the telescope.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words like and, or, and but that tie things
together. Coordinating conjunctions tie together words or
clauses of equal rank. They correspond to the logical operators,
and perform a similar function. Therefore they must be used
very carefully in specifications. Subordinating conjunctions
tie dependent clauses to main clauses.

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Clauses

Having already said a little bit about sentences written in active

and passive voices, the clause is the only notion about
sentences that's necessary to explain here. Clauses are either
independent or dependent. For example, in

John gained weight while he was eating his breakfasts at

restaurants.

the independent clause is "John gained weight," because it can

stand on its own and expresses a complete thought.
The remainder of the sentence is a dependent clause, since no
one would say such a thing unless it were part of another
sentence. The subordinating conjunction "while" indicates
that it's not a complete thought, so even though it contains a
complete sentence, it's not an independent clause. In this case,
the dependent clause acts as a modifier to the verb "gained."
Subordinate clauses can be either essential or nonessential.
Another pair of terms for the same notion is restrictive and
nonrestrictive. A restrictive dependent clause changes the
meaning of the independent clause, while a nonrestrictive
clause does not. The difference between the two is often
indicated only by the presence of a comma. For example,

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Addendum 1

David has not seen Mary since she dyed her hair.

means something totally different from

David has not seen Mary, since she dyed her hair.

David's and Mary's problems are trivial in comparison to the

havoc that this linguistic phenomenon can play on your
specifications.

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Writing better technical specifications

Including background documents such as

peripheral research reports and labelling them for
reference or for information only or similar
wording. The two sides will rarely agree in their
interpretation of what this means. If the matter
finds it way to arbitration, the vendor will almost
certainly be able to establish they reasonably took
it to mean that they were to refer to the document
or to use it as a source of information or at the
very least, it was intended as a guideline. Even
changing the words to a form such as this
document is for information and does not form
part of the specification will not necessarily
avoid this problem. At the very least, if the
equipment supplied does not work, the supplier
will be in a position to say I deviated from my
preferred choice because of the information that
you supplied.
Looked at sensibly, if this
information is not part of the specification, it
should not be included. If the supplier really does
need to see the information, then it must be
remembered that its inclusion will have an effect
on his contractual responsibilities. In this case
carefully spell-out the limited purposes for which
the information is relevant and that it is not
supplied for any other purpose.

Including a notional flow sheet of the equipment

to be supplied on the drawing which shows the
existing surrounding equipment. The purpose of
this drawing should be to indicate termination
points and where streams come from and go to so
that new equipment can be designed accordingly.
The inclusion of a notional flow sheet for the new
equipment on this drawing gives an (unintended)
indication to the supplier of what the purchaser
wants and may readily cause him to deviate from
supplying the most appropriate equipment.

Ambiguous use of terms. The use of for

reference has already been noted. A more
extreme example was the case of a contract for an
electrical installation. All the items which were to
be installed were listed in the specification, in
most cases followed by the words to be
provided. The purchaser had intended this to be
read as to be provided by the supplier. The
supplier however read it as to be provided by the
purchaser. In the end the work probably only
cost a little more than it should have done
(somebody would have had to pay for these items
and presumably there were not originally included
in the budget of the supplier when tendering for
the work). However there were significant delays
in completing the contract because no-one had
even ordered the hardware until site work was
about to start.

GEOFF COVEY AND GERKE FABER

Directors, Covey Consulting Pty Ltd, PO Box 81
Somerset, Tas 7322, Australia.
ABSTRACT
Many contractual problems relating to performance can
be traced back to inappropriate drafting of the technical
specifications. The problems commonly relate to: inclusion
of irrelevant or contradictory information, use of
ambiguous or undefined terms, or concentrating on the
means by which a result is to be achieved rather than on
the performance required. Drafting specifications of this
sort will maximise the probability of the supplier
understanding what was intended and hence of providing
what was actually required. It will also minimise the
remedies available to the purchaser to resolve problems.
The approach advocated in this paper is to adopt a results
oriented specification by which the vendor assumes most
of the responsibility for determining the means of
achieving these results. This does require greater care by
the purchaser in evaluating tenders, but the end result will
usually be more efficient and flexible plant and clearer
lines of responsibility on the vendor if equipment does not
perform as intended
INTRODUCTION
Many contracts run into difficulties because the technical
specification has been written without sufficient care or
consideration of what is really required. The commercial,
administrative and standards aspects of the contract are
usually fairly well covered partly because they can be
largely built out of standard clauses.
The technical specification is somewhat different. By its
nature, it is usually a one-off document and is often written
by a person who does not write them very often and
mistakenly makes them over detailed. It is often forgotten
that the more information that is provided to the supplier
about the conditions under which the equipment is to
work, i.e. the plant environment, feed conditions etc, the
less flexible the piece of equipment supplied has to be.
Thus it could be easier for the vendor to meet the letter of
the specification while still not providing what the client
really wants.
Examples of providing unnecessary or ambiguous
information that has led to problems over responsibilities
at a later stage include:

One other extreme, which is possibly an

apocryphal story, is of a company which placed
an order which simply said one paper machine
drive system to suit number X machine. The
supplier was very pleased to receive such a
contract which was so vague that they thought
they could fulfil it easily until the time came when
they sought to sign-off and receive payment,
when they were told No, it doesnt suit the
machine yet.

STRATEGIES
There are a number of basic rules which may be applied to
avoid the type of problems described above and some
other problems which will be described later on.
Ends v means
Whenever possible write the specification in terms of the
performance that you require not in terms of the means of
achieving this. For example, what you really want is a
pump that will pump slurry for at least 5000 hours before
replacing wear parts not one with wear parts made of
material with a Brinell hardness of not less than 400 and
certainly not one with wear parts made of UNS-F47003.
If you use the latter approach and the pump wears out too
quickly, the problem is yours not the suppliers because he
has supplied you with what you asked for, not with what
you needed. In such a case a supplier will probably come
and ask you what material you want. You can tell him
what you have used in the past, but avoid making this part
of the specification. Let him make the decision.
Only specify the means of performing a task if it is truly
essential. For example, one might say that a spray
atemperator is not acceptable because of the fear of
damage to a turbine downstream of it, but it might still be
better to write the specification in terms of the
particle/droplet content of the steam leaving the
atemperator. However, it is very unwise to specify a
particular type of equipment or a construction method
simply because you have used it before or because you
have been told it worked well elsewhere. This approach
prevents you from benefiting from new technology
because it will never be offered. However, there is nothing
to prevent you from rejecting offers which you feel will be
inadequate (giving the supplier a choice in specifying
equipment can give you a better indication of his real
understanding of the problem and sometimes a better
indication of your understanding of it).
You should be going to a supplier because you believe that
they know their job, therefore it is unwise to try and do the
job for them. A technical specification is not the place to
show off your knowledge of equipment used for a
particular task and to try and impress the supplier that you
know more than he does. If things dont work, and matters

come to arbitration, it is going to be very difficult to argue

that the responsibility of getting the technology right was
with the supplier who is the expert and claim that you are
the innocent purchaser when you have specified what he is
to supply in such detail.
Avoid the irrelevant
Avoid the inclusion of all irrelevant/marginal information.
The supplier is justified in assuming that it has been
included to give him instructions on what he is to do. If he
follows this information and the plant does not perform, it
is not his problem. If you dont like what the supplier
offers, reject it and guide him towards what you want. But
let it be the supplier who ultimately specifies what he will
supply otherwise guarantees become of very limited value.
Ranges of operation
Pay particular attention to giving appropriate operating
ranges. People drafting technical specifications usually
consider variations in flow, operating temperature and
pressure (if appropriate). However, it is very important to
ensure that the range given is realistic. If the range over
which equipment is required to work is too narrow, it is
unlikely to result in a plant that works properly when other
equipment is working slightly away from its optimum.
For example, consider a four stage screening
system. A change in rejects rate from say 10% to
11% together with a 10% increase in the feed rate
has a very big effect - about a 60% increase in the
rejects flow from the system. Does you rejects
handling system allow for this?
Also it is not sufficient just to put an upper limit, one
should also consider lower limits. Turn down can be very
limited on some types of equipment. It can also help you
notice whether the ranges that you are using look real. Just
putting the expected and the maximum value can look
reasonable, but if you bring in the bottom range as well,
you can be aware that your conditions look either very
asymmetrical or improbably broad. Very broad operating
ranges lead to a dramatic increase in the cost of the plant
or suppliers refusing to quote.
In particular it is important to be particularly careful with
temperatures.
There has been at least one case where for
purposes of material selection, safety factors have
been added to the upper but not lower temperature
range for a pipeline. In the end what was given to
the piping designer was merely a maximum
operating temperature. Unfortunately this was so
far removed from the real operating temperature,
that what was supplied was a very expensive alloy
which was capable of handling the gaseous form
of the product flowing through the pipe.
Unfortunately in the actual process, the product

was going to be a liquid and could have been

adequately handled by a cheap polymer pipe.
Sadly however, the alloy specified was quite
unsuitable for the product in its liquid form. In
this case we not only had an extreme cost
blow-out, but the resulting pipe work corroded
out within a few months.
It is also important to consider the ranges of compositions
and physical forms of the flow streams to be handled by
the equipment. We have seen technical specifications
written for solids handling equipment with a particle size
of a feed of the form shown in Table 1 (except there were
actually more size fractions given).
Size range

>2.0
1.4-2.0
1-1.4
0.7-1.0
<0.5

9.83
27.61
36.08
19.07
7.41

Table 1 Inappropriate specification of particle size

Even writing typical somewhere does not help very much
in determining the range of particle size over which the
supplied equipment should be expected to work. (It might
persuade the arbitrator that instead of the feed being within
0.01% it should be 0.02%. Even rounding the size
distributions off to the nearest whole number would only
give you about plus or minus 1% on any size fraction if no
other information were given. Anyone who has worked
around a solids processing plant knows that when the plant
is built it is very unlikely that it will ever actually operate
within that range, therefore no guarantees or warranties are
going to apply. Going to the other extreme and putting
very wide bands on everything, results in suppliers
declining to quote or offering equipment at very high
prices.
The correct approach is to put realistic bands of what you
think the process might work in and specify that the
equipment must meet the specified performance criteria
whenever the feed is within this range.
A good
compromise between flexibility and cost is to recognise
that when the plant deviates by a moderate amount from
design conditions, i.e. some deterioration in performance
can be accepted. In such cases two operating bands may
be quoted, each with its own performance requirements
and the performance requirements for the broader band
being less stringent than those for the narrower band.
Retain flexibility
The reality is that process design is not an exact science
and it is unlikely to become one within the lifetime of
anyone currently practising. Experience suggests that

many plants and particularly those processing natural

materials, spend most of their time operating somewhat
outside the range anticipated at the design phase.
Therefore it is unwise to end up buying equipment which
has a very high performance over a very narrow band and
which performs very poorly outside this band. Your
specifications should reflect this situation. Because most
scientific and engineering calculations are less accurate
than people think, plants do not operate where they are
designed to. So it is essential that the plant that is built
should have flexibility.
Adding this flexibility gives some increase in the capital
cost. Reducing the flexibility leads to a very substantial
reduction in profitability.
Even if the actual process design is very accurate, the raw
materials to the plant will vary. This is particularly true in
industries such as pulp and paper and mineral processing.
The real determinant of profitability of a plant is not how it
performs at the exact design conditions, but its efficiency,
throughput and control over a moderate range of
conditions such as will be encountered in normal
operation. Figure 1 represents profit volume chart for a
flexible design. Figure 2 represents what project managers
and project accountants think they will achieve by taking
the flexibility out of the plant and reducing its capital cost.
Figure 3 is typical of the real profit volume chart for a
plant which has been designed for low capital cost at the
expense of operating flexibility.

Profit

Costs
Loss

Design rate

Revenue

Production rate

Figure 1. Flexible design

In this case it is fairly obvious what things should be

considered. In other cases it is very easy to write a
technical specification in which the supplier can fulfil his
contractual requirements without giving you what you
really want.
Similarly give consideration to the
requirements for stability of operation when measuring the
performance of the plant. It is very nice to be able to
specify the average performance over a period of 24 hours
or 7 days of stable operation, but such a requirement may
well work against your interests. In practice you may not
be able to keep the plant stable for such a long period, and
this is most likely to be the case when the equipment is not
working well i.e. in the circumstances in which a
performance trial is really important. You will then never
be able to establish poor performance as defined in the
contract specification. All you will do is get into all sorts
of arguments with the supplier over whose fault it is that
the plant isnt stable.

Original
costs

Anticipated
costs

Production rate

Figure 2. Optimistic specification

Company standards
Avoid invoking company engineering standards except
when these are really necessary. This is particularly for
things such as painting standards unless these standards
exist because of an unusual corrosive environment around
the plant. At first instance at least, permit the vendor to
offer alternatives (these will often be the standard for the
equipment and therefore cheaper and quite likely better
than your company standard).

$
Real costs

Actual
operation

Design
operation

Production rate

Figure 3. Actual
specification

performance

of

optimistic

Precise performance specifications

As has been stated several times already, the critical point
of the technical specification is what the plant is to
achieve, not the means by which it is to be achieved.
Therefore the technical specification should be very
precise on the performance criteria. It should give
consideration to such matters as how performance is
measured, where it is measured and when it is measured.
For example, when specifying the environmental
control in the machine room, what part of the
room are you referring to? Or is it all of the
room? What elevation above floor level?

A problem is that company engineering standards do not

get updated often enough. They usually describe what was
good 5 to 20 years ago and/or seek to save on spare parts
inventories. The result is that the quality of what you are
supplied is fixed in the past, with expensive, lower quality
equipment (the exact opposite of what was intended).
For example, a mill sought a quote for its standard
pump which is of mild steel but with a stainless
steel shaft. The vendor offered as an alterative
another brand of pump which was all stainless
steel, more efficient and cost less than one-third
of the standard pump price. Despite this it was
still difficult for the engineer to obtain approval to
buy it.
In another case, a short life pilot plant was to be
built. For industrial relations reasons it had been
agreed from the start that mill personnel on the
site adjacent to the pilot plant site would never
have responsibility for the maintenance of the
plant. Despite this, the company instrument and
electrical departments were able to insist that the
plant have all electrical and instrument equipment
to the mill standard which was designed for
uniformity for spare parts and for a long operating
life in a much for adverse environment. This
made a considerable increase in the cost of the
plant which in fact never was maintained or

otherwise touched by the mill personnel up to the

point when it was demolished.
Tender evaluation
One important consequence of writing specifications in
terms of results rather than means is that greater care is
required at the tender evaluation stage. Permitting the
vendor to offer what he thinks will be best for the duty
means that at least some of the solutions offered should be
better than is the means had been specified by a nonexpert. However, tenders will sometimes include
unsatisfactory solutions. It is important to evaluate the
tenders carefully to ensure that inappropriate offers are
rejected.
More often, different suppliers will offer equipment or
processes which have different benefits and a very careful
evaluation is required.
A process for producing chlorine dioxide was
selected on the basis of capital cost and fit with
existing plant operations. However, it was
recognised that the materials of construction were
unlikely to give a long plant life.
An alternative tender offered better materials of
construction and hence a longer plant life, but the
products of the plant were far less suited to the
requirements of the existing plant.
The shorter life plant was selected and functioned
well. The material life problem was overcome by
replacing corroded PVC components with
titanium components.
CONCLUSION
In summary, when writing technical specifications, do not
try and use a simple formula approach. Do not be over
detailed in the means required. Instead, put the emphasis
on what is to be achieved. Be careful in evaluating tenders
to ensure that the means proposed by the vendor are
consistent with meeting your objectives (but remember, he
should know his job better than you do, otherwise why are
you using him?). Finally dont stick too closely to these or
any other suggestions. Instead think about what is really
required in the case you are dealing with.