A basic tenet of a good set of construction documents is “Mention it once and in the right place.” The contract is between the owner and the contractor, and the specifications communicate to the...


In more than one instance, this author has heard an architect tell a specifier something along the lines of “You want 250 hours for specifications? I have only budgeted 70 hours.” A project manager...

English is complicated, and misinterpretation of written communication is pervasive. Without the added layer of subtleties of speech tone, body language, and context, many written sentences can be easily misinterpreted. This is especially true...

Many specifiers have been called into an uncomfortable meeting with a request to clarify exactly what was intended by the written words in the project manual. One can often be left with the feeling...


Co-ordination is the basis of specifications, an aspect of its principal functions, and one of the spec writer’s primary tasks. It manifests itself at various phases of the writing process, as well as within...