SPECIFICATION

Part II – Chapter 1
WHAT IS SPECIFICATION?
- act or process of making specific through supplying particular
details.
- aims to decrease the generality or vagueness of something by
determining or supplying some characteristics that delimit it to a
more precise coverage.
- It serves as a guide.
- Description of what among others
- Should be quality or quantity of the materials made of construction and giving
dimension and other information not shown in the drawing.
Engineering Practice
- written or printed description or presentation of
something or a plan for something.
- detailed or precise presentation by enumeration,
description or by working drawings of
constructional works.
WHY DO WE NEED SPECIFICATIONS?
■ It is needed to understand the nature of the machinery, supplies or materials to be
furnished or work to be done under a contract should be given extra time and effort.
Both plan and specification should be carefully prepared, otherwise vagueness may
create disputes and misunderstandings thus exposing the parties to needless and
costly litigation expense.
For Example: Length and width of doors, windows are visible on drawing. But, it is not
possible to show the type of wood which is used for doors and windows. There is a wide variation
in prices between different types of wood. Beside this, different types of wood differ in
appearance as well as in properties. That is why, it is necessary to show the type of wood.
■ Any specification that is indefinite, indeterminate, ambiguous or vague would involve
uncertainties, and result in the addition of certain sums by the bidder for his own
protection which in the overall would result at a cost in excess of the normal cost on
definite and exact requirement. Specifications that are arbitrary, unfair or severe give
a bad impression of the engineer, the attorney or the principal.
 LANGUAGE OF SPECIFICATION
■ In writing contracts and specifications, the language which may be in
the official or prevailing language in the locality should be clear,
accurate and exact. So when using technical terms common to the
trade to which the specifications apply, they must be used in the
sense accepted in common and local usage as this use is persuasive
to the courts which may rule on the conflict.
 Should
be clear
Should not
be Should
necessarily be brief
severe

GOOD
Should not SPECIFICATION
be Should
ambiguous
(having a be
double definite
meaning)

Should Should be
be fair determinate