| Author |
Message |
RH (Hank) Sweers II RA CSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: rhsweers2
Post Number: 21
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 11:49 am: |    |
At a recent local CSI-chapter CE-seminar, the pitfalls of contractor's coordination over “who-does-what” related to electro-mechanical hardware and an Access Control System was discussed.
The goal was to see what could be done through specifications to clarify their issues.
I'm all in favor of making things easier to bid for GC's and thereby not causing work scope to be either missed or doubled-up on - potentially causing more cost to an Owner, but isn't responsibility for "coordination" of the Work solely the GC's, and saying much about it makes the designer then doing the GC's work (re Herman Hoyer’s Short-Form Specs # 10 article – though I realize that is about specifying means, methods and construction procedures).
So, Is it appropriate and good practice to say in specs something like “installation of power supplies and low-voltage connections to electro-mechanical hardware is Work of the Division-28 ACS Section, with final connection of line-voltage electrical power by Work of Division-26 Sections”, for instance? There is more: like making sure that the “hardware installers” install the electro-mechanical hardware to the doors and frames - especially when furnished by the ACS provider, but I digress . . .
The required electro-mechanical hardware and accessories (like the power supply) are scheduled in the Door Hardware Sets schedule, there is an ACS system specified in Division-28 saying to make it all work, isn’t enough said already? This sort of reminds me of manufacturer-prepared elevator guide-specs that include about 2 pages on things they are not doing! |
Phil Kabza
Senior Member
Username: phil_kabza
Post Number: 659
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 02:50 pm: | |
Hank,
I try to avoid "assigning the Work" by instead stating "Installation of power supplies ... is specified in Division 28 ACS section." This waives the flag to the contractor. Assuming the GC or CM reads, they should be able to then manage their bid scopes.
Phil Kabza FCSI CCS AIA
SpecGuy Specifications Consultants
www.SpecGuy.com
phil@specguy.com |
Steven Bruneel, AIA, CSI-CDT, LEED-AP, EDAC
Senior Member
Username: redseca2
Post Number: 683
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 03:58 pm: | |
Several of the AHC's we regularly work with on our large healthcare projects provide schematic elevation drawing sheets in 8.5x11 format of each door type within or as an appendix to their section showing include electronic components and wiring. These include showing points of connection where the electrical contractor's power wiring is intended to connect to the door hardware installer's work. |
RH (Hank) Sweers II RA CSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: rhsweers2
Post Number: 22
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2020 - 12:14 pm: | |
Phil: I typically do that as well, but is "waving the flag" itself more than we should do?
I have a project now where there is no ACS, and I'm not sure it matters if I say what Division or Section I think should include connections of low-voltage door hardware devices. They will probably get connected and work fine without my flag waving!
Having even typical drawings indicating how things should be installed/connected is a huge plus! But they are on the Drawings - not bound into the specs, right? (like we used to do a long time ago . . .) |
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