| Author |
Message |
Greta Eckhardt
Junior Member
Username: gretaeckhardt
Post Number: 2
Registered: 08-2013
| | Posted on Friday, January 02, 2015 - 02:57 pm: |    |
As with the other in-house specifiers, I compile the entire Project Manual. I am grateful for the comments from specifiers who insist on pdf files from consultants. I do not want to be in the business of making a single change to any consultant document, even if it is just a typo in the header or footer.
One other comment: If you subscribe to MasterSpec, you should take full advantage of the MasterWorks software that comes with it. For conversion of multiple Word documents to pdf files, you can use MultiFile, then select Print and select Bluebeam or Adobe as the printer. |
Louis Medcalf, FCSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: louis_medcalf
Post Number: 45
Registered: 11-2010
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - 11:35 am: | |
Phil,
Your consultant coordination instructions would make a great article for the Construction Specifier! |
David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP
Senior Member
Username: david_axt
Post Number: 1385
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - 05:07 pm: | |
"Straw polls ain't worth the straw they're written on!" :-)
As an independent specifications writer, I do not compile the project manual. Coordination is the responsibility of the architect. The architect compiles the set of drawings so why not the project manual?
One advantage to having the architect compile the project manual is that they have to glance over the specs and maybe even stop to read them. A few times, after reviewing my sections, the architect will ask me where this section is and why I still have that section. I come to find out that the architect has made changes without informing me.
When I was an in-house specifier I had clerical staff compile the specs and contact consultants regarding headers/footers, typos, formatting issues and deadlines. While clerical staff was managing the consultants, I extra time to edit the specs.
David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP
Specifications Consultant/Web Publisher
www.localproductreps.com |
Ellis C. Whitby, PE, CSI, AIA, LEEDŽ AP
Senior Member
Username: ecwhitby
Post Number: 245
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - 05:12 pm: | |
David;
Here you are, expecting the Architect to actually read the specs! Next thing you'll expect the Contractor to read them also! |
Steven Bruneel, AIA, CSI-CDT, LEED-AP, EDAC
Senior Member
Username: redseca2
Post Number: 463
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - 07:12 pm: | |
Gosh David, they laid my "clerical staff" off in 2009 during the recession.
I still try to have lunch with him every month or so, but since then, every edit and PDF was done by yours truly... |
Curt Norton, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: curtn
Post Number: 195
Registered: 06-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - 09:10 am: | |
I look at it like this, if a mortgage lender can contract out to have someone receive your payments for them and businesses can contract out their payroll and HR services, then an Architect can contract out compiling a project manual to their spec writer. When I was working as an independent I would have gladly done that work, for a fee. If that's not a service your client wants, that's just fine too. |
David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP
Senior Member
Username: david_axt
Post Number: 1386
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - 04:13 pm: | |
Last year I took a job where I was the prime consultant. The Owner wanted one point of contact so I was responsible for the whole project including contracting with sub consultants, negotiating fees and paying them. It was a good learning experience (read: very stressful). The big lesson I learned was that you can pay me to manage the work or pay me to do the work, but not both. My fee should have been double what I charged them.
I have a new found respect for project managers. Managing a project is difficult, that's why they are a separate specialty in architectural and engineering offices.
David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP
Specifications Consultant/Web Publisher
www.localproductreps.com |
Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: awhitacre
Post Number: 1389
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 03, 2015 - 07:35 pm: | |
Like many of the other commenters above, in my firm we compile the entire project manual, bookmark it, and post as a combined PDF unless the client wants BOTH a combined PDF and individual sections. (we have one of those). My admin sends out the email 2 weeks ahead of time regarding deadline, formatting, and what we want (both Word and PDF, in individual sections, not combined). We use Bluebeam for this.
On every project there are a few consultants who completely mess this up. I saw a project today that had 4" margin on the left, 1/2" margin on the right, the wrong title and date and the wrong typeface. We sent that back for correction.
We don't do anything with the word documents but occasionally on some public projects we are asked to "turn on" track changes or "turn off" track changes, and in that instance, we will make that change. We might make the change of a date in the header, too.
My office hired me a full time spec admin person and its very clear to me that the management of the spec manual takes as much time as writing the project manual. Our jobs are often engineering intensive and large (a 450 section project manual with 320 sections of engineering specs) and corralling those guys is nearly a full time job. And, our clients get the benefit of paying for admin time to do all this compilation rather than my fee. |
Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate
Senior Member
Username: lynn_javoroski
Post Number: 1981
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2015 - 12:20 pm: | |
When we were using a Word-based master, we had an admin compile the project manuals. It gave us an extra pair of eyes, and often those eyes caught errors and inconsistencies (footer dates, Table of Contents errors, formatting errors and the like). Now that we're using a data-based master, there's little to no need for that additional person as the software does almost all of that for us.
We still have to compile consultant sections, and I wouldn't trust anyone to do that who didn't have a CDT (or the equivalent learning minus the credential). And yes, we could teach that, but my company doesn't seem to have an interest in that education.
I haven't seen any 4 inch margins, but hardware groups / sets always give fits. And seemingly, no matter how often you send an example, you get wrong fonts, wrong footer / header, wrong date, wrong issuance information, and non-conformance with MF2012. Sigh.
I can't imagine what's wrong within the documents if they can't get the appearance correct. And I don't want to even think about the drawing / spec inconsistencies. |
Guest (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2015 - 04:20 pm: | |
I know this is off the orignal post's topic, but it seems the thread has migrated toward formatting of sections and not just compiling, so here we go...
I am of the firm belief in teaching a consultant to fish, and not giving them a fish. What this usually means is sending things back again and again to get them to do the work. The A/E is paying for their services including things like getting the header/footer, font, formatting, etc. correct. Why not make them fulfill their responsibilities?
Consultants have much fewer problems getting drawing title blocks and formatting correct for drawings. I can only assume that they don't get the same results in their sections because we are always covering for them. Until we all stop changing things for them and make them do it, we'll never get things in the right format, etc.
I only want to see a PDF from a consultant ... never an editable file. Any errors can be corrected in an addendum or an ASI. |
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