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Author Message Robin E. Snyder Senior Member Username: robin Post Number: 575 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 02:59 pm:    Curious, quick straw poll...who receives all the consultant's specifications and compiles one final Project Manual and who only does their architectural specifications and has the Architect compile the final Project Manual? For those that do compile, do you break that service out as a separate line item service fee? J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 783 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 03:09 pm:    I try to stay out of the final coordination, but do get dragged in from time to time. I find that if I have to look at consultants' sections (even a fleeting glance), I become violently ill. I don't break it out. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1910 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 03:15 pm:    I'm in-house working for the A/E firm; I compile the project manuals, including sections from consultants, which are usually late. (editorial comment I couldn't resist) No additional fee; I assume the PA has built that into the project fees. We are usually the lead, so it makes sense that the responsibility is ours. Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap Senior Member Username: lgoodrob Post Number: 257 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 03:23 pm:    I try to avoid it whenever possible too. I often remind the Architect that her other consultants work for her, not me. I cannot coerce the other consultants into sending documents either on time or in the correct format. When the end of the business day rolls around, I usually end up sending what I have to the Architect, who can chase consultants into the wee hours. When we do it, we don't charge an additional fee. Maybe we should. - Liz O'Sullivan Senior Member Username: liz_osullivan Post Number: 164 Registered: 10-2011 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 03:53 pm:    I compile. I feel that I am the person on the team who can do this most efficiently. I take this time into account and roll it into my fee proposal (I don't break it out separately.) Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 608 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 03:58 pm:    As the architectural PM, I would pick Liz's response every time. I hire a spec writer to NOT make my life harder. Failure to work with the rest of the spec is not a Win! David E Lorenzini Senior Member Username: deloren Post Number: 162 Registered: 04-2000 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 05:14 pm:    Robin, Nathan is correct. I compile everything on every job. I learned not to trust the other consultants a long time ago. There are many reasons: -I need to see their sections to complete the Table of Contents. -They sometime have the wrong date (since they resend the same section as the previous issue). -They use a different file naming system that sorts their files before the architectural files. -They use hard page breaks, add a paragraph, and push one sentence to a new page which is almost totally blank. And so on--the list is too long to mention them all. These problems have to be fixed and bundled into two volumes most of the time. (e.g., DSA plan check has a limit on the thickness of the printed project manual.) They are engineers that are very good with their trade, but they are not specifiers, and it's like herding cats. You need someone to make sure the project manual is going to be printed our properly, since there is no one else on the project team knowledgeable enough to do that. David Lorenzini, FCSI, CCS Architectural Resources Co. Steven Bruneel, AIA, CSI-CDT, LEED-AP, EDAC Senior Member Username: redseca2 Post Number: 458 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 07:47 pm:    I require all consultants to send me their individual spec sections early enough so that I can see what they have given me. I can do the compiling myself and be confident it is ready to go out. In a perfect world they give me their Word originals because I have no problem with fixing small glitches if the project then goes out without those stupid errors. Stupid errors are the usual suspects: Missing something that should be there. Getting something that shouldn't be there. Wrong date or other header footer fail. Section titles and names that don't match the TOC they sent me in time to format the master TOC. Fantastic file name conventions that won't sort. This doesn't even include ugly formatting, I have learned to be happy with a "similar font" at the same size that I gave them as a template. When project delivery is handled by everyone uploading to an FTP site or similar cloud independently you are just asking for extra addenda to fix stupid things. My favorite of all time mass failure was a mechanical engineer who somehow managed to get two of his projects (one of them mine) completely crossed. I knew we had a problem when his spec for our B occupancy 10,000 SF tenant improvement included 30 odd sections, including "Air Handling Units" and "Cooling Towers", references to emergency generators were a tip-off too. The trouble was that he ignored my warnings and insisted it was okay. At least he ignored my warnings until he had to answer to the Owner for the other project, a green field 500,000 SF hospital, asked why he had submitted a short form set of 8 or 10 mechanical sections. Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2014 - 09:54 pm:    Ditto to what David and Steven say...except I try to avoid receiving editable (Word) files...for the same reason that I don't give A/E my Word files (opportunity to change/revise without author's knowledge...or otherwise accuse(d) of doing so). However, receiving just PDFs is not always conducive to compiling project manual (for the reasons that both David and Steven cite); I sometimes have to make the changes, in order to best expedite the process; I've had consultants that give the initial and if not correct, have said they no longer have time to fix and make right, so I end up doing...as a courtesy to my A/E client. I account for the time to "handle" consultant's sections in my overall fee proposal; I don't break out separately...unless A/E's client requires that detailed a breakdown (haven't yet encountered though). J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 784 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 - 07:34 am:    The main reason that I don't want to compile is that when I do find something, the consultant is unresponsive. They don't particularly care what the architect thinks, and they care even less what the specifier says. I guess they sometimes care more about what the Owner says. One of my recent projects was seeking LEED certification, but you wouldn't have known it from looking at the civil or structural sections. Then there were the four concrete paving sections with the same name (different section number) with three of them specifying the same thing. Let the architect take care of it, if they don't care, I can't do anything about it. Steven Bruneel, AIA, CSI-CDT, LEED-AP, EDAC Senior Member Username: redseca2 Post Number: 459 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 - 11:52 am:    For consultants who are known for issuing bad specs I have sometimes given them some options. Either send me Word originals at the time and date they are due, or send me PDF's the day before so there is time to make corrections, or, if you send me PDF's at the time and date they are due, have someone stay in their office who can make corrections until midnight of the due date. ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 842 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 - 12:46 pm:    As an in-house, I typically handle file compilation. About 2 weeks before due date, typically around 3 days before date of issue, I send out a reminder regarding headers, footers, font, and format. I remind everyone that there is a uniform file naming system that must be used for all spec files, no exceptions (typically just Section Name - Section Number.PDF) with an example attached. This allows me to compile all of the PDF files using Bluebeam software. I also attach a copy of the current Table of Contents for the project in Word with instructions for each consultant to update the file using Track Changes. A week later I contact everyone with the same set of instructions with a request for a short acknowledgement that they understand what is expected. (maybe I should add voting buttons) Two days before due date I send it out once more with some added notes to those who I have not heard from at all. I also follow up with phone calls to see if there is any way I can help them get their work done. I typically only get voice mail. The day before due date I usually get several emails asking for header, footer, font and format examples. I resend my previous emails (I keep them as a thread) with an urgent request for their list of Sections. I usually receive about half the files I'm expecting on due date. More phone calls and emails. Two days after due date I usually get about 80 -90 percent of the files including revisions to the files I've already received. The files almost never wholly match the list of Sections or marked up Tables of Contents that I received. At this point I will have already gotten the PM involved. I make a point of calling each of the errant consultants on their cell phones around 10 PM to ask them if I can get their work to me by midnight. The day that we were to have issued the documents, I typically receive all but a few of the remainder. The filenames, fonts, formatting, etc. are typically wrong so I have to rename the files. I include the content as is. I will not touch Word files from consultants as I don't want to edit them. If they're wrong, I send them back with a note telling them what they need to correct, presuming there is still time. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1911 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 - 03:32 pm:    Wonderful, Ken. Thanks for the rueful laugh. I do just about the same things with just about the same results, except I won't make the 10 pm phone calls. I also refuse Word documents, not wanting to be accused of making changes. (And I don't tell anyone how easy it is to make changes to a PDF document.) I, too, return the PDF with a request to correct errors. Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP, LEED AP BD+C, MAI Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 285 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2014 - 12:01 am:    As an independent, I compile whenever possible, it just makes things go smoother for many reasons like those mentioned above. Whether I compile and what I compile depends on the way to project is planned, which depends on the client's and project's needs and other team members' capabilities. I have not established a separate fee for the compiling but I would price a bit less for a project that had none. I'd rather make a few comments about consultant specs than to tinker with them. My experience is about every time you change anything and send them a heads up copy in tracked changes and ask that they update their files, the next issuance of their specs still has their original version. I learned to keep in the received specs file the version that I marked up right beside theirs (###### YYMMDDa_cg - SECTION TITLE.[doc][rtf][pdf][etc]) so I could immediately tell when this happened. But I don't think the client wants to pay me what it would cost to become babysitter. So I've taken to just asking for PDFs from everyone. Except when the agreement includes importing them into e-SPECS, or when it is in SpecsIntact I will gladly take native .sec files to drag in and do release processing, then it does a great job of making a combined PDF and the required reports. Both these systems fully automate the headers and footers and do well with the TOC. In a few cases I have used simple DOS commands and Excel to batch rename their files &/or add to the TOC e.g. if they are not being imported into e-SPECS. I communicate with the Architect clearly about their timeline and how it shapes my timeline and that of the other team members, then I ask the Architect to convey the resulting consultant timeline to the consultants. It works better than if I try to do it, since I'm never writing checks out to pay the consultants. If they are late I point it out quickly but that is all. I do not want to become the one to hassle them. I let the PA or PM know what is happening. If things are held up, it is clear why. I'm never late on a project (often info is received much later than the agreed timeline and I still turn it around in less additional time than my contract would allow because I know my client is in a pinch. That does not constitute me being late, it is actually early according to my contract, though a few hours later than they had wished for). At the latest they have it in the wee hours instead of the end of business day but who else besides me is looking at it at 2 am, unless they are on the west coast). Sometimes the reason I am not late is because there is someone else even later. I'd rather spend my time getting my work done than beating up others on the team. If designers struggle to give quality information, I help and make suggestions where I can but it is their decision; if their consultants documents are messed up, maybe these are reasons they need a good specifier to somehow pull it together. Once there is a utopian community of architects, engineers, other consultants, and contractors, I would love to join them. Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 188 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2014 - 08:24 am:    When I was working as a consultant, it varied by client. I had one client that handled publishing everything and others, I handled all of it. I'm in-house now and I compile everything myself. Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 189 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2014 - 08:49 am:    I overlooked part of the question... Yes I charged for compiling, but it was built in to my fee. As for consultants specs, it depends on who it is. Consultants that I have a long relationship with, I will make tweaks if I see something important. Those that I don't, get comments and a request to fix it copied to the PM/PA. I have redone headers/footers In Word docs when there wasn't time to make the other party fix it. Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2014 - 12:27 pm:    I'm curious how many of you take the time to compile your PDFs with bookmarks for each section, and grouped into Divisions? This requires strict PDF-file-naming conventions, which some consultants, in my experience, can't get right, even after giving them specific "written" instructions! Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 609 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2014 - 01:09 pm:    Regarding the bookmarks, there is a HUGE value to this, so I do it on every project. I typically have an external consultant doing my specs, but I go through the process of manually renaming the files as needed, so my spec writer can compile everything more easily. Scott Piper Senior Member Username: spiper Post Number: 16 Registered: 08-2014 Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2014 - 05:29 pm:    I am in-house so we do compile everything. I can see why it is much more difficult for independents to perform this function. As for bookmarks we have been including this in the portfolio for a couple of years now and it appears to be appreciated by the contrators. Again I believe being in-house makes this easier. We also are a smaller firm so we work with the same small group of consultants all the time. Having to work with multiple consultants would complicate our lives considerably. Because we have such a small list of consultants edits are not a huge issue. Even if we need to edit their spec we can typically predict what we will have to change before we even get the documents. ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 845 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Friday, November 07, 2014 - 05:18 pm:    Bookmarks: Yes. Each Section gets its own bookmark. List by Divisions: Only in the Table of Contents. I don't see any benefit in creating multi-level bookmarks to demarcate Divisions. The reason I'm so insistent on proper filenaming is precisely because I want every Section in correct numerical order. The Divisions pretty much take care of themselves. Vivian Volz, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: vivianvolz Post Number: 144 Registered: 06-2004 Posted on Monday, November 10, 2014 - 10:27 pm:    I compile. I don't break out the fee, usually, but I do figure the number of times I expect to issue into my fee, because I compile. I bookmark by section only, and I try to insist on proper file naming so that it's easy. BlueBeam bookmarks by file name with ease. To that end, I issue a document with instructions on formatting, no internal bookmarks inside the sections, file naming, change tracking, and due dates. I don't always get what I ask for (sometimes like Ken's experience, sometimes better) but I figure if I don't ask for what I want, I won't get it. We still have to do some renaming, but if I have gotten the consultants' work timely, I have time to do that. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1214 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 12:43 pm:    A current client has asked me to compile specifications from Consultants and our office into two volumes. I have not done this before, I typically issue PDF's of our specs to the architect. I only accept PDF's and specifically state in my agreements that I never touch, modify, or revise another Consultant's specifications. Can someone explain what is involved in compiling the specifications/ How is this done without opening the Consultant's spec? Even worse some of the Consultant's specs are downright horrible, some of the worse specs I've ever seen. The Architect has advised us to ignore the Consultant's spec mistakes. The only good news is that this is not a condo project, thank god. Liz O'Sullivan Senior Member Username: liz_osullivan Post Number: 165 Registered: 10-2011 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 12:50 pm:    Are the consultants submitting in Word? If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can convert Word files to PDF without opening them. Select them in the folder, right click, and you'll get some options including "Convert to Adobe PDF." Liz O'Sullivan Senior Member Username: liz_osullivan Post Number: 166 Registered: 10-2011 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 12:53 pm:    In the folder, you can then select all the PDF files you need to compile, right click, and you'll get an option "Combine files in Acrobat." Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1215 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 12:54 pm:    I only accept Consultant specs in PDF, never in word. Legal has advised that if I modify any part of a Consultant's spec I own that spec. So for the past 25 years I only accept PDF's. I use Wordperfect which does allow me to convert any word file to PDF, which I only do for specs prepared by my office. Liz O'Sullivan Senior Member Username: liz_osullivan Post Number: 167 Registered: 10-2011 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 12:57 pm:    So you're in good shape - all you need to do is combine them, which you can do the way I indicated above, if you have Adobe Acrobat. No need to open them. I personally open them to verify that the file name matches the section, and to review for Division 01 coordination. Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 190 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:02 pm:    Jerome - if you don't have Adobe Acrobat-pro, you can download a trial for a month and then pay monthly as needed for ~$35 a month unless you decide you want to buy it. There are some other options as well. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 613 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:03 pm:    Liz, same functionality exists for Bluebeam users as well. In fact, I think Revu goes one step further and preserves all the individual file names and uses those to create relative path hyperlinks between all the files that are converted and/or combined into PDF format. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you are working the A/E industry, and don't use Bluebeam Revu, you are the odd man out, and paying too much for underwhelming PDF software! Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1216 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:05 pm:    Liz, I have combined the spec sections and issued them in a zip file, but apparently that is not what they want. They refuse to tell me, other than they expect me to compile the specs, yet they won't define what they want. If they weren't my biggest client, I'd tell them to compile this.... Liz O'Sullivan Senior Member Username: liz_osullivan Post Number: 168 Registered: 10-2011 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:11 pm:    I combine all files into one PDF with blank pages where necessary, for double sided printing. People can print in one shot. Not a zip file. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 614 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:12 pm:    Jerome, I have uploaded a screen shot of what they might be requesting. Take a look: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3772540/TOC-display-screen-shot.JPG Robin E. Snyder Senior Member Username: robin Post Number: 580 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:12 pm:    Jerome: Combining them in a zip is different from combining them into one PDF file. This is really a quick process. I make two folders, volume 1, volume 2, then move the appropriate sections into each folder. Make 2 TOC's - one for each volume, then combine the files for each volume into a PDF. How do you deliver your specs? I recommend bluebeam revu as well - i think it is $179 per seat fee - very reasonable. Email me if you want to see samples of the TOC's etc. Other than a little extra work for the TOC's, this shouldn't take you long. Robin E. Snyder Senior Member Username: robin Post Number: 581 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:14 pm:    FWIW, i don't add the blank sheets or odd sheets. I have only had one or two clients ask me to go back and add. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 615 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 01:26 pm:    What Robin and Liz are describing is the end result I posted the screenshot of. To better demonstrate this, I made a short (1 min) video documenting the process I use in Bluebeam. I'm sure Acrobat is very similar. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3772540/Creating-One-PDF-Spec.wmv Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1217 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 02:07 pm:    Well, I've certainly learned something here today, you guys are great, appreciate all the input, now trying to get my clients to pay anymore for this will be impossible. I do get my share of complaints about spec sections that are missing even though when I open up the zip file, all files are accounted for. BTW, I either send zipped PDF's or upload to FTP's or Dropbox to send PDF files. David E Lorenzini Senior Member Username: deloren Post Number: 163 Registered: 04-2000 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 02:29 pm:    Liz, I'd like to go back to your remark about converting Word files to PDF without opening them. With Windows XP, I could select any number of Word files, right click to show a shortcut menu that included "Print". As long as I had previously done this by manually opening the Word document and selecting the destination folder, it would set the default for the rest of the process doing it with the right click method. (I explained this procedure a long time ago to David Axt, but I'm not sure it was through 4specs.) The problem is that I switched to Windows 7 a few years ago and the Print option in the shortcut menu was gone. I checked all the Windows and Office discussion sites, and did not find a solution to this issue. If you are using Windows 7, I'd like to know how you manage to do it. My option, other than opening every Word file to print, is to use Windows 7's "XP Mode", a virtual OS that Microsoft implemented as a free download install with a free copy of Windows XP as well. It requires a bit of your RAM and a lot of drive storage, and it is a noticeably slower, but it does provide the shortcut Print option. It is opened from an icon shortcut on your desktop, so you don't have to reboot either. It cuts the PDF printing process to what it used to be. One concern is that this version of Windows XP is also subject to the No Support policy that Microsoft implemented on April 8, 2014. One way to get around that issue is to turn off the network connection on Windows XP. Even though I use Acrobat for purposes other than specifications, I plan to try Bluebeam Revu when I get a chance. David Lorenzini, FCSI, CCS Architectural Resources Co. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1923 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 02:56 pm:    Although I'm in-house, I'll add my 2 cents. I request consultant files in PDF format, and have recently requested they add a blank page to sections of odd number pages. So far, so good. Compiling into 2 volumes, with the same Table of Contents in each is fairly easy then. My own sections already have that blank page (inserted by the database software I use). I use Adobe Acrobat XI because that's what my employer gives me. It works well. Louis Medcalf, FCSI, CCS Senior Member Username: louis_medcalf Post Number: 39 Registered: 11-2010 Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 12:10 pm:    Major concerns with specs from external consultants include: * They don't understand that they should not try to scope trade subcontracts for their discipline. * They include general and administrative requirements that conflict with the Conditions of the Contract and with Div-01 sections. * Food service, signage, and elevator consultants write their specs as stand-alone contracts rather than as work that is part of a general construction contract. It's a dirty job to check consultant specs, but someone has to do it or the firm will have unnecessary Addenda, RFIs, and Change Orders, or claims. BTW, PDF files can be marked up in Newforma and it can join separate section files into a single file. Vivian Volz, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: vivianvolz Post Number: 145 Registered: 06-2004 Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 01:25 pm:    Louis, I agree with your concerns. For certain clients (and certain consultants!) I prepare a memo or a markup of the specs that need correcting. I do this for clients with robust check-set processes. The ones who don't require check sets before issues don't get this concierge coordination service! There simply is no time. The markups are explicitly so that I don't have to change specs from consultants myself. Louis Medcalf, FCSI, CCS Senior Member Username: louis_medcalf Post Number: 41 Registered: 11-2010 Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 01:35 pm:    I agree with various participants in this thread that we shouldn't unilaterally change specs from consultants who are registrants, but I do modify sections from food service, hardware, and other non-registered consultants. Like Vivian said, provide unambiguous review comments and then mark the specs "revise and resubmit." Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Friday, November 21, 2014 - 11:24 pm:    Sometimes receiving consultants specs and turning-around is measured in hours..sometimes negative hours (i.e., late, after my deadline). No time to "revise & re-submit". Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 551 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 02:25 pm:    I'm with Peter; I don't compile for the very same reasons that Ken described above in his wonderful post. I am not an administrative/clerical service - I am a technical professional consultant to the architect, and the specifications I write are my instruments of service to the architect, who in turn provides input and ultimately takes possession of their content. I have a couple of client architects who are not in a position to assemble project manuals, which I will offer to do for them for additional fee. I do not take responsibility for obtaining the sections from their consultants, and only review and comment on their section content if that additional service is included in my fee. The AIA C141 requires consultants to coordinate their documents with the architect's. I provide a coordination checklist so they know in advance what I intend to write and what I expect them to not write - we then iron out any differences. They also get a template from me. As with owner clients, architect clients are trained by how you deliver your service. If you seek to take ownership of the entire project manual, lead its coordination, and publish it, and enjoy doing so, you should. It's a worthy undertaking. I don't enjoy the administrative/clerical side of this work, and dislike the stress associated with dealing with consultant formatting and delivery issues, so I try to limit it and focus on content issues that engage my professional skills.