Comprehensive List of Spec Software S...

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Author Message Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 878 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 01:31 pm:    It seems to me that there is a lot of movement in the spec writing software industry right now. There are many solutions, but they are evolving rapidly, changing hands, and being renamed, or combinations thereof. To wrap my head around this, I created a list of what I think is currently known and/or available. It is my intent to make this a living document, that we all collectively update as warranted. Note: I tried up follow the directions to upload from Excel, but it came out really funky Melissa J Aguiar Senior Member Username: melissajaguiar Post Number: 18 Registered: 09-2015 Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 02:05 pm:    Thank you Nathan! Jeffrey Potter Senior Member Username: jpotter Post Number: 30 Registered: 02-2017 Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 02:10 pm:    Nathan, MasterSpec is the collection of guide sections owned by the AIA. MasterSpec is not a technology product. Spectext is also a collection of guide specs, not a technology product. Currently no plan to phase out e-specs. Revit integration with Specpoint will also becoming soon. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 879 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 03:17 pm:    Jeffrey, thank you for the clarification. Is it fair to say, that MasterSpec is the content provided via the AIA, that is only currently available when purchased from Deltek, using a software overlay such as SpecPoint or VisiSpecs to edit and manipulate? Jeffrey Potter Senior Member Username: jpotter Post Number: 31 Registered: 02-2017 Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 04:16 pm:    Yes, that is fair. You can use any of Deltek's platforms. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 880 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 05:48 pm:    Based on Jeffery's comments, I have added a column to distinguish data source from software. See updated list as follows: Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS SCIP Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 342 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 11:30 am:    Nathan, this is very helpful info -- thank you for taking the initiative. A couple comments: 1. VisiSpecs does indeed require a MasterSpec license (or other source possibly?) to obtain content. I understand it is an MS Word plug-in, so DOCs are required. Deltek just announced that Word files will be phased out this year, which means that content could be in jeopardy. 2. There is no data source associated with Conspectus Cloud -- it's a platform that operates on user-furnished content. Jeffrey Wilson CCS CSI SCIP Wilson Consulting Inc Narberth PA Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 881 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 11:42 am:    Awesome, thanks for the feedback. New version posted: ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1497 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 01:00 pm:    From what I understand Conspectus Cloud provides access to the Conspectus spec master as well as allowing upload of Word files in docx format so that office masters, project files, etc. can be used to create multiple masters based on project types, clients, etc. Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS SCIP Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 343 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 01:11 pm:    Ken is probably right, in which case I stand corrected. Maybe Dave Stutzman can chime in to confirm. Jeffrey Wilson CCS CSI SCIP Wilson Consulting Inc Narberth PA Ruppert Rangel, AIA CDT Senior Member Username: rangel Post Number: 36 Registered: 08-2006 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 01:19 pm:    A few months ago I tried to get some software support from Deltek/Avitru on e-specs and found out most of the experienced Avitru staff are gone. I didn't get an enthusiastic response from the remaining Deltek folks familiar with e-specs. I'm not convinced it will be supported much longer and Deltek will likely focus on SpecPoint. David Stutzman Senior Member Username: david_stutzman Post Number: 87 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 01:26 pm:    Hello all. Conspectus Cloud is offered with our own master specs developed to be part of the offering. Subscribers may use their own legacy content if they wish - simply import DOCX files as masters or as project docs. Additionally, SpecText is not based on AIA MasterSpec. It was the first commercial spec system, independently developed by the Construction Sciences Research Foundation (CSI's first foundation) and sold to Arcom>Avitru>Deltek. SpecText content was licensed to BSD for the initial content for Speclink. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 882 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2022 - 02:12 pm:    Thank you David! David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1953 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 11:59 am:    Don't forget SimpleSpecs by ZeroDocs. It is cloud based. https://zerodocs.com/ David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Dan Helphrey Senior Member Username: dbhelphrey Post Number: 108 Registered: 12-2018 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 02:08 pm:    Thanks for this effort, Nathan! A few clarifications: - VisiSpecs will work with any MS Word files, not just AIA MasterSpec, as long as they are adequately formatted (i.e. named paragraph styles, outline levels, etc). Out of the box, it reads the familiar AIA MasterSpec/SpecText paragraph styles (PRT, ART, PR1, PR2, etc) but settings can be changed to read any other set of named paragraph styles. VisiSpecs also has some tools to work with UFGS, but it still sends you to the SI Editor for the actual editing of the Sections. - Since SpecText was acquired by Arcom/Avitru/Deltek, the sections have been formatted (roughly) the same as AIA MasterSpec sections, so the two libraries can always be integrated into the same project, whichever editing software you're using. - AIA MasterSpec can also be edited using plain vanilla MS Word, or with the MasterWorks plug-in for Word, for as long as it's still available in Word docs. - Ron Blank & Associates used to make their SpexPlus master guide specifications available for free. They discontinued this a number of years ago, but you can still find zipped copies of their last published version floating around. (Also, as a VisiSpecs user, I'm very disappointed to hear that Deltek has finally admitted they will be discontinuing Word file subscriptions and set a date...) John Bunzick Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1893 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 02:11 pm:    Okay, to nitpick a bit. The military product is actually UFGS (United Facilities Guide Specifications), a combined effort of several branches of the DoD, and published as part of the Whole Building Design Guide. They were at one time commonly called NAVFAC specs, as the Navy was the lead author (I think, or maybe it was the Army Corps of Engineers). SpecsIntact is the software that edits them. Although NASA uses them, I don't think they ever led the development of the content. I first used them in 1985 for a project in Quantico; they didn't have an EPDM section yet, so we had to get special permission to use our own section for that. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 883 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 02:51 pm:    David Axt, is SimpleSpecs still alive? Every link on that website to the software leads to a 404 Error Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 884 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 02:53 pm:    Well, let me recuse myself. MOST of the links are dead, but not this one: https://zerodocs.com/master-guide-specs/architectural-specifications/ Dan Helphrey Senior Member Username: dbhelphrey Post Number: 109 Registered: 12-2018 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 03:16 pm:    This was the first time I had heard of SimpleSpecs - they look a LOT like the old SpexPlus. Dan Helphrey Senior Member Username: dbhelphrey Post Number: 110 Registered: 12-2018 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 03:20 pm:    @John Bunzick - UFGS and SpecsIntact are currently hosted on a NASA server and administered out of Goddard, hence the confusion. Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 948 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 03:32 pm:    What Dan said. ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1500 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 05:02 pm:    Well, Kennedy Space Center. Formerly Canaveral. They've been housed in what they described back in the 80's as "a little shack in the back of Cape Canaveral." Goddard has enough problems. They self-describe as "SpecsIntact is a mature automated system for preparing standardized facility construction specifications used worldwide by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)." Below is per their webpage - https://specsintact.ksc.nasa.gov/HelpCenter/helpcenter.shtml SPECSINTACT IS A SOFTWARE PRODUCT OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA), AND IS DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINED UNDER THE KENNEDY INFRASTRUCTURE, APPLICATION AND COMMUNICATIONS (KIAC) CONTRACT AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. ALL OTHER PRODUCTS MENTIONED ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES. SPECSINTACT, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL 32899 Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 885 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Friday, September 02, 2022 - 05:09 pm:    Updated per the commentary ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1501 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2022 - 09:00 am:    Thanks again for doing this Nathan! ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1502 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2022 - 11:30 am:    On a similar note, resurrecting and old thread http://discus.4specs.com/discus/messages/7866/7198.html, there are rumors that Deltek now does charge manufacturers to be listed in MasterSpec. Not Product MasterSpec but the MasterSpec that many of us currently subscribe to and complain about. I have noticed lately that there seem to be more Sections that have no or very few listings when I open Paragraph Builder. I never relied much on MasterSpec for manufacturer selections since Colin consistently does a much better job maintaining 4specs.com. Colin is a lot better than any other resource I can find. I know that RIB does not charge manufacturers to be listed in SpecLink Cloud. Does anyone know definitively whether the policy has changes at Deltek? guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2022 - 08:55 am:    Dan, I believe Ron Blank sold his specification program to ARCOM just prior to Alpine Investments buying ARCOM and changing the name to Avitru. Rather than fulfilling it's purchase obligations Alpine Investments never did anything with SpexPlus. Adam New member Username: adamzerodocscom Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2022 Posted on Monday, September 05, 2022 - 07:31 pm:    ZeroDocs.com is alive and well. https://zerodocs.com/spec-writing-software/ Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 886 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2022 - 08:20 pm:    Chalkline reached out to me and confirmed that they are definitely active and not phasing out as surmised. They allow the use of any Word.doc based format, not reliant on AIA MasterSpec. So I have updated the chart accordingly and have also updated ZeroDocs. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 887 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2022 - 08:23 pm:    Here is the updated list: Jeffrey Potter Senior Member Username: jpotter Post Number: 32 Registered: 02-2017 Posted on Thursday, October 06, 2022 - 12:26 pm:    Hi Nathan, thank you for putting together this list. Just to update on the Deltek stuff, we are not phasing out SpecsText and will be incorporating it into Specpoint sometime during 2023. Specpoint is a cloud based application that is accessible through any device and browser. Specbuilder Cloud does not have revit integration. Line 7, she is an independent specifier. What program is line 14? Are you able to share information on that? Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 888 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 06, 2022 - 03:22 pm:    Thanks for the updates everyone, please keep them coming! I think there is a clear lesson to be learned by this effort of simply trying to determine who is out there and what software we have access too: The websites for these companies have lousy transparency! Seamus McGrady (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 - 01:10 pm:    I can see how this grid would be valuable if accurate. A few items have been updated for Chalkline, but two more are also in need of correcting: 1) VisiSpecs includes Free Community Masters which currently have the Canadian NMS masters (English and French and MasterFormat and UniFormat) and the Kalin Associates Short Form Masters. The Community Masters make masters available Free or Paid to all VisiSpecs customers. SpecsIntact (UFGS) integration is also included. VisiSpecs users also import their own masters, client (owner) masters, BPM masters, commercial masters, international masters, and any Word or PDF docs. Every proprietary spec application I know exports to Word docs which are an import source to VisiSpecs. 2) As there is an Active vs Active and Growing option, VisiSpecs is definitely in the Active and Growing arena so that update is needed. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 889 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 - 04:23 pm:    Seamus, while informative, your comments are difficult to apply to the chart. If you have Specific comments that can be applied, I will endeavor to do so. As for "Active and Growing", that term presumes a familiarity with various products that I simply do not have, and am not qualified to have an opinion on, so I have revised the term to simply be "Active" where applicable. See updated chart: (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 08:23 am:    Is there a tab that could be added to this list that indicates a cost associated with all of these systems? Something simple like $, $$, $$$ or HOLY CRAP BATMAN??? Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 48 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 12:37 pm:    While that'd be nice, most have various permutations on how they figure the cost: Number of seats, size of "enterprise," number of divisions, etc., etc., etc. And when I am able to find out any pricing, most of it seems to fall in the "HOLY CRAP BATMAN???" category. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 890 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 01:49 pm:    As Loretta indicated, it is intentionally difficult to compare apples to apples, and the results would be pretty subjective, so I am going to vote no this feature request. ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1522 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 01:56 pm:    Or "If you have to ask..." Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 49 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 02:53 pm:    SpecsIntact is FREE! Gary Barnett Intermediate Member Username: gary_barnett Post Number: 4 Registered: 08-2011 Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 08:40 pm:    I have used the VA sections for VA work some time ago. It appears that many their sections have been updated in the last few years but I have not used them recently (They are free as well) https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/spec.asp#05 Dan Helphrey Senior Member Username: dbhelphrey Post Number: 117 Registered: 12-2018 Posted on Friday, October 14, 2022 - 04:13 pm:    UFGS/SpecsIntact and VA are only "free" until you add in all the time it'll take editing them for private work - I'm still not sure I've found every possible permutation of "resident engineer" and "contracting officer", and I'm quite sure I haven't found every reference to specific Government regulations... (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2022 - 12:01 pm:    Understood on the cost request, and it was really more of an inquiry. I've found much the same, expensive across the board. Smaller firms may find it difficult to expend that kind of capitol. We are a transitioning size firm growing and finding a need for "a better way" (if you will). Currently using Avitru but that is going to be phased out so at some point we will need to shift. We are searching NOW so that this process of transitioning doesn't creep up and bite us all of a sudden. At the same time we're also looking at finding a manageable c/a / project management software (procure too big and expensive) that we can use internally. Any direction to other posts on that would be greatly appreciated. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 728 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2022 - 04:22 pm:    Regarding using VA and UFGS for specifications for projects where they are not required: DON'T!! Their content is just not good enough, and contain no manufacturer/product information (not allowed for most Federal work). The commercial specification library subscriptions are cheap given their value, unless you don't value specifications, in which case you wouldn't be in this forum. So bite the bullet and go with one of them; they'll save you their value in research time in the first quarter. Regarding project management software: Good luck, and post your findings here. There is a thread running right now on the AIA Knowledge Communities about architectural firm project management software. Finding a suitable multi-project management tool that reflects the type of scopes and complexity that constitute architectural practice is very difficult; we don't do construction projects with hundreds of discreet activities, and we don't need something that granular. We looked at a couple of tools: Basecamp for one (cool interface but terrible document manager for our use) and Wrike (I want to write specs, not spend all day tweaking a management tool). We finally decided to use SmartSheet which we already subscribed to, and tweaked and hacked it to do a pretty good job at helping us track 20+ active spec projects. Their support people were a help. Phil Kabza FCSI CCS AIA SpecGuy Specifications Consultants www.SpecGuy.com phil@specguy.com Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 891 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2022 - 04:42 pm:    SmartSheet is good for certain things, mostly things that involve some degree of scheduling, Asana is popular in my office for managing projects, and Miro Board is popular for various tasks also, but you're reference to ProCore makes me think you are thinking more of CA related tasks. We use Newforma and have found no equals to it, but we have looked hard at quite a few. TonicDM is developing nicely, as are a few others, such as ProjectReady. There is a pretty good thread on this in the Software channel here on 4Specs: http://discus.4specs.com/discus/messages/430/8743.html?1660226153 John Bunzick Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1899 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, October 17, 2022 - 04:45 pm:    The obvious trend in all sectors of the economy is strongly towards cloud-based subscriptions and its concurrent complexity. I'm president of a small non-profit arts organization (and the accidental IT guy). Over the last three to four years, we have transitioned our entire technology platform to the cloud. We have something like 15 cloud platforms to make this work - and we really are very tiny. Fortunately, as a non-profit, we some of the important ones for free, including Google Workspace, SalesForce, and Microsoft 365. Still, it consumes a good chunk of our budget and time to manage and maintain. On the other hand, the power it has given us to be largely virtual, more organized, in control of all our data, and reach people across the entire world is extraordinary. I don't think any small business, even very small ones, can expect to survive without spending several thousand bucks a year minimum for information services and technology. Spec software, and MasterSpec, and ASTM and all the others - that's just part of what it takes to be in business. But wow, when I first started I had to trek to the business library in town occasionally to do research, or persuade the company to spend thousands on hard copy that was out of date in a year. I wouldn't go back. Adam Junior Member Username: adamzerodocscom Post Number: 2 Registered: 09-2022 Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 05:03 pm:    Our team developed modern open-source cloud tools for construction projects a few years back as a free service. Spec writing and management simplified (full editing of MS word without a subscription) https://zerodocs.com/spec-writing-software/ Product management made simple - https://zerodocs.com/product-list-selection/ Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 892 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 05:29 pm:    Thanks Adam, updated! guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 05:27 pm:    Adam (no last name), are you promoting your own product? If so, I did not think that was the purpose or function of this website. Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS SCIP Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 345 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 06:09 pm:    IMHO it's fine in this case for Adam to add to this valuable thread w/ add'l info about one of the systems listed in Nathan's document. I welcome the input, and ZeroDocs appears to be a well-thought-out system. It is one of the packages I'll be considering once Deltek ends support for Word documents. Based on reports from attempts to use SpecPoint, it is a long way from becoming a useful (or even usable) tool. Jeffrey Wilson CCS CSI SCIP Wilson Consulting Inc Narberth PA Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 893 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 06:46 pm:    Adam in this case, is a long time work acquaintance of mine, through various companies over the years, and current rep for ZeroDocs Adam Schwegel, CDT, SCIP ZeroDocs.com (714) 493-7474 Also, made another minor update to the ZeroDocs line Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 894 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - 02:14 pm:    Another minor update Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 896 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022 - 01:19 pm:    Another update, a correction regarding VisiSpecs Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 568 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 - 11:04 pm:    Since 2018, Holly Robinson and I have developed an extensive set of homegrown CSI-based specifications and I have been developing some powerful spec tools in Word, not yet totally user-friendly. Open to collaborators and new users to test things and give feedback. I feel it is time. At some point I will include support for OpenOffice / LibreOffice / Linux. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1968 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 12:47 pm:    Chris, That begs the question, "Why doesn't CSI, or better yet SCIP, look into developing our own specifications?" It would be specifiers developing specifications for other specifiers. Yes I realize this would be a lot of work. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 953 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 12:51 pm:    That is what David Stutzman of Conspectus did. Conspectus Cloud. David Stutzman Senior Member Username: david_stutzman Post Number: 88 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 01:32 pm:    Thank you, Wayne. This is not new for Conspectus. We were doing the same for all the years we wrote SPECTEXT for the Construction Sciences Research Foundation. Now, Conspectus Cloud - both the tool and the content - is Conspectus created. Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 569 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 01:54 pm:    Yeah, a big fish swallowed some other fish, including SpecText. Gulp. Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 570 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 02:07 pm:    So if we the specifiers want to collaborate and develop Word specs, how long until a bigger fish tries to buy it and absorb/discontinue it? I think there should be at least one solution that remains open source so to speak, like Linux is to Apple and Microsoft. Not necessarily free, but the specifiers’ level of contribution to the system could possibly warrant free licenses. I wasn’t in specs yet during the days of CSRF to know how that worked when CSI was doing the collaborative spec writing thing. Nor how a product collaboratively developed by a nonprofit organization was sold for profit(?!) but I recall people wondering about that. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1970 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 02:10 pm:    Nathan, Your table is great. I would like to suggest a column for price. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 897 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 04:06 pm:    David, pricing is intentionally difficult to compare apples to apples, and the results would be pretty subjective, so I am going to vote no this feature request. Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 571 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Friday, October 28, 2022 - 02:46 pm:    I will never use cloud as my main solution. I use it for immediate backup of work files and for collaboration, but I don't want to be in a position of not being able to work at all during an extended service interruption. I recall there was a large regional interruption not long ago. I'm working on practicing resilience in every are of my life and this is no exception. My system allows for globally edited options per project like LEED/other sustainability, regional, and client preferences. If others want to subscribe to my masters, my team can push them out with updates while also synchronizing known firm preferences so you don't have to. Also can quickly provide rough draft specs that have the majority of stuff deleted that doesn't apply (based on an Excel checklist), for you to continue editing. Depending on our agreement per project, we can also capture input for remaining submissions. I can offer the masters with basic spec tools for a reasonably low cost which includes synchronized firmwide preferences and real-time updates as we learn of industry changes. And the advanced spec tools for a bit more if you want to do the rough draft processing in house (that's the part I'm especially still working on making more user friendly). Currently MS Word is supported. In the future will include one or more open source word processing platforms, and something cloud for those who prefer that for whatever reason. Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 572 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Friday, October 28, 2022 - 02:51 pm:    The system is called AEC Specifications. I cover all disciplines. Some could become more detailed in the future. I have not done anything to market this yet. I have one firm as a beta user and could take on a couple more at this point. Alex Sperfeld (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 - 04:31 pm:    Maybe someone from Deltek is listening, but it is my understanding that the AIA MasterSpec content will still be available through the SpecPoint cloud software. You can export to Word, if so desired, I suppose. E-Specs does not "need" MasterSpec content. It could work with your own Word files. I believe E-Specs is being "transitioned" into SpecPoint over the next few years? Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 907 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2022 - 12:33 pm:    I think this is work cross-posting. David Axt recently posted the following in the Coffee Pot channel: "In today's email Deltek indicates subscribers will continue to receive updates in MasterSpec Word until end of 2nd quarter (June 30, 2023). Deltek had originally set the deadline to be the end of 4th quarter (December 31, 2022)." Jeffrey Potter Senior Member Username: jpotter Post Number: 40 Registered: 02-2017 Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2022 - 02:41 pm:    In Response to Alex, Specpoint will have the capability to use custom office masters similarly to e-specs. Per our townhall yesterday, looking like mid-2023. Nathan is also correct, we did extend the word document deadline. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1989 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 01:45 pm:    To answer my own question about pricing, Deltek Specpoint (MasterSpec) is $2,456 (before taxes) and RIB SpecLink Cloud is $4,063.36 (before taxes). David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 02:36 pm:    David, How many licenses are included in the pricing information you've provided? Gail Ann J. Goldstead, AIA, CSI, CCS, CDT, LEED AP, BD+C Senior Member Username: ggoldstead Post Number: 39 Registered: 03-2015 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 05:10 pm:    Hi David, To compare apples to apples to RIB Speclink, I believe you also need to add in the cost of either Deltek desktop application: e-Specs or Deltek cloud-based Spec Point. When I was at the CSI conference in Denver this past fall, the overwhelming # of architects, (both large and small size firms) just get Deltek Masterspec with the Masterworks tool tab on top of MS Word. I think the Masterworks tool Tab works fine. Gail Goldstead David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1990 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 05:53 pm:    Unregistered Guest, One license. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Brian Payne Senior Member Username: brian_payne Post Number: 297 Registered: 01-2014 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 05:53 pm:    David, I believe additional seats of RIB Speclink after the first is under $400 each. Definitely changes the metric if you have more than one specifier. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1992 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 05:55 pm:    Brian, It is just me. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Brian Payne Senior Member Username: brian_payne Post Number: 298 Registered: 01-2014 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - 05:56 pm:    Too bad I can't add you to my plan. Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 918 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, August 03, 2023 - 01:54 pm:    Updated with NBS Chorus: https://www.thenbs.com/nbs-chorus Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 100 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Friday, August 04, 2023 - 08:46 am:    Nathan Woods - Thank you so much for the summary. NBS Chorus is also available for the American Market, not just Canada and UK. Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 1482 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 02:10 pm:    After dealing with this for the past month, "Masterworks" is a word plug-in, much like VisiSpecs is a Word plug-in. If you have both on your system, you have to disable one in order to work in the other -- there is a plug-in on the Word ribbon to do that. However, VisiSpecs does keep everything in the cloud, rather than resident on your computer's drive, whereas Masterworks keeps your content locally (or in your office's drive, wherever that is. Our office drive is in the cloud, too). Julian Master (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Friday, August 25, 2023 - 12:15 pm:    Hello, Anne. Personally, I've not had an issue using Masterworks tools in VisiSpec. So long as the Masterwork paragraph builder is disabled/unchecked under the Word Developer tab, COM Add-ins, Masterworks seems to work just fine for me -- including access to things like Supporting Documents. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 770 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Friday, August 25, 2023 - 02:26 pm:    We've had the same experience with Masterworks using Dropbox for Business. We unfortunately cannot make use of the Paragraph Builder which means we have to use workarounds to access MasterSpec's manufacturer and product listings or go without them. This issue only arose in the last year, likely the result of some Microsoft changes under the hood of Word. I would love to know if anyone has solved this, though it looks like extensive use of Masterworks will be moot before long as it will lose its support from Deltek. Phil Kabza FCSI CCS AIA SpecGuy Specifications Consultants www.SpecGuy.com phil@specguy.com Anne Whitacre (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, September 06, 2023 - 02:02 pm:    I think some of the issues are both Masterworks changes and also changes to our Microsoft 365 office-wide updates. (that is when we really started having problems). Paragraph builder is the problem, but I never use it in Masterworks anyway. Myron K. Hudson Intermediate Member Username: mkhudson Post Number: 4 Registered: 03-2024 Posted on Friday, March 08, 2024 - 02:35 pm:    Thanks so much to all of you for hashing this out. I've been sweating over where to take our master specs once MasterWorks is discontinued (mid 2025 as of now). VisiSpecs looks really promising. Line Anne and probably others we don't use Paragraph Builder. As an MPE firm we find that resource to be underpopulated. We have to select what actually applies and cannot be limited by 3rd party filters. Once we get into the weeds on something we use our connections to manufacturers, reps and suppliers to get accurate product data - we even get shop drawings and sometimes AIA Masterspec sections. Whatever we migrate to, it won't be SpecPoint, and it looks like we can transition before 2025. Thanks again. David Watson Junior Member Username: david_watson Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2023 Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 - 05:24 pm:    New spec software option: NBS Chorus Hoping this is the best place to introduce a 'new' option for USA specifiers - NBS Chorus cloud specifications service. It uses floating license model (which scales very nicely), with BIM/Spec integration (Revit & Vectorworks; more coming). One of it's best features is a 'template' system of formatting; focus on the data and leave formatting to the software. NBS Chorus publishes Canadian MasterFormat specifications, and work is underway to offer USA contents. Of course, we already have some USA customers that have imported their own data. NBS Chorus also integrates tightly with our NBS Source manufacturer's library (https://source.thenbs.com/). Email me directly or head to: https://www.thenbs.com/nbs-chorus Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 929 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Friday, March 29, 2024 - 01:49 pm:    David, NBS Chorus is line #14 on the above listed spreadsheet. Roxanne Button New member Username: dsynergies Post Number: 1 Registered: 03-2014 Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2024 - 10:46 am:    This is really helpful! Thank you for starting the thread, Nathan. And thanks to everyone who has contributed their experience. I'm looking for a software option that fits the smaller projects that I do in my own solo architectural firm, but can also handle the spec consulting that I sometimes do for other firms. I have used SpecLink (when it was BSD) and MasterSpec at previous firms. There are a lot more options out there than I realized. (Even though it says I'm a new member, I'm actually a longtime member but haven't posted before!) Roxanne Button AIA, CSI, MRAIC, LEED AP www.dsynergies.com