Checklists in Specifications

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Author Message Brett M. Wilbur CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: brett Post Number: 125 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 11:06 am:    I've been going back and forth with the idea of including a closeout check list and a warranty checklist in the specifications. Not so much to hold the contractors hand, but to help with the architects and interns when they are wrapping up a project. I can also see how a submittal checklist could help during submittal review. Just seems like a lot of information is being left out of closeout and submittal review because the submittal checker either doesn't have time to properly review all the information, doesn't know what to look for, or is lazy. I'm trying to think of ways to make the process simpler and more efficient. Does anyone else include checklists in their specs? Is there an easy way to generate these checklists so that they would be project specific? Maybe it would be something I would provide to the architects but not include in the specifications. Nathan Woods, CCCA Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 100 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 11:20 am:    I think the checklist is a good idea. I know it would help me and my crew process these submittals, and I agree that the quality of the closeout submittals on private jobs is getting abysmal. The checklist could be a big help. Also, if you provided it to Architect only, I can envision the scenario where the contractor makes a submittal that gets rejected, and the architect returns the submittal with a copy of the checklist. My point is that internal documents like that often get distributed anyway. because they are useful. Regards, NW George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 182 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 11:37 am:    State projects here require submittal checklists in Division 1. My last firm was debating making it policy to include one on all projects, regardless of client. CA was the big driving force for inclusion of submittal checklists. My objection (as a specwriter) was that we require the contractor to provide a submittal schedule... why not use that as a checklist? Regarding closeout and warranty checklists, I have worked with several owners who supplied us with their standard closeout checklists, and we included them in the project manual. That was handy for everyone. Another scenario is to make the submittal schedule (checklist), as prepared by the contractor, a talking point for the pre-construction meeting, and get everyone on board to agree that it is the record everyone uses. For closeout, regardless of who prepares the checklist, I'd suggest a similar discussion at a progress meeting sufficiently prior to closeout, so everyone agrees what is needed. Regardless of their inclusion in the project manual, checklists can be a great roadmap and an efficient tool for CA efforts, if you can get everyone to agree to use and follow the same one. Robert E. Woodburn Senior Member Username: bwoodburn Post Number: 119 Registered: 01-2005 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 11:52 am:    BSD SpecLink has a convenient way to print out automatically-generated "Requirements Reports," which include the closeout requirements list(s). Each type of requirement is a separate list; there are about 30 different ones, as listed below. ("Phase" lists are probably applicable only to Perspective, a related pre-design requirements program that uses the same software engine with a different database.) Separate reports can be generated for the following, listed alphabetically except for the first two: Submittals [includes the three separate lists for Product Data, Shop Drawings and Samples, which are each listed separately below]. Manufacturers Listed in Project Certificate Closeout Phase Construction Documents Phase Construction Phase Design Calculations Design Development Phase Extra Materials Field Report Independent Agency Field Testing Installation Instructions Installer Qualifications LEED Report Manufacturer Qualifications Mock-Up Occupancy Phase Operation and Maintenance Data Pre-Installation Meeting Preliminary Phase Product Data Submittal Professional Engineer Design Project Record Data Proposal Phase Qualifications Statement Samples Shop Drawings Source Quality Control Special Warranty Provisions Test Report Warranty, Executed Warranty, Specimen Since these are produced by an automated function of SpecLink, there is no way I know of to customize the reports easily, such as reformatting several of them into a master spreadsheet. Best source for clarification or further info would be Susan McClendon (architect, CCS and a VP of BSD)... Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wyancey Post Number: 146 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 03:43 pm:    MaterWorks that is bundled with MasterSpec will also generate reports for most, if not all of the articles Robert listed above. The reports can be as brief or as detailed as one needs. MASTERWORKS/MASTERWORKS Multi-File/Reports The dialogue box is divided into 3 sections. 1. Report types. 2. Report options (10 standard + custom report text box) 3. Content options: checklist only or include text. The reports can be modified as a MSWord document. Wayne Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 359 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 04:13 pm:    I do the Masterworks lists for our project people at the time I finish the project manual. I run all the reports and hand them to the team at the same time I hand over the hard copy of the specs. I don't include them actually in the project manual but I know that on some projects our CA people hand a copy over to the contractor. I don't include them in the specs because on a well run project, the Contractor has his own set of checklists and procedures that work for them and are often more inclusive than what we get out of Masterworks. On a badly run project, we produce the lists almost from a defensive point of view -- "if you're not going to organize your project, we will want AT least this much stuff". Since many of the people doing CA in our office are relatively unexperienced, these checklists are a good tool for them to learn from. I would hesitate to include submittal checklists as part of the specifications becuase it might be construed to limit what we do want, and we also often have additional requirements other than what is listed. As for closeout lists, that will often vary so much from project to project that a standard list will simply be a starting point. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 186 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 05:15 pm:    CA staff have often become my best friends after I share these reports with them; the same for CMs . The Testing and Inspection report helps a great deal with assembling a testing services RFP. A manufacturer's report is very handy for future spec writing reference. These are intended to be inhouse tools. I don't include them in contract documents - can't think of why I would do that, unless I had a spare foot and wanted to shoot it off.