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a (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 09, 2013 - 07:14 pm: |    |
Apologies if this is a repeat, but I looked, and didn't find any prior discussion.
What composes technical specifications? Are Division 01 sections considered technical, even though they are mostly administrative and procedural requirements?
Should I be correcting people when they refer to 'tech specs' as only Divisions 02 through 49, or when they include Divisions 01 through 49? |
Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT
Senior Member
Username: rliebing
Post Number: 1440
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 10, 2013 - 09:10 am: | |
Division 01 is called "General Requirements" and are directed toward provisions that apply to all participants in the project.
Techncial Sections set out specific requirements for limited work on the project, and include techncial requirements for certain materials and systems, for one portion of the work. |
John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP
Senior Member
Username: bunzick
Post Number: 1538
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 10:57 am: | |
I still consider Division 01 technical specifications because no section in any of the other divisions is complete unless you include Division 01. This is so even though they are administrative provisions (sort of, not completely really). Otherwise, we are reduced to considering only Part 2 (and maybe Part 3) of each section technical specifications, but not Part 1. I don't think they are separable. |
Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate
Senior Member
Username: lynn_javoroski
Post Number: 1711
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 11:08 am: | |
Specifications aren't complete for any project without drawings and contracts. And they are not technical sections. I agree with Ralph. Technical sections are those from Division 02 through 49.
Division 01 does not address the same technical issues. |
Ronald L. Geren, FCSI, AIA, CCS, CCCA, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: specman
Post Number: 1155
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 11:50 am: | |
I would look at it this way:
1. Divisions 01 through 49 are specifications as defined by CSI.
2. If there is a need to identify "technical" specifications, then there must be "nontechnical" specifications.
3. If Divisions 01 through 49 are specifications, then they must consist of "technical" and "nontechnical" specifications.
4. Using that reasoning, I would consider Division 01 to be the "nontechnical" specifications and the remaining sections, 02 through 49, as "technical" specifications.
Since the use of the terms "technical" and "nontechnical" are not used by CSI to identify specifications, then I would question an Owner-A/E agreement that uses either of those terms by asking the owner to provide a definition.
If the intent is for the A/E to prepare all specifications (i.e Divisions 01 through 49), then adding the term "technical" is unnecessary and only adds confusion as demonstrated by this thread.
Ron Geren, FCSI, AIA, CCS, CCCA, SCIP
www.specsandcodes.com |
George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA
Senior Member
Username: geverding
Post Number: 688
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 01:25 pm: | |
At first reading, I was ready to agree with Ron's statement that "the terms 'technical' and 'nontechnical' are not used by CSI to identify specifications"...
However, CSI's Construction Specifications Practice Guide (CSPG)in 4.2.3.3, after a discussion of Division 00, says this: "...The remainder of the project manual, the titles in the Specifications Group, is made up of specification sections. Divisions 01 through 49 are specifications and form the Specifications Group. Divisions 02 through 49 are Technical Specifications."
So, I guess CSI does officially define Technical Specifications after all.
George A. Everding AIA CSI CCS CCCA
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
St. Louis, MO |
David J. Wyatt, CDT
Senior Member
Username: david_j_wyatt_cdt
Post Number: 32
Registered: 03-2011
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 01:32 pm: | |
Based on my experience, the people who the term "technical specs" are referring to Divisions 02 through 49 - the divisions where tangible products, work results, and systems are specified.
They think of "non-technical specs" as documents and requirements located in Divisions 00 and 01. The same people use are just as likely to refer to them as "boilerplate" or "front end stuff."
Correcting them doesn't do any good - they don't even hear your most reasoned and tactful objections. |
Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIPa, LEED AP BD+C, MAI, RLA
Senior Member
Username: tsugaguy
Post Number: 293
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 02:03 pm: | |
Ding ding ding! I agree with Ron, George, David - that is how CSI defines it (I'm recalling from the PRM but I suspect it is the same in the Practice Guides) and how most people think of it. (That "Technical Sections" are defined by CSI, and they begin with Division 02 and up.)
There are some who say "Front End" only means Div 00, but more commonly I find that people understand "Front End" to include both Div 00 & 01. Though it is hard to say, since it is not formally defined. Boilerplate is not defined by CSI either, seems to mean any wording that is from a standard form and not changed per project regardless of it's location in the documents but especially in the "front end". Yes I too have often heard it from the same people. The only reference to boiler anything at least in the PRM is boiler and machinery insurance, and one mention that wording should be reviewed even if it seems to be "boilerplate". |
Ronald L. Geren, FCSI, AIA, CCS, CCCA, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: specman
Post Number: 1156
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 02:49 pm: | |
George:
I looked but could not find it, but you did. I should have downloaded the PDFs of the practice guides and searched for the terms.
Anyway, thanks!
Ron Geren, FCSI, AIA, CCS, CCCA, SCIP
www.specsandcodes.com |
Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: rlmat
Post Number: 626
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 03:00 pm: | |
Generally I've always included Divisio 01 as part of the Project Manual and considered it part of the specifications. Division 00 as it is now called was considered the "Front End" and may or may not have been included.
One major issue I had with Division 01 was that it is the informational & procedural requirements for the "Technical Sections" and I always considered it part of the specifier's work due to the coordination required. When I would get into a problem was when CM's would insist on writing it without any knowledge of how to integrate it with the technical specifications. They would also like to try & set it up as a "Campus Standard" for all school projects, not understanding that the specs could differ from project to project. I had to fight for it, but generally won the argument. |
George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA
Senior Member
Username: geverding
Post Number: 689
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, October 12, 2013 - 03:47 pm: | |
"Front End" is street slang. I would use the term "front end" when teaching construction documents, because I knew my students were going to encounter it, but make sure to stress that it was not really a defined term. Owners and contractors use Front End to mean either Division 00, or Division 01, or both, and that is precisely why it is street slang and not defined - because it is an imprecise term whose meaning is dependent upon what street you are standing on when you hear it or use it.
[...and don't get me started on "Preamble" again...]
George A. Everding AIA CSI CCS CCCA
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
St. Louis, MO |
Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: rlmat
Post Number: 627
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 14, 2013 - 11:33 am: | |
Agreed George. In working for a firm that does a lot of Federally-funded work, they (the client)insist on calling the specifications, at least the techical portion, "Special Provisions" instead of "specifications". |
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan
Post Number: 624
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Monday, October 14, 2013 - 12:41 pm: | |
And yet, almost all of these entities will insist that you produce specs to "the CSI format." |
Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: rlmat
Post Number: 629
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 14, 2013 - 12:53 pm: | |
Correct. They also tend to confuse MasterFormat with MasterSpec on occasion. |
Louis Medcalf, FCSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: louis_medcalf
Post Number: 19
Registered: 11-2010
| | Posted on Friday, December 06, 2013 - 02:23 pm: | |
I believe all specs are technical sections, including Div-01--just a different type of technical requirements. Div-01 sections do not specify work results that are improvements to real property [an important legal concept], but coordinating Div-01 with the conditions of the contract [especially Owner-written conditions] is a task requiring technical skill.
Personally, I refer to non-Div-01 sections as 'product sections' but as you can see from the discussion, a lot of very knowledgeable specifiers use the phrase 'technical sections.' |
John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: john_regener
Post Number: 672
Registered: 04-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, December 07, 2013 - 04:05 am: | |
When I was given the opportunity to update Harold Rosen's book (it's still referred by the publisher as the "Rosen" book), "Construction Specifictions: Principles and Practices" included Harold's use of the terms technical specifications and non-technical specifications. I knew this was insufficient because Division 01 addresses both "technical" and "administrative" or "non-technical" topics. And Sections in Divisions 02 through 49 address issues of both administrative (see Part 1) and construction technology (Parts 2 and 3).
No surprise, I had difficulty figuring out what terms would more accurately describe the difference between Division 01 Sections and Division 02 - 49 Sections. I concluded that the solution was in the very title assigned to Division 01. There are "general" requirements addressed in Division 01 Sections and there are "specific" or focused requirements addressed in Sections in Divisions 02 through 49.
As David Wyatt noted above, trying to change use of the labels "technical" and "non-technical" labels is like the proverbial spitting into the wind. Thus, the simplistic and inaccurate terms "non-techical" and "technical" will prevail. |
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan
Post Number: 653
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 07, 2013 - 01:12 pm: | |
Some of the confusion lies with the practice by some Owners of removing Division 01 from the Architect's responsibility in favor of a standard "front end" (usually includes Division 00 and Division 01). This will occasionally cause problems because no two projects are ever exactly alike, even with the same Owner and same building type.
The AIA documents assign the Architect the responsibility of producing the Specifications (along with the Drawings) and goes on to say the the Architect will assist the Owner in producing documents such as bid requirements and forms, contract forms, and contract conditions. This implies a strict division between the Specifications and the stuff we now refer to as Division 00. Many old guard specifiers (older even than the ole f***s participating on this forum) advocating not assigning a Division number to these documents nor assigning numbers to each document type. The numbers that were listed, were to assist in giving a cohenrent order to this stuff.
John is correct in pointing out that Division 01 sections contain both "technical" and "non-technical" requirements as well as observing that attempting change will be generally fruitless. I would tend to agree that generating administrative requirents can get pretty technical--I remember having to generate a spec for a web cam at the job site about ten years ago; pretty damn technical for an administrative requirement. |
David J. Wyatt, CDT
Senior Member
Username: david_j_wyatt_cdt
Post Number: 49
Registered: 03-2011
| | Posted on Monday, December 09, 2013 - 09:46 am: | |
John,
Just so you know, around here we refer to the book as the "Regener" book. It is the most authoritative text on the subject. |
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