The economics of design do not allow for the time it takes to write a specification and assemble a project manual.

You have to be extraordinarily well-organized to spend less than one hour on each spec section. There are usually about 50-70 architectural spec sections. Say 60 hours to produce the spec. If the specification represents 5% of the architect's fee (which I think is about right), then the math tells us that at somewhere above a $3,000,000 project, it might be feasible. This quickly rises to $4,000.000 or more if you aren't as efficient as my example. Or if your spec writer is better compensated. See my math below. You can quarrel with my numbers, but the point is that bound specs aren't affordable on a lot of projects, even public ones.

The National Concrete Masonry Association [NCMA] is a valuable resource for technical information about concrete block. Their e-Tek articles are industry standards for every concrete masonry topic you can think of. 

A PDF of the NCMA e-Tek table of contents is embedded below or can be downloaded. 

The e-Tek articles are accessed through one of the member websites. So, to access these e-Tek articles follow these 6 steps.

1. Go to the NCMA website http://www.ncma.org/Pages/default.aspx
   
2. Click 'e-Tek & Details' on the top line menu.
   
3. Select your state. (or a nearby one)
   
4. Choose from the list of companies that serve your area. 
   
5. Click the link to view TEKs. 
   
6. Select the e-Tek article you are interested in for download.
   

In my opinion flat roofs get a bad rap. Most types of flat roofs will last beyond their warranty period if you have a roofer check them every autumn. The reality is that people ignore their flat roofs; and, when trouble appears, they get talked into a new roof as the solution. I read that the national average is 7 years for a commercial roof. That is less than half the expected life of almost every type of flat roof. There are only three possibilities: people are installing the wrong type of flat roof, people are not maintaining their flat roofs, or flat roofs are a bad idea. My experience is that the first two possibilities happen all the time, while too many flat roofs last longer than a shingle roof for the third possibility to be true. 

In some cases a flat roof is almost impossible to avoid. Buildings over 40' wide get progressively harder and harder to accommodate a sloped roof because of the volume of space that is created. Codes start creating extra costs to meet fire ratings for the roof structure. And many times you might be forced into a more costly HVAC system if there is nowhere to place rooftop equipment. 

There are two ways to ensure that your flat roof performs as you hope and expect. Design the flat roof properly, and select an appropriate roofing membrane system.

Flat roof design considerations are: 1/4" per foot slope throughout for proper drainage; adequate roof drains and drainage piping; minimal roof penetrations, and all of them properly flashed. The vast majority of roof leaks occur at penetrations and perimeter flashing. I have only seen one instance in thirty years where the leak was in the field of the roof. It is also wise to specify the maximum warranty offered, since this will usually require the roofer to be certified by the roofing material manufacturer.

Selecting the right roof membrane system is easier, but still requires attention. Flat roofing types include Built-Up, TPO, EPDM, PVC, Roll Roofing, Metal Roofing. This is also my ranking for dependability.

Built-Up roofing - the key to a traditional built-up roof is hiring a top quality roofer, who actually knows how to install the roof properly. I am on the maintenance committee of a non-profit that has a 36 year old built-up roof that is problem-free because of good maintenance, which costs about $1,000 a year for 25,000 SF. Garland Roofing has a top notch evaluation/recommendation service and products to match.

TPO - Thermoplastic polyolefin. The critical thing about TPO is the specific product. Some manufacturers have had problems with shrinkage, cracking, etc. One indirect way to evaluate the best manufacturer is by the length of warranties offered. This alone is not always conclusive. Deep pockets to back up the warranty is even more important than length. The ability to 'weld' the seams of the roof is a major advantage for TPO. Since this welding is the weak link make sure you have a qualified and experienced roofer doing your installation.

EPDM - Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer. In my opinion EPDM only has one disadvantage ; it is black. Being black is not a problem for the roofing, but it doesn't meet the current vogue for white roofs. Adding a white laminate or coating can solve the color problem, but at the expense of maintainability. EPDM has a good track record, but you still need a quality roofing manufacturer and roof installer to get the most out of the roof. 

PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride. PVC membrane is having its third incarnation, the first two having gone down in flames. The easily weldable seams is its strongest feature. The plasticizers that make it flexible are its weak link. Past incarnations have become brittle and shrunk. And not after 20 years. Besides the spotty track record, there is the chloride. PVC manufacturing is a nasty business - environmentally. Being white is little compensation in my opinion.

Roll Roofing is like installing rolls of shingles. I would only use it on a low sloping shed roof with minimal penetrations. Flashing tends to be whatever the installer dreams up. This is a high maintenance product to keep terminations and penetrations weathertight.

Metal Roofing - low sloping metal roofing seems like an obvious problem waiting to happen. Every other roofing system tries to be monolithic. Metal roofing is lapped pieces, that move. I don't get it. High sloping metal roofing is a different story, but this is about flat roofs.

Over the years we have bid a lot of projects both privately and publicly. We have also documented our process to avoid 'reinventing the wheel'. The following describes the steps in our process. Several of the documents or forms that we use are downloadable by clicking their name. Perhaps this will be helpful to you. Questions? Use the Comments to ask...

See PREPARING TO BID A PROJECT  for preliminary tasks.

DURING BIDDING
You have your project 'on the street'.  Now what do you need to do?

• Monitor the need for corrections and clarifications that will require an addendum and issue it in a timely fashion. 
  

It is extremely rare to go through a bidding period without at least one addendum. It isn't unheard of to issue some of the documents by addendum. That isn't recommended because coordination and completeness of the documents can become awkward. Your goal is to give the bidders a clear idea of what is required of them. Addenda invariably get ignored and that causes other problems for everyone.
The last addendum must be received at least 2-3 days before bid due date or you should postpone the due date in the addendum. The timing and method of delivery of any addendum is often covered in the (Owner provided!) Bidding Documents, so make sure you comply. 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE BID OPENING (PUBLIC)

• Alert receptionist at the place of bid receipt to the bid due date and time; and arrange for receipt of bids. 
  
• Determine participants' roles in the bid opening - introductions, opener of bids, reader of bids, recorder of bids. 
  
• Announce what clock will be considered the correct time. 
  
• Offer & make available blank bid tab forms to all present 
  
• Make introductions to all present 
  

BID OPENING PROCEDURES (PUBLIC)

• Announce, at the designated time, that no more bids will be accepted. 
  
• Introduce yourself, members of the Owner's staff and other design team members in attendance. 
  
• Explain procedure to all present 
  
• Open bids 
  
• Read bids 
  
• Tabulate (record) the bids 
  
• Announce apparent low bidder 
  
• Describe process for making an award and establish when that will occur 
  
• Ask for questions 
  
• Allow those in attendance at a public opening to review the bids received. 
  
• Close meeting 
  

PREPARATION FOR THE BID OPENING (PRIVATE)
See the description of the preparation for a public bid opening above. A private opening would take place in the architect's or the client's office and is informal. The same process is followed without an audience of bidders.

BID OPENING PROCEDURES (PRIVATE)
See the description of the Bid Opening Procedures for a public bid opening above. A private opening is as informal as you want to make it, but most of the steps still apply. Since the bidders are not present, you can expect a flurry of inquiries within an hour or so of the bids being due. Decide with your client what results and when the results will be disclosed. Even if it isn't the actual results, I suggest that you make the plan for disclosure available if you haven't done so yet.

POST BID ACTIVITIES   

• Research Low Bidder's references. We often run a Dun & Bradstreet [D&B] report if they are not well known to you and the client.  
  
• Review and re-tabulate Bids, double-checking all numbers and content / completeness. 
  
• Prepare a letter of recommendation for the client. See sample recommendation letter.
  
• Prepare Agreement based on Contract Documents and Bid.   
  

Once the Owner/Contractor agreement is signed or a Notice To Proceed is issued, you are ready to start the Construction Administration phase of the project.

 Over the years we have bid a lot of projects both privately and publicly. We have also documented our process to avoid 'reinventing the wheel'. The following describes the steps in our process. Several of the documents or forms that we use are downloadable by clicking their name. Perhaps this will be helpful to you. Questions? Use the Comments to ask...

  

PRELIMINARY TASKS
These tasks should have been completed in earlier design phases. Verify that they have been.

• Obtain the Owner's Instructions (AIA G-612) 
  
• Verify that the drawing title blocks are consistent for project name, date, etc. and agree with the Owner's Instructions or any other instructions.
  
• Verify availability of AIA or other documents if including them in bid sets or as otherwise needed. Watch out for copyrights!
  

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE
The main differences between public and private bidding is 1] who is permitted to bid and 2] how documents are distributed.

Who to permit to bid.  For public bidding you cannot restrict who bids except to place bonding requirements (often required by regulations) and minimum experience requirements on the potential bidders. For private bidding, the bidders should be by invitation only. Invite only firms you know can complete the project satisfactorily and let their bids decide who will be awarded the project. Three to six bidders is ideal. The more bidders, the less enthusiasm for bidding.

How documents are distributed. For public bidding it is fairly common these days to make the documents available at cost to whoever wants them. Alternatively, you can require a deposit (about 150% of actual cost) which is returned to the bidder when he returns the plans. Plans are usually placed with plan rooms also who provide a notification service to contractors. 
For private bidding, you would distribute documents the same way except that you might just give the documents to the bidders in recognition of the invitational nature of the bidding. You would not place the drawings with plan rooms unless your invited bidders want to do that. The reason for no plan rooms is that uninvited bidders will submit bids, thereby undermining the concept of  only pre-qualified bidders, any of which you would be happy to work with. Remember the old saw: "The low bidder is the guy who made the biggest mistake."

TASKS AT THE START OF THE BIDDING PHASE 

• Create Project Manual Cover 
  
• Prepare a legal ad, 'Advertisement for Bids', if it is a public project; or an 'Invitation to Bid' if it is a private project.  
  
• Review the Owner's Instructions (AIA G-612) for relevant input from the Owner. 
  
• Edit the Instructions to Bidders (AIA 701) or your own document.
  
• Prepare the Bid Form (see sample) and check with the client to see if he is required to use a specific format - usually addressed in Owner's Instructions (AIA G-612).   
  
• Determine the necessary number of sets of bidding documents you will need to distribute to non-bidders, for example, the Owner (consider Using Agency and Providing Agency), Design Team, Local Building Officials, State Building Officials, Plan Rooms (if any).
• Contact Invited Bidders by sending the  Advertisement for Bids or the Invitation to Bid to those firms that you would like to bid the project whether public or private.
  
• Place Legal Ad ('Advertisement for Bids') for public bids - often the client knows how to get it published but we like to prepare the document. 
  
• Prepare a Bid Tabulation Form (see sample) and make copies for the bid opening (about 1.5 x number of plan holders). 
  

DISTRIBUTING DOCUMENTS
There are three ways in which to distribute the Bidding Documents to the bidders depending on the technology available to you (and that the Owner's process permits you to use). The TRADITIONAL  method is to print multiple sets of drawings and distribute them from the architect's office. The architect collects deposits or payments for the bidding sets and track contact information about the bidders for issuing addenda. As you might imagine, this is a big, disruptive task. The MODIFIED TRADITIONAL method is to print bidding sets as needed and distribute them from the reproduction house, who tracks information about the bidders and issues addenda and returns deposit (if any). This delegates the whole process; and the only drawback is that you are responsible to the Owner, but a third party is taking care of the task without oversight. The ELECTRONIC PLAN ROOM is the ideal solution because it mimics the Modified Traditional method but everything is documented online where you can monitor the process.

See BIDDING ACTIVITIES continuation article for tasks during and after bidding.

The Specifications Master Table Of Contents [TOC] is a handy tool for other  things than writing the project specifications. I find that it is always informative to review the master list of specifications while thinking about the building that you are designing. 

For instance, during the latter part of Schematic Design, if you review the Specifications Master TOC, you will almost certainly see several things that you have not incorporated into your thinking about the building yet. Some, like finishes, are not critical at this stage. But seeing Overhead Doors in the TOC might remind you of waste removal or package deliveries that would require an overhead door. Another example: seeing Decorative Concrete Paving might make you realize that you should consider its use - before Construction Documents are 80% complete. 

There are just too many things to consider to be certain that you have a complete concept. Using the Specifications Master TOC as a checklist late in Schematic Design, halfway through Design Development and about 20% into Construction Documents will give you fewer things to rework in the final days of design and they will be better integrated.

You are also starting the spec-writing process by using the Specifications Master TOC in this way. We took our Specifications Master TOC from our spec-writing software, SpecLink+, and first deleted all the spec sections that we never use and added Division 0 documents that we preferred. Next we color-coded the remaining specification titles to indicate if our master of the spec is "ready-to-use as-is" (black), "needs a quick review" (green), "needs editing" (brown), or "never been edited" (red). 

The difference between the last two categories is that "needs editing" means to customize the spec for this project, while "never been edited" means you will need to spend extra time making decisions about the products and methods covered in the spec.

A copy of this master table of contents would be renamed with the project name and during each review the section names that we decided not to use were struck-through. Late in Construction Documents these sections would be completely deleted, but not before we were sure that they would not be used. As the specs were actually written, we changed the color to blue, and when ready to print, we changed the color to black. The Specifications Master TOC became a process checklist and ultimately was printed as the Table Of Contents of the Specifications for the project.

Hopefully there is something about our methodology that will help you make your method better. Our Master TOC is downloadable here.

Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) are a type of building product that provides exterior walls with an insulated finished surface, and waterproofing in an integrated composite material system. [EIFS is pronounced "eye-fuss" or more recently "eyefs"]

Some EIFS manufacturers tout the material as extremely Green. It does provide an insulating value that is generally better than most other building systems. The materials are lightweight, so transportation should use less fuel. But there are several features of EIFS that do not seem Green to me - durability, the manufacture of foamed polystyrene and recyclable materials. I think EIFS has a place. I think the marketing folks are overselling the Green aspect of EIFS.

Durability
EIFS does not last forever. Let's say forever is 100 years. The EIFS that I am familiar with and that is over 20 years old has been re-coated or replaced. If you know of EIFS that has lasted untouched for 40 years, about the age of the industry in the US, I would be surprised. Even so, I think it is implausible that EIFS can last 100 years without additional time, money, and energy being required. 

Manufacture
EIFS uses polystyrene as the base material for the synthetic stucco finish coat. The polystyrene is a good insulating material, having an R-value of 4 per inch of thickness. It is a better performing insulation than fiberglass and so preferable. But polystyrene is not an entirely Green material. Expanded polystyrene is made from petroleum and may use blowing agents that are greenhouse gases. It is not biodegradable - floats and blows around. If it ends up in water or land habitats, it is harmful if ingested. 

Recycling
The foam insulation that is part of EIFS is difficult to recycle. Consumer polystyrene is generally not recycled curbside, but is fairly easy to recycle it at the industrial level. So the product could contain recycled polystyrene, but very little of it is recycled in the US. (Polystyrene is recycling designation 6.) One EIFS manufacturer suggests that it be ground up and used as a soil amendment in your garden. The same manufacturer boasts that all the EIFS they have installed would build a wall from coast to coast 150 feet high! I don't think it will be recycled when it is removed, because no one is set up to separate the polystyrene from the synthetic plaster. I don't think it will end up in your garden; I think it will end up in a landfill, a large landfill.

As I said above, I think EIFS has a place, but I don't think EIFS is the solution for every building. And I definitely think the marketing efforts to portray EIFS as an extremely Green building material are misleading.

Research for this article was done using Wikipedia.

SINCE THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED a lot has changed. So it's time for an update.


Finding information on Architekwiki can be done in two ways.

The first way is by using the Google site search widget to filter the articles based on your key word(s).

The second way is by using the categories of the blog in question to filter the articles. We will address them one at a time. [Footnote: from time to time duplicates show up in the lists of categories for unknown reasons. I attempt to eliminate them.]

For the WIKI page there are 20 categories, listed below. Every article is tagged with one of the first four categories and also with one or more of the other 16 categories. (You will note the actual category list are in alphabetical order.)

WIKI categories and a brief description of their intended content.

1. Business Development - sales, marketing, promotion, PR, etc
   
2. Management - steering the various aspects of the practice of architecture
   
3. Services - the architectural services provided to clients
   
4. Finances - money management
   
5. Communications - verbal, written, published
   
6. People - staff, clients, consultants, vendors
   
7. Process - a standardized multi-step task 
   
8. Projects - a unique and complex undertaking for clients or for the practice
   
9. Records - saved communications and work products
   
10. Tools - physical, digital or conceptual ways to do work
    
11. Miscellaneous - catch all 
    
12. Legal Issues - contracts, laws, codes
    
13. Money - fees, value, compensation, etc
    
14. Estimating - projecting or predicting costs, quantities, and time
    
15. Planning - determining the steps required to achieve a result
    
16. Standards - adopted templates or methods 
    
17. Design - creatively determining the possibilities and deciding among them
    
18. Specifications - written guidelines, requirements or instructions
    
19. Time - using and measuring it
    
20. Concepts - ideas and ways of looking at an issue
    

 
For the DETAILS page there are 14 categories, each represents a category in the UNIFORMAT II system. This article will give you more information about UNIFORMAT. The one exception is Proj Dwgs, which is used to tag articles about an entire project.

For the BLOG page there are 6 categories as follows. Others may be added from time to time.

• Chronology - articles that document the growth of Architekwiki
• Humor - attempts at being funny
• Miscellaneous - not worthy of individual categories
• Opinion - me just saying ...
• Thoughts - me just thinking outloud on the screeen
• Work In Progress - stuff that is being planned (maybe)

Updated: September 28, 2013