Basic Principles of Writing Specifications | Contract Documents (2024)

FAQs

What are the principles of writing specifications? ›

To effectively communicate requirements, specifications must be clear, concise, complete, correct, and consistent. Some general guidance to ensure that a specification meets these "five C's" of good specification writing is provided below.

Use the simplest words that accurately convey the thought • Keep sentences short (17 to 20 words) • Keep the paragraphs short (3 to 4 sentences) • Write it the way you would say it. Write in the positive form. Instructions should tell the Contractor what to do, not what not to do.

The CSI four Cs are, 'Clear, Concise, Correct and Complete.

Specifications communicate the information required to achieve a desired work result. There are four methods of specifying: performance, descriptive, reference standard, and proprietary.

The purpose of a specification is to provide a description and statement of the requirements of a product, components of a product, the capability or performance of a product, and/or the service or work to be performed to create a product.

Specifications—The part of the Contract that consists of written requirements for materials, equipment, systems, standards, and workmanship as applied to the Work, and certain administrative requirements and procedural matters applicable to the Work.

A specification details the requirements of the procurement. It is the basis of all offers and therefore the foundation for a contract. A specification becomes an essential contract management document which is used to ensure that the chosen supplier provides what is specified.

Contract specifications—The complete specifica- tions prepared for a specific contract and consist of an assembly of appropriate standard and one-time-use specifications supplemented by lists and descriptions of items of work and construction details.

Specification writing has two principal objectives: to define the scope of work and to act as a set of instructions. Defining the scope of work is at the core of specification writing.

A rule specification is an asset that represents the data requirements of a business rule in logical form. A rule specification breaks down the logic in a business rule into the following tasks: Define the types of data that a business data set contains. Define a set of conditions that the business data must satisfy.

What is specification checklist? ›

The Checklist specification defines the individual steps that must be completed to complete a task. In UIM, all checklist items must be marked as complete before an activity can be completed.

Each specification section is divided into three parts. These parts are Part 1–General, Part 2–Products, and Part 3–Execution. Each part includes particular information about the subject of the section. These three parts are fixed in number and title and are included in all specification sections.

Specifications can be divided into three types: functional, technical, and administrative. Functional specifications are the most general and cover all aspects of the product. Technical specifications cover the features and performance of the product.

Because specifications are an integral part of the Contract Documents, they are considered to be legal documents, and should therefore be comprehensive, accurate, and clear. Specification writing has two principal objectives: to define the scope of work and to act as a set of instructions.

The fundamental technical writing principles include using clear and concise language, writing for the audience, breaking up content, using visual aids, and thoroughly reviewing and editing the document. These principles help ensure the technical information is effectively communicated to the intended audience.