October 2022

Lecture 1
Engineering Practice
Introduction - Specifications

1.0 Introduction

a. Specifications can be defined as properties of materials with respect to civil engineering works,
workmanship and the required product.

b. Specifications are the instructions, meant to supplement the drawings and provide technical requirement
of work. The drawings with the specifications will give the complete requirements of the structure.

c. Specifications is prepared by the engineer to provide written technical information mainly on the quality
of materials and workmanship. It is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, design,
product, or service.

d. Specifications may also contain clauses specifying the order in which varies sections of the work are to be
carried out, the methods to be adopted in the execution of the work, and details of any special facilities
that are to be afforded to other contractor.

e. Specification describes in detail the work to be executed under the contract and the nature and quality of
the materials and workmanship. Details of any responsibility to be borne by the contractor, apart from
those listed in the general conditions of contract, are often incorporated in this document. Specifications
may also contain clauses specifying the order in which varies sections of the work are to be carried out,
the methods to be adopted in the execution of the work, and details of any special facilities that are to
be afforded to other contractor. Specification is one of the contract documents in civil engineering
contracts.

2.0 Purpose of Specifications

a. A civil engineering specification is read in conjunction with drawings and bill of quantities to supply the
contractor with all the information he needs to submit a tender and execute the works.
b. Specification of a work is required to describe the quality and quantity of different materials required for
a construction work and is one of the essential contract documents.
c. The main function of the specification is to describe fully the workmanship and material required to carry
the contract. It forms, in fact, a schedule of instructions to the contractor and will, to a large extent,
determine the quality of the executed job.
d. As the rate of work is based on the specification, a contractor can calculate the rates of various items of
works in tender with his procurement rates of materials and labour. Thus tender rate without
specification of works is baseless, incomplete and invalid.
e. Specifications give the idea of the materials, to be used and as such, can be collected prior to the start of
the work. This method helps the field staff to complete the work in the stipulated time. If carefully
followed, the quantity and quality of work will be assured.
f. Specification checks the strength of materials for work involved in a project.
g. Specifications describe and specify the nature of the work and method of construction.
h. Specifications give detailed information regarding quantity and quality of the material which enables a
contractor to estimate the cost correctly.
i. It gives detailed information regarding the equipment, tools and plants to complete the project which
enables us to procure them before hand in time

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j. Cost of work depends mainly on the specifications. If specifications are changed, the cost of work is also
changed. Specifications give correct idea about the estimated cost so that funds can be arranged
accordingly.
k. May be required for court cases and as evidence in disputes.
l. Specification is a demonstration of statutory compliance.

3.0 Types of Specifications

There two ways of specifications:
a. General Specifications
b. Detailed Specifications

3.1 General Specifications

General specifications give the idea and class of work in general terms and are generally attached with rough
cost and detailed estimates. It gives the nature and class of wok and materials in general terms to be used in
the various parts of the work, from the foundation to the superstructure. It is a short description of different
parts of the work specifying materials, proportions, qualities.

3.2 Detailed Specifications

Detailed specifications specify the qualities, quantities and proportions of materials and the method of
preparation and execution for a particular item of works in a project. The detailed specifications of the
different items of the work are prepared separately and they describe what the work should be and how they
shall be executed. While writing the detailed specifications, the same order sequence as the work is to be
carried out is to be maintained.

3.3 Descriptive and Standard Specifications

3.3.1 Descriptive Specifications
Under this method of specifying the exact properties of the materials and methods of installation are
described in detail without using proprietary or manufacturer's names. Descriptive specifications are
commonly used for products for which no standards exist, on projects where using proprietary names is
restricted, and in situations where the Architect/Engineer want to exercise tight control over the specified
work.
There are five steps for preparing descriptive specifications:
a Research available products
b Research the important features required for the product.
c Determine which features to describe in the specification and which features to show in the
drawings.
d Describe the important features.
e Specify quality assurance measures (i.e. submittals, certifications, testing or inspection activities)
Advantages to using descriptive specifications:
 Descriptive specifications specify exactly what the design intends.
 They are applicable to all conditions, methods or situations of a project.
 They are applicable to all sizes and types of projects.
 They permit free competition because they do not restrict the use of specific products or
manufacturers.
Disadvantages of descriptive specifications:
 They require the specifier to take special care in describing the design intent in order to achieve
the desired results.

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 Descriptive specifications tend to take up more space because they require more verbiage than
other methods.
 They may be more time consuming than other methods to create and write.
 They are being used less often as more complete reference standards are being developed and
implemented.
3.3.2 Standard Specifications
Under this method reference is made to an established standard defined by associations very knowledgeable
about a certain part or phase of construction. Most of the works are usually standardized which are
numbered serially so while writing the contract bond only serial numbers of standard specifications are
written. This saves time, labour and stationary expenditure.
Advantages
 The standard is usually widely known and accepted by the industry.
 They do not limit competition.
 They dramatically shorten the length of specifications.
 Incorporate the standard correctly into the specifications.
 Enforce the requirements of the standard.
Disadvantages
 There may be no appropriate standard to reference, because standards are written for the most
commonly used and generally available products.
 Standards generally refer to the minimum requirements.
 The standard may become obsolete or out-of-date, because of advances and changes in
technology and the creation of new products.
 They require a lot of research and care in use.
 They must be incorporated properly, including all supplementary information.

3.3.3 Proprietary Specifications

Under this method the actual brand names, model numbers and other proprietary information is specified.
They are primarily used for private commercial projects where the Owner knows what products they want.
Advantages
 They allow for close control of product selection.
 The drawings can be more complete and more detailed because they can be prepared based on
precise information from the selected manufacturer.
 The specification can be shorter.
 They simplify the bidding by narrowing competition and eliminating product pricing as a major
variable.
Disadvantages
 They reduce the competition.
 They may specify products the Contractor is not familiar with or has had little experience with.
 Care should be taken to assure no error is made when specifying model numbers or product
designations.

3.4 Issues Affecting Specifying

There are a number of external influences on construction specifications, many of which Codes of practice,
regulations and Acts of Parliament
 Technical standards
 Conditions of contract
 Tendering practice

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 Product and technical data

 Conformance (the “S” mark)
 Quality assurance (to ISO 9000)

4.0 Drafting Specifications

4.1 Requirements of Specifications

The specifications should be:
a. Complete – covering every significant aspect of work. Or Do not leave out important or
necessary information.
b. Clear – Be Clear and economically worded.
c. Concise: Eliminate unnecessary words but at the expense of clarity, correctness, completeness
or grammar.
d. Constructive – helping all parties to understand what is expected of them.
e. Focused on compliance.
f. Project specific – produced for the project, without irrelevant material
g. Appropriate – for available materials and skills, and can be checked and standard enforced.
h. Up-to-date using current good building practice and most recent standards.
In general, Specifications must be drafted to present a clear and precise statement of the required standards
of materials, and workmanship for tenderers to respond realistically and competitively to the requirements
of the Procuring Entity and ensure responsiveness of tenders.
In the Specifications of standards for materials, plant and workmanship, existing Kenya Standards should be
used as much as possible, otherwise recognized international standards may also be used.

4.2 Sources of Specifications

The following are some of the sources of specifications:
a. Previous specifications for similar job
In this case you update, delete irrelevant information or add some information you feel is
missing that relates to your job.
b. The contractor drawings
These show the conceptual and preliminary design of the work
c. Employer Requirements
d. Site investigations or reconnaissance survey
Examples are soil conditions, water table level, slope stability and extent of site clearance
e. The location of the material site/borrow pits
f. The standard codes of practice
Examples are Kenya Bureau of Standards, BS and any other relevant codes of practice. In order
to reduce the length of your specification do not copy the clauses but just refer to them since it
is well communicated to the contractor.
g. Trade catalogues / brand names
Examples are Barolo welded tubes, Mareba tiles, Cabro blocks, paving blocks such as the Dogra.

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4.3 Vetting Specifications

It is useful to have the specification vetted by someone other than the author. The person vetting the
specification should check that the specification:
 is easy to read;
 is easy to understand;
 is clear;
 is consistent with specifications for similar or the same goods and/or services;
 has a logical structure; and
 contains only essential information.

5.0 Principles of Writing Specifications

a. Description of materials
The quantity and quality of materials required should be given. The proportion of mixing or
treatment of materials before use should be clearly mentioned.
b. Workmanship
The method of mixing to the proportion. Method of laying. Method of preparation of surface.
Compaction, finishing and curing etc. should be clearly mentioned in the specifications.
c. Equipment
The equipment, tools and plants should be described clearly to carry out the work. The method
of operation also should be stated in the specifications.
d. Expressions
The sentence should be brief, simple and concise without any specifications. The writing style
and tense should be kept same throughout. There should be no grammatical mistakes. The
omission or misplacements of comma, full stops etc. should not change the meaning of the
sentences. There should not be any ambiguity in the sentences
e. Practical limitations of materials, workmanship, etc. should be kept in mind while writing
specifications.
f. The specifications should be fair to both the parties and should not favour any party
g. In case of any foreseen difficulty or hazards, it should be specified.
h. Specifications are legal documents and should be prepared keeping constitution in mind.

6.0 General Arrangement of Specifications

Most civil engineering specifications start with ‘general clauses’ which relate to the job as a whole, and
include the special responsibilities of the contractor which are not covered in the conditions of contract.
The general clauses are followed by materials and work clauses which are related to the various sections of
work making up the job.
The sequences of the materials and work clauses will follow one of the two patterns.
a. Material clauses are entered first, followed by work clauses in each section [earthwork, concrete
work, etc.]
b. All materials clauses are written first followed by works clauses sub-divided on sectional basis.
All specifications clauses are general, numbered for ease of reference, the reference numbers usually running
consecutively throughout the whole specifications.

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Each clause is provided with a suitable heading, although a clause should be complete in itself without
including heading.
Sub-headings act as useful signposts to the contractor. It is advisable to begin each section of a specification
on a new page, to assist in breaking up the document and making it more readable.

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