Civil Engineering Project Management (4th Edition)
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62 <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> <strong>Project</strong> <strong>Management</strong><br />
In drawing up the specification it is advisable to plan out beforehand subjects<br />
to be dealt with. An order such as the following might be adopted.<br />
1. demolition, site clearance;<br />
2. excavation;<br />
3. piling;<br />
4. concrete;<br />
(a) in situ;<br />
(b) reinforcement;<br />
(c) formwork;<br />
(d) pre-cast;<br />
(e) pre-stressed;<br />
5. pipe-laying (might be put later);<br />
6. steelwork (structural);<br />
7. brickwork/blockwork/masonry;<br />
8. roofing;<br />
9. cladding (if special);<br />
10. carpentry;<br />
11. finishing trades (as necessary);<br />
12. roads, site restoration, fencing.<br />
It is not advisable to use three or more levels of decimal numbering of sections,<br />
such as ‘2.1.1’, ‘2.1.2’, etc. Only the section headings under each class of work<br />
need be numbered; sub-sections can be un-numbered and identified by a left<br />
hand heading, and paragraphs are not numbered. This permits insertion of late<br />
additions without disturbing any numbering.<br />
When drafting the specification, care should be taken to ensure coverage of<br />
all types of work that appear on the drawings. In civil engineering contracts<br />
the specification sets out all quality requirements so these must be complete.<br />
The items in the bill of quantities only need sufficient description for the item<br />
to be identified for the purposes of payment. If an item in a bill of quantities<br />
appears with extra description which is not in the specification, a contractor<br />
might argue that the item with the added description requires additional payment.<br />
(See Section 4.4 where it is noted that under JCT conditions for building<br />
work the contrary practice applies.)<br />
There have been differences of opinion among engineers as to the merits of<br />
‘method’ as against ‘performance’ types of specification. A method specification<br />
for concrete quotes not only the materials and quantities of them to be used to<br />
make various grades of concrete but also the strengths and other physical characteristics<br />
to be achieved together with requirements for handling and placing.<br />
A ‘performance’ specification would stipulate only the strength and other physical<br />
characteristics to be achieved. This, it is said, leaves the contractor greater freedom<br />
to decide how he will achieve the performance criteria. However, opponents<br />
of performance specification point out that control by testing is only possible<br />
(in the case of concrete) 28 days after placing, and such tests may not provide<br />
sufficient proof that the structure will perform satisfactorily in the long term.<br />
If defects appear later, how is the contractor to be held responsible? Traditional