Marketing your Product to Specifiers

This message arrived today as an email, copied to the Architect's designer, project manager and project Principal.  All the particulars, including names and companies are redacted to their <titles> or <positions> to reduce potential embarrassment.

Some background:  The project is a California Public Works project, subject to California Public Contract Code, which requires naming of multiple manufacturers.  All DTR work is prepared using MasterFormat 2012 numbering (six digit format).  The section in question is our work, not a manufacturer pro forma.  All products, including alternates and substitution procedures, are selected or are otherwise approved by the Architect.  All research on qualifying alternates (five total are listed) is performed by the DTR team.

It sounds very much to me as if <Sales Representative> is expecting to be specified as a sole source, (regardless of possible violation of state law and liability to the Design Team and Public Owner), as a quid-pro-quo for supplying some product data to the specifier.  But I might be misreading his intent.  Perhaps he is trying to protect our firm's liability.  In any case, I feel fortunate to learn that he and <Product Manufacturer> are willing to continue to work with us, in spite of our discourteous behavior.  Redemption is possible in this life after all.  He is anxious that I understand his intent, so it's a good thing he has expressed it clearly and concisely.

I offer this to you for your observations and recommendations.  Architects, how would you feel to receive a message like this from a Sale Representative?  Specifiers, any thoughts?  Sales Representatives, is this a good marketing practice, or something to avoid?  How are Sales Representatives compensated for time spent with designers?  Are the requirements of public contracts well enough known?

I am very interested in your comments, so feel free to leave them below.  For the present, we are offering no response to <Sales Representative>, although this is subject to reconsideration.

From: <Sales Representative>
Sent: <Wednesday, February 19, 2014 10:59 AM>
To: <Specifier>; <Architect’s Project Designer>
Cc: <Architect’s Project Manager>; <Architect’s Project Principal>

Subject: RE: <Product Name> specification

John,

The basis of specification for this project is <Product Name>, however your listing of the other manufacturers as approved equals now means there is no standard for a real basis of design.  As a basic courtesy, if you are relying or requesting my time and expertise to develop a proper specification that meets your client’s needs, I would hope that you would at least list the other vendors not as equals, but under the typical paragraph used by many other spec writers.

A.     Requests for substitutions will be considered in accordance with provisions of Section 01600.

Or something similar, that requires the other vendors to meet the basic qualifications of the base spec.  Here you are asking other companies to prove that their product is “equal”. – The burden is on them -   This allows you to cover your bases and protect the specification, the intent of design as well as your firms liability against client issues, etc. 

<Product Manufacturer> and myself invest many hours and resources to assist the <Architect> with very detailed information to ensure that your clients receive what the design intent of the project requires.  If you are willing to accept any product, regardless of quality or ability to meet the design intent, what is the point in spending the effort detailing the <conditions> or <material types>?  I want to continue to work with you and <Architect> and hope that you understand the intent of this email.

Best regards,

<Sales Representative>

Changing Horses in Mid-Stream: Managing Substitutions #CONSTRUCT #H05

The Wedding Feast at Cana (detail),  Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese,   1528 

Few construction administration procedures inspire such strong emotions as Substitutions. Architects seem to despise them, while Contractors seem to dote on them. Owners are concerned that the project quality is maintained, but are beguiled by possible cost savings or schedule acceleration.

Substitutions have the potential to disrupt a project, or confer great benefits. Substitution Procedures are primarily a means of Quality Assurance, to prevent un-”equal” products from undermining the design intent.

What actions can the A/E take in product selection and specifications to reduce substitution requests or to deal effectively with those that arise?

What risks arise to the parties in construction from substitutions, authorized or not?

What actions are appropriate to allow acceptable substitutions to be incorporated into the Work while maintaining the risk allocations of all the parties?

How equal is "or equal"? and who decides?

What can manufacturers and product representatives do to offer appropriate feedback or advice to A/E's and contractors?  How can a substitution be properly presented for consideration?

Please consider attending Session H05 on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at 08:00 AM.  

I promise, there will be pictures of horses and streams (and much more) in the session.

The OTHER 3D Design: Delay Damage and Disruption #CONSTRUCT #H11

Judith Beheading Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi

Problems of disruption and delay often lead to disputes which can mar otherwise successful projects.  No one wants a project to go awry, dwelling on unpleasant potential outcomes are unsettling.  What means can be taken to foresee and forestall potential causes of misunderstanding and argument?

Construction is often prone to Claims and Disputes, often involving Scheduling and Delay claims, both by the Contractor and the Owner. Claim and Dispute procedures are often complex and require careful attention by the A/E and Owner prior to the start of construction.  

Different contract types and project delivery methods entail revisions of the duties and responsibilities of the parties to the Contract.

What effective specification of Claim and Dispute procedures, as well as clear presentation of the Project Scheduling requirements and responsibilities are necessary to appropriately allocate risk and reward? 

What must the Contractor understand in the Contract in order to protect his interests in the event of dispute or delay?

Clear and coordinated presentation of these requirements by the A/E enables all the parties to protect their individual interests while promoting the overall progress of the work.

Please consider attending Session H11 on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at 10:00 AM.   There are a lot of other great programs in this time slot vying for your attention, so if no one wants to hear this one, I'll run down the hall and hear someone else.

Speaking the Same Language CONSTRUCT #H16

The Tower of Babel Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Experienced AEC professionals are not surprised that the by-word for confused communication is a construction project.  The Babylonian effort to build a tower to Heaven was stymied by the workers' inability to communicate.

In the left foreground of Bruegel's painting, we see the unhappy client discussing the issue with his design team who are frustrated by the huge volume of RFI's and changes required to move the project forward.  The architect is kneeling before the king, hoping not to lose his head. The specifier is stooping with his hat off.

Perhaps part of the problem is that the public works contract for the tower was different from the private construction contracts familiar to the designers and builders?

In our modern world, private organizations such as AIA, EJCDC and Consensus Docs (along with manyothers) publish model contract documents for private projects, using a lexicon of familiar contract terms.  

In the goverment sphere, the contract document is the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations) which has developed a lexicon of it's own over many years.

Not surprisingly, many terms are similar, but with different meanings.  Others sound completely different and mean the same thing.  No wonder it is hard to move from one contract world to another without misunderstanding.

In hopes of forestalling one of the miscommunication issues of modern construction, CSI is undertaking, along with several U.S. Government agencies, an initiative to create a side-by-side glossary of Contract Terms used in Federal and private contracts.  This Glossary will be the starting effort of the Construction Documents Technologist "+G" (plus Government) certification which is the goal of the CSI CDT+G Task Team.

Please consider attending Session H16, Thursday September 26, at 4:00 PM to hear a panel discussion with Mr. Steven Freitas of US Army Corps of Engineers, Sheryl Dodd-Hansen FCSI, Michael Chambers, FAIA, FCSI and myself concerning this effort to promote clear communication and common understanding between Federal agencies and private sector contractors.

The Quality Loop, #CONSTRUCT #T03

The Worm Ouroboros from Atalanta Fugiens, Michael Maier, 1617

Quality Assurance and Quality Control are terms frequently used interchangeably, but which actually represent very different aspects of Quality requirements. 

A clear understanding of the relationship between Assurance and Control is essential to effective specification of the duties and responsibilities of the parties in construction. The overall level of quality required for the project determines the ultimate quality requirements in the specifications.

Understanding the concept of Quality Assurance and Control as a Quality Loop, where the work result of one section becomes the substrate for the next section allows determination of the correct location to specify quality requirements.

These clear descriptions of project quality assist in the identification and correction of non-conforming work, as well as the parties responsible for their correction. and the ability to enforce the requirements at the proper time in the construction sequence.

Learning Objectives:

Explain the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control.

Determine which Quality Requirements should be specified in Division 01, and which should be specified in the Technical sections.

Employ the concept of the "Quality Loop" where the interrelationships of Work Results mean that one Work Result becomes the substrate for another, clarifying coordination between related sections.

Analyze and deconstruct building assemblies to formulate the Quality Requirements of the assembly and specify them in the appropriate Work Results sections.

Join me on Tuesday, 24 September 2013, 0830AM.

2.

Programs for CONSTRUCT 2013

I am honored this year to present three original education sessions at the 2013 CONSTRUCT show / CSI convention in Nashville.  This post is to set forth the titles, topics and session codes for the sessions.  I will discuss the contents and educational goals of each in forthcoming posts, please stay tuned.

Assurance and Control:  Specifying the Quality Loop

Session T03, 0830 AM, Tuesday, 24 September 2013

Alchemical Serpent from the Codex Parisinus (Greek) 2327_Theodoros Pelekanos, 1478

Changing Horses Mid-Stream:  Managing Substitutions

 Session H05, 0800 AM, Thursday,26 September 2013

Detail from “The Wedding Feast at Cana”, by Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese,   1528 

The OTHER 3D Design:  Delay, Damage and Disruption

Session H11, 1000 AM, Thursday, 26 September 2013

 Judith and Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi , ca 1612 

Here is a link to the convention website so you can sign up >>  http://www.constructshow.com/Attendee/Schedule/Index

If these sessions don't look interesting to you, please take a look at the convention schedule, there is a large number of presentations by some first-rate speakers, it is an excellent educational opportunity.  I hope to see you in Nashville in September.

San Francisco CSI Profair

Dance to the Music of Time, Nicolas Poussin, 1640

San Francisco CSI is holding their annual Profair event at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center, 1675 Owens Street, San Francisco on May 8, 2013.

I will be presenting a brief talk on specifying Division 01, "The Hub of the Wheel".  One of those wheels can be seen in the painting Dance to the Music of Time above, held up by Apollo in the chariot.

Anne Whitacre FAIA, CCS, Associate AIA will be discussing “Specifying Beyond Platinum: Working with Red Lists, Pharos, and Living Building Challenge Projects”, pointing the directions beyond LEED, CAL-Green and garden-variety sustainability.

Michael Chambers FCSI, FAIA, CCS, SCIP will offer "“UniFormat™: Preliminary Project Descriptions, Cost Estimates, and Post-Occupancy Maintenance", to round out the technical sessions.

For more information, or to enroll for the presentations, see http://sanfrancisco.csinet.org.

Don't delay, the wheels are turning and the music is playing, make sure you have a chair when it stops.

The Beginning of Specifications... and More

 I am very honored to be invited back to California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) to present to the students on the relationship of architecture and construction specifications on Thursday, 25 April.

This year we will discuss a little of the beginning of specifications and how the written component of construction documents evolved out of the early contracts for construction.  The slide above is a brief preview of the central content.

Thanks to Jim Doerfler, Associate Department Head of CAED for the opportunity to address the students and share CSI principles and specification trivia with the next generation of architects.

The next day, Friday, 26 April, the CAED students are presenting the Cal Poly Construction Forum, with sponsorship by CSI, with a focus on sustainable materials and innovative techniques.

DTR Consulting Services is fortunate to be involved with the Human Needs Project, creators of an innovative approach to help people in need of basic utilities and facility services that the developed world takes for granted.    

This project by architect Ken Kao of Kao Design Group of Somerville, MA http://www.kaodesign.com, constructed by Redhorse Constructors of San Rafael, http://www.redhorseconstructors.com, embodies new thinking about human needs and exciting applications of ordinary materials to offer a promise of better circumstances to the people of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya.

A brief presentation will outline the architectural response to the social and environmental factors in the community of Kibera and discuss the engineering and design effort involved to address the concerns of the residents.

Please consider visiting the Human Needs Project, http://www.humanneedsproject.org, to learn more about their plans for the future.  Donations are gladly accepted at their site.

The Code of Specifications

Do construction specifications require translation?

Often construction specifications seem as oblique and inaccessible as these hieroglyphic carvings in the hypostyle hall at the Great Temple in Karnak, Egypt. (Engraving by Josef Durm, 1914)

Is there a correct way to encode the information for a new product into the "CSI Format"?

(Fragment of the Papyrus of Ani, ca. 3500 BC)

Is there a "CSI Format", and how does it work?  Can it help you write better specifications, or even read and understand specifications more easily?  Is Cleopatra discussing specifications with Mark Antony? (The Banquet of Cleopatra, Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, 1746)

Join us on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m @ North Coast Builders Exchange
1030 Apollo Way, Santa Rosa.

Information here >> http://www.recsi.org/uploads/SectionFormatSeminar11132012.pdf


This presentation qualifies for AIA HS&W learning units.

(Illustrations believed by this author to be in the public domain, first publication before 1923)

Changing Horses Mid-Stream: Managing Substitutions

Consider attending the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of CSI next meeting, 1 November 2012, at Biltmore Hotel & Suites, 2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara.

The topic will address Managing Substitutions, Changing Horses Mid-Stream.

Few construction administration procedures inspire such strong emotions as Substitutions.  

Architects seem to despise them, while Contractors seem to dote on them.  

Owners are concerned that the project quality is maintained, but are beguiled by possible cost savings or schedule acceleration.  

Substitutions have the potential to disrupt a project, or confer great benefits.

Substitution Procedures are primarily a means of Quality Assurance, to prevent un-"equal" products from undermining the design intent.  But How Equal is Equal?  And who decides?

What actions can the A/E take in product selection and specifications to reduce substitution requests or to deal effectively with those that arise?  

What risks arise to the parties in construction from substitutions, authorized or not?  

What actions are appropriate to allow acceptable substitutions to be incorporated into the Work while maintaining the risk allocations of all the parties?

Can Construction Documents be crafted to resolve these issues fairly for all the parties?

Join us for the discussion.  Details are here >> http://www.csiscv.org/

Today's painting is "The Horse of Alfonso Ugarte" by Agostino Marazzani Visconti, 1905.  The rider is not exactly mid-stream, but seems to be considering a change of steeds.  Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, believed by this author to be in the public domain since it was published before 1923.

High Concept, Low Tech

Today's post looks at a striking design effect that was very easy to implement.  Proof that simple things can still be uplifting, and 3D modeling of biscuit-shaped forms is not always needed.

The photo shows the ceiling of the escalator lobby in a new department store in the Bay Area.

The little sparkly bits are nothing more than acrylic film tied off with monofilament plastic line (fishing line), which is suspended from the ceiling in long strands.

The plastic film is sidelighted by the clerestory windows and the whole thing sways gently in the HVAC breeze.


The effect is mesmerizing and really easy to pull off, although it was probably tedious to assemble thousands of pieces of film on hundreds of strands.  I am not sure if this was part of the architecture, or an art installation that came later, but it is very effective.  An excellent design effect with extreme economy of means.  This would be fun to specify.

High Concept, Low Tech.

Best Regards.

JG

Wheels Within Wheels

Today's post is a little preview of my CONSTRUCT 2012 presentation on Division 01.

Construction project participants are always a diverse group of people; some of whom have worked together in the past, others who are meeting for the first time.  All the parties have somewhat different interests, duties and responsibilities, and all are riding together in a single Project vehicle on their way to the destination, the completed facility.

Expanding this allegory, the Project wagon rides on wheels of Construction Documents, as eloquently described in CSI's explanatory graphic.

Division 01 General Requirements occupies that critical space in the center of the Wheel, mediating between the General Conditions, Supplementary Conditions, Drawings and Specifications; describing the Administrative, Procedural and Temporary requirements of the Construction Documents.

We will discuss the various parts of the Construction Documents and Division 01, sharing tips and tricks to customize your General Requirements to suit your Project vehicle and destination.

Today's painting, "Flora's Malle-wagen", painted by the Dutch artist Hendrik Gerritsz. Pot in 1640 is a sardonic depiction of the Dutch tulip mania, where investors of all types speculated on the value of tulip bulbs, which attained astronomical values and eventually crashed, resulting in a financial depression.  The wagon-load of revelers, with flowers in their hair, is headed straight into the ocean because no one is steering.

If your Division 01 has ever made you feel like this is happening to you, join us in session F03 on Friday morning for a tune-up.  I will have more illustrations and stories as well.  We'll have fun and learn a bit.

Best regards.

JG

Friday Funnies

The photograph above is the door to the guest room bath in an expensive hotel room in a major Bay Area city.

I apologize for the zoomed-in view of the fixture, but it is important to see that little gap between the door and the fixture.  Why are we interested in this gap?  Of course there is a gap, how would the door close otherwise?

Look carefully at the edge, you can see how the solid core flush door has been carefully coped to clear the water closet fixture.  Without this elegant modification, the door would not close at all.

What has happened here?  The guest room bath was recently remodeled with new costly finishes and fixtures, perhaps even some drawings may have been made.  But not every condition was documented, apparently.  At least in this room, the new water closet was just large enough to prevent the door from closing.

There probably isn't really a specification lesson to teach here.   In fact, it's difficult to determine where the fault occurred in the chain of decisions leading to this sad state.   It might be a drawing problem, or a failure to properly select or submit products, or check the submittals.

But we do know that someone was responsible for accepting and allowing this condition to be left intact for hotel guests to photograph and comment about on the Internet.

Fortunately, the cut-away portion of the door created only a tiny gap at the frame stop with the door in closed position; the loss of privacy is nominal, and there are no fire rating issues to consider.  On the whole, this could be considered an inexpensive solution to an embarrassing problem, but definitely not one to recommend to clients.

I hope this photo gives you a smile on your Friday.

CONSTRUCT 2012

If you are planning to attend this year's CSI Convention CONSTRUCT 2012 in Phoenix AZ, come to hear my presentation on "Division 01 General Requirements:  The Hub of the Wheel".

CSI has a training diagram for years, referred to in vernacular as the "Wheel", describing Division 01 relationships to the other Construction Documents.

I will show the relationships between the different types of content in the Construction Documents and how Division 01 can edited to promote and clarify those relationships.  We will also discuss customization of Division 01 for specific project needs.

Join us Friday morning to talk about specifications and interesting pictures of wheels.

The example above is a detail from a painting by Edward Poynter, selected for it's classic rendition of a wagon wheel.  I'll have many more.

First Post...Sort of.

I am moving my blog to Google Blogger from it's original location on Posterous.  I have had more experience with the Blogger interface, and I find it easier to use.

If it's easier to use, I will post more often, so it's time to move.

Please be patient with the plain look, I will dress up the place a bit over time.

I will also migrate all of the content from the original location to this blog, just to maintain continuity.

More to come in the near future.

Best Regards.

JG

Reasons to Join CSI

The Architecture/Engineering/Construction industry is becoming more complicated every day.  Sometimes the road signs are not clear at all.

If only there was an organization composed of construction professionals like myself that I could join that would help me sort order out of chaos and figure out which way to go?

Well, for me, and thousands of my colleagues, that organization is the Construction Specifications Institute.  It isn't just a club for spec writers; Architects, Engineeers, Product Representatives, Contractors, Construction Managers and others in construction related professions are members as well.

CSI is the one place where all these professions meet and share viewpoints on the complex industry.  Often the street signs still point in different directions, but you have the advantage of friends to help sort out which way is right for you.

CSI is always working to create new tools for bringing order into our complex industry and creating educational tools to help you master them and then demonstrate your skills to others with valuable certifications and training.

This is a good time to consider reasons to join CSI and I am going to add another one, which should get your attention.

CSI is running a special membership promotion for the next seven days only:

Join CSI online between Wednesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 20, and pay only $192 -- a 20% savings -- for your membership. Use promo code “12spring20” when you join at www.csinet.org/joincsi.This promotion is only available to new members joining at the professional level. Chapter dues are not included in this promotion. To join:

Visit www.csinet.org/join

Select "Join Now", and then click "Sign Up as a New Member"

Enter Promotion Code 12spring20 when prompted

Click the "Add Discount" button

Since this deal doesn't include chapter dues, you will have to pick out which chapter you want to join, but when you do, you will find a ready-made group of like-minded professionals to welcome you.

I can honestly say that joining CSI was the best career move I made since college.  I've learned a lot, taught a lot, and had a lot of fun, and after 17 years, I'm still just starting.

Join us and join the fun.  It's no secret.

JG

Project Quality

Each Project has it's own unique required Project Quality, defined as the "Ability to satisfy stated and implied requirements established in the Contract Documents."

This Project Quality is affected by a number of factors.

Prime determinants are the requirements of the Owner:

• Facility Use or Purpose, The Program;
• Schedule
• Budget
• Aesthetic
• Sustainable

Additional factors come into play:

Climate, scenic and environmental requirements or attributes unique to the facility location;
Planning codes and standards of the Authorities Having Jurisdiction;
Community response to the facility, whether environmental, political, etc.
Each of these factors can affect the facility's level of quality.  Determination, prioritization, and embodiment of these constraints into the final design are the work of the Architect and his consultants as directed by the Owner.

The required Project Quality is thus established by the Contract Documents prepared by the Architect, and achievement of this quality becomes a requirement of the Contractor undertaking the work described by those Documents.

In today's painting by Hieronymus Bosch, titled "Vanitas" we see a woman admiring her reflection in the mirror, complimented by the demon of Vanity. The Owner's needs and even whims, are paramount here.

This image is simply intended to illustrate that the Owner's requirements have first claim on the program of any facility, after the various codes and standards are met, and should be given priority by the Project Team, whether Architect or Contractor.  Attributes which may not make sense in the initial concepts can be very important to the end user.

Describing and guarding Project Quality through the design and construction processes requires constant attention by the Parties to ensure that the Owner's needs (and perhaps whims, as well) are met in the final work.

Vanitas (Detail from The Seven Deadly Sins) Hieronymus Bosch, 1480

Next post:  Quality Assurance and Control.