As a contractor I hear and see this more times than not. The most famous variation is “I don’t know about roofs. You are the professional, you tell me what I need.” This is true but there is a need for specifications that are objective and that create a level playing field for all bidders. Specifications are the road maps that allow me and my men to complete your project in a professional manner, addressing specific details.

If you know very little about a trade, how can you draft a specification? Ask for help from material manufacturers. Invest your trust in someone whom you have a relationship with, or go to an active vendor member of an association that you belong to. When a craftsman joins an association it is usually proof that they are knowledgeable and are concerned about the trade that they represent. You may want to meet with a manufacturer and a vendor member together on the job to check out the project. This way you can obtain information from the applicator about the do’s and don’ts of roofing and also obtain technical help from the manufacturer.

Specifications have three basic parts: General, Products, and Execution. GENERAL covers the work to be included. The PRODUCT section will specify the manufacturer of products you wish to use as well as the different materials involved in the job. The EXECUTION section will ask that the job be examined to make sure the conditions are right for application to begin: preparation of the site for commencement of work, application steps for the product installation, contractor verification of the completion of work, assurance of quality control and expections for clean up and site protection. Then you should address scheduling and if there will be liquidated damages for work not completed on time. Last but not least, specify the warranties expected, whether they are to be provided by the contractor, the manufacturer or from both jointly.

Almost all manufacturers will write specifications for your projects. They will do this with the hope that you will use their products on your project. By having an applicator involved, you will have a different set of eyes that may pick up items a manufacturer may not see. The applicator will also be able to help prevent you from specifying more than you need and prevent manufacturer over-kill.

When a specification is provided to the prospective bidders, it will tell the contractor what your specific objective is. It also takes the guess work and the gamesmanship out of the bidding process. Once your specification is prepared, it is a good idea to meet all of your bidders at the same time on the job and walk the project. This will enable them to review the job and bring up questions that may have been over looked during the spec writing, allowing the manufacturer to make an addendum to the documents. This little bit of time could save you hours and money in the end.

If you are a property manager who takes bids for work without a specificati on, when your bids come in you may get five different approaches to the work that you want to have performed with no guarantee that you are getting what you want or need. This leaves you or your board of directors trying to sort out proposals on topics that you may know very little about.

Instead, get those “stinking specifications” from your manufacturer-vendor team and get a quality job for the best price.