Course Syllabus in CE 163

Chapter 9
Language In General
9.1

Verbal disclosure/Speech
Purpose:
o convey new information form one person to another
o maintain existing order, establish, and maintain relationship

Look at language in more specific detail

o reflect on meaning of words
o consider arrangement or sequence of words

Consider complexities encountered in the use of language

o identify difficulties
o suggest practical solutions

9.2

Nature of language

Language: pattern of sound and shapes

o learned through years of practice and immersion in the subject

Mental processes in interpreting language

analogous to process of looking at picture

o focus on the main of point of interest
o absorb as much of the peripheral (or surrounding) detail as is necessary
to interpret scene
o Donts: glance from left-hand corner, scan across and down

Attraction and Retention of Attention

when presented with new idea, secure attention for first 1-2 minutes
introducing diversions (less relevance or significant to the main topic) leads to
attention rapidly wandering off the topic;
o Effect of diversions: reduces amount of attention
o How does the mind works?
process of listening to and reading word is slow
BUT ability of the mind to review information is quick
MIND: either attends to or dismisses ideas presented

Based on the understanding of this phenomena; developed general

principles of specification writing
General principles of specification writing:
arrange words to command attention (be organized and objective)
eliminate distraction and diversion (be complementary)
use least amount of words (be concise BUT complete)
choose words carefully (be specific, consistent, and correct)

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DOs:

9.2.1

9.2.2

learn vocabulary/terminology re: building technology (syntax, grammar)

study construction materials, codes, methods, contracts, procedures, and
systems
Guidelines

meaning of words

form of words

punctuation

verb selection

9.2.3

Examples

place word with one or more meaning in a context when

intended meaning is capable of only one interpretation
select correct verb tense and mood to secure desired actions
o tense: indicates action or occurrence (shall, should,
would)
o mood: indicates attitude of verb; consider possible
misinterpretation of the form of the words
compose phrase and sentence that require simplest style
and least amount of punctuation
language offers a variety of ways of expressing action
o style: giving instruction use present indicative tense
(or imperative mood)
o offer forms are used to:
permit choices to be made (use of MAY)
suggest that activities will occur in the future or
the occur in present (use of SHOULD, SHALL,
WOULD)
place conditional qualification on aspects of the
contract (use of IF AND WHEN or the like)

Being concise, specific

The contractor shall install the fixtures which will be supplied later by the
Owner (14 words, 86 chars!)

The contractor shall install the fixtures which will be supplied later by the
Owner (14 words, 86 chars!)
less 4 words
Install the fixtures which will be supplied by the Owner (10 words, 59 chars!)
less 2 more words
Install fixtures to be supplied by the Owner (8 words, 47 chars!)
less 2 more words
Install fixtures supplied by the Owner (6 words, 41 chars)
Conditional qualification
1st sentence: background information, explains basis of offer: specified
materials and methods
2nd sentence: explains applicability (conditional qualification) of this part of the
proposal
o cite condition
o present the desired/correct action by parties
3rd sentence and the rest: details

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Permitting choices
Suggesting occurrence of an activity
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Example use of language to permit choices
IB - INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS:
These Provisions Refer to Pre-Construction Activities from
Advertisement to Contract Award
IB 1 - Who May be Allowed to Bid
1.

The following may become contractors for government projects:

a. Filipino
(1) Citizens (single proprietorship)
(2) Partnership or corporation duly organized under the laws of the
Philippines, and at least seventy five percent (75%) of the capital
stock of which belongs to Filipino citizens.
b. Contractors forming themselves into a joint venture i.e., a group of two or
more contractors that intend to be jointly and severally responsible for a
particular contract, shall for purposes of bidding/tendering comply with LOI
630, and, aside from being currently and properly licensed by the Philippine
Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), shall comply with the provisions of
R.A. 4566 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, provided that joint
ventures in which Filipino ownership is less than seventy five percent (75%)
MAY BE PRE-QUALIFIED where the structures to be built require the
application of techniques and/or technologies which are not adequately
possessed by a Filipino entity as defined above.
c. Foreign contractors for internationally bid foreign-assisted projects as may
be required by foreign financial institutions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Example use of language to suggests occurrence of an activity

IB 10.6 - Awarding of Contract
IB 10.6.1 - By Bid Contract
1.

If the BAC or designated procurement unit finds that the contractor with the lowest
calculated total bid price passes the abovementioned post-qualification criteria, his
bid shall be considered as the "lowest calculated responsive bid", and the
office/agency/corporation shall award the contract to him, at his bid price as
calculated by the BAC or designated procurement unit, subject to the other
provisions of this clause.

2.

Normally within thirty (30) calendar days from the date the evaluation of bids shall
have been completed, post-qualification of the lowest calculated bidder to
determine its responsiveness shall have been done and a decision on the
results of the post-qualification shall be made. If the decision is to award the
contract, the notice of award shall be issued normally within seven (7)
calendar days from the date the decision to award is made. For foreignassisted projects, the decision to award the contract should be transmitted to the
concerned foreign financial institution for concurrence as may be required
normally within seven (7) calendar days from the date decision to award is
made. Likewise, the notice of award shall be issued by the concerned
implementing agency normally within seven (7) calendar days from the date
concurrence of the concerned foreign financial institution shall have been
secured. The successful bidder or his duly authorized representative shall
execute the contract with the office/agency/corporation concerned normally
within fifteen (15) calendar days from receipt of the Notice of Award.

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Chapter 10
PRECEPTS OF SPECIFICATION
10.1

Fundamentals of Specification Writing

Possess good knowledge of construction principles, procedures, and

practices:
o clearly understand what is to be specified before specifying it
o study in detail building science, construction details, material, methods,
and equipment

understand construction contracts and procedures

o examine closely bid process

develop ability to analyze, synthesize, and organize construction information

o be able to take apart building and contract mentally
o put information together in required order
o present information to others in a convenient and recognizable form
compare, judge, and select from among variables in design and in
method
express ideas in clear and simple words

10.2

Ten precepts or commandments

10.2.1 Be complementary

Objective: relate all parts of the contract (agreement, general condition,

supplementary conditions, specifications, drawings)
o Make to fit together, with no omission and minimum overlapping (avoid
repeating information)
o WHY? Consider danger of making a mistake in one or the other

As an example: consider drawings and specifications

o Drawings: show scope of work, dimensions of components
o Specifications: describe the ff.
- quality of materials, workmanship
- relationship among the contractor, owner, and designer

10.2.2 Be concise

Objective: use the least number of words while saying all that has to be said
o Principle: fewer words means
- fewer chance of misinterpretation
- savings of time (typing, proofreading, reading) and money
(printing, paper)

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Eliminating redundant words and phrases:

The contractor shall or
shall be

the and a
all

Scope clause:

should appear once in the contract; not

necessary to repeat again
eliminate by using imperative style (put
verb at the beginning)
eliminate definite and indefinite articles
eliminate when used in this context:
cover all floors
eliminate if drawing show sufficiently the
scope (not usual practice)

Other ways to be concise:

use numerals instead of writing out numbers

when presenting a tabulation or listing of materials; use sequential form or tabular
form

10.2.3 Be consistent

Objective: select correct words; put them into the correct context in the
specification
o Once chosen, use them as often as necessary
o do not apply normal rules of composition (where use of slightly different
words to avoid repetition or monotony is encouraged)

10.2.4 Be current

Objective: ensure that titles and dates of industry standards, government

regulations, and manufacturers literature direct the contractors attention to those
that are in the present use
o essence: recognized that referenced information is modified (updated)
from time to time
o purpose: to include all amendments to those referenced information in the
contract

10.2.5 Be fair

Objective: avoid unfair clauses that gives an advantage to one party

o EFFECT of unfair clauses: aggrieved party tends to get around these
conditions, causing problems for all concerned

avoid weasel clauses that make contractor try to guess what the designer or
owner wants or will insist upon
o to the satisfaction of the architect
o where directed by the engineer
o unless otherwise directed
o from an approved source
o at the discretion of the owner

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avoid similar phrases that has the same effect:

Provide and apply two coats of asphalt paint on the external surfaces of
foundation walls below grade, if so directed by the architect

DILEMNA for contractor: judge

likelihood that architect will order the
work be done

Contractor: to be safe, includes

possibility that work will be done

DILEMNA for owner: if architect

decides not to order work

Owner: ends up paying for value of

work that he is not receiving

10.2.6 Be objective
Objective: consider (throughout the preparation of drawings and specifications)
the two primary objectives associated with the production of contract
documents

Two Primary Objectives:

o bring about the creation of a suitable contract; permit bidding or
negotiation to take place so that an offer can be made and accepted
o

permit project to be built, according to agreed contract

Nine secondary objectives (the rest of the 10 precepts): assist in the

achievement of the primary objectives

10.2.7 Be organized
Objective: put together several portions of the contract documents in an organize
manner
Why is there a need to organize?
allows persons/parties involved with the documents to make use of the
technical specification as a convenient reference (to various portions)

When presented in a logical and acceptable manner,

o ensures understanding
o facilitate referencing (e.g. Section 12345)
o create sound contractual relationship
o clearly convey ideas from one party to another

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Contract Document Organization

Primary activities:
o recognize the main elements of the contract
o organize elements into patterns
[Link]

Recognition of the elements

Note that contract documents consists of:
o Graphical representation: drawings, sketches
o Verbal representation: technical specifications, conditions of contract
Arrange in an understandable and acceptable sequence
o Put into order all these elements
o Record that order in a detailed Table of Contents prepared for and
included with every project manual

For DRAWINGS
1. Main title page (with perspective rendering)
2. Site plan (show general layout, possible landscape proposal)
3. Architectural drawings (present floor plans, external elevation, major
sections)
4. Detail drawings (shows minor sections, internal elevations, details, and
schedules)
5. Structural drawings (show foundation and frame)
6. Mechanical drawings (plumbing, heating, air conditioning, elevators,
conveying system)
7. Electrical drawings (power distribution, panels, subfeeders)
For PROJECT MANUALS
1. Covers (front and back)
2. Fly sheet (identifies Project, owner, designer, major consultant, project
number, and date of issue)
3. Table of Contents (identify each portion)
4. Bidding portion
5. Contract portion
6. Specification portion
[Link]
Organization of the elements
Organize following the two standard system or formats (developed by
Construction Specification Institute {CSI} and Construction Specification
Canada)
o

First format: deals with the arrangement of the entire set of contract
documents; (divides the manual into divisions and sections)

Second format: deals with the arrangement of the each part of the
documents; (divides the section into parts and paragraphs according to
Three Part Section Format)

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Major Divisions in the Uniform Construction Index

(Hendrickson, 1999)
0.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Conditions of the contract

General requirements
Site work
Concrete
Masonry
Metals
Wood and plastics
Thermal and moisture prevention
Doors and windows

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

Finishes
Specialties
Equipment
Furnishings
Special construction
Conveying system
Mechanical
Electrical

Arrange division into broadscope and narrowscope titles (with respective

reference number)
o broadscope: represent a major subdivision of 1 of 16 division
o narrowscope: represent a minor but more specific subdivision of the
broadscope subdivision

Objective of establishing divisions and sections

If project requires specific item of work to be provided (or installed) by the
contractor; then the specifications writer
o

adopts the specification section number and title for that work (Masterformat
assigns unique nominal and numerical reference for filing technical data
on any product, system, or type of work for {almost} all construction
situation)
Advantages
facilitate documentation; ensures any technical literature produced
by the company would be filed in the correct place

use in cost control system: use the same number to account for
cost

Example Secondary Divisions in Masterformat for site work

(Source: Hendrickson, 1999)

02-010
02-012
02-016

SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATION
Standard penetration tests
Seismic investigation

02-050
02-060
02-070
02-075
02-080

DEMOLITION
Building demolition
Selective demolition
Concrete removal
Asbestos removal

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02-200
02-210
02-220
02-230
02-240
02-250
02-270
02-280
02-290

EARTHWORK
Grading
Excavating, backfilling and compaction
Base course
Soil stabilization
Vibro-floatation
Slope protection
Soil treatment
Earth dams

[Link]
Three Part Section Format
divides the section into parts and paragraphs

Technical Section:
describes as a unit of work that consisting of:
o carefully worded description of materials
o explanation of the methods of construction (in the form of instruction)

Identify and outline unit (or item) of work:

o Review any product, material, component, or system and related
accessories in terms of the following:
what is the product, material,
Identifies what to specify?
component, or system, and it
accessories?

How is the product incorporated

into the project?

Presents how to execute work?

What is the relationship between the

product and the rest of the project?

Presents what other work affects

this particular item of work? Or say
the necessary environmental
conditions to be established or
maintained by the contractor and
the like.

Group together answer to foregoing questions into three principal classes to form a
section (within the division of a project manual)

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Three Principal Classes

PART 1.

PART 2.

PART 3.

GENERAL
present articles of the contract dealing with the particular scope
of the unit of work and its relationship with the rest of the contract
PRODUCTS
cover specific data re: physical, chemical, dimensional, aesthetic,
or other properties of products
identify standards governing the manufacture or making of such
products
EXECUTION

Information under Part 1. General

WORK INCLUDED: brief description of the scope of work
RELATED WORK: work specified it other section that directly affects current
work
QUALITY ASSURANCE: criteria for evaluation; ensure compliance with contract
requirements
SUBMITTALS: request for SAMPLES, REPORTS, SHOP DRAWINGS, and the like
PRODUCT DELIVERY, STORAGE, and HANDLING: description of acceptable
standards for such items
SITE CONDITIONS: proper environmental conditions to be established and
maintained by the contractor
ALTERNATIVES: possible substitution for specified products
GUARANTEE/WARRANTY
Information under Part 2. Materials
MATERIAL PROPERTIES: product characteristics, standards of compliance,
names of acceptable manufacturer (where appropriate)
MIXES: proportions and procedure for mixing products (skip if not required)
FABRICATION AND MANUFACTURE: criteria necessary to ensure proper
production
Information under Part 3. Execution
INSPECTION: instruction to ENSURE WORK DONE UNDER PREVIOUS
SECTION IS in condition READY TO RECEIVE WORK describe under present
section
PREPARATION: preliminary ACTIVITIES NECESSARY TO PERMIT the WORK of
the section TO PROCEED properly (e.g. painting works: requires protective
measures)
INSTALLATION/APPLICATION: ACTIVITIES NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH
WORK
FIELD QUALITY CONTROL: TEST AND INSPECTION OF field activities and
COMPLETED WORK
ADJUST AND CLEAN
SCHEDULES: INFORMATION PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM to indicate
location of materials, products, components, systems, finishes
10.2.8 Be practical

Objective: consider practicalities (capability of being put to use in practice) of

having the project bid and built to bring about the realization of the project

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designers: may sometimes lack knowledge of ordinary construction

processes and techniques
Solutions: designers must
update themselves by researching on construction technology
developments
introduce improved innovations to solve construction problems

consider practicalities of incorporating design solutions into contract;

study the following:
budget
location
building regulation

recommended practice to be practical

o adopt local industry technique or practice
o use standard terminology and components in contracts
o work to known standards
o understand and appreciate thoroughly both construction detail and method

10.2.9 Be specific

Objective: include only those things that; [1] pertain to the contract, [2] can and
will be enforced
o [1]: avoid introducing extraneous items often carried from previous
projects
o [2]: avoid conditions that are not enforced or insisted upon; tends to
create weakening precedents (detracts enforcement of other conditions)

Use imperative mood (put verb at the beginning)

o significance: avoids possibility of making statements of fact when
instructions are intended
o

Consider the following example:

Statement of fact:

All floors shall be laid level

(6 words, 30 character spaces)

Instruction:

Lay floors level

(3 words, 16 character spaces)

Advantages of the imperative style:

o
o

gives same information, BUT it does so in the form of a specific command

takes fewer words to convey idea

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Other writing tips:

Avoid the use of the following confusing words or phrases; may cause problem due
to misinterpretation

Words or Phrases

10.2.10

Implied meaning/
Remarks

ANY

introduces choice

EITHER

confusing

OR EQUAL

introduces choice and

opinion into selection of
comparable products or
system

AND/OR

confusing

ETC.

makes it impossible to tell the

next item on the list

USE

does not necessarily mean

provide

Example
patch ANY cracks in plaster
interpretation: restore only
those I choose to patch
paint EITHER side of the
door, interpretation: paint
only one side, take your pick
intent of contract: reserve
only those decision to the
designer
use or (other) approved
equal
remove tools AND/OR
debris, interpretation:
remove what? Tools only,
debris only, or both
remove tools, equipment,
rubbish, etc.;
Question: what is the next
item
interpretation: contractor may
expect to use materials that
owner will provide

Be correct
Objective:
o check and double-check names of manufacturer, models, products
o verify or confirm numbers, amounts, quantities, proportions, dimensions,
mixes, spelling used in specification
o make sure that abbreviation and graphical symbols used are understood
(conventions may change)
o be certain that details and procedures are free from error and ambiguity

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