Why Hire a Certified Construction Specifier?

 
People hire certified, licensed, and registered professionals all the time. The doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, contractors, etc. that we hire, either as employees or for services, require some level of competence as determined by an authoritative organization responsible for that specialty. However, when it comes to preparing specifications, many design professionals don’t see the need to hire an in-house specifier or a specifications consultant, let alone a certified specifier.

Why hire a certified construction specifier?  Because it makes sense.

People have no problem going to a cardiologist for heart problems or a probate lawyer for handling a will.  But many architects and engineers seem very content with preparing the specifications themselves for their designs without understanding the technical and legal nuances that come with specifying. 

Like the art of architectural design, the calculations of engineering, and the preparation of CAD or BIM documents, specifying requires a level of expertise all unto its own.  The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) recognized this and developed the Certified Construction Specifier (CCS) program.  The program has evolved over the years since it was first introduced in the early 1980s, but the goal has remained the same:  providing an avenue for specifiers to demonstrate their “excellence in specifications and contract document preparation.”

I have found it interesting that many of the application forms for professional liability insurance state, “Does your firm use an automated master specification system?”  I equate that to asking, “Do you have a handgun for protection?”  Neither question asks if you’ve been trained and have demonstrated a level of skill to show you know how to use it.  Improper use of either could lead to problems not only for you, but other people involved.  Possessing the knowledge of what to do, and the skill to be able do it, is the essence of CCS certification.

The certified construction specifier brings to the design team a broad knowledge of not only specifications, but knowledge in the coordination of construction documents, materials, constructability, and product/system integration.  Therefore, if you desire that expertise in your firm, add a CCS to your staff.  If your firm’s financial situation does not currently allow employing new staff, then hire one of the several independent specifications consultants that hold CCS certification.  Either way, you may pay now or pay later; and paying later may not be less expensive or less painful.

Comments

 
By: dbarch
On: 06/02/2010 22:19:02
A qualified specification writer, especially one certified through CSI, helps ensure that the carefully crafted written word supports the design intent and the quality of construction desired. Casual use of master specfications leads to unnecessary boilerplate, and uncertain or conflicting requirements - these problems make it far easier to dispute poor quality and far more difficult to argue for the high standards that building designers and their clients inherently want.

General contractors will, more often than not, defend their subs' interpretation of poorly written specifications, even if they also know that the owner has received inferior or undesired results. The architect/engineer will be blamed and expected to contribute to the cost of correction. Certified Construction Specifiers add a high standard of care to the preparation of construction documents.

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