# Anybody using SpecPoint? **URL:** \ **Category:** Specifications Discussions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860 "2022-04-15T16:33:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lshrdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9dc877/32.png) [@lshrdn](https://forum.4specs.com/u/lshrdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/41 "2023-03-07T19:22:25Z")
I think Deltek is retiring SpecBuilder in favor of SpecPoint. SpecLink is an RIB North America product now. BSD, who developed SpecLink, was acquired by RIB not too long ago. I can’t offer a comparison of SpecPoint or SpecBuilder with SpecLink Cloud. I have only used SpecLink Cloud and good ol’ fashioned Word-based MasterSpec. (All the “SpecSomething” can get confusing.) ---
**Author:** ![Seamus\_McGrady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Seamus\_McGrady](https://forum.4specs.com/u/Seamus_McGrady)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/42 "2023-03-31T19:59:02Z")
Hello Chris, I see noone answered your question although you may have already found out… Deltek has stated within Specpoint you “…can easily export your specifications to Microsoft Word if needed.” [https://www.deltek.com/en/blog/aia-masterspec-and-specbuilder-cloud](https://www.deltek.com/en/blog/aia-masterspec-and-specbuilder-cloud) ---
**Author:** ![edueppen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dc4da7/32.png) [@edueppen](https://forum.4specs.com/u/edueppen)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 12:24pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/43 "2023-04-03T12:24:12Z")
Seamus, yes, masterspecs can be exported as Word files from Specpoint, but it is a VERY time consuming process unless someone only wants one file. Please see my review at: [http://discus.4specs.com/discus/messages/23/9933.html?1670527494](http://discus.4specs.com/discus/messages/23/9933.html?1670527494) When Deltek turns off the tap of bulk Masterspec Word downloads at the end of 2nd quarter 2023, they are inherently FORCING their customers into using their beta quality product of Specpoint in order to have current masterspecs. This is the antithesis of good customer service. ---
**Author:** ![Seamus\_McGrady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Seamus\_McGrady](https://forum.4specs.com/u/Seamus_McGrady)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/44 "2023-04-05T18:51:41Z")
Thanks, Ed. Sounds like the “easily export your specifications” is relative term! Even still, if you had to export to doc files and it takes days to do so, that time is saved within the first 1-2 projects as per other editing comments on 4Specs. So justifiable if forced, but I understand everyone’s frustration with the AIA docs being hidden in a proprietary application. ---
**Author:** ![archebuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@archebuy](https://forum.4specs.com/u/archebuy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/45 "2023-04-14T20:33:58Z")
Is anyone currently migrating or considering migrating from MasterSpec to Specbuilder, and then to Specpoint (once it gets beyond beta)? ---
**Author:** ![lshrdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9dc877/32.png) [@lshrdn](https://forum.4specs.com/u/lshrdn)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/46 "2023-05-12T13:38:26Z")
Checking in with people on SpecPoint. We use SpeLink. I really miss the CONTENT that MasterSpec has. The '“up-in-the-air” aspect of roll outs for SpecPoint has me concerned. I would really love to confidently suggest we switch to SpecPoint so we can get the content back. I have watched the four town halls that Deltek has posted, and that made me cautiously optimistic. But then I read hear about the time element for editing and for producing project manuals. Is anybody GLAD they switched? Is there anything POSITIVE about it? What are the latest opinions out there? ---
**Author:** ![edueppen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dc4da7/32.png) [@edueppen](https://forum.4specs.com/u/edueppen)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/47 "2023-05-12T18:08:35Z")
I’ve been testing Specpoint whenever I get a chance. While I have been impressed with the amount of new features and improvements that have been made in the last few months, I have no intention of using it for a real project anytime soon. Each time I’ve tried it I’ve run into errors and realize there are additional features that still need to be added before it would be on par with MasterWorks. When they add support for custom content later this year then it might be worth looking at again. But to be blunt, I don’t think it will be a timesaver for at least another year. Deltek needs to keep offering quarterly Word updates until then. ---
**Author:** ![mkhudson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mkhudson](https://forum.4specs.com/u/mkhudson)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 12:04am UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/48 "2024-03-08T00:04:13Z")
We’re MasterWorks users and I was doing the training for SpecPoint for a while. I’m certain that we will not migrate to it. Not sufficient value there for us. For one thing, MasterWorks is a site license and SpecPoint is a seat license. We’re an MEP firm, and mostly our Engineers do their own specs. Giving everyone or even half of everyone a seat is too expensive. Another thing: speed of production is most important after completeness and clarity. Otherwise we loose money, and SpecPoint is a black hole for hours. Finally, as an MEP firm we never found the links to manufacturers in MasterWorks to be at all useful - if product data is not complete then we work directly with suppliers, manufacturer’s engineers and reps. SpecPoint is heavily reliant on links to manufacturers, but not links to the people we work with. Sad to say the content in our Divisions has not necessarily been improving over the years. I’m looking at the task of once again creating an office master which will not have all of the options, but will have the options we need. After that it’s just look it up and write it up. ---
**Author:** ![ekertesz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d9b06d/32.png) [@ekertesz](https://forum.4specs.com/u/ekertesz)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/49 "2024-03-08T15:39:19Z")
Well, I gave SpecPoint a shot. And I’m terribly disappointed. I tried using the application as intended, selecting the Sections, and then selecting the options within the cloud-based interface - it takes 7-30 seconds every time I click on anything in SpecPoint. Which equals Forever when you’re trying to complete an entire project manual, so I had to ditch the effort, and downloaded the Word files instead. However, when you export the Word files, SpecPoint does not automatically include the critical PART 2 Product paragraphs. So in order to download a complete set of Word files, including the critical PART 2 product paragraphs, you have to manually select every single PART 2 paragraph that you want to include. Which takes 7-30 seconds per click, which, again, equals FOREVER when you’re trying to produce an entire project manual. If I reduce the screen size in the cloud-based application, I get an error message stating that SpecPoint doesn’t work at all when the screen size is reduced, which means I can’t compare what’s on the screen side-by-side to the cutsheets/ guide specs that I’m referring to. Perhaps it would work better if I chained myself to a CPU tower with dual screen monitors and an ethernet cable, but with MasterSpec/MasterWorks, I can work from my laptop anywhere in the world, something I’m not willing to compromise for Deltek’s sake. I’ve noticed that some of the new writing isn’t as good as I would hope. There is no way to delete sustainability requirements, related requirements articles, Construction Manager references, or Commissioning Authority references in one fell swoop using SpecPoint. You can still accomplish some of those tasks using MasterWorks after you download the Word files, but some of that functionality has been lost. I’m interested in using/ creating a custom API that leverages the power of AI to help me to quickly produce a well-written project manual based on an outline spec or spec checklist. This will enable me to spend more of my human time researching codes, standards, products, and lessons learned in the field, so that I can provide excellent technical writing for my clients. The purpose of technology is to make our human jobs easier. It seems that Deltek and SpecPoint have their priorities in the wrong place - instead of using technology to make our lives easier, they are holding the AIA copyrighted MasterSpec documents hostage in an attempt to force the use of their inferior technology, by creating barriers to a superior technology that we once had access to. I’m interested to know if anyone has tried using AI to assist with writing specs. ---
**Author:** ![ekertesz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d9b06d/32.png) [@ekertesz](https://forum.4specs.com/u/ekertesz)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/50 "2024-03-08T16:51:47Z")
There are couple of other things I forgot to mention in my previous rant. The SpecPoint interface only allows me to view 7-9 lines of text at a time. I can’t even view the entire paragraph that I’m working on, most of the time. It makes it hard to figure out the context of the language that I’m editing at any given moment, and when I scroll up to see what the paragraph is about, the application usually freezes up, or the text starts bouncing around, or it scrolls up too far, or executes commands that I didn’t intend for it to execute. And then, if I need to manually type over the existing text within SpecPoint, it takes 7-30 seconds for each keystroke to be entered. Whereas, in Microsoft Word, I can see the entire page that I’m editing to see how the paragraph I’m working on fits in with the context of the document, and Microsoft Word is capable of handling my superfast typing skills. ---
**Author:** ![MelodyFontenot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MelodyFontenot](https://forum.4specs.com/u/MelodyFontenot)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/51 "2024-03-08T17:00:57Z")
I have been attempting to use AI for product research and comparison as a start and it is WAY off; the results are simply not accurate yet. I’ve seen a few “Produce a 3 part spec” queries on AI that have also been far removed from what I deem acceptable; AI needs more ‘training’ (and it is getting it). In referencing web sources, AI will mostly find public project specs and we all know the differences in specs between public/private or different project types can be great; there is so much nuance involved. I am hopeful that AI is the key to really connecting drawings and specs- with human oversight, of course! ---
**Author:** ![liz\_osullivan](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/liz_osullivan/32/41_2.png) [@liz\_osullivan](https://forum.4specs.com/u/liz_osullivan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/52 "2024-03-08T17:09:01Z")
Elizabeth, thank you for your comments. My experiences (although limited) with my SpecPoint have been similar. I have the fastest internet available in the city of Denver in my home office, and the 2nd fastest internet available in the city of Denver in my office-office (fastest available in that location), and in both places, the lag between the time I initiate a command (a click) in SpecPoint and the time it is executed by SpecPoint is way too long. I think that those of us who have been writing specs for a long time are fast readers and are either fast typists or fast database users or both. I think we were probably that way before we started writing specs, and that is why the objectively tedious work of writing specs is something we can actually enjoy - because we are naturally fast at the tedious part, and can just focus on the interesting part, without being hamstrung by being slow typists or slow readers. Our eyes, brains, and fingers work faster than SpecPoint. Word (and undoubtedly some database systems which I don’t have much experience with) can accommodate our fast eyes/brains and fast fingers. ---
**Author:** ![specman](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/specman/32/222_2.png) [@specman](https://forum.4specs.com/u/specman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/53 "2024-03-08T17:24:19Z")
Elizabeth: I agree with you on Specpoint’s performance. I use VisiSpecs to edit MasterSpec Word documents. I compared editing one section (09 29 00 Gypsum Board) in both systems. It took me twice as long to edit the section in Specpoint than it did in VisiSpecs. I performed the test two additional times and had very similar results (within seconds). Here is how I am handling the Specpoint issue–it is still a work in progress until I get something that works smoothly and is not very time-consuming. I created a single project called “MASTER” in Specpoint and exported it to Word documents. I uploaded the Word documents into VisiSpecs. I plan to annually compare my masters in VisiSpecs with the latest MasterSpec sections using VisiSpecs’ Document Source Update to compare documents and create an update (I haven’t done this yet since I just started my first year using Specpoint exported sections). ---
**Author:** ![ekertesz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d9b06d/32.png) [@ekertesz](https://forum.4specs.com/u/ekertesz)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 3:20am UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/54 "2024-03-09T03:20:51Z")
Thanks so much for the insight everyone - will have to check out VisiSpecs… and in the meantime, Ronald, I’m planning to take a similar approach and export of all the Word files from SpecPoint to use as an office master for now. Liz - thanks for sharing, it’s comforting to know that it’s not just my internet that’s the problem. I think you’re right, too - specifiers have certain gifts that make us good at our jobs. Melody - Re. AI - I wonder if there is a way to write a custom API that only crawls through acceptable resource documents saved in a hard drive or a specific share drive (like updated guide specs, codes, and referenced standards) rather than just pulling random stuff from the internet… Lol - I’m not tech savvy enough to write an API, but it sure would be nice to have an AI assistant help me with some of this stuff… ---
**Author:** ![ColinG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@ColinG](https://forum.4specs.com/u/ColinG)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/55 "2024-03-09T13:40:24Z")
Take a look at UltraEdit. I use it to search across all the 4specs sections for a phrase or term. It is now on a subscription only - $80 a year if I remember correctly. There is a free 30 trial. This has saved me many hours looking for a problem or checking that my listings are correct. [https://www.ultraedit.com/](https://www.ultraedit.com/) ---
**Author:** ![curtn](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/curtn/32/101_2.png) [@curtn](https://forum.4specs.com/u/curtn)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/56 "2024-03-27T11:54:05Z")
We moved to Speclink years ago. Although it’s not perfect, I still prefer it to using Word docs. However, Visispecs is hands down, the best editor if you have a library of Word document specs. Deltek’s product is a mess. If everyone refuses to renew, they have to listen. ---
**Author:** ![brian\_payne](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/brian_payne/32/356_2.png) [@brian\_payne](https://forum.4specs.com/u/brian_payne)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 12:22pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/57 "2024-03-27T12:22:05Z")
FYI - If you end your Deltek subscription you are required per their terms to delete EVERY word file that contained masterspec language off of your servers. This includes all past projects, custom written sections, and office masters that include any Masterspec text. ---
**Author:** ![khercenberg](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/khercenberg/32/104_2.png) [@khercenberg](https://forum.4specs.com/u/khercenberg)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 12:43pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/58 "2024-03-27T12:43:56Z")
Sounds like the makings of a class action lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![lshrdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9dc877/32.png) [@lshrdn](https://forum.4specs.com/u/lshrdn)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/59 "2024-03-27T13:31:56Z")
Brian – Holy mackerel! That is insane! ---
**Author:** ![khercenberg](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/khercenberg/32/104_2.png) [@khercenberg](https://forum.4specs.com/u/khercenberg)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860/60 "2024-03-27T13:57:39Z")
Brian is correct, however: 1. I’ve never heard of this being enforced. 2. There apparently is some question as to whether or not it can be enforced as this seems to (to my non-lawyer understanding) violate Federal copyright laws. 3. It sounds like (again, to my non-lawyer ears) like extortion at worst or scare tactics at best. These are obviously my personal opinions. If Deltek has a lick of sense they will continue to make Word documents available along with MasterWorks to provide subscribers the option of how we want to do our work. Or they can be obtuse POS dictators who are completely out of touch. I’m not hopeful. [Previous page](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860.md?page=2) [Next page](https://forum.4specs.com/t/anybody-using-specpoint/3860.md?page=4)