Ed,
I often think that my career of 40+ years as a specifier gave me a lot of benefits from always being a specifier internal to an architectural firm. First with SOM DC and then moving on to head up WDGs specifications. The later especially since the partners at that time really wanted someone to do that task as opposed to each writing their own project manual (typically cloning it from a past project). I went with them in 83 and retired in 2017. We never had the kind of problems you have expressed here, because we as the architect was in control. We did everything based on Master Format and when it was revised, we went with the revision, and simply required our consultants to comply at the time they were contracted.
Makes life and the specification process a lot simpler. Also, I always thoroughly enjoyed getting to see a project from its very beginning to its occupancy, and maintaining the project manual from start through addendums to later revisions, working with the designers early on, being with the projecct architects through keynote/word coordination where you could not put a keyword on the drawings without coordinating with specifications in advance, and using the CSI recommended keywords and definitions.
This is not to look askance at independent specifiers, just that I think independents have it MUCH harder than being an internal where everyone from top down is totally supportive of the process and vv. I always read the posts here from all the independents and truly appreciate the problems of having to comply with other team members who should be consultants rather than clients.
Thanks William,
Glad to share more about being an independent specifier, but I’m thinking that is a separate topic from this string?
David:
It seems to me that several factors were in play on the cancer infusion center project you referenced, that made the use of UNIFORMAT specs successful:
private owner
negotiated construction contract
the parties had all worked together before. And so there was an established trust and confidence.
Have you used the UNIFORMAT approach under different circumstances, eg public work? Design-bid-build work with open bidding? If so, what were the results?
Thanks, Ed, I agree a separate thread. My good friend of many years, David Lorenzini FCSI, he was for the huge majority of his career an independent specifier, several years older than me, but retired only 2 years ago or so. We would do joint presentations to our chapter every few years or so and depending on the topic would always introduce the difference of an Independent to an In-House specifier. Another great friend also local to me here is David Metzger, FCIS, also retired, also an independent and co-head of the Heller and Metzger specifications firm. Like I said, working in house with a firm that truly appreciates the process and coordination that can occur made me feel I had it much easier than independents. One of the things I really enjoyed was when one of the designers would come to me with something that they really wanted to do and I would do the research for them and recommendation. Or being called into a meeting with a developer to explain why the firm was not recommending something they wanted to do.
Well, I guess I am wandering into that other thread -grin!