# Spec Writing Platforms **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [August 21, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263 "2026-08-21T12:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Wesley](https://forum.4specs.com/u/Wesley)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/1 "2026-08-21T12:33:27Z")
Was curious to know what platform is preferred by Architects for spec writing. In a newly created role with NuWool Cellulose we would like to make sure our products are correctly listed in the platforms used and the efficiency of those platforms. Wesley Grubb NuWool Architectural Specification Consultant ---
**Author:** ![JUSTE\_FANOU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d78d45/32.png) [@JUSTE\_FANOU](https://forum.4specs.com/u/JUSTE_FANOU)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/4 "2026-08-21T16:46:17Z")
Hi Wes. There is lots to choose from. Off the top of my head there is: - Conspectus Cloud (listing it first because they also own this forum!) - Visispecs - RIB SpecLink - NBS Chorus - Deltek - not sure what their platform is called - Arcat etc. There is a lot to choose from. A lot of them do more of less the same thing. I think at the end of the day having a solid product, building relationships and more importantly ensuring you protect your product’s reputation through good customer service is what ensures that products get specified. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Axt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/david_axt/32/24_2.png) [@David\_Axt](https://forum.4specs.com/u/David_Axt)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/5 "2026-08-21T17:02:09Z")
Deltek’s platform is called SpecPoint. It used to be called MasterSpec Word files. Now it is a database program. I don’t know anyone who uses SpecPoint effectively. ---
**Author:** ![lshrdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9dc877/32.png) [@lshrdn](https://forum.4specs.com/u/lshrdn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/6 "2026-08-21T19:06:28Z")
UpCodes has gotten into the biz. Just learned that one. And as far as I can tell, ZeroDocs still is. Not sure how the litigation is going. FWIW, someone who is quite tech savvy told me that they export the sections out from Deltek SpecPoint, to Word to edit them. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Everding](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/george_everding/32/20_2.png) [@George\_Everding](https://forum.4specs.com/u/George_Everding)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/7 "2026-08-21T19:11:50Z")
Hi Wesley, and welcome to 4specs. I don’t have any current insights for you about platforms because I’ve been retired for too long to know. Other specifiers still in practice can respond with more current information. Specification platforms have changed considerably over the last decade or so. If you want to get in the weeds, here’s a thread started in 2022 that describes what’s been happening: > [@Comprehensive List of Spec Software Solutions](https://forum.4specs.com/t/comprehensive-list-of-spec-software-solutions/3898): > > It seems to me that there is a lot of movement in the spec writing software industry right now. There are many solutions, but they are evolving rapidly, changing hands, and being renamed, or combinations thereof. To wrap my head around this, I created a list of what I think is currently known and/or available. It is my intent to make this a living document, that we all collectively update as warranted. Note: I tried up follow the directions to upload from Excel, but it came out … ---
**Author:** ![Arlen\_Solochek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Arlen\_Solochek](https://forum.4specs.com/u/Arlen_Solochek)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/8 "2026-08-24T20:56:58Z")
Another suggesting is making sure that your website works well and includes a number of what you believe would be the proper search words for your product(s). Many of us do general on-line searches for products and don’t go through another platform either because of subscription/access barriers, difficulty using them/too much information in them. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Stutzman](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/david_stutzman/32/6_2.png) [@David\_Stutzman](https://forum.4specs.com/u/David_Stutzman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 12:41pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/9 "2026-08-25T12:41:53Z")
@Wesley Using the actual company name Nu-Wool will help your prospects find you more easily. Search engines may not return the right results for you when searching NuWool. On [4specs.com](http://4specs.com) there were no search results for NuWool, but I did find your company when searching Nu-Wool. ---
**Author:** ![clakeside](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e495f1/32.png) [@clakeside](https://forum.4specs.com/u/clakeside)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/10 "2026-09-02T17:57:27Z")
Hi Wes. For me, RIB SpecLink is the only thing I will use. ---
**Author:** ![awhitacre](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/awhitacre/32/117_2.png) [@awhitacre](https://forum.4specs.com/u/awhitacre)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/11 "2026-09-03T19:53:03Z")
We use what used to be called Masterspec, soon to be SpecPoint. We are using VisiSpec as our editing platform and involved directly with Deltek regarding the necessary functionality of SpecPoint. Our office masters are heavily based on Masterspec content, and we can’t really divorce those source documents from our updates and office changes. Due to our longstanding investment in that content, we don’t see the other platforms as suitable. ---
**Author:** ![jay\_whisenant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d9b06d/32.png) [@jay\_whisenant](https://forum.4specs.com/u/jay_whisenant)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/12 "2026-09-03T20:55:03Z")
We are in a similar situation as Ann. Working through lots of bugs on Specpoint, but with our legacy documentation that’s where we’ll wind up. ---
**Author:** ![ColinG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@ColinG](https://forum.4specs.com/u/ColinG)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/13 "2026-09-09T18:28:39Z")
When running 4specs (for advertisers) I would typically use variations on the name to improve local searches. I would spell the linked name the way they wanted and then use the variation in the description in the multiple sections. In this case NuWool. In the case of European based names I would omit the diacritical marks. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Stutzman](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/david_stutzman/32/6_2.png) [@David\_Stutzman](https://forum.4specs.com/u/David_Stutzman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/14 "2026-09-09T18:58:55Z")
Thanks for the reminder @ColinG. I also found some optional settings in the indexing tool that allow “special” characters to be recognized to help with search results. ---
**Author:** ![ColinG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@ColinG](https://forum.4specs.com/u/ColinG)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/15 "2026-09-09T19:11:25Z")
I worked on the assumption that our user would not use the special charactors as they did not know the codes to generate them. The company name was typically copied from their email with the special charactor, ---
**Author:** ![nwoods](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.4specs.com/nwoods/32/215_2.png) [@nwoods](https://forum.4specs.com/u/nwoods)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/spec-writing-platforms/4263/16 "2026-09-10T23:47:40Z")
There is a fairly comprehensive list of available software for authoring specifications in this thread here. The most current update is from August 2023. Does it need to be updated again? > [@Comprehensive List of Spec Software Solutions](https://forum.4specs.com/t/comprehensive-list-of-spec-software-solutions/3898/72): > > Updated with NBS Chorus: [https://www.thenbs.com/nbs-chorus](https://www.thenbs.com/nbs-chorus)