Specifiers' Week

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1

WHEN IS
NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS WEEK?
by Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT
Cincinnati, OH

By golly, if there is justification for National Pickle and National Salami Weeks, I think we need to have NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS [or SPECIFIERS] WEEK!

Shoot, even the building code folks have National Building Safety Week to call attention to their work–
why not us, too?

Now the immediate amenities could be “Take your Specifier to Lunch”; “Have you Hugged Your Specifier Today?” And “Make Your Specifier Feel Special” day! In all this, personalized stuff would be great and immediately satisfying, and would hopefully be sincere-- i.e., a real lunch, not a brown bag or Fun Meal; a really firm, honest bear hug of some duration; and, well, for the last one, be a little creative [you might even use something that lasts beyond one day-- a plant, not cut flowers, or a cactus; a complimentary plaque; a giant mug; or a very large check!].

Why not?

We could crib a lot of stuff that others do-- proclamation from the Mayor; tribute from the local AIA chapter; PR in papers; radio, TV spots [as info to public]; posters for offices; ads in various construction trade mags with some really good, nifty and informative copy; OK, a plane flying over with a sky message [as tribute from Heaven].

Now I think we shy away from protest rallies; parades; concerts even by the SpecTones; and anything that is less than professional, astute, and upright. We could inundate the schools; talk even to elementary school classes like the AIA and CSI schools programs [our office goes to schools throughout the year].

Guess the local chapter could come up with Specifier of the Year award! Perhaps a revolving trophy [as in moving from person to person-- must be specific mustnt I?] with engraved name [see how many times you can get your name on it!]

We could invite ourselves to speak at meetings of other construction organizations in the likelihood they dont invite us!

All in all, the concept is to be informative and not merely self-promoting; to add to the understanding of specifications, the need for them, and the people who dedicate themselves to producing them-- for the good of all owners, and the public in general. Not to show off, but to express the fact that there is yet another group of well-trained, highly expert people who work hard to the benefit of others.

We make safe; save money; coordinate others for a common cause; act for others, daily, on-going and expertly.

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Given the chance to be sarcastic again, you already have a week in a lot of peoples eyes. It is Administrative Assistant’s week. Sorry to say that there are some individuals that feel that all they really need to produce a set of specifications is an Administration Assistant. That is why you were only given a day to produce that 4000 page manual… LOL!

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Well, sounds like another good reason to have the “week”.

Sorry to see your perspective, sarcastic or not. We all, I guess, are maligned,but still we know there are those who appreciate our efforts and benefit from them-- a good reason to both carry on, and celebrate!

4

I like your idea of having our “week”, and suggest possibly scheduling it on the same week as the CSI Show each year, even though it may fluctuate a bit, or more. Remember when we used to focus our Chapter activities and presentations on Engineer’s Week?

5

Alan,
First of all Specifiers are NOT admin assistants! and that needs to be made very clear to anyone who perpetuates that concept.
Ralph’s idea may draw attention to the fact that Specifiers are specifically educated and skilled to develop the project manual to interpret and complement the design drawings of the Architect/Engineer.

Margaret Chewning FCSI CCS

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If we want to be celebrated in our offices or even beyond, it wouldn’t be good to have the celebration during a week when we are gone. And since we all attend the convention, we’d just be celebrating each other.

How about the week of January 16th? That’s “National Nothing Day”. Or maybe even better, the week of September 28th? That’s “Ask a Stupid Question Day”! And we all know how well THAT fits with what we do…

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Margaret, you pushed my button. I said that totally sarcastically. An ironic form of humor. I know and have stated to many that think so, that they (and me) are not admins. That said, there are many specifiers that get treated that way by teams within their respective offices. That may not be true as much as with independent specifiers.

Some firms have decided that the “teams” (usually consisting of inexperienced young designers) should start writing the specifications from the masters. Now these teams are looking into software to get the “specs written for them” within their respective BIM programs. Someone has sold them on that idea.

What everyone should read is the article “Written Off?” in Architect|Online or even the article “The Point-and-Click Specifications” in the same magazine. Where is the specifier in point and click?

Finally, making a day or week is trivial. Lynn hits on this point. Why make something so respectable so trivial. I live with an Executive Administration Assistant. She works 12 hour days every day and then comes home and works another 4 hours to “catch up” with what has to be done typically each day. Why, because she is the “leader” and usually bears the burden. We live in an everything must be done now age so regular work is regulated to individuals that cost less and are not trained or experienced in the task. Come Administartion Assistant’s week, the recognition is a $20 gift card to Starbucks. Personally, I would just like a job well done and I don’t drink coffee. She deserves better…

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No slight was intended to Admin Assistants, but even as an Independent Specifier, I will find the uninformed architect that thinks all I do is type his redlines. I realise your remark was made in humor, but I find nothing funny about it.

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So Ralph, if we had a Specifiers’ Day/Week, then naturally we should also have Specifiers’ bumper sticker.
What do you suggest our bumper sticker should say?

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YOU GOTTA LOVE SPECIFERS
for the results they achieve
everyday in your life!

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Had this thrown at me by a colleague–

SPECIFERS do it clearly, concisely, completely and correctly; to say nothing of carefully!

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Don’t treat your specifier like a mushroom

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I’m not sure a bumper sticker should read “specifiers do it concisely,” but maybe “specifiers do it completely” would be okay.

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Specifiers do it cooperatively?

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This is what I had on my computer for a long time as the scrolling screen:

“WORDS ARE YOUR FRIENDS”

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Here’s another “wordy” one: “A word after a word after a word is power.” Margaret Atwood

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SPECIFERS use words and communications to ensure better projects for the community and the users.

NATIONAL SPECIFIERS WEEK, 000 XX TO 000XX

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Shouldn’t that be “00 00 XX to 00 00 XX” or maybe for insiders it should be “00XXX to 00 00 XX” or to be less cryptic “00010 to 49 00 00” (or for literalists, “48 00 00”)?

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I really had “tomorrow to a week from tomorrow” in mind, but thought I’d give others a chance–

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Sometimes you just cant resist

Specifiers do it by the book.
Specifiers do it with Admin Assistants. (No, probably not a good idea)
Authors do books; Specifiers do Project Manuals.
Specifiers speak Specifications.
Specifiers do it with 6 digits.