Specifications,

Estimating &
Costing

A) SPECIFICATIONS OF MATERIALS:
1. Importance of specifications in the building activities, method of writing correct order and sequence of use of
materials, use of Indian Standard
Specifications and P.W.D. specifications.
2. Primary consideration for selection of materials for various applications. Specifications of basic materials required
in residential buildings, such as
bricks, stones, concrete, RCC, plastering and various finishes, roofing material timber work, flooring materials,
glazing, metals such as steel, brass, aluminium etc.

SPECIFICATIONS OF WORKS:
3. Specifications of works for a residential building of load bearing type and or RCC/framed type.
4. Specifications of works of construction of steel and RCC structures, ceiling and partitions, paneling, insulation and
water proofing.
5. Specifications for services such as drainage, water supply, electrical installations.
B) ESTIMATING & COSTING :
1. Introduction to quantity surveying, methods of preparing estimates, data required for framing an estimate, types of
estimates.
2. Mensuration, standard mode of measurements, schedule of rates commercial abbreviations. Methods and procedure of
taking off abstractions, working up and billing. Examples and exercises in taking in all items from excavation to painting
including R.C.C. and steel work.
3. Rate analysis, cost of materials and labour for various works, detailed rate analysis of important items of construction
work. Measurement of work for interim and final certificates of payments to contractors.
4. General terms: Administrative approval technical sanction, competent authority, deposit works, issue rates, payment on
accounts, suspense accounts, imprest, indent of stores, muster roll, measurement book, materials site account, stock account,
establishment charge etc.
5. Method and contents of technical report for obtaining technical/financial sanction.
Note: Sessionals are to be prepared in the form of exercises and small reports on above mentioned topics.
The sessional work will include notes, tests, and home assignments particularly about proprietary materials along with
manufacturers specification.
Importance of specifications in the building activities
The basic function of a structure is to carry loads for which it is
built and then to transfer them safely to the soil underneath.
While performing this primary function it should cater for
following aspects also.

1) Adequate strength to carry loads.

2) Serviceability of structure.
3) Durability time span for which it should serve
satisfactorily.
4) Functional - to serve the purpose for which it is
built.
5) Aesthetic -beautiful to look at-soothing effect.
6) Vaastu oriented -to take maximum advantage of
Natures energies.
Each of the above mentioned aspects has a bearing on the
specification of a building to be constructed in one
way or the other.

Proposed building may be (i) Temporary (ii) Semi-permanent

or (iii) Permanent, their specification also differ from each
other in certain respects.

As soon as a building structure is conceived, specification of

its construction comes into picture from that stage
itself. First it comes in architects mind, next it is given a
shape in the form of drawing in planning stage.
Planning stage is a very important phase where an
architect has to keep all the nine aspects in his
view and has to develop the plan of the proposed
building to his maximum satisfaction.

There may be number of constraints /

obstructions / specific problems which may come in
the way of execution of the work at site.
All that need to be studied thoroughly at this stage itself
and plans should be finalized accordingly.

In the planning stage main function is to spell out clearly

the layout of the proposed building
(i) in space
(ii) on ground and
(iii) below ground.

In addition to it, it covers specifications of work in a broad

and general way. It doesnt cover execution part of the
work in detail.
Execution part of the work is covered in Detailed
Specification of work which becomes Contractual
Document and has legal binding in execution of the work
to be strictly followed.
Any violation of these Detailed Specifications of work not
only affects the quality of work of the structure but some
times leads to certain disputes.

Disputes are referred to Arbitrators who consume

considerable time to settle the issue.
Disputes are referred to Arbitrators who consume
considerable time to settle the issue.

Hence framing of specification of a work is a very

important activity and should be dealt with cautiously and
efficiently.

They should be framed in an unambiguous way and all

activities to be performed under that item shall be spelt
out explicitly.

Any loophole left in the specification gives scope to the

other party to take advantage.
AIMS OF SPECIFICATIONS

1) To clearly mention the quality of materials method of

execution of the work its workmanship.
2) To work as a guide to the contractor as well as
supervisory staff for quality execution work.
3) To protect interest of owner against low quality material,
bad workmanship and enables him to reject it when
needed.
4) To facilitate Contractor to procure quality material,
adequate tools and appliances, machinery and plant for the
work in time.
5) For proper estimation of work and provision of funds are
needed for the work in time.
6) To facilitate tenderer to quote his rates for work.
 TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS

General Specification : to give general and broad idea

of the whole work with description of its items in brief
help in preparation of estimate and it also appears in
notes in plans of the work.
 TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Detailed Specification : becomes part of Contractual
Document. It can further be sub-divided into three parts:

General Conditions of contract Covers general

conditions of work.

Technical specifications gives in detail the technical

aspect like quality of material, method of execution of work
etc. of any special work contemplated and not covered in
standard specifications. It also covers the machinery and
equipment required for work and also specifications of
proprietary commodities if needed for a work.
 TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Detailed Specification : becomes part of Contractual
Document. It can further be sub-divided into three parts:

Standard Specification: Specifications of building work

standardized by Central Public Works Department (C.P.W.D)
or State P.W.D or other Government Department like
Railways, Ministry of Transport, etc. They have their own
Standard Specifications, which cover practically all normal
items of work of a building construction.
ints to be kept in view for preparation of specification

1)Specifications should be properly worded in an

unambiguous way. Dont use if and but to the extent
possible. It should be concise and self explainatory.

2) Dont miss any activity under any item of work. Such

loophole shall be advantageous to other party.
ints to be kept in view for preparation of specification

3) Cover all items of works to be executed at site. Make

non-scheduled items if they are not covered by scheduled
items. For that purpose, detailed site inspection is a must
beforehand.

All obstruction at site

i) under ground
ii) on surface and
iii) overhead must be identified beforehand in order not to
miss any item of work or activity associated with such
obstructions.
ints to be kept in view for preparation of specification

4) There should not be any grammatical mistake in

framing sentences. Punctuations should be correct. Same
tense should be continued throughout. Avoid use of
pronouns to the extent possible.
ints to be kept in view for preparation of specification

5) Specification should be framed in an unbiased way

keeping principles of Law of Natural Justice in view and
transparency in dealing. Interest of the owner and of the
contractor should never be overlooked specially in items
where risk is involved to carry out the work.
ints to be kept in view for preparation of specification

6) While framing specifications of certain items, the

norms of Value Engineering and Value Analysis should be
applied. They are good decision making tools when
number of alternatives are available to do a job.
Specifications laid down either (i) in the form of plans or
(ii) in the form of Detailed Specification for the quality of
materials used, method of execution of work to be
followed etc. are to be framed with great care. The reason
being that they are connected with nine items mentioned
above in one way or the other. Let us see how they are
related to each other.
Specifications laid down either
(i) in the form of plans or
(ii) in the form of Detailed Specification for the quality of
materials used, method of execution of work to be
followed etc. are to be framed with great care.

The reason being that they are connected with nine items
mentioned above in one way or the other. how they are
related to each other.
1. Adequate strength to carry loads:
The building structure shall be strong enough to carry imposed loads. Therefore imposed
loads need to be specified. Again strength of material which carries the load should be
specified. How the work should be carried out should be brought out in specification in clear
terms. You may give reference to I.S. Codes dealing in these aspects. The method of design
of structural members should be spelt out clearly.
A building may be (i) Permanent (ii) Semi-permanent or (iii) Temporary. Specification should
take care of this aspect. For semi-permanent and temporary structures some relaxation can
be given in specifications.
Strength of a structure need to be ensured under various combinations of loads
experienced by it. They are mainly Dead Load, Live Load, Wind Load and Earthquake force.
Therefore each one should be specified and considered in the design. Earthquake zone and
wind pressure zone numbers must be given in specification. Utility wise buildings are
graded. Hospital buildings are more important than residential buildings. Hence Important
Factor for the building structure from its utility point of view needed to be considered in
earthquake behaviour and needed to be specified clearly.
Normally complete floor is considered to be loaded with Live Load at a time in the analysis
of a multi-storeyed building. But certain types of building under-go a peculiar loading
pattern in case of Live Load application. Say for example a multi-floor, multi-bay R.C.C.
framed school/college building central bay having a class room and on either side of it are
narrow verandah bays. In practice two typical loading pattern shall occur i.e.(1) When class
is on, the central bay is loaded with Live Load and adjacent bays shall have no Live Load,
2. Serviceability of Structure:
Rigid and stiff structure is meant to carry load. Excessive sag, deflection, yield, elongation,
twist, sway, and vibration make a structure unserviceable. Cracks width in concrete in a
reinforced section should not be excessive. liquid retaining surfaces of a structure should
be crack-free o make it leak proof. I.S. codes specify their limitations from serviceability
considerations and these specifications need to be followed strictly while planning a
building structure.
3. Durability:
Durability defines life of a building structure. If the structure is permanent its serviceable life
should not be less than 80 years. More and more strict specifications of quality of material
and strict control over workmanship enhances the life span of a structure. Specifications for
semi-permanent and temporary structure need not be so rigid as needed for permanent
structure but they should cater for the need of semi-permanent and temporary structure. One
should be more careful in framing specification when a temporary or semi-permanent
structure has a possibility of converting it in a permanent structure in due course of time.
Besides input of quality of material and workmanship, environment has a significant adverse
effect on durability of structure. Aggressive environment in industrial area injurious to the
health of structure and responsible for rapid deterioration of structure need special care in
framing its specification. Drying and wetting sequence of such structure leads to
deterioration. Saline atmosphere in coastal areas has also detrimental effect on structures
located near sea/ocean. Building structures in high mountainous altitudes, their situation in
seismic belts need special care in specification. Buildings located in cyclonic or desert zone
have their own peculiarities. Buildings in snow clad area needs special care in roof structure.
Similarly intense density of rainfall need steeper slopes in roofing elements. Richer concrete
mix, anti-corrosive treatment of reinforcing bar, extra protective cover to reinforcement rods,
epoxy surface coating as a protective layer, special type of cements etc., become necessary
specifications of the special type of works.
4. Functional requirement:
A school building cannot serve as a residential building. A residential building cannot serve
as an industrial building. An industrial building cannot serve as a hostel building. Each
building has its functional requirement. In a hospital building, ramp must be provided
between two floors beside provision of a lift side by side. Operation room is a must in a
hospital. Play ground is a must for school building. Therefore, such functional requirement
becomes a specification for planning a layout of a building. It should be spelt out in explicit
terms in the layout plans and Detailed Specifications. There are certain norms for each
category of building and each has its own specifications high-lighting its requirement to
make it functional in service satisfactorily. These specifications must be framed carefully in
building bye-laws to cater for functional requirement. An architect has a very significant role
in this field.
5. Aesthetic aspect:
Here the specifications are given by an architect in the form of a plan. Depressions,
projections, curves, off-sets, proportioning of dimensions, arches, domes, cones, colour
schemes are brought into picure by an architect while preparing plans to make a building
beautiful. Aesthetic beauty adds to the value of a building also. Various colour schemes for a
building can be developed now-a-days on a computer in a short time to select one.
6. Vaastu:
Vaastu teaches us how to align our dwellings to the tune of Natures Energies to derive
maximum benefit out of them for our welfare and health. The specification of Vaastu
tenets are adopted at stage of planning of layout of building similar to developing
aesthetic aspect. There are certain Vaastu tenets for execution of building construction
work also. These specifications should be followed in practice and Specified in Detailed
Specifications in work.
Vaastu
applies to a plot of land, its topography, its history and its texture. It applies to plann
ing of layout of the building both building as a whole and internal layout of accommodatio
n.
Vaastu considers a building as a living organism a Vaastu Purush. Vaastu shashtra is
based on scientific doctrines. Institute of Vedic Vastu and Research Foundation (IVVRF),
Indore (India) is an institution engaged in research work and training programmes on
Vaastu discipline. Effect of Vaastu tenets can be studied with the help of scientific
instruments available with namely Lecher Antenna, Electro stress
meter,Dr.Gaussmeter, Bio-feed-back energy tester, GDV Camera, TIF Detector,
Radalert and Allergence air sampler etc.
7. Maintainability in service:
There are certain in-built items in Standard Specifications which are included in it as a
protective measures for a building structure as a whole. These items infact serve as
preventive measures to protect the structural components of a building structure against
external ill effects and reduce maintenance activity of a building structure against external ill
effects and reduce maintenance activity to a great extent in its service period. Leveling
coarse below foundation base is provided to protect foundation from any ill effect from
beneath. Plastering on wall is done to protect the brick masonry from external exposure to ill
effects on both sides. Colour wash on plastering is done to protect plaster itself from exposure
to environment. Flooring finish is provided to protect structural slab from any damage from
outside and also protect it from its wear and tear. Weathering coat is given to terrace to
protect roof from weathering effect and also serve as insulation for sun heat. Proper slope is
given to roof surface to drain off rain water without any stagnation. Damp-proof course is
provided to protect wall above plinth from dampness. Sunshades are provided to doors and
windows to protect openings from rain and sun. Anti-termite treatment is given to protect
building as a whole from ill effects of termite attack. Timber is protected by giving paint or
polish finish. Reinforcement rods in R.C.C. work are provided with concrete cover to protect
them from ingress of injurious elements from outside. Water proofing compounds are added
in plastering mortars to protect external walls against seepage of water through them. Slabs
are projected beyond external walls to protect them from rain water falling down from
terrace. These items mentioned above appear in specifications and are directly connected
with durability and maintainability of building structure as such.
8. Adequate foundation:
Loads carried by building structure is to be transferred to soil underneath by foundation
safety. Therefore specification of foundations is very important. It should take care of
interaction of structure with soil. Soil may be rocky hard strata, it may be sandy or it may be
clayey. Rocky strata doesnt yield underload while sandy and clayey strata yield. Sandy strata
bears load by frictional resistance between sand particle while clayey strata bears load by
cohesion resistance between clay particle. Foundations differ from each other if they are to
be laid over rocky strata, sandy strata or clayey strata mainly because of above mentioned
behaviour of founding strata. Safe bearing capacity of soil is decided based on (i) pressure
resistance considerations and (ii) settlement considerations. Sandy strata is controlled
normally by pressure resistance consideration and clayey strata is controlled normally by
settlement consideration.

Again ground water table plays an important role in foundation design. If ground water table is
at a depth equal or more than the width of footing it doesnt reduce safe bearing capacity of so
il, but if the water table is at the footing level 50% reduction is to be considered in Safe bea
ring capacity value. Intermediate values are to be interpolated proportionately.
Black cotton soil is problematic for founding a building structures. Minerals like
montmorillanite and illite readily absorb moisture, swell and become slushy in rainy season.
Whereas, in summer, they dry out, become hard and their surface gives rise to typical map
pattern cracks, Such soils are known as expansive clay. Such soils are available in plenty in
Indian sub-continent. Differential heavy pressure on structure of such Expansive clays result
in distress in a structure.
9. Cost effective (economical)
After taking care of all eight items mentioned above the last ninth item is that a building
structure should be cost effective. This is of vital significance because it is closely connected
with the purse of a client / owner. The structure should be cost-effective without
compromising any of the other eight items connected with the structure.
Lot of work has been done in India in this field in the past. New materials, new products and
new technologies have come up in the field of Construction Industry. Lot of literature is now
available on Low-cost housing. Building Research Institute, National Building Organization, In
dian Building Congress and Institute for Steel Development & Growth (
Insdag) have done work in this field.
Number of seminars, conferences, workshops and exhibitions had been organized. Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore have published ALTERNATIVE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES in
November 2003. Number of alternatives have been suggested and economies have been
worked out. They are more cost-effective when repetitive bulk work is involved like housing
projects wherein saving in one is multiplied by number.
Buildings using cold formed steel sections are slowly gaining popularity in India. They are
having number of plus points such as (i) Economical (ii) accelerated speed of construction
(iii) Dry kit-of-parts (iv) Low weight (v) flexibility to make changes in internal planning in
future (vi) No shrinkage or distortion (vii) Durability and longevity (viii) Ease of
transportation, handling and erection (ix) provision of holes for service pipes and conduits
(x) No form work. They can be used for multi-storeyed building-sheds-industrial structures,
workshop structure, airoplane hangers, bus stands etc.
Adoption of a new technology in a routine way in mass is a slow process. Human tendency is
SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications are a standard set of procedures used to execute

and manage a legally binding contract.
Standard Specifications - The standard specifications describe the
contractual relationships and responsibilities between the contractor
and the agency. It provides directions, provisions, and requirements
necessary for performing work.

The standard specifications is a hard bound book and is replaced

every five to six years.
Supplemental Specifications - Supplemental specifications are
specifications that are not in the standard specifications, new
specifications, or rewritten specifications that are stand-alone
specifications inserted into contract documents.
Project Special Provisions - Project special provisions is a
single document consisting of a set of special provisions specific
to an individual project.
Specification Organization

Standard specifications and special provisions are organized into

numbered parts, sections, and subsections .
 Ten Division Format

1. Description

This division includes a short statement of the work to be done, a

general statement concerning compliance with plans and
specifications, and abbreviations, definitions, and any other
general statements to establish the relationship of the work items
to other work items or other phases of the construction
sequences.
 Ten Division Format

2. Materials

This division describes detailed specifications of the properties of

each material and the methods of testing the material.

3. Equipment
This division identifies unique equipment requirements necessary
to accomplish the work. Specific equipment requirements should
be kept to a minimum in order to encourage contractors to use new
and improved equipment.
 Ten Division Format

4. Labour
This division identifies unique labour requirements or qualifications
required for the project. It also lists the certified technician
requirements.

5. Construction
This division identifies the sequence of construction operations and
the end product to be obtained. While specification requirements
should be sufficient to insure satisfactory completion of the work,
specific requirements pertaining to construction methods should be
held to a minimum in order to encourage contractors to apply new
and advanced ideas in construction methods.
 Ten Division Format

6. Temporary

This division identifies unique temporary measures to be done in

order to accomplish the work. It is not meant to supplement work
zone traffic control measures.

7. Maintenance

This division identifies maintenance, repair, and avoidance

measures the contractor must follow.
 Ten Division Format

Finishing and Cleaning Up

This division identifies site specific conditions,

restorations, and any other related information the
contractor must accomplish before the work is accepted.

Measurement

This division identifies the components of the completed

work items that are to be measured for payment. It defines
the units of measurement, the methods and conditions of
measurement, and any other requirements necessary to
establish a definitive measurement unit.
 Ten Division Format
Payment

This division identifies the units for which payment will be

made, the bid items for work to be paid, and defines very
explicitly the scope of the work covered by the payment.