Preparing Clear and Concise Specifications for Pipeline Projects

Clear and concise specifications for a pipeline project can avoid numerous issues for owners, designers, and contractors. During the bidding process, if specifications can easily be interpreted in different ways by different bidders, the bids may not be comparable. Several suggestions are presented in the paper to assist engineers with the task of preparing specifications that minimize the opportunity for misunderstandings, bid protests, project delays, change orders, claims, and cost over-runs. Among several purposes of the specifications, the intent of a well-written specification is to set up the contractor for a successful project. This benefits not only the construction contractor, but also the owner and general public.