From the field
Specifications: what it is, what it contains and why it's worth reading carefully before signing
The specifications document describes materials, works and quality levels of a building project. Knowing how it is made helps avoid disputes on site.
What it actually is
The specifications document is the technical document that describes how a building job must be carried out: which materials are used, with which characteristics, and how they are laid or installed. It is not a price list, that is the quote. Nor is it the bill of quantities, which serves to quantify the works. The specifications document answers a different question: what exactly am I paying for.
To give a simple example, a quote might say "gres tile flooring, 40 sqm". The specifications document specifies the thickness, wear resistance, type of laying, grout joint, any treatments. It is the difference between knowing there will be a floor and knowing which floor there will be.
What it usually contains
A well-written specifications document generally covers a few areas: materials and finishes, with reference brands or equivalent characteristics; how the works are to be carried out; the sequence of work phases; the criteria used to verify that a work has been carried out properly.
Not all specifications documents are equally detailed. Some remain generic, others go down to the millimetre. The level of detail depends on how much the client wants (and can) check in advance, and on how complex the project is. Renovating an apartment requires a different specifications document than an industrial warehouse, but the underlying logic is the same: put in writing what is meant to be done, before doing it.
Who it really serves
A common idea is that the specifications document protects the company carrying out the works. In reality it mainly protects the person commissioning the project. Without a clear specifications document, the client has no tool to check whether what was delivered matches what was asked for. All that's left are words spoken aloud, differing memories, unwritten expectations.
When something doesn't add up, on any site, the first question is: what was planned. If the answer is in the specifications document, the discussion closes quickly. If the answer is "they told me so", a dispute opens that no one really wins, because there is no objective reference to appeal to.
When it is written, and why sooner is better
The right time to define the specifications document is during design, not once work has started. The earlier the site opens and the more things have already been decided out of habit or haste, the more costly it becomes to go back on a choice. Changing a material or a job on paper costs a discussion. Changing it halfway through the site costs time, demolitions, and often extra money.
For this reason the specifications document should be written together with whoever handles the technical phase preceding the site: feasibility check, design choices, evaluation of site constraints. It is in that phase that it is decided what really needs to be put in black and white and what can remain more flexible.
If you are considering a building project and want to understand what your specifications document should contain before opening the site, SMB offers technical support from feasibility through to drafting the specifications document: it is a starting point, not an obligation.
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