Guide Specifications and Building Product Marketing

Transcription

1 Guide Specifications and Building Product Marketing Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS Vivian E. Volz, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP CSI Webinar - October Division 00 - Learning Objectives 1. Understand why specifiers need guide specs. 2. Apply CSI formats and principles to guide specs. 3. Provide "point-of-specifying" assistance to A/E. 4. Reduce product liability and construction claims. 5. Be able to use specs as marketing & sales tools.

2 Division 01 - Presentation Format PART 1 - GENERAL: Purpose of guide spec PART 2 - PRODUCTS: Writing guide spec PART 3 - EXECUTION: Using guide spec PART 1 - GENERAL SUMMARY: What Is a Guide Spec? RELATED SECTIONS: Coordination with Other Sections REFERENCES: CSI Formats and Principles PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS: Designing your Spec WARRANTY: Product Liability and Construction Claims 4

3 SUMMARY What is a Guide Spec? Types of Specifications Product Specification Capabilities and description of your product. PRODUCT

4 Types of Specifications Project Specification Building owner s project requirements. PROJECT Types of Specifications Guide Specification A sales tool that makes it easier for a design professional to satisfy project requirements by specifying your product in a correct and appropriate manner. PRODUCT SALES PROJECT

5 Uses for Guide Spec Example Document for Design Professionals Reference Document for Understanding your Product Construction Specification in the Making 9 Example

6 Guide Spec Construction Spec 11 Guide Spec Incomplete as a construction spec Example document for design professionals Reference for product selection Communicate between manufacturer and specifier Coordinate with other product information 12

7 Construction Spec Part of contract between owner and contractor Written description of a work result, describing procedure, quality, and execution requirements Design Professionals: Describe work that is hard to draw Estimators: Effect quality and execution costs Contractors: Verify testing, mockup, submittals, execution Lawyers: You Know What! 13 Who Uses Each Piece? 14

8 RELATED SECTIONS Coordination with Other Documents DIVISION 00 Bidding/Procurement Forms Contract Forms Conditions of the Contract DIVISION 01 General Requirements

9 Project Manual vs Drawing DRAWINGS Size, quantity, location, adjacencies, and other information best shown graphically. PROJECT MANUAL Quality of materials and workmanship, administrative provisions, temporary facilities, and other information best shown in text. Do not show same information in both Drawings and Project Manual. REFERENCES CSI Formats and Principles

10 CSI Principles MasterFormat Organized by Work Results Not by trade Not by product Hierarchical Division Broad-Scope Narrow-Scope Specialty Know Your Place masterformat.com 20

11 SectionFormat Organizes Sections Fixes order of content Not narrative Hierarchical Structure Part 1 - General Part 2 - Products Part 3 - Execution Articles Paragraphs Subparagraphs 21 PageFormat Basic Page Layout Titles Hierarchical Paragraphs Margins Minimum Sizes Suggests Features Bolded Headings Headers & Footers Columns: 1 or 2 Goal: Comprehension 22

12 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS Designing your Spec Guide Specs as Marketing Tool for talking to specifiers Want it to look boringly normal Technical documentation Part of your product literature Part of your communication strategy Who gets what information? What do you control through reps and sales? Present your company well 24

13 Clear Concise Complete Correct The Four C s Clear Concise Complete Correct CONVINCING The FIVE C s

14 Clear Concise Complete Correct Convincing CAFFEINATED The SIX C s Consider Decision Tree What will designer have to decide about your system? Design Keys to Success Guide the design team Construction Keys to Success Direct the contractor What Could Go Wrong? 28

15 WARRANTY Product Liability and Construction Claims Liability and Claims What Guide Specs Can Do: Help specifier create more better specification Suggest proper language for product Help reduce improper use of your product Reduce speci-fictions 30

16 Liability and Claims Avoid: Creating an unintended warranty Making decisions that belong to specifier Conflicts with other information you publish Publishing claims you can not document Knowingly conflict with industry standards or regulations (without disclosing such) 31 Any questions, before we go on? 32

17 PART 2 - PRODUCTS SYSTEM DESCRIPTION: Guide Spec Design COMPONENTS: Parts and Pieces of Guide Spec FABRICATION: Putting Words on Paper 33 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION Guide Spec Design

18 Guide Spec Specifies a Building Think about whole systems (work results), not just your product. Integrate into complete project manual. Specify related materials. Not by others address to Contractor Consider through customer s eyes. 35 Language of Specifications Imperative Mood Direct to Contractor Streamlining Avoid extra words A, an, the, this All, every, any, each... 36

19 Broad Scope or Narrow Scope Is product used alone or in combination with your other products? Can decisions be made easily within a broad scope section? Are you better off with several narrow-scope sections? Offer paragraphs specifier can insert into another specification document? 37 Methods of Specifying Descriptive: Material, size, configuration. Glued-laminated wood beam, douglas fir. Performance: Strength, effectiveness Modulus of Elasticity 2.0E Reference Standard: Industry/government ASTM D143, AITC 119, etc. Proprietary: Named manufacturer/product - Western Wood Structures, Inc., Type K 38

20 Choose a Method of Specifying Publicly-funded projects may require: Descriptive, Performance Reference Standard Proprietary specs naming several suppliers 39 Choose a Method of Specifying Do you have legitimate equals? Consider naming your own, fair competitors Distinguish your product from cheaper products Show your functional advantages clearly Performance or Descriptive may do this best 40

21 Bend Rules, for Clarity Don t blindly adhere to SectionFormat if it makes specifier s decision tree unclear Group information for ease of use Schedule? Paragraph by paragraph? 41 Bend Rules, for Clarity Grouping: Model-dependent attributes 42

22 Bend Rules, for Clarity Schedule: Freely-combined attributes 43 COMPONENTS Parts and Pieces of Guide Spec

23 Parts of Guide Specifications Branding: Sales Tools Header Section Number Introductory Paragraph Accessories: Assistance to Specifiers Instructions for Use Contact Info Choices and Options Basic components: Language for Contractor Body Text Completed Choices 45 What Features to Specify Is feature really important? Advantage to owner, in use? Improved operating energy? Water? Better indoor air quality? Whom does feature benefit? Ideally, owner. Contractor advantages are owner s cost advantages. 46

24 Assistance to Specifiers Introductory Notes Explain scope of guide spec Explain use of guide spec Where to get electronic version Specifier s responsibility for construction spec Introduce product or system Provide your contact information 47 Assistance to Specifiers Notes to Specifier Use hidden text or otherwise distinguish from body text Talk directly to your specifying audience Educational Explain options. Guide to correct use of systems. Positioning and competitive claims 48

25 Assistance to Specifiers Choices Offer choices or options where appropriate Choose entire paragraphs Place a note between: Choose above for this reason, or below for that reason. Choose among options in a sentence [Bracket] and bold, or otherwise clearly visible Place a note before: Usually this, why that

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28 FABRICATION Putting Words on Paper How To Write Guide Specs Existing staff with right skill set Train staff through CSI CDT basic project communication CCPR Certified Construction Product Representative Use Consultant Experienced See broad picture of how product is used Understands construction and marketing 56

29 Have any questions arisen? 57 PART 3 - EXECUTION PREPARATION: Marketing to Specifiers INSTALLATION: Getting into Project Spec CLEANUP AND CORRECTION: Eliminating Common Mistakes MAINTENANCE: Will you still love me tomorrow? 58

30 PREPARATION Marketing to Specifiers Training Your Team Minimum Skills for Every Rep Able to read drawings and specs! Offer specs to right people at right time Understand how common uses of your products are specified Understand decision tree in guide spec Construction Document Technologist (CDT) 60

31 Guide Spec Distribution Downloadable from your web site as an editable document Hosted by online service Through reps Pre-edited by your technical staff 61 INSTALLATION Getting into Project Spec

32 When to Offer a Guide Spec Immediate help to specify a project Part of your complete electronic package Introduce a new resource A way to meet a firm s specifier Help specifier update master documents 63 Editing Project Section Know how specifier edits a section Be there when specifier seeks your help What if you are asked to write section? 64

33 Providing Support Advanced Skills for Technical Reps Substitution Resistance: Teach AE s to understand your product s advantages 65 Edit for Customer Complete Editing Assistance Someone on sales team should be capable of complete, project-specific editing of guide spec. Design team is still responsible for content! Excellent coordination is a must. 66

34 CLEANUP AND CORRECTION Eliminating Common Mistakes Quality Control: Feedback Trusted Specifiers Can Help Ask specifier who is familiar with your product to review your guide spec. Get big-picture feedback; all specifiers will find some fault. See if specifier learns something new about your product in the review. 68

35 Common Mistakes Overbranding: Constant use of proprietary names Naming features that don t guide contractor or distinguish product Failing to recognize market realities Incorrect locations for information Addressing subcontractor By Others Unclear language Typos and, mispelings 69 MAINTENANCE Will you still love me tomorrow?

36 Long Life of Guide Specs Residual Marketing Benefits Specifiers keep them for reference Specifiers copy into their master spec Project teams refer to projects that worked Contractors recommend systems that worked Product liability attorneys hate specs that work Owners use them for maintenance & new projects 71 Maintaining Guide Specs Update regularly for new features and codes Collect data on how guide spec is being used. Watch for changes in CSI formats. Distribute updates 72

37 Your Next Steps ACTION! 73 Any questions, before you get started? 74

38 Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS Vivian E. Volz, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP Ask for free Ten Point SpecAudit Copyright 2011, Chusid Associates 75