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Unfortunately, you can't build a structure properly without having all of the documents to review for full compliance. There is information on the drawings that is not included in the specs, and there is information in the specs that is not included in the drawings. Blast Cleaning, a whole set of published responsibilities has been imparted to ever yone who reads the spec. NACE No. 2/SSPC-SP-10 is a quality standard t hat is accomplished by referencing an ex terna l NACE/SSPC document. (Typical specs include numerous qualifications by citing external standards; t he t y pica l constr uct ion spec for a commercial project may cite by reference 1,000+ standards.) As for t he f irst par t of a spec section, the information that is covered is general. This includes the administrative provisions used to help ensure that the architect's design intent is properly portrayed in the completed project. This includes product data, which is usually ta ken direct ly out of t he manufacturer's catalogues, as well as warranty requirements. This is where the topics that have no graphic element at all are logically placed so that the information is accurately presented. Part 1 also includes physical samples of what is going to be provided on the jobsite in a small-scale representation. For i nsta nce, t his cou ld include a single brick that will be used in the project or a board with a series of bricks to show the range of colors to be used. This is used as evidence for particular products. The second pa r t, which covers products, is where most of the meat is located. This is where the spec writer talks about actual products to be used on the project. This can be as specific as the particular manufacturer to be used and cover the information up to the point where the products arrive at the project site. Part 3, explaining execution, takes up where Part 2 leaves off. Once the item or materials of note have been accepted at the project site, they begin to be included into the building. In an ideal world, when the architect is working as a single entity preparing all the construction documents for a project in-house, he or she has great control of over what information goes into the drawings versus the specs. Unfortunately, the true fulfillment of the quantitative in drawing and the qualitative in the specs rarely is achieved in real life. In the case of many projects, there are multiple players working on the documents. In fact, except in small, sole proprietor firms producing simple projects, the norm is that the person who produces a drawing is rarely the same person who writes the spec. Separate Stakeholders To some extent, what information should be included in the specs varies depending on who the stakeholder is. The four principal stakeholders of a specification are: the design professional who creates the document, the owner who is ultimately building the structure, 22 CoatingsPro g July 2013 the contractor who executes the project, and the construction official who gives the permits. How the information in the specification is processed changes depending on which of those four players is reading the spec. Because the specs are used by these four stakeholders, all of the information in specs doesn't always serve to inform the contactor of what he or she needs to do on site. For example, some of the information that the contractor needs is included in the general information, which may have also been used to communicate the project's design to the owner. Specs are traditionally written in a separate book format rather than on various media. Unfortunately, because of this, contractors tend to refer to specs for information less often than they should. They typically prefer to work in the field from the drawings without looking at the specs at all. The extent to which that is even possible is questionable. However, because the architect might put a few notations on the drawings, the contractor may believe that he or she does not need the specs. The more information that is included on the drawings, the more the contractor believes he or she has everything necessary. This is far from the truth. For instance, if the architect includes a notation on the drawing that the floor needs a waterproof coating, the contractor may think that he or she has all of the information needed to move forward with choosing and applying the coating. However, that information is not visual and should, therefore, not be included on the drawing but rather in the spec. The contractor does not, in fact, have all the information he or she needs just based on the drawing. This problem is exacerbated by building officials who, when reviewing the building for code, often don't require that the owner or architect (on the owner's behalf) submit specs for review. Unfortunately, you can't build a structure properly without having all of the documents to review for full compliance. There is information on the drawings that is not included in the specs, and there