How Software Automation Elevates Specification Accuracy and Reduces Errors

Schedule and budget. These are two of the most essential elements of a construction project that impact all project stakeholders, primarily because they affect the success and profitability of the project. One of the reasons construction projects go off schedule and out of budget is due to construction specification errors and inaccuracies that are not identified until construction begins. Due to this, contractors will submit to architects and engineers (A&Es) requests for information (RFIs) or change orders to gain clarification or course correct errors, omissions, or conflicts uncovered during construction. Change orders and RFIs are problems for architects, engineers, and contractors for building projects because they can cause delays, disputes, and increased project costs.

This blog is the fourth in a series of five posts that will explore the top benefits your firm will gain by using technology to automate the construction specifications process to improve spec accuracy and overall quality. Let’s explore how Deltek Specpoint deploys tools to help reduce the time, cost, and risk of specification errors and inaccuracies, as well as enhance the quality, efficiency, and coordination of the project.

Moving Beyond Manual and Labor-Intensive Spec Processes

Traditionally, construction specifications are developed using a highly manual process often siloed from other project team members with little collaboration involving labor-intensive processes which introduces the risk of errors and omissions due to the manual workflow. With Deltek Specpoint, you no longer need to manually labor over developing specifications or worry if you overlooked or missed something important. Specpoint’s technology and automation make spec development workflows more collaborative and streamlined. Specpoint takes care of the details using automation to ensure nothing is missed, helping the project stay on schedule and in budget with accurate high-quality specifications.

“Writing specifications can take a lot of time, which is why it’s important to take advantage of software to make things easier.”

– Eugene Ninnie, Senior Structural Project Engineer with Jorgensen

Automation Improves Specificity

With Specpoint, design professionals can simplify the otherwise time-consuming task of developing detailed project specifications. Specpoint software automates repetitive tasks, provides consistent templates based on industry best practices, and auto-populates material and product information directly into the specification. By leveraging these capabilities, users can develop specifications with greater ease and accuracy to mitigate project delays and increase costs. Gains achieved using Specpoint include:

• Simplify Spec Development: Create specifications easily using Specpoint’s guided process, breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps reducing errors and improve accuracy by following pre-built templates and prompts.
• Synchronize Drawings to Specs: Specpoint’s built-in track changes and BIM integration functionality empowers A&Es to deliver well-coordinated specs to drawings and keep pace with design iterations.
• Informed Product research: Make better product selection decisions using Specpoint’s building product manufacturer cards providing concise product information, features, functionalities, detailed technical specifications, and manufacturer contact information at your fingertips.
• Project Team Input: Use Specpoint’s Contributor User features to get useful insights and review construction specifications with more input from the project team to identify challenges earlier in the project lifecycle, rather than later when it’s more costly to correct.
• Implement Firm Preferences: Easily apply firm product preferences and standards by deploying firm office masters in Specpoint to deliver quality specifications that achieve design intent.

“A well-written, accurate spec saves time and money, and it can help avoid challenges arising from inadequate communication and limited detail.”

– Scott Taylor, Senior Specification Writer with Deltek

Using Specpoint, design professionals can develop well-crafted specifications to enable project stakeholders to understand the project scope, product selections, and quality standards. As a result, this ensures a smoother construction process and reduces the likelihood of specification inaccuracies, errors, time consuming RFIs, and disputes during project execution.

Research and add building products using approved UniFormat elements in Specpoint to coordinate Revit model elements to reduce errors and rework.

Specpoint Reduces Errors and Improves Accuracy

The goal of any building project is to exceed the owner’s expectations by delivering a high-quality project on schedule and in budget. The key to achieving this is producing a solid project manual with clear requirements to ensure no room for confusion, allowing for a more efficient and effective process so the work is completed as intended. As discussed, the process of developing construction specifications manually can lead to inconsistencies, errors, and inefficiencies all of which can result in project delays, increased costs, and compromised quality. Specpoint alleviates these issues using the latest in software automation to help you deliver high quality construction specifications for your projects.