Construction Specifications

This sem­i­nar pro­vides the prin­ci­ples of con­struc­tion spec­i­fi­ca­tions includ­ing their role, relat­ed doc­u­ments, and the needs of the con­sul­tant. This course is specif­i­cal­ly intend­ed for con­struc­tion prod­uct rep­re­sen­ta­tives, con­trac­tors, cost con­sul­tants, archi­tects, engi­neers, and own­ers. Skills required to aid in the read­ing, writ­ing, and inter­pre­ta­tion of spec­i­fi­ca­tions will be cov­ered. Impacts of asso­ci­at­ed respon­si­bil­i­ties includ­ing risk man­age­ment aris­ing from bid­ding pro­ce­dures, the role of con­tract con­di­tions and gen­er­al require­ments are also cov­ered. In addi­tion, the course will also offer iden­ti­fi­ca­tion of stan­dard doc­u­ment for­mats used in spec­i­fi­ca­tion writ­ing, and how they are used in the var­i­ous stages of pre-bid and construction.

Course at a glance
  • Recognized by Gold Seal and Blue Seal both as required education for accreditation and continuing professional development (post-accreditation maintenance).
  • Aimed at a wide range of construction workers, this course will be of special interest to construction product representatives, project managers, tradesmen and journeymen, contractors, cost consultants, architects, engineers, and construction business owners.
  • Course notes available on eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
  • Two-day condensed delivery format.
What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • Recognize the role of the project manual in relationship to the bidding documents, construction contract documents, general requirements and the technical specifications.
  • Utilize the contents of the project manual for construction administration duties.
  • Recognize the role of MasterFormat, SectionFormat, and PageFormat in construction specifications.
  • Recognize the elements of good specification writing practice, including assessment of risk and liability associated with the documents.
  • Identify how the performance requirements contained in the technical specification can affect the selection of products and affect work results, and recognize the effect of specification writing techniques on the outcome of the bid.
  • Recognize the role of Division 00 and Division 01 documents on the contract and technical specifications, and how they are used in the administration of the project.
This course has no prerequisites

Students from all educational backgrounds welcome. You can register for this course without applying and enrolling in a program.

Take note:

Recommended readings:

  • Masterformat: Numbers & Titles, Construction Specifications Institute, 2012
  • Bidding and Tendering: What Is the Law?, 4th edition, Paul Sandori and William Pigott, Butterworths, 2009 (ISBN 0-433-43018-4)
  • Construction Specification Writing, 5th edition, Harold J. Rosen and John R. Regener Jr., Wiley (ISBN: 0-471-43204-0)
Currently counts towards

*If you are already enroled in this program, please refer to your specific program requirements as outlined at the time of your admission: Bear Tracks > Academic Advisement.

You can register for and take a course without applying and enrolling into the program.

We recommend that you apply to the program as soon as possible to lock in your course requirements as they are subject to change.

Email

cst@ualberta.ca

Looking for different course dates?

New course schedules are released each June and November.

Course not yet scheduled

This course is not currently scheduled, but may be offered in an upcoming term.

New course schedules are announced each June and November.

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