specsandcodes

A Specifier's Rant: The "UN"standardized Carpet Industry

I just completed my umpteenth-hundredth carpet specification section and I’ve had it—especially when it comes to specifying for public projects.  As many of you may know, public projects typically require open competition for projects, including the selection of products that are specified.  So, as a response, specifiers are typically tasked to include a minimum of three products in the specifications to ensure competition.   So what is the problem?  Actually, there are a couple of problems—however, if one is resolved, the other goes away.  

The first problem is getting designers to select three acceptable carpets.  Since carpet is such a visual item, the specifier should not be left with the job of finding two other carpet selections in addition to the one selected by the designer.   Selecting carpet is a mix of color, pattern, and performance.  Carpet color and pattern are characteristics that belong to the designer, but “performance characteristics” is the area where the specifier lives—and is the source of the second problem.

The second problem is finding carpeting that has similar performance characteristics—it’s like asking someone to find three similar marbles in a barrel of marbles.  And to compound the problem, there is no standardization in the way carpeting information is presented—manufacturers' carpet data use inconsistent terminology and inconsistent units of measurement (if they even bother to provide the units of measurement). 

For example, I see “tufted weight,” “face weight,” and “total weight.”  All have different meanings, but not all are provided in manufacturers’ literature—mostly, they provide one or maybe two of those characteristics.  The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), which should be the leader in the industry, doesn’t mention any of those in their glossary—what they provide is “finished yarn weight”—is this a fourth weight characteristic, or is it an alternative for one of the previous three terms?  I don’t know, because the multitudes of online carpet glossaries vary widely in their definitions, which make it difficult to compare, and almost all don’t define more than two of the terms.  Surprisingly, ASTM D 5684, Standard Terminology Relating to Pile Floor Coverings, doesn’t provide a single definition in regard to weight! 

Adding to the confusion is the frequent use of proprietary names by manufacturers to describe components of their carpeting, such as fiber and backings.  So, how is a specifier (let alone a customer) supposed to compare the construction and performance of carpeting if the use of terminology by manufacturers is all over the map?  This specifier’s answer:  STANDARDIZE! 

Other building finishes use standards to either classify products or to provide a minimum product specification.  An example of a classification standard is ASTM E 1264, Standard Classification for Acoustical Ceiling Products.  An example of a specification standard is ASTM F 1303, Standard Specification for Sheet Vinyl Floor Covering with Backing.  Products complying with these standards are categorized based on physical and performance characteristics.  Therefore, two products with the same type and grade (vinyl flooring), or type, form, and pattern (acoustical ceilings), may not be equal, but they can be considered comparable; thus narrowing the field of acceptable products to ease the selection process for the designer or specifier, or simplifying the substitution review process.

If the carpet industry would just sit down and create a logical method to identify comparable carpet products, then all the specifier needs to do is provide something like the following:

Carpet:  Style B; Type III; Grade 3A.

Which could mean the following:

Style B:  Tufted, multi-level loop

Type III:  Woven primary with foam secondary backings

Grade 3A:  3 = Total density is greater than 1800 and less than or equal to 2000 oz./cu. yd.

                             A = Critical radiant flux not less than 0.45 W/sq. cm

If other characteristics are important, such as fiber material and pile thickness, then those could be added to the specification, along with a basis-of-design product to establish a color and pattern to achieve.

Of course, to make such a standard worthwhile and beneficial to design professionals, manufacturers would need to use the system in their product literature.  Also, measuring density would need to be standardized through a standard test method. 

This may be a specifier’s a pipe dream, but if the paint industry can pull it off, so can the carpet industry.  It took years, but a system was developed to help categorize an ever-changing paint industry; the system isn’t perfect, but it’s a start.  The carpet industry needs to take a lesson from their fellow manufacturers of architectural finishes who have standardized their respective industries and follow suit.

CSI Certification: Set Yourself Apart

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) back in 2008, the architecture profession was one of the hardest hit professions when it came to layoffs.  However, a year later in 2009, the BLS stated that between then and 2018, the architecture profession will grow “faster than the average” with a total increase of 16 percent.  Other construction professionals, according to the BLS, will also see a similar increase with the exception of mechanical and electrical engineers, which expect a much smaller increase of around 2 to 6 percent.  The construction trades will also see a moderately aggressive increase over this time period.

Why is this outlook important?  When the work begins to increase, so will the demand for employees, and with the large field of eligible prospects (i.e. those without jobs and looking), the competition for the jobs that become available will be aggressive.  The key to securing one of those jobs is to stand out above your competition—and the CSI Certification program can help give you that extra competitive edge.

Time and experience in practice are good measurements for evaluating employee candidates; but time and experience does not objectively show that you understand the construction process and the documents used in getting a project built.  Through CSI’s Certification Program, there is something for everyone in the construction industry that will help you prove to others that you do understand the construction industry and, specifically, your profession.

The Construction Documents Technologist (CDT) Certificate:  This is the ideal starting point for anyone in the construction industry.  By passing the CDT, you have demonstrated your understanding of the design and construction process; the purpose and importance of clear, correct, complete, and concise construction documents; knowledge of General Conditions and their relationship to the specifications; the various types of delivery methods available to construct a project, and the contractual relationship between the parties of each.  The CDT is the prerequisite for the following CSI certifications.

The Certified Construction Contract Administrator (CCCA):  If you are an individual who is regularly engaged in the administration of a construction contract during the construction, or have responsibilities that extend into the construction phase, the CCCA is the next step.  This certification focuses on the details of the construction process from contract execution to final completion; including subjects on site observation, pay applications, contract modifications, submittals, substitutions, and project closeout.

The Certified Construction Specifier (CCS):  The CCS is the oldest of CSI credentials, which was first offered in 1978.  With this certification, you have shown that you have mastered the ability to properly prepare a set of construction specifications to convey the qualitative requirements of a construction contract.  This certification covers subjects such as page layout per PageFormat, section organization per SectionFormat, specification language, Division 01 General Requirements, and master guide specifications.

The Certified Construction Product Representative (CCPR):  Every product representative wants to sell more of their product, and one of the best ways of doing this is by learning how to do it better.  The CCPR credential shows specifiers and other construction professionals that you understand their business as well as your own—it establishes that credibility that is so important for a product representative to become that “golden rep”:  the “go to” person who knows their specific industry.

That is CSI’s Certification Program in a nutshell.  If you were an employer and you had several candidates of equal strengths and experiences, but there was one with a CSI credential, which one would you choose?

I thought so.

Specifiers - A Psychoanalysis

My initial motivation to become an architect is really a mystery, even unto myself.  The only things I can recall that could have led to this momentous decision are that I liked to observe buildings under construction and that I liked drafting (back when it was on a drafting board).  From that, I must have put two and two together: buildings + drafting = architect.  I’m sure engineers are saying “Hey, buildings plus drafting could mean engineering!”  Well, let me put it this way, it was the closest thing to engineering without having to endure all those advanced math classes.

With that decision made, I completed an important step to satisfy my deep down desire to fly airplanes – fighter airplanes, to be exact. You see, a technical degree (of which architecture is considered to be by the Air Force) was necessary at that time to become an Air Force pilot.  But, that all changed when, during my physical exam for ROTC, I was medically disqualified from a flying career due to less-than-perfect eyesight and a history of allergies.  So, by default, architecture became my primary focus with military service falling to a close secondary.

I survived architecture school with solid but unspectacular results.  I muddled through graphics and design studio, keeping my head above water; however, I did rather well in my technical courses (this should have given me some indication as to my future career path).  But, since the Air Force wasn’t looking for award-winning designers, my design abilities were of no significant concern to me.

Over the years, I moved between several different positions, like a steel ball making its way down a pachinko (Japanese pinball) machine to its final destination; in my case, that of a construction specifier.  Since assuming that role, I’ve often wondered what makes a specifier a specifier?  What personality traits are common amongst us masters of the written construction language? Well, I think I found the answer…

Using myself and other specifiers as prime samples of our unique subculture, I analyzed the personality of the typical “specifier” and developed the following list of traits:

• Organized – Specifiers use MasterFormat: the ultimate in construction document organization.  We arrange everything based on this system: specifications (obviously), computer files, catalogs, etc. We have huge discussions—some even heated—about where one item should be located within the system.  
• Meticulous – Specifiers are very particular about the how the English language is used, especially in the context of their specifications.  Short of being lawyers, we use English in a way to achieve our desires without deleterious loopholes (Do you like that?) that could affect us, our clients, or owners financially.  We’ve even developed a guide, the Construction Specifications Practice Guide, which establishes words that should and should not be used.  Our specification sections follow other standards such as PageFormat and SectionFormat; and, we decompensate when consultants of other disciplines don’t follow them.
• Attention Seeking – Specifiers have a deep yearning to be accepted as equals within the design team, and even within our respective firms, if not an independent consultant.  We’ve established ourselves as the technical experts within the profession; and without us problems would continually arise during design and construction.  There’s even a certification program, the Certified Construction Specifier (CCS), to further our longing for recognition.  We have pointed discussions on promotions and salaries, and, for the independent consultants, fees.  We make statements from a broad perspective such as “Educate architects of the value we bring to their practice,” to direct ones, borrowed from TV commercials, such as “Pay now or pay more later” (Fram Oil Filters).
• Obstinate – Specifiers, through our meticulousness, demand adherence by others to the same standards we hold sacred.  To do anything else is contrary to the holy four C’s of clear, concise, correct, and complete.  We preach “Say it once and in the right place” until we’re blue in the face, but raise our hands and walk away in frustration when a project proceeds contrary to our advice.  Then we repeat the sermon on our next project, hoping to “convert” the next group of sinners.

Well, that’s it; specifiers boiled down to four traits: organized, meticulous, attention seeking, and obstinate.  The next step: find the psychological term that best fits these traits.  What would the professionals call this?  Dr. Freud?…Dr. Phil?…Dr. Ruth?  (Well, maybe not her).

Plugging these traits into my internet search engine, I continually came up with “anal-retentive personality,” or more currently referred to as “obsessive-compulsive disorder,” or OCD.  I recalled back in the last half the 1980s, that the late Phil Hartman played multiple characters on Saturday Night Live of which one was called the “Anal-Retentive Carpenter,” who took wood scraps, double-bagged them, then stapled the bags closed before throwing them out. When I first saw this skit, I had no clue what being “anal-retentive” was.  My wife, the doctor, explained the Freudian term which stems from potty training of 1 to 2 year-olds.  How early use of the john leads to personality quirks is beyond me—maybe that’s why I’m a specifier.

I tried to find some popular examples of anal-retentive behavior.  Felix Unger of The Odd Couple is a classic example of extreme anal-retentive behavior, as well as Frasier Crane and his on-show brother, Niles, and popular sleuths Adrian Monk and Hercule Poirot.  But, specifiers, although not as extreme as those examples above, still exhibit some classic characteristics of anal retentive personalities.

In my research, I’ve found that anal-retentives have most, if not all, the following traits:

• They have a strong conscience and tend to follow traditional roles.
• They set high standards and perform well at work.
• They are dependable, responsible and are dutiful employees.
• They are meticulous, precise and tend to be obsessive and rigid about rules and regulations.
• They are almost always on time and their work is neat and orderly.
• They are conservative in their views and have a strong controlling sense of duty.
• They may be rather introspective and introverted if they are worried about what others will think or how they might be regarded.
• They may have lost some of their ability to assert their own wishes and views.
• They may have to “achieve” to gain the attention and affection of others to make them feel worthy.

If you’re a specifier, does this sound familiar?  So, as a specifier, if someone calls you “anal,” you won’t clobber them because you confused the term with the other derogatory name for the same bodily region.

To paraphrase a line from Peanuts’ Lucy Van Pelt, “The doctor is out…5 cents, please.”

Why Hire a Certified Construction Specifier?

(Note:  This is a revision of my post that appeared last year in the former CSI blog site. )

Why?  Because it makes sense.

People hire certified, licensed, and registered professionals all the time.  The doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, contractors, etc. that we hire, either as employees or for services, require some level of competence as determined by an authoritative organization responsible for that specialty.  However, when it comes to preparing specifications, many design professionals don’t see the need to hire an in-house specifier or a specifications consultant, let alone a certified specifier.

People have no problem going to a cardiologist for heart problems or a probate lawyer for handling a will.  But many architects and engineers seem very content with preparing the specifications themselves for their designs without understanding the technical and legal nuances that come with specifying. 

It is understandable that architects want to focus on the preparation of the construction drawings, since that is the graphic element of construction documents and architects are generally visual people.  But the drawings can only provide a limited amount of information.  You can have a great set of drawings that show an excellent design, but that may be all for naught if the specifications lack sufficient information to describe the materials, products, and installation requirements that must be met to achieve the level of quality desired.  A poorly prepared set of specifications may contain errors that omissions that reduce the architect's and owner's control over the project.

Like the art of architectural design, the calculations of engineering, and the preparation of CAD or BIM files, specifying requires a level of expertise all unto its own.  The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) recognized this and developed the Certified Construction Specifier (CCS) program.  The program has evolved over the years since it was first introduced in the early 1980s, but the goal has remained the same:  providing an avenue for specifiers to demonstrate their “excellence in specifications and contract document preparation.”

I have found it interesting that many of the application forms for professional liability insurance state, “Does your firm use an automated master specification system?”  I equate that to asking, “Do you use a handgun for protection?”  Neither question asks if you’ve been trained and have demonstrated a level of skill to show you know how to use it.  Improper use of either could lead to problems not only for you, but other people involved.  Possessing the knowledge of what to do, and the skill to be able do it, is the essence of CCS certification.

The certified construction specifier brings to the design team a broad knowledge of not only specifications, but knowledge in the coordination of construction documents, materials, constructability, and product/system integration.  Therefore, if you desire that expertise in your firm, add a CCS to your staff.  If your firm’s financial situation does not currently allow employing new staff, then hire one of the several independent specifications consultants that hold CCS certification.  Either way, you may pay now or pay later; and paying later may not be less expensive or less painful.