Scope identification, inclusions and exclusions · Lesson 1 of 4

Scope identification, inclusions and exclusions: principles and terminology

What a scope is, the few words that change who carries an item, the places a flashing scope is written, why defining it early is worth the effort, and the safety duty that no scope line replaces.

You will be able to: Define scope, inclusion, exclusion, clarification, “provided” and “by others”, say where a flashing scope is written, and state the fall-protection duty that exists whatever a scope line says.

12 min · 11 slides · 9 questions

All lessons in this module

Slide 1 of 11

What a scope is

ASAMW describes scope as the contractual exhibit that sets out the subcontractor’s responsibilities outside the boilerplate terms and conditions.

In this module a scope line is any statement of what work, material and responsibility a price covers: a quote, a proposal, a subcontract or a purchase order. That is a working definition, not a legal one.

A complete scope line answers all four questions. The statements below it are how a price says what it carries and what it does not.

Sources

Scope Best Practices and Specificity (June 2025) - American Subcontractors Association of Metro Washington

Glossary

Scope of work: The work, material and responsibility that a contract, subcontract, proposal, purchase order or quote covers. ASAMW describes a subcontract scope as the exhibit that sets out the subcontractor’s responsibilities outside the boilerplate terms.
Inclusion: An item a bidder states it is carrying in its price. A working definition used in this module.
Exclusion: An item a bidder states it is not carrying in its price. ASAMW asks both sides to review exclusions in detail rather than carry them as boilerplate.
Clarification: A written statement of the basis a price rests on, such as an assumed manufacturer, an allowance or a deviation from the specified material. A working definition built from ASAMW’s guidance on assumptions and allowances.
Provided: In FAR 52.236-21, the federal construction clause, “provided” means furnished and installed, complete in place. Other contracts may word it differently.
By others: Work that the documents assign to another party. This module’s advice is to name the party every time, as ASAMW’s “Exclusions (by others)” list does for each excluded item.
Request for information (RFI): A written question about the bid or contract documents. ASAMW lists RFIs among the documents a proposal should rest on.