Specification conflicts and design resolution · Lesson 1 of 4

Specification conflicts and design resolution: principles and terminology

What a specification conflict is, where a statement lives in a section, why the contract itself ranks the documents, why a difference is reported and not decided, and where AFS sits in that chain.

You will be able to: Name the six kinds of specification conflict, say who ranks the contract documents and who answers a question about them, tell a conflict from a gap, and state what a fabricator never decides alone.

11 min · 11 slides · 8 questions

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Slide 1 of 11

Six kinds of conflict

A specification conflict is two statements that cannot both be satisfied, or a needed fact that is missing. Edge metal work shows six kinds:

a drawing against a specification
one section against another
a document against a code or standard edition
a document against a manufacturer's instruction
one number printed two ways
a gap: a needed fact not stated at all

Sources

UFGS 07 60 00 Flashing and Sheet Metal (August 2023, Change 1 - 05/25) - U.S. Department of Defense, Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (Whole Building Design Guide)
VA Master Specification 07 60 00 Flashing and Sheet Metal (01-01-21) - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Whole Building Design Guide)
AFS upload and takeoff: a drawing is read for what it states; unstated material, gauge, finish and colour are reported as not specified - Architectural Flashing Supply

Glossary

Contract documents: The drawings, specifications and other documents a contract names; the work is held to them. Each contract defines its own list and its own order of precedence.
Specification conflict: Two statements in the documents that cannot both be satisfied, such as a drawing against a specification, one section against another, or a number printed two ways.
Gap: A needed fact that is not stated at all, such as the metal or the finish. AFS tools return "not specified" for it instead of guessing.
Order of precedence: A contract's own rule for which document wins when two differ. FAR 52.236-21 says the specifications govern over the drawings; other contracts say it differently.
Authority having jurisdiction: The body that adopts and enforces the building code for a project and sets local criteria. In the proposed ED-1 revision, local codes and the authority having jurisdiction ultimately dictate edge metal performance requirements.
Variation: A departure from a contract requirement. UFGS 01 33 00 says variations require Contracting Officer approval and must be specifically pointed out.