What is included, and what is not.
What the typical fees include, and what they don’t, written down so that a range means something.
Scope
- We work on projects in North America.
- qcSpecs writes specifications as a consultant. We do not stamp documents and are not the design professional of record. What we deliver becomes part of your project documents, under your seal and your responsibility.
- We write the architectural technical sections. Your consultants issue theirs. We are architects, with no engineers on staff. We do not write structural, civil, landscape or MEP documents, and they are not part of the Specifications Coordination Report.
- Assembling the complete Project Manual is not included.
- A report reads the whole set, at whatever stage it is in. A schedule can only be checked against everything it serves, so we don’t report on part of a set.
- A quote covers the set as received on a stated date. A later issuance is a new report.
Quoted separately
These are priced before the work is done:
- A changed set. Ordinary refinement is expected and absorbed; a changed product, system or assembly means the affected sections are rewritten.
- Sections added after the table of contents is approved.
- Coordination time substantially beyond what the report anticipated.
- Scope growing during the work — an added building, an added phase.
- Code information that has to be researched rather than supplied.
- An Owner front end or template that arrives after writing has started.
- A further round of findings after the first has been worked through.
- Coordinating consultant documents — structural, civil, landscape, MEP — with the architectural work.
Exclusions
A Project Manual is written by several hands. These come from others, and your team obtains them:
- Door hardware — Section 08 71 00 comes from the hardware consultant or the vendor.
- Consultant technical sections — structural, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, electrical, communications and security.
- Civil and landscape — earthwork, paving, site utilities, planting and irrigation.
- Elevators where the vendor supplies the section.
- Hazardous materials abatement.
- The Owner’s contract documents — the Agreement, bonds, insurance and general conditions.
- Specialty consultant sections — food service, audiovisual, security systems, laboratory casework.