Specification Drafting

Schools/Departments are responsible for the first draft of specifications to be submitted to Procurement. Lengthy and complex specifications may be submitted as an attachment in EAS on the requisition. After Procurement has reviewed the specifications and written any special terms and conditions in addition to our standard terms and conditions, the school/department will be forwarded a draft for review and approval. Keep the following in mind when writing specifications:

• Be specific and detailed in presenting mandatory requirements in construction projects, goods or services, (e.g., licensing, drawings, blueprints, bonding requirements, and insurance).
• State a requirement of fact once, and avoid duplication.
• Don’t present something as mandatory if it is really optional;
• Try not to write specifications or scopes of work that restrict response to a single bidder/offeror.

Words Matter: The Appropriate use of Words

The inappropriate use of key words in a specification could have disastrous results if the supplier is not sure what the requirements are and what you would like to have performed or supplied. 

To be competitive, suppliers almost always have to provide the least expensive product. If the text of the specifications state “may” rather than “will,” it could mean one thing to one supplier and another to you.

The terms “shall” or “must” are used wherever a specification expresses a requirement (mandatory), and “should” or “may” are used to express non-mandatory provisions.