PROJECT MANUAL
The manual prepaid by the architect for a project containing all of the contract documents for a project under construction including 4 major parts:
- Bidding instruction and forms
- Parts of the contract itself, such as legal and administrative documents- the agreement between owner and contractor, bond forms and the like
- General conditions, supplementary conditions,special conditions
- The technical specifications
Architect is mostly directly responsible for:
- Title sheet
- Signature sheet
- Table of Contents
- Instruction to Bidders ( A701 )
- Bid Forms
- General Conditions of the Construction Contract ( A201) ; Supplementary Consditions ( A511) ; Special Conditions
- Proposed Owner - Contractor Agreement ( A101 )
- Sample forms ( A312 - G702 - G703 - G704 - G707 - G707A )
- List of drawings
- Index to Specifications
- Specifications (Section 1-49 / CSI 2010 )
BIDDING DOCUMENTS
The invitation to bid, instruction to bidders, bid form, and the contract documents.
- BIDDING REQUIREMENTS
a) Instruction to Bidders
b) Solicitation to Bidders - Invitation to bidders ; - advertisement to bidders
c) Supplementary instruction to Bidders
d) Bid forms
e) Supplements ( Sample bidding forms, information available to bidders, prequalification forms and contract forms ) - CONTRACT FORMS
a) Owner-Contractor Agreement
b) Performance Bond
c) Payment Bond
d) Certificates - CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT
a) General Conditions
b) Supplementary Conditions
c) Special Conditions ( in some cases ) - DRAWINGS
- SPECIFICATIONS
- ADDENDA ( issued prior to receipt of bids/bid date )
CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
Contents in Project Manual become Contract Documents when owner-contractor agreement ( A 101 ) is signed.
- CONTRACT FORMS
a) Owner-Contractor Agreement
b) Performance and Payment Bond ( A312 )
c) Certificate of Insurance ( G715 ) - CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT
a) General Conditions ( A201 )
b) Supplementary Conditions ( A511 )
c) Special Conditions ( in some cases )
d) Other Conditions - DRAWINGS
- SPECIFICATIONS
- ADDENDA ( issued prior to the execution of A101 - during bidding process )
- MODIFICATIONS OF THE CONTRACT ( if necessary and issued after the execution of A101 )
a) Change Order
b) Construction change directive signed by the contractor
Note: unless specified in the A101, the contract documents shall not include any documents relating to the bidding documents.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
Prepared by architects and consultants consisted of :
1. DRAWINGS
-Physical relationship between materials, products, and equipments ( size, quantity-implicitly, dimension, location, configuration)
-Typical sequence of drawings:
Title sheet, site and landscape, architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, electrical and other special consultant’s sheets
2. SPECIFICATIONS
- compiled by CSI ( construction specification institute ). They are part of the contract documents and they are legal documents. Complementary to drawings. They describe in writing the requirements for quality, desired performance, technique and method of installation.
- organized in Divisions , Sections , Parts= (general, material, execution ).
- take precedence over drawings if there is an inconsistency or ambiguity, only if specifically mentioned in supplementary conditions. If not, the contractor must ask the architect for clarification in writing.
–> GENERAL : deal with the scope of the section. It describes related work, definitions, quality control, submittals, and guarantees/warrantees.
–> MATERIAL : lists and describes the materials, products and equipments to be used
–> EXECUTION : details the manner in which products and materials will be installed and work performed
General Conditions
The part of the contract documents which states the rights, responsibilities, and relationships of the parties involved, usually by means of standard documents published by the AIA.
Addenda
Statements or drawings which modify the basic contract documents after the latter have been issued to the bidders, but prior to taking of bids.
Supplementary Conditions
Part of the contract documents, prepared by the architect, which may modify provisions of the general conditions of the contract.
Instruction to bidders
Instructions in the bidding documents for preparing and submitting bids for a project. Also called Notice to bidders.
Types of Specifications
- Proprietary specification
- Reference specification
- Performance specification
- Descriptive specification
- Cash allowance specification
Proprietary specification
Defines the use of desired materials, products, systems and equipments by their trade names and model numbers.
- OPEN Proprietary
- Names several ( usually 3 ) acceptable materials, products or systems. Contractors may use any one of them. They are most often used on PUBLIC-FUNDED projects because they promote competition. If the specs include an Approved Equal Clause, the contractor is allowed to substitute to products of equal quality and performance if reviewed and approved by the architect. The architect approves based on aesthetics intent, impact on cost, compliance with codes etc - CLOSED Proprietary
- requires a particular brand or trade name for one product, and do not permit substitution.
Reference specification
refer to quality standards established by recognized testing authorities or by federal government such as UL ( Underwriter’s Laboratories ), ASTM ( American society for testing and materials ), and ANSI ( American national standards institute ). They are usually used in conjunction with other types of specifications.
Performance specification
define products or systems by describing desired end results that are performance oriented. It is used when new, unusual products are required or when innovation is necessary.
Descriptive specification
They describe all components and products, their arrangement and method of assembly, physical and chemical properties, arrangement and relationship of parts,and numerous other details and requirements. This specification must be avoided if possible due to substantial liability.
Cash Allowance specification
used when full information on levels of quality has not been determined or are not available at the time bids are solicited. It may be used for the purchase and delivery of the products only.
Drawings and Specifications
They are complimentary.
If there is a conflict, the Architect should be notified, review the conflict, and issue WRITTEN CLARIFICATION.
More detailed list of the project manual contents include some or all of the following
- BIDDING REQUIREMENTS
- - Invitation to bid
- - Prequalification forms
- - Instruction to bidders
- - Information available to bidders
- - Bid forms - SUPPLEMENTS TO BID FORMS
- - Bid security form
- - Subcontractor list
- - Substitution list - CONTRACT FORMS
- - Agreement ( contract between owner and contractor )
- - Performance bond
- - Labor and materials payment bond
- - Certificates of insurance - GENERAL AND SUPPLEMENTARY CONDITIONS
- TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
