NATSPEC BASIC MASTER SPECIFICATION – aUGUST 2012

COMMENTARY

NATSPEC BASIC: This version of NATSPEC Basic has been modified to suit regional requirements and Department policy. It is suitable for specifying most of the Department's building projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT; Include Environmental Management in all construction contracts.

QUALITY ASSURANCE: The Department of Construction and Infrastructure has a current Quality Assurance (QA) Policy incorporated into its construction projects.

Project Tiers:

·  Tier 1. Less than $15,000 – QA not required.

·  Tier 2. $15,000 or over, but less than $50,000 – QA not required.

·  Tier 3. $50,000 or over, but less than $200,000 – (QA not required unless complex).

·  Tier 4. $200,000 or over, but less than $1M – (use the project control on TDMS).

·  Tier 5. $1M or over, but less than $5M – (use the project control on TDMS).

·  Tier 6. $5M or over – Use ISO – 9000 series Quality Assurance.

GENERAL UPDATE: All sections of the master have been updated to the current Australian Standards and other general updating of text as required.

NATSPEC Building or NATSPEC Services may be required on major or more complex projects.

For simple, small building works, up to Tier 3, use the Department's Standard Specification for Small Building Works which is a blanket reference specification.

NATSPEC: This Department along with other Public Works authorities in Australia is committed to using NASTPEC the national building specification.

CONSULTANTS: NATSPEC Specifications are copyright and it is a requirement that Consultants using this document be current NATSPEC subscribers.

GENERAL NOTES

WRITE-IN INFORMATION; spaces in the draft specification where particular information is required to be inserted are shown by the > symbol. This allows the search function to automatically check that project specifications have all “write in points” completed.

GUIDE NOTES: These are green in colour, are indented to the page centre line, are inserted in italics in square brackets and must be deleted from the project specification when editing is otherwise complete. This is done by a single macro function in TDMS Tools.

SPECIFICATION REFERENCES: Refer to the actual clause title and section heading in words. Do not use numbers. This eliminates wrong numbers when clause numbers change due to editing.

AUTOMATIC NUMBERING: When editing drafts of the master specification delete the sections not required in the project specification. Section numbers will be automatically changed to be consecutive following on from the commercial sections and the Quality Assurance section where applicable. When clauses within a section are deleted, the clauses will be automatically renumbered to be consecutive within that section.

CURRENT MASTERS: Ensure that project specifications are written from the latest version of the master specification, i.e. in TDMS Tools which points to the current masters on the Z (TDMS) drive. Do not copy the master and keep it in a personal file for use when preparing project specifications, as that version will not contain the latest updates. Ensure that you print draft specifications with guide notes and the header to verify that it is in fact the latest version.

CONSULTANTS: An internet site has been developed to allow Consultants to download the latest technical master specifications when preparing contract documentation for the Department. All registered Consultants who are current NATSPEC subscribers, will be given a password to access the site.

POLICY REQUIREMENTS: In producing project specifications observe the following guidelines.

·  PROPRIETARY ITEMS: Materials generally should be specified generically however specific items should be specified by proprietary item, that is by brand name and catalogue number etc.

·  CANNIBALIZING: Prepare all specifications from fresh drafts of the latest versions of the commercial clauses and technical sections through the Tender Document Management System (TDMS). Do not copy and paste the technical sections of old specifications.

·  EDITING: Edit the specification draft to exactly suit the project. Delete all irrelevant text, modify existing text and add new text as required.

·  NEW TEXT: When adding new text, write it in the imperative mood and begin each paragraph with a key word to match the standard NATSPEC format.

·  HEADWORKS: Where head-works for sewerage or water supply are included in a building contract use the PowerWater master specification, Water Supply and Sewerage (WS&S) and incorporate the required sections into the NATSPEC Basic Specification.

·  SCHEDULES: Do not electronically insert suppliers’ schedules in specifications. Rework these to include only the information required for the contract. Keep all schedules in the portrait (upright) format if possible and use the standard Department format for finishes, doors, hardware etc. Insert the finishes schedule at the back of the specification and specific schedules at the rear of the particular section.

RESPONSIBILITY: The head consultant is responsible for the co-ordination of specification sections from sub-consultants to ensure that the finished document is in accordance with this brief. Where DCI acts as the head consultant the specification will be produced in house and the sub-consultants will be required to prepare their final specification sections in accordance with this brief and provide the Department with an electronic copy of the final sections in Microsoft Word 2003.

FEEDBACK: Comments from staff members or Consultants are most welcome. Please direct any queries through the Manager Specification Services, Lawrie Foscaro, on the 4th floor Highway House. Telephone; 8946 5021, Fax; 8923 7661 or e-mail at

UPDATES

Aug 2005 / New Department of Planning and Infrastructure name and logos inserted
Mar 2006 / Masonry Section – Bed Joint Reinforcement clause deleted
June 2010 / Updated $ value for project Tiers. General wording updates, new DCI header.
August 2012 / Information related to cited Australian Standards updated.
Minor updates to technical content in several sections.
Major updates to ELECTRICAL and MECHANICAL sections
Section layouts modified – list of Australian Standards cited at beginning of each section.
New sections added; NORHTERN TERRITORY CLIMATE ZONES TABLE and STANDARD DRAWINGS

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