Technical specification: connect requirements to quantities
A technical specification describes requirements that need to be read alongside the drawings and bill of quantities. The dimensions of a wall do not, by themselves, identify its finish layers, background preparation or required tests. A structured review connects each requirement to its location and the relevant BOQ item, keeping unanswered questions visible before contractors are asked to quote.
What do you look for in a technical specification?
Start with the work itself: what must be carried out, with which materials, in which locations and under which conditions. Then check how that work is described and measured in the bill. Insulation, substrate preparation or a testing requirement may affect an item description even when the area shown on a drawing stays the same. Read the complete description rather than relying on the section heading.
General and project specifications, drawings, schedules and the bill may all belong to the project's document set. This guide does not prescribe a fixed order of precedence. Check which documents and revisions apply and what the project documents say about discrepancies. Where the meaning remains unclear, record the issue and seek clarification from the responsible project party rather than silently making a design or client decision.
Start with a document and revision register
A short register can identify each document's name, discipline, revision, date and source file. Include finish schedules, details, appendices and issued clarifications. When another file arrives, establish whether it replaces an earlier document or adds information. This avoids mixing revisions within one calculation. Keep superseded files for the record, clearly identifying their status.
Define the review's boundaries before measuring: the buildings, floors, areas and trades included, and the disciplines assigned to other specialists. Record a missing document as missing; its absence does not establish that no work is required. With incomplete information, the list of outstanding inputs belongs alongside the items that can already be measured.
Connect requirements, locations and BOQ items
For each requirement affecting the bill, retain a reference that another reader can find: the document, clause or page and revision. Add the work location and BOQ reference, or state that the connection is unresolved. The following table illustrates a review format; it does not determine what is included in any project's prices.
| Requirement to check | Documents to compare | Record to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Wall finish system | Finish schedule, detail and drawing location | Area, system description and item reference |
| Background preparation | Work description and item scope | Whether covered by the description or unresolved |
| Testing or a trial section | Testing requirement and applicable locations | Treatment in the bill and any open question |
| Phased work in an occupied area | Site requirements and phasing plan | Execution constraint and its source |
Do not create a separate item automatically for every sentence. First determine whether the requirement is already described, measured separately or addressed through execution conditions. The same review can reveal duplication, such as work appearing in two sections or in both a combined item and a separate breakdown. Record the project's chosen measurement methods with the calculation.
An example: the same area with a different work description
Consider an illustrative wet-room wall. The drawing locates it, while the finish schedule identifies a covering and a particular background preparation. The received bill contains a general wall-covering item. Its area can be measured, but the item cannot be treated as settled until the reviewer checks whether its description covers that preparation, whether edge details exist and whether the layers have different extents. This example does not establish that every layer needs separate measurement.
Rather than filling the gap from memory, record a question with both references and request a clear definition. Once a response is received, update the description and, if necessary, the calculation, keeping the source of the change. A quantity calculation file can connect the bill item to its location and the decision behind it, even where the numerical quantity has not changed.
Resolve questions while keeping a record of changes
- Ask a focused question. Identify the conflicting sources, the location and the missing information. Separate design questions from measurement or scope questions.
- Record status and responsibility. For example: awaiting the designer's response, clarification received or further document required. An open status is not an answer.
- Link the response. Retain the clarification reference and date, then check which floors and items it applies to.
- Update and recheck. Compare with the previous revision and ensure the correction has not introduced an omission or duplication elsewhere.
A missing quantity is not zero. If a requirement is known but cannot yet be measured, identify the missing input. Label any temporary assumption explicitly so that a reader does not mistake it for an approved response.
What does the quantity surveyor's review provide?
A quantity surveyor may have an engineering or registered building technician background. Yaakov Avital is a registered building technician and quantity surveyor who measures every detail like a contractor. The review aims to connect work descriptions and quantities with the supplied information and organise discrepancies for the appropriate project parties to resolve. Its scope and deliverables are agreed with the client for the project.
Pricing is an extra service: verbal feedback on prices together with the client, with no commitment. Before making contact, gather the drawings, technical specification, schedules and any existing bill, identifying the current versions. Read about quantity cross-checking, or contact quantity surveyor Yaakov Avital with a short description of the available documents and the purpose of the review.
Frequently asked questions
Must every document be complete before measurement starts?
It is possible to assess what can already be measured, provided the review boundaries and missing information are explicit. Do not present an undefined area as fully reviewed. Update the calculation when the required information arrives.
Does every specification requirement need a separate BOQ item?
No. Check the item scope and the measurement approach applying to the project. A requirement may belong in an existing description, need separate measurement or require clarification. Automatically separating everything can create duplication.
What if the drawing and specification disagree?
Identify the discrepancy and document revisions, then raise a question with the responsible project party. Keep the item open until there is a clear basis for updating it, recording any interim assumptions.
Have a project? Tell me briefly what the project is and what already exists. When the project is a good fit, I usually reply with focused questions and a written quote.
Contact me for a quote* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.