• Impossibility of Performance.

Perhaps no method of discharg-

• ing the contract is of more interest to the engineer than this one. The
•
•
•
• Discharge of Contracts 161
•
• engineering contractor is continually running into conditions of soil,
• streamflow, climate and other conditions which could not have been
• and were not foreseen prior to the undertaking of the work, and it is
• important that he understands the effect of these unforeseen
conditions
• on the contract before entering into such a contract.
•
PREPARATION OF SPECIFICATIONS

• Importance. The preparation of proper

specifications
• necessary for a clear understanding of the nature of
machinery, sup-
• plies, or material to be furnished or work to be
done under a contract,
• is as essential for such work as the plans for the
same.
•
• A specification is not the place to show the extent of
the engineer's
• knowledge, but it is the place to show how clearly
and exactly he can
• describe the essential and practicable limits of the
qualities of work
• and material needed for the end in view, how well he
can protect his
• client by definite and proper requirements, and how
fair and just he
• will be in his treatment of contractors.
• Use of English. In the writing of specifications, all that
• has been said about the use of English applies with special
force. The
•
•
•
• Importance of Specifications 279
•
• language used should be clear, accurate, and exact. The
technical
• terms or vernacular common to the trade to which the
specifications
• apply, may be used, but they must be understood and used
correctly.
• Clearness. Clearness in all details, both in plans and
• specifications, is a protection both to the owner and to
the con-
• tractor, as in one case the contractor is unable to do
improper work
• or avoid the execution of essential features, and on the
other hand he
• is enabled to understand exactly what is desired by the
engineer, and
• can regulate his bid in accordance therewith, without the
addition of
• a percentage to cover uncertain work which he may be
obliged to do
• but which is not clearly specified
• Brevity. While it is important that every element of
the
• contract shall be clearly, completely and exactly
described, it is also
• important and essential for clearness that such
description shall be as
• brief as is consistent with a complete and exact
description.
• Indeterminate Specifications. When the amount of ma-
• terial or work to be done under a contract is expected to be
small, it is
• customary with some engineers to cover the same with only
a brief clause
• in which the work done and material furnished are to be "as
the engi-
• neer shall direct." This practice is less objectionable when
only a
• limited quantity of such work or material is to be furnished,
but as in
• most cases there is an uncertainty as to the amount, the
practice seems
• entirely inexcusable.
• Ambiguous Specifications. Unnecessary or
unreason-
• able requirements are always ambiguous and are
uncertain as to what is
• actually desired, and what will actually be required
by the engineer.
• Under such conditions, responsible contractors will
add materially to the
• price for the work done under such specifications.
• Specifications for Criticism. The student should con-
• sider one or more of the following specifications,
and both criticize the
• specification as written and rewrite the
specification so as to assure
• proper results or to express the meaning (which
should have been ex-
• pressed) in clear and unequivocal language.
• There are different types of technical or
engineering specifications (specs), and the term is
used differently in different technical contexts.
They often refer to particular documents, and/or
particular information within them. The word
specification is broadly defined as "to state
explicitly or in detail" or "to be specific".
• A requirement specification is a documented requirement, or
set of documented requirements, to be satisfied by a given
material, design, product, service, etc.[2] It is a common early
part of engineering design and product development
processes, in many fields.
•
• A functional specification is a kind of requirement
specification, and may show functional block
diagrams.[citation needed]
•
• A design or product specification describes the features of the
solutions for the Requirement Specification, referring to either
a designed solution or final produced solution. It is often used
to guide fabrication/production.