CHAPTEE X 



SPECIFICATIONS 



1. Preliminary... 



2. Commencement of a specifi- 



cation 



3. How far contractor is bound 



by specification ... 



4. Specification for "a sound 



machine "... 



5. How the specification be- 



comes part of the contract 



6. Works omitted from specifi- 



cation not necessarily 

 extras 



PAGE 



112 

 113 

 113 

 115 

 116 



116 



7. Specification in contracts 



with urban authorities. . . 117 

 8. Clause to secure conformity 



to specification 117 



9. Consequences of negligence 

 in drawing a specifica- 

 tion 117 



10. Fraud in relation to a 



specification ... ... 118 



1. Preliminary. A specification has been defined as " a 

 written description and plans more or less complete, defining 

 the methods of construction, material, etc., to be used, pre- 

 pared by the engineer for the approval of the employer, and 

 for the guidance of the contractor." All these written docu- 

 ments together form the specifications. They form part of 

 the contract between the employer and the contractor, and 

 serve to delimit and define the work which is to be done. The 

 contractor need not do anything which is not set out in the 

 specifications ; the employer need not pay for anything which 

 is not defined. 



A specification is a legal document and must, therefore, be 

 drawn with the utmost care. As it is often long and elaborate, 

 the engineer may sometimes find a difficulty in keeping all 

 the details in his head. In such a case he will find it prudent 

 to make notes for the draft specification concurrently with 

 the progress of the working drawings. The actual preparation 

 of the diraft specification should not, however, be commenced 

 until the whole of the drawings have been completed in pencil. 

 There should be added to the specification a complete schedule 

 of the working drawings, which are complete at the time the 

 contract is signed. To facilitate identification these should be 



