SPECIFICATION OF GOODS, WORKS AND SERVICES

Specification. This refers to the specific requirements and needs, that a

procurer needs to satisfy from the purchase of given goods and services, and the
supplier is expected to satisfy such needs by supplying to procuring entity.

They can either be simple or complex.

There are two types of specifications which includes;

 Conformance Specification. This provides details on how a product

should be made or how service should be delivered. It describes specific
materials, design and process. Also known as Technical or prescriptive
specifications.
 Performance Specification. This focuses on the expected outcomes
of functionality rather than the method of production.

Purposes of Specifications.
1. Describe quality and quantity of materials to be procured.
2. Serve as a guide to supervisor on how to inspects the work.
3. Determine how much the contractor is to be paid based on expectations of
the work and materials to be acquired.
4. To specify the method, or workmanship for carrying out the job.
5. Help minimize the risks and costs associated.

Approaches/ Strategies for Specifications.

 Early Purchasing Involvement (EPI) and Early Supplier Involvement (ESI)
 Formal committee approach, representatives come from all the functional
area. No design becomes final without the committee approval
  The informal approach.Management urges designers to seek continual
advice from buyers. Person to person communications and co-operation
between designers and individual buyers is encouraged.
 The purchasing co-ordinate approach– one or more positions are created
in the purchasing department usually called materials engineers to serve in
a liaison capacity with the designer department. The approach is highly
structured, expensive but effective.

Specification Requirements.
The specifications are made in a way that would ensure needs of all departments
are satisfied in the following ways. These specifications are therefore developed
to satisfy the following functionalities within different functions and departments.
The different needs to be met and satisfied by the specifications.

1. Manufacturing requirement for workability, and produce-ability with the

specifications.
2. Stores requirements to use, store and receive the materials economically.
3. Inspections requirements to test materials with compliance with the
specifications
4. Purchasing and supply management requirement to procure materials
without difficulty and with adequate competition from reliable sources of
supply.
5. Productions control-purchasing requirements to substitute materials when
necessary.
6. The firm’s requirements for suitable quality at lowest overall cost.
7. The firm’s requirements to use commercial and industrial standard
materials whenever possible and to establish company standard in all other
cases.

STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPING SPECIFICATIONS.

Stakeholder. This refers to the persons who can be affected by organizations
actions or policies. Eg, customers, employees, suppliers and directors.
 1. Users of a product.
2. Procurement unit.
3. Management.
4. Research and development.
5. Finance.

Users of the product – It is important to involve the user of the product

being purchased as they better understand their needs. They will be
able to outline what need the product should satisfy. Technical experts
can assist the users in developing specifications.
Procurement Unit - Supports developing of the specifications by
providing advice on the structure, style and content of the
specifications. The Procurement Unit is also involved in the evaluation
of bids/specifications as part of the acquisition.

Management - The management ensures staff undertaking

specification development are well informed of their role and that they
understand relevant procurement procedures and guidelines involved.
They include: Directors, Assistant Director, Principals, Supervisors, etc.

Research and Development - They ensure the specifications meet

regulatory requirements. They may even suggest the latest trends the
specifications can adopt since they widely research and are better
informed.
Finance - The finance team can advise on the budget available for the
team to work with and also facilitates any payments in the process.

THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING SPECIFICATIONS

1. Planning and Analysis.
2. Consultations and information gathering.
 3. Writing the specifications.
4. Vetting and approval of specifications.
5. Issuing the specifications.
6. Managing amendments to the specifications.
7. Revising and storing the specifications.
8. Evaluation Criteria.

Planning and analysis: The foundation of a good specification is in the planning

and analysis which are undertaken before writing begins. Key people who can
help, such as procurement staff, technical officers, project officers and managers,
disability representatives and end users need to be involved. Planning and
analysis will providea better understanding of the requirement(s) and may reveal
alternative solutions.
Consultation and information gathering: Developing specifications requires
consultation, close and continuous liaison between the end-user, technical
officers, project officers/managers, procurement officers and the specification
writer. Valuable information and advice relating to the requirement can be
obtained by discussing it with all that are involved.
Writing the specification: in writing specification one should: use simple, clear
language without jargon (to minimize misinterpretation); define terms, symbols
and acronyms (include a “Glossary of Terms”); be concise, not explain the same
requirement in more than one section; define each aspect of the requirement in
one or two paragraphs where possible; adopt a user-friendly format; number the
sections and paragraphs; seek feedback from someone unfamiliar with the
requirement and discuss the draft and refine it.

Vetting the specification and obtaining approvals: After writing the specification,
one should ask a colleague familiar with the requirement to critique it from a
potential supplier’s view. Try to identify improvements by considering:
readability, simplicity of meaning, clarity and logic. Then seek approval from the
appropriate authority aftervetting the specification but before issuing it.
Issuing the specification: The specification should be included as part of the
“invitation to tender” document.Managing amendments to the specification:
Should a need arise to amend the specification during the “Invitation to tender”
process, the amendment should be authorized by the approving authority. The
amended specification should be noted in
the project files and all tenderers or potential tenderers must be given a
reasonable opportunity to offer to the new solution.

Revising and storing the specification: The specification should be reviewed at

the end of the procurement activity to ensure that it effectively defined the goods
or services that were actually bought. If areas for improvement are identified,
thespecification revised and stored for future use.

Evaluation Criteria- The contents of the evaluation criteria for the particular item
should mirror all aspects of the developed specification.

TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS.
Specifications are always decided into the following types;

1. Commercial standards.
2. Design and drawing specifications.
3. Materials and methods of manufacture.

Commercial Standards. This refers to predetermined specifications that

ensure materials meet industry based benchmarks for quality, performance and
compartibilty. These standards are developed by the recognized organizations
such as International Standards Organization (ISO).

For example;

ISO 22000:2018 on food safety management tends to ensure safe food

production.

ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems, guiding organizations in

sustainable practice.
Advantages of Commercial Standards
Description can be set forth accurately and easily.

1. Highly competitive and readily available at reasonable prices.

No need for specific sale commitments before productions.
Contribute to simplification of design, purchasing procedure, inventory
management and cost reduction.

Designs and Drawings Specifications. Firms do prepare their own

specifications for the items not covered by the commercial standards.
Maybe accompanied by engineering drawings to avoid ambiguity and
be precise. The following are the various forms of Drawings and Design
Specifications

 Architectural Drawings and Designs. These are for construction

projects where by the architecture comes up with drawings, then
the QS developers bills of quantity against which bidders will
quote their bids.
 Specific purpose or Memorial designs - There are quite a number of
designs for either specific purposes or memorial ones. These normally are
statues.
 Landscaping designs - Used for purposes of designing a desirable
landscape of a given area and/or compound.
 Other designs - These are other types of designs like those of logos for
organizations,designs for various products such as clothing.

Materials and Methods Specifications. This describes the specific

materials to be used and the process to be employed therefore
determining the entire inputs. The inputs can either be

 Tensile Strength. – This measures how much stress a material can

withstand before breaking when stretched or pulled. It is critical in
 applications where materials face mechanical loads, such as construction,
automotive, and aerospace industries. Specifications related to tensile
strength ensure that the material can endure expected forces without
failing.
 Composition– This refers to the chemical makeup of a material, including
the types and proportions of elements or compounds it contains.
Composition determines properties such as corrosion resistance, thermal
stability, electrical conductivity, and hardness. For example, an alloy’s
composition affects its strength, durability, and resistance to environmental
factors.

CATEGORIES OF SPECIFICATIONS
Standard specifications: These are specifications to be used for recurrent times.
They are hence filed for future purchases. They are mostly used for purchasing
items that are used frequently like stationery and computer consumables. These
vary from International Standards currently referred to as ISO Series of Standards.
There are also national ones such Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Performance specifications: The user states what he expects a part or material to
be able to do or achieve. It states the level of performance it should achieve and
what outcome is expected after offering a service. It is the suppliers’ role to make
a product or deliver a service that will satisfy the buyer’s requirement.
Performance specificationsinclude: specific outcomes expected, key process
inputs that will contribute to performance, required levels of quality, capabilities
of the products, required health safety levels, etc. For example, there could be
ones for submersible water pumps capable of say pumping 5000m3 of water in
say one hour, or a water tank capable of holding 10000 litresor Vehicle engine
capacity of say 2000CC.In this case, the category and type of specifications is the
same.

Material/Content/ Texture specifications: This is a detailed write up that

contains a list of materials to be used in making a product, service or works,
e.g., for building a bridge, it may include, sand, cement, water, sand, etc.
 These describe the end product required but with specific input materials.
It is the inputs that actually define the quality of such products. Apart from
the inputs, the proportions of mixing such inputs may also be provided.
Technical/Design and Measurement specifications: This is a detailed
document that gives information on qualitative and quantitative
characteristics that have to be satisfied in designing a process, service or a
product. E.g., product dimensions, drawings, any maintenance needed,
usage instructions, reliability, weight, etc. These include such designs like
architectural drawings, bills of quantities for construction projects. Other
types also include statue designs, logo designs, clothing designs etc.
5. Results-oriented specifications: This involves informing potential
suppliers of the intended objectives to be obtained. Mostly used in the
procurement of services, in particular consultancy services. Having
developed what is to be achieved by the specifications, the same can then
be made. The user will consider the most appropriate type of specification
that would best fit the purpose. More often than not, there is a mixture of
various types of Specifications.
Conformance specifications: The user of the product details exactly what
the required product, part or material must consist of. They may include:
specifications by engineering drawing, specifications by recipe, chemical
formula, specifications by standards, or even a sample. The supplier’s role is
to duplicate the description provided by the user.
Interface specifications: This is a detailed document that contains
information on the user software interface. It contains details on all actions,
visuals, and all interaction elements an end-user may perform on an
interface.

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFICATIONS AND THEIR

MITIGATION.
1. Narrow definition of specifications. This refers to the use of limited criteria
to develope specifications. This may lead to failure to accommodate wider
 needs which results into inefficiency, limited supplier options, higher costs
and non compliance to occupational standards. Involvement of stake
holders would mitigate the risk
2. Inappropriate product or services definition . This leads to purchasing of
inappropriate product, therefore resulting to need not being satisfied. This
leads to lost time and higher expenses. To mitigate this, improve
consultations with the users and obtain clear statement of work and
definition of needs.
3. Over specifications .Over-specifying is an expensive and time-consuming
process which is uneconomic for small value procurements. To avoid this,
requirements should be analysed accurately, performance requirements
can be used to mitigate this risk.
4. Unethical Conduct. This will lead toincreased procurement costs, misuse of
resources, and result in procurement of unsuitable product. Organisations
should implement best practice policies, guidelines and practices to
maintain an ethical environment and improve communication with
potential tenderers.

Features of Effective Specifications.

• Clear and unambiguous as to what is required

 Concise-giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words

 Comprehensive-covering all points of requirements
 Complaint with all relevant safety, heath, environmental, national and
international standards.
 Current-in line with the supply market developments
 Expressed in terms that can be understood by all stakeholdersValue-
analysed-specify requirements that positively add value
2.5. Impact of Specifications on Procurement Performance

The procurement function typically acts as the interface between the

customer-internal or
external-and suppliers. The procurement’s primary role of finding a
supplier, negotiating a

deal and then ordering the item is based on specification. The following
are the purposes of

specification:

i.

The specification provides clear instructions on project intent and

performance.

ii.

It can reference the quality and standards, which should be applied.

iii.

Materials and manufacturers’ products can clearly be defined.

iv.

Installation, testing and handover requirements can be identified.

v.

Classification within the specification can be used to support handover

and asset

management.

vi.
It eliminates the need for information overload on the drawing or model,
making

identifying information easier.

vii.

A specification can support project costing, not only the materials and
products but the

performance and workmanship.

viii.

Along with the drawings, the specification forms part of the contractual
documents,

helping minimize project risk and providing support should there be any
legal disputes.

ix.

It supports client brief interpretation and gives the client assurance that
their

commissioned asset is the one being delivered.

x.

It is essential for the construction phase and an important part of the soft-
landing

process, subsequent asset management and the lifecycle plan.

xi.
By being clear, concise and information-rich, a specification provides
answers to many

questions on project delivery, saving the project team, client and

contractor time and

money.

xii.

After performance, implementers can incorporate best practices and

lessons learnt,

improving efficiency, providing quality assurance and ensuring project

consistency.

xiii.

Clear and successfully implemented specifications can be improved over

time and

adapted to suit a project's specifics, drawing on specialist knowledge

when needed in

future.

xiv.

The specification is a living document to be used by the complete project

team

throughout the construction phase; its value does not end at the design
phase.

xv.
Along with any variations or value engineering, it becomes a part of the
project audit

trail and a crucial part of the handover documents, forming the basis for
asset

management, asset maintenance, and even feeding into s