Need for Effective Written Specifications

Writing effective specifications ensures the county will receive the correct product. Writing effective instructions for vendors helps the vendor to know the correct procedures and ensure fair and equitable treatment.

Requisitioning Officers

Requisitioning officers are responsible for writing specifications of the item needed. The specifications will be forwarded to the purchasing agent on the requisition section of the Requisition - Purchase Order -Claim form that will reflect the following information:

• Quantity
• The maximum amount willing to be expended
• What date the product is needed
• How long the bid pricing is to be effective

Writing Specifications

Writing specifications is a way of describing to a supplier the item(s) being requested. The supplier reading the description is trying to understand the desired item(s) from written words only. Therefore, accurate and complete specifications for the item(s) are imperative.

For example, an officer needs a new No. 2 wooden graphite pencil. The officer tells the purchasing agent, "I need a new pencil." Without additional information, the purchasing agent may not order the pencil the officer needs.

If the officer tells the purchasing agent, "I need a new No. 2 wooden graphite pencil," the chances of receiving that specific item are much greater.

The more complex the item(s) for which specifications are being written, the more accurate and complete the description should be to ensure the supplier can fully understand the intended meaning. Otherwise, the item(s) received may not be what is expected.

Types of Written Specifications

Specifications can normally be divided into three types:

• Performance specifications
• Dimension specifications
• A combination of performance and dimension specifications
   

Performance Specifications

Performance specifications describe work that needs to be accomplished versus providing specific product dimensions or information. The order specifies the exact work that the product being purchased needs to do. The supplier then recommends which product would best meet the performance specifications. The supplier provides the dimension specifications.

Note: Performance specifications must be written in great detail with exact descriptions of each element of the task to prevent misunderstandings and to prevent problems for those evaluating the responses.

Performance specifications should always state requirements for the following details that need to be met before final payment is made, and they should include any penalties to be imposed for failing to meet those specifications.

• Warranty
• Maintainability
• Support
• Performance periods

The following examples show where performance specifications might be used:

• Simple road construction projects
• Courthouse janitorial services
• Fence construction
• Tree removal
• Grounds upkeep
• Simple repair projects

Dimension Specifications

Dimension specifications are used to describe the specific characteristics of a product. For example, dimension specifications could be used to describe a pickup truck (for items such as engine size, wheelbase, transmission, wheel drive size, and bed size).

Dimension specifications should include a thorough and complete detailed listing of dimensions, the more complex the item, the greater the need for detailed dimensions.

Another example is the pencil mentioned earlier. Many different types of No. 2 wooden graphite pencils are available. One pencil may have graphite that is 1/4 inch in diameter, wood that is 3/4 inch in diameter, an overall length of 6 inches, and a large eraser on one end. Another pencil may have different specifications.

Dimension specifications could also be used for purchasing a welding machine. The specifications should include such items as size, category type, range of brands, and portability.

An order for a computer might specify a range of brands, keyboard size, memory, and function capability.

Combination of Performance and Dimension Specifications

The majority of specification sheets are a combination of performance and dimension specifications. Most of the time, the items to be purchased must meet certain performance standards as well as dimension requirements.

A good example of a combination specification is one written for a computer system. If the application programs must accomplish a specific task in a specific way, that information might be written as a performance specification. If specific hardware is desired, such as memory and disk storage, that information might be written as a dimension specification.

Another example is a telephone system where performance specifications would be used to describe the required functions, and dimension specifications would be used to define the hardware equipment.

In these cases, the specifications writer would describe the entire system, using both performance and dimension specifications, and then use the specifications to analyze the vendor's response.