General SPecifications

Duration: 1 day

Start Time: Registration from 8:15am, Commence 8:30am – Finish 4:30pm

This one day course applies to all persons (particularly contract management personnel) involved with preparing and writing specifications. The course is useful in introducing, reinforcing or refreshing the necessary skills to properly prepare these documents in accordance with current practice.

Introduction

• The course
• Course assessment

Introduction to Specifications

• Definitions
• The need for effective specifications
• Specification types
  • Types
  • Performance specifications
  • Process specifications
  • Proprietary specifications
  • Company master specifications
  • National master specifications
  • Reference specifications
• Specification sources
  • Sources
  • Benefits and disadvantages

Contract Basics

• Basic contract law
  • Background
  • Types of legal contracts
  • Elements of a simple contract
• Certainty in contract documentation
• Document interpretation
• Document discrepancies
• Contract documents
  • Background
  • Form of tender
  • Conditions of contract
  • Scope of work
  • Specifications and drawings
  • Pricing schedule
  • Formal instrument of agreement

Specification Preparation

• Planning considerations
  • Documentation
  • Cost issues
  • Specification versus drawings
• Specification writer
  • Competencies
  • Time
  • Resources
• Specification reader
  • Understanding the audience
  • Audience categories
• Structuring the specification
  • Format
  • Content
  • Structure
  • Layout
  • Style

Specification Writing

• Organising
  • General requirements
  • Using standardised documents
• Drafting principles
  • What is drafting?
  • Key drafting principles
  • Plain English
  • Other drafting essentials
• Challenges in writing specifications
• Specification writing techniques
• Reviewing and editing specifications
• Issuing and controlling specifications

Duration: 2 day

Start Time: Registration from 8:15am, Commence 8:30am – Finish 4:30pm

This course is applicable to both Principal personnel (who develop and assess tender documentation and negotiate with contractors) and Contractor personnel (who prepare and submit tenders and negotiate their terms). It has been developed to assist these persons to better understand the tendering process and develop the skills necessary to evaluate, process and negotiate tenders more effectively.

 Introduction to Tendering

• Strategic procurement
• Outsourcing
• What is tendering?
• Tender process
• Terminology
• Code of tendering
• Probity

 Basic Legal Issues

• Overview of the law
• Legal effect of a tender
• Interpretation of documents
• Conflicts between documents

 Tendering Options

• Procurement
• Tendering methods

 Tender Documents

• Tender documentation

 Tender Preparation

• Principal’s obligations
• Project definition
• Tender document preparation
• Principal’s liabilities
• Tender preparation checklist

 Tender Issue and Response

• Preparing the ground rules
• Time considerations
• Calling tenders
• Tender enquiries
• Pre-tender briefings
• Site inspections
• Amendments to tenders
• Responding to a tender

 Evaluating Offers

• Receiving offers
• Tender opening
• Tender evaluation
• Tender recommendations

 Contract Award

• Pre-contract negotiations
• Contract award
• Unsuccessful tenderers
• Re-tendering
• Probity
• Post contract review

 Tips and Traps

 Summary