Revised Code May Force Construction Teams To Change Project Manuals
After four years of deliberation, the Construction Specifications Institute has retooled its numbering system for classifying work results in contract documents. But it may take several more years and millions of dollars for commercial and institutional construction professionals to adopt it, according to CSI members.
The new system, called MasterFormat 2004, represents a major shift in the way project manuals detail work. "This is a real sea change," says Mark Kalin, a specifications consultant in Newton, Mass. Firms will need to retool their in-house libraries to adapt, which could take years and "will only cost money," Kalin adds. Industry-wide repercussions could be several million dollars, other members speculate.