Why some sets have no spec
Small private jobs, tenant improvements and early design-build sets often come without a Project Manual. Sometimes the spec exists and the GC did not send it. Ask first. Request the full manual or your section before you assume there is none.
Where the spec hides on the drawings
- General notes on the first sheets of each discipline.
- Sheet specifications. Some sets print short specs on a drawing sheet.
- Schedules that name a manufacturer and a model.
- Keynotes and legends.
- Details that show the mounting, the anchors and the accessories.
- A basis-of-design note next to an item.
What you lose without a spec
The drawings show where an item goes and how many. The spec says what quality, which accessories, what warranty and who installs it. Without it, those answers are yours to assume. Two bidders will assume different things, and the prices will not match.
How to bid it
- Take off everything the drawings show for your trade.
- Write down each decision the drawings do not make.
- Send those decisions to the GC as questions.
- For each one left open, pick a product and a quality level.
- Write a basis of bid that names what you picked.
- List exclusions more fully than you would on a specified job.
- State the drawing date and the sheets you used.
Do not price the cheapest product that could fit the drawing. Price what this owner and this building type normally get. Name the manufacturer and the model in your proposal. If the owner wants better, the difference is then a clear change.
Watch for the spec that shows up later
A spec sometimes appears after the bid, attached to the subcontract. Read the contract's list of documents before you sign. If it lists a spec you did not price, raise it then.
Some packets have no spec for your section. Takeoff Tool then reads scope from the drawings and marks every line for you to verify.
Bidding and estimating · Updated 11 Nov 2026