Some references in this bibliography are marked with a red star . These are highly recommended to persons engaged in a significant volume of specification work.

This Construction Specifiers' Library is for people who need to prepare written documents for construction projects, primarily as instructions for construction, but also including documents written to document the design and for obtaining bids and proposals.  People unfamiliar with the terminology may benefit by browsing the glossary.

Although the term "specification writer" is commonly used for a person who prepares written project documents, project specifications are seldom written from scratch because most of the text does not need to be invented for the current project.  Rather, they are assembled from many existing source files, with edits and additions to tailor the spec to the current project.  For that reason, and because the person assembling the specification often selects the products to be included, most professionals in this field prefer to be referred to as "specifiers."

Specifiers prepare project specs from as many sources as are appropriate and available.  Any particular specifier's decision as to what sources to use depends principally on what sources are available.

A person or organization that has been practicing for some years probably has an "office master" -- a set of files that represent their preferred specifications. Other sources include commercial subscription services, public domain specifications, and building product manufacturers' specifications. All these sources embody certain assumptions as to comprehensiveness, up-to-dateness, and level of product quality.  The specifier needs to understand the inherent assumptions and limitations of each and how they may affect the current project. In some cases no "model" specification is available -- in that case, the specifier must become a specification "writer."

Standard formats for organization of the content in the final document, within individual sections (equivalent to chapters), and on the printed page have been developed to aid in readability and understanding.  In the U.S., the standard formats with the widest acceptance are those of the Construction Specifications Institute.

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