1. The designer of a specification should always be aware of, as well as understand the potential implications of, relevant research which may impact on the technical details of the specification.
Aim
2. The purpose of the construction work should be summarised at the beginning of the specification.
- A brief statement should be given to say what standard of play the pitch is to be mainly used for, e.g. school, casual, club and type of league, amateur or professional.
- It will also be important to state the planned carrying capacity (i.e. realistic usage hours per week) for the designed pitch.
- A general outline of the construction method should be given: Briefly outline the spacing of laterals, size and spacing of slits and if a sand top / carpet is to be applied.
- State the size of the area being constructed.
- State the sort of post-construction maintenance that is to be carried out.
- To provide a high level of confidence in the required outcomes, state that Performance Quality Standards will be achieved.
- Other general statements may also include what is to be done with excavated material.
Introductory Items
3. The outfall for any drainage will need to be identified beforehand as this is where the drainage water is to be removed to. It is important to get this right at the start of the project.
4. A detailed specification should be drawn up for the prevailing situation: This may, for example, be an upgrade of an existing pitch or improvement to an amenity area.
5. This construction specification is a general one that could be readily amended to suit individual circumstances. It should not, however, be seen as an "off the shelf" specification, as this will lead to failed expectations.
6. The actual construction can vary quite a bit to suit requirements. Spacing of the laterals and sand-gravel slits, width of the sand-gravel slits, depth of sand and gravel, the hydraulic conductivity of the sand and gravel used, if a sand-top / carpet is to be applied and the depth of it. Also, whether sand banding is to be installed to cross over the sand-gravel slits.
7. The required standards have been included within the main specification and not as a separate heading.
8. If a specification is to be offered for tender then conditions of contract would need to be included as part of the overall documentation. More legalistic terminology would also need to be used within the specification to ensure no ambiguity arises from its interpretation. A common occurrence is the word 'should' being replaced by 'shall', 'Customer' with 'Client' and so forth, although such areas can be readily identified by qualified turf professionals involved in such work.
9. A specification might be a performance based one which essentially defines the end product, i.e. the standards of the pitch, and leaves the method of achieving the objective up to those undertaking the work. An instructed specification will clearly state what is to be undertaken, as well as when and how it is to be done and the onus of supervision and control will be with the customer or their representative.
10. A hybrid specification may also be considered as appropriate and this might be able to utilise the benefits of performance and instructed specifications.
11. Indicate how the specification is to be priced. Ideally a reasonable breakdown should be given to allow for price comparison between Contractors or material and machinery suppliers.
12. The specification may also be divided into a construction and an initial aftercare maintenance period. This latter aspect is usually advisable to nurse the facility up to a playable (or at least near to a playable) condition. In addition the maintenance period will ensure the contractor has responsibility for their work in the short term when phased payments can be used as an incentive to ensure good quality workmanship is carried out. Ideally, therefore, state the following:
- The construction phase, with all works being completed by {state date}.
- The maintenance phase to commence on {state date}. The results of this work will produce a suitable playing surface in accordance with the standards, by no later than the {state date}, i.e. the completion date. This period of time should be suitable for qualified groundsmen to be able to produce the desired standard using appropriate techniques.
- The date of handover should also be given. This will be once the maintenance standards have been achieved, but this should not be later than a reasonable period of time after the anticipated maintenance completion date.
13. Some degree of flexibility may be needed within the specification as weather and other factors can be notoriously difficult to judge. This will be beneficial to both the Customer and the Contractor. At the end of the day both parties have an interest in producing a reasonable facility at a reasonable price. So try not to be too prescriptive or rigid in the interpretation of a specification.
14. Compliance with relevant Health and Safety legislation must be maintained throughout the whole period of the contract.
The Contractor should provide their health and safety policy and a specific health and safety statement for this contract. Such a statement will identify how they will undertake the various works from a health and safety perspective. This might be linked or integrated with their 'Method Statement' (see point 3 of General Items).