When interpreting contract documents, Architect/Engineer should:

1. Show no partiality to Owner or Contractor
2. Provide the Client's best interests
3. Protect Architect/Engineer from possible liabilities
4. Achieve the original design intent of Architect/Engineer

Product equivalency, effect on the other aspects of the project, and warranty ar the major factors to be considered for:

1. Alternates
2. Shop drawing submittals
3. Substitution requests
4. Change order request

A requirement set by authority, custom, or general consensus which is established as an accepted criterion is called a:

1. Building Code
2. Industry Standard
3. Quality Control Requirements
4. Specification Master

Lump Sum, Unit Price, or Cost-Plus-Fee constitute the basis of:

1. Selection
2. Payment
3. Award
4. Contract

All of the following are Articles in Part 3 Execution EXCEPT:

1. Examination
2. Application
3. Fabrication
4. System Startup

Drawings prepared by the contractor, subcontractor, or material/equipment supplier that show how a particular aspect of the work is to be fabricated and installed, are called:

1. Record drawings
2. Construction Documents
3. Shop Drawings
4. Details

The correct title for Division 10 is:

1. Accessories
2. Specialties
3. Equipment
4. Special Construction

The following are the types of clauses that might be included in Supplementary Conditions EXCEPT:

1. Project insurance requirements
2. Liquidated damage amounts
3. Tax exempt status of owner
4. Submittal requirements

Under the AIA A201 and EJCDC C-700, who provides property insurance covering the Work?

1. Contractor's Surety
2. Owner
3. Contractor
4. Financing Agency
5. None of the Above

Under the AIA A201, who has the responsibility to inspect the Work to determine if it is in proper condition to receive subsequent work?

1. A/E
2. Owner
3. Contractor
4. Installing subcontractor
5. None of the Above

The document named "Available Information" is part of the:

1. Instructions to Bidders
2. Contract Documents
3. Specifications
4. Procurement Requirements
5. All of the above

4.  Procurement Requirements

(The "Available Information" document is a convenient location for data that is not part of the contract but may be useful to assist Bidders in understanding the priject.  These documents are not incorporated in the construction contract under the A201; however, some owner general conditions or supplementrary conditions do incorporate bidding requirements in the construction documents, a practice that CSI strongly advises against.)

The following are all advantages gained by using standard agreement forms EXCEPT:

1. Parties' familiarity with the forms
2. Uniformity of terminology
3. Legal precedents interpreting the documents
4. Accommodate choice from a wide variety of standard contract conditions
5. Recognized customs resulting from longtime use

4.  Accommodate choice from a wide variety of standard contract conditions

 (Standardized agreements forms are composed assuming the use of the related conditions of the contract document published by the same source association.  In order to achieve the benefits of using standard contract forms, they must be consistently used across the body of the project's contract forms.)

What information in found within Division 13 in the MasterFormat system?

1. Mechanical Systems
2. Furnishings
3. Equipment
4. Special Constrution

4.  Special Construction

(Ther's a wide range of items inlcudedunder Division 13 Special Construction.  Spend some time reviewing the contents of MasterFormat.  Know the Groups, Subgroups, and Divisions.

The Design Stage inludes all of the following EXCEPT:

1. Review of owner's program, schedule, and budget
2. Design Development
3. Schematic Design
4. Project Conception

4.  Project Conception

(Project Conception activities occur prior to the start of the Design Stage)

Which of the following is the proper sequence for an Addendum as illustrated in the PDPG?

1. Changes to Procurement Reqmts, changes to previous Addenda, changes to Conditions of the Contract, changes to the Agreement.
2. Changes to previous Addenda, changes to Procurement Reqmts, changes to Agreements and other contract forms, changes to specs and drawings
3. Changes to specs,changes to drawings, changes to previous Addenda
4. Contract documents, changes to specs

2.  Changes to previous Addenda, changes to Procurement Reqmts, changes to Agreements and other contract forms, changes to specs and drawings.

(Following changes to previous Addenda, the addendum format following the order of the documents of the Project Manual as spelled out in MasterFormat.)

The following are true of reference standards EXCEPT:

1. May be relied upon by the specifier to describe quality of work
2. Are consensus documents developed by various industry committees
3. Are frequently incorporated in code requirements
4. Are included in specs to avoid having to reproduce lengthy requirements

1. May be relied upon by the specifier to describe quality of work

(As consensus documents, reference standards generally refer to min. standards, while project quality may require higher standards.  The specifier must know the standard content and supplement with additional requirements when appropriate.)

The parties to an owner/design-builder contract are:

1. The Owner, the designer, and thebuilder
2. The Owner, the Architect, and the Contractor
3. The Owner and the Construction Manager
4. The Owner and the design-builder

4.  The Owner and design-builder

(The single entity providing both design and construction services is the identifying characteristic of design-build contracts.)

The mood that is recommended for specifications is:

1. The imperative mood
2. The indicative mood
3. The symbolic mood
4. The conflicting mood

1.  The imperative mood

(It's the most clear, correct, complete, and concise construction for English grammatical sentences.)

All the following are AIA Instructions of Change EXCEPT:

1. Change Order
2. Architect's Supplemental Instructions
3. Field Order
4. Construction Change Directive

3.  Field Order

(The term "Field Order" is not used under AIA contracts, but is used in the EJCDC family of documents as well as in common usage in the industry.)

All the following may be accomplished through issuing of a Change Order EXCEPT:

1. Decrease in Contract Sum
2. Extension of Contract Time
3. Change in Bid Date
4. Reduction in scope of work

3. Change in Bid Date

(Change Orders are modifications to the contract issued after the Agreement is executed.  Addenda rather than Change Orders are used to modify procurement documents. The Bid Date is information included in the procurement documents, as it is informat need for bidding but not for construction.)

Outline Specifications aid in the design process for all of the following EXCEPT:

1. Revising cost estimates , schedules
2. Value engineering studies
3. Checklist for selecting products
4. Serving as the basis for subcontracts in fast track construction.

4.  Serving as the basis for subcontracts in fast track construction.

(Outline specs typically do not contain QA and QC requirements or project administration provisions, therefore are not intended to serve as the basis for contracts or subcontracts.)

As a result of the widely held misconception that a contractor's responsibility for defective work lasts only for the one-year guaranty period:

1. The Supplementary Conditions should state that the period last a specific additional length of time
2. EJCDC and AIA documents state "correction period" instead of guaranty period.
3. The owner accepts any repairs after that date
4. the courts relieve the contractor of his responsibility

2.  EJCDC and AIA documents state "correction period" instead of guaranty period

(When you read the Warranty paragraph in the A201- 3.5.1, you will notice there is no mention of a time period - the obligation is limited only by the state's applicable statute of limitations.  The correction period clause establishes the contractor's general obligation under the Contract for correcting all non-conforming work discovered with a year of Substantial Completion.  Note that many facility owners' custom contracts fail to adequately address this issue.)

An affirmation of fact or promise made by the seller to the buyer that relates to the goods and becomes a part of the basis of the bargain creates...

1. an implied warranty
2. a full warranty
3. an express warranty
4. a guarantee

3.  an express warranty

(An express warranty is one that is stated verbally or in print.  Read the definitions and compare to the definition of an "implied warranty".  The terms in this section are important to specifications practice and are frequently misunderstood.)

To be effective in communicating, specifications should be:

1. Complete, concise, and clear
2. Concise, clear, and correct
3. Clear, concise, correct, and complete
4. Concise, correct, coordinated, and complete

3.  Clear, concise,correct, and complete

(The "Four Cs" of specification writing are one of the CSI foundations.  You can sometimes hear old specifiers reciting them, prayer-like.)

An information organizing framework for the A/E/C industry that assigns built environment data into 15 descrete, coordinated tables to facilitate the organization of project information and databases is known as:

1. Industry foundation classes (IFCs)
2. OmniClass
3. Building Information Model (BIM)
4. Building Information Management (BIM)

2.  OmniClass

(CSI has been responsible for the development of OmniClass, whIch is finding increased application in organizing information with BIM.)

Which of the following should be avoided in a specification?

1. Articles (the, an, a)
2. Symbols (#, $, &,)
3. Abbreviations (conc., ptwd, aess)
4. All of the above

4.  All of the above

(This chapter in the PDPG provides a clear, concise, correct, and complete presentation on good specification writing habits. AEs writing draing notes could learn a thing or two here as well.)

Substitution requirements and procedures during bidding

1. Are not allowed under most public bidding statutes
2. Are modified by the Supplementary Conditions
3. Are stated in the instructions to bidders
4. Provide for requests by telephone

3.  Are stated in the instructions to bidders

(Substitution requests during bidding are governed by the instructions to bidders.  Substitution requests following award, if allowed at all, will change the content of the contract, and may have different procedures and restrictions spelled out in Division. 01)

The dollar amounts of cash allowances are:

1. In the instructions to bidders
2. On the bid form
3. In Division 01
4. In the specification sections of Division 02 through 49 that specify the product installation.

3.  In Div. 01

(To avoid duplication and possible contradictions, the single place the actual dollar amounts are given are in Division 01 Section "Allowances".  All other documents, including the bid form, refer to that location.  Some AEs prefer to have allowance amounts incorporated in the bid form; great care must be taken to ensure that this does not introduce a conflict within the doucments.)

An alternate becomes part of the contract documents:

1. When the bids are opened
2. When owner makes his or her decision to accept
3. On A/E's recommendation
4. When stipulated in the Owner/Contract Agreement.

2.  When owner makes his or her decision to accept

(The Agreement indicates alternate(s) that are accepted.  The contract sum given in the Agreement reflects the base bid plus the selected alternate(s).  On certain occasions, alternates may be accepted after award and the contract sum and possibly contract time modified by change order.)

Which of the following is NOT defined as a contract modification by the PDPG?

1. Change Order
2. Construction Change Directive/Work Change Direct.
3. Addendum
4. ASI / Field Order

3. Addendum

(Addenda modify the procurement documents which consist of both bidding and contracting documents and are issued prior to the existence of the executed construction contract.  Relevant portions of the Addenda are incorporated in the original contract via the Agreeement.  A, B, and D are all documents that serve to modify the construction contract.)

The following  are TRUE about closed proprietary specifications EXCEPT:

1. Manufacturer and product brand names or unique characteristics are used in the specifications
2. Several products may be named as options
3. The A/E must coordinate the named product with other specifications requirements
4. Other products are allowed as substitutions upon approval of owner

4. Other products are allowed as substitutions upon approval of owner

(Closed proprietary specs by definition do not allow substitutions of unnamed manufacturers/products.)

Use of master guide specifications:

1. Relied upon the quality of their update process
2. Requires knowledge of the conditions of the contract for which they were prepared
3. May be based upon a commercially-produced specification library
4. Requires practice knowledge in order to properly create project specifications
5. All of the above

5. All of the above

(In-house A/E firm master specs and commercial master guide specs are the two most common sources for project specifications; in-house masters are frequently built upon commercial master guide specifications such as MasterSpec, BSD SpecLink, or SpecText)

Since he or she is most familiar with a product, the manufacturer's representative should:

1. Write the specification section
2. Review the specification section
3. Supply information to the specification writer
4. Not be consulted in order to avoid a conflict of interest

3. Supply information to the specification writer

(The product rep is a valuable information source.  They can supply info that could take hours to obtain elsewhere.  They can help A/Es avoid errors in bid documents.  However, their job is to sell porducts of their mfr.  The spec writer must prepare a specification section in a way that treats other maufacturers fairly and are properly coordinated with the other bid documents.)

In the specs, the stated requirements address:

1. The owner's responsibilities
2. The contractor's responsibilities
3. The subcontractor's responsibilities
4. The architect's responsibilities
5. All of the above

2.  The contractor's responsibilities

(The owner and the contractor are th sole parties to the contract.  The requirements of the specs address the contractor.  Other statements regarding owner and architect activities serve as information only.)

When outside consultants are responsible for the production of major portions of the project specs:

1. One design team member should be responsible for overall spec coordination
2. Different document formats should be used to identify the work of the separate consultants
3. The lead design professional should avoid the liability inherent in reviewing consultants' work
4. Information should be collected and the project A/E assume responsibility for preparing each section.

1.  One design team member should be responsible for overall spec coordination

(The project manual is the work of an entire team, but is is a unified document and must have one experienced individual reading and coordinating all content.  This means no "consultants will just email their sections directly to the print house.")

Contractual clauses in the Conditions of the Contract:

1. Have priority over Div 01
2. Are superseded by Div 01
3. Are expanded upon by the provisions of Div 01
4. Are independent, and Div 01 provisions have no effect

3.  Are expanded upon by the provisions of Div 01

(The key word is "expanded".  Div01 General Requirements are detailed.  They address administrative adn procedural level issues.  The Conditions of the Contract say: "Do this."  The General Requirements say: "Do it like this".  And don't forget the concept of "complementary documents".  No provisions have priority over, are superseded by, or are independent of, other provisions in the contract documents - they are "complementary".)

Submittal requirements for Facility Services Div 21 thru 28 are specified in:

1. The first section in each respective division
2. Supplementary Conditions
3. Div 01 Section "Submittal Procedures"
4. Section 01 1200 Summary of Multiple Contracts

3. Div 01 Section "Submittal Procedures"

(Div 01 General Requirements apply to spec sections of all disciplines.  Requirements applicable only to individual sections are specified in the applicable section.  All design disciplines must have input into editing key Div 01 sections.)

Integrated projects are distinguished by all of the following characteristic EXCEPT:

1. Trust-based collaboration between project team members
2. Maximized efficiency through design, fabrication, and construction
3. "Just as needed" team involvement to reduce owner's pre-construction expenses
4. Compensation structures supporting early engagement of team members in design and project planning
5. Development of virtual project model thru input from a collaborative team

5.Experienced owners may require project teams to utilize integrated project delivery based upon:

1. Previous negative experienc with adversarial project team relationships
2. Desire for reduction in project claims and disputes
3. Desire to utilize collaboratively-produced BIM as a facilities management asset
4. Expectation of benefit from innovation stemming from collaborative effort
5. All of the above

5.  All of the above

(Collaboration involves a change in project team habits.  More intensive planning requires dedication of owner resources.  Owners willing to work and to contract for services in new ways are finding high payoffs in terms of technology utilization and lower ultimate construction costs.)