For anyone that works in construction or MEP engineering, the term “Plan and Spec” will be very familiar. Certain jobs are advertised as plan and spec, or if a potential project comes up, it might ask companies to provide plan and spec bids. This phrase is ubiquitous in these industries, but if you do not work in the industry, or are just starting out, you might not know exactly what it means. Read on to find out!

Plan and Spec

Plan and spec is way of categorizing commercial construction projects and how the design drawings (plans) are made along with the specific specifications to thoroughly describe the parts and equipment needed to create the design. It can be referred to in many different ways, like plan and specifications, planning and specifications, P & S, and plan-spec. It can also be called design-bid-build or design-bid builds, but all of these phrases refer to the same type of project where the plans and equipment are specified together. It is important to be aware of all of these terms, as they can all be interchanged with one another, and you might see the different versions later in this article!

Prior to a construction project starting, the owner must make the decision on how the project will be delivered. Plan and spec is usually the typical approach, but more modern methods like design-build have also become more popular. Each way of delivering a project has its own pros and cons, and it is again up to the owner which one they would like to proceed with. The main difference between any of the delivery methods is the assignment of roles within the project and the timeline of the construction

Example Plan and Spec Project

While no plan and spec job is the same as the next, they all do follow a similar path with regards to project phases and team organization. In a plan and spec project, the owner will look for two teams:

Construction team - This is made up of a main general contractor (GC), a few subcontractors, for example a mechanical and a plumbing contractor.
Design team - This team will typically include structural and civil engineers, MEP engineers, consultants, and architects.

Independent consultants that are outside of these teams may also be desired. These are beneficial as they can give an objective view on the project and an unbiased evaluation of the work being conducted. Consultants to review the construction work, or review the design work before signing off is what it typically commissioned.

Pros and Cons of Plan and Spec

As stated previously, there are many benefits and disadvantages to going with plan and spec as the delivery method. Let’s explore the pros and cons of plan and spec:

Advantages of P & S

One of the main reasons that an owner will go with plan and spec is there is more structure to the construction costs. Once the design stage is finished, the construction documents can then be sent out to the relevant contractors for bidding. This involves each contractor receiving the design drawings, and putting together their price for their part of the job, and sending this back to the owner. Once all bids are received, the owner can evaluate how much the overall job will cost, and if any reductions need to be made in any areas, or if it is coming in under budget (which it never does). At least, they will get a rough idea of what the price will be to create the building, and decisions can then be made on how to proceed.

There are some other advantages to plan and spec:

Design collaboration - P & S allows for improved communication and collaboration between the various teams involved in any given project. No matter what the design discipline, every designer can reach out to one another and work toward the optimal design.

Problem solving - As the construction teams are not waiting on the designs, the team of designers are not limited in the amount of solutions they can come up with for design issues. The whole design can be changed if needed and construction is not affected in the slightest as the construction teams haven’t even seen the drawings yet.

Specialty projects - If the project is atypical and there will be a lot of things done for the first time, then plan and spec is perfect for a specialty project like that. The challenging designs can be tackled head-on without any pressure from contractors. These specialty projects can include intricate architectural designs or a net-zero building.

Disadvantages of P & S

Similar to the fact that every delivery method has its benefits, they also all have their downfalls.

To be clear, it is usually the contractors and construction teams that are not a fan of plan and spec. This is because they have to give a price before any work begins, and will be under pressure for the whole project to make sure that that price is still profitable when everything is completed. For every issue, every delay, the profit margin is shrinking for the contractors. Along with this, there are some other disadvantages to plan and spec:

Construction length - Plan and spec jobs can take years to build, that’s right. Years. Short plan and spec jobs can take about one and a half years, while longer jobs can take all the way up to five years or more! For a fast build, plan and spec might not be the best option.

Best quality for lowest bid? - Owners will usually go for the contractor that has the lowest bid when evaluating the cost of the job. This brings into question the quality of work that the owner will receive from the contractor doing the job for the least amount of money. This can cause huge problems if the work is not up to scratch.

Construction problems - No matter how good the design team is, there will always be questions from the contractors. This leads to changes, problems, and even more questions. As a result of this, there can be disputes between the various teams that are working on the project, which helps no-one.

Interested in going plan and spec for your next project? Engineering solutions would be happy to help you out with the design phase to give you the best results possible. We’re just a call away!