the newsletter of tbd consultants - edition 3, 3rd qtr 2006

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In this Edition

The TBD Bid Index
Value Engineering
Museums
MasterFormat 2004

Construction Management Specialists
111 Pine Street, Suite 1315
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 981-9430

www.TBDconsultants.com

 

The TBD Bid Index

How are bid prices changing in relation to the changes in labor and material prices? There are plenty of cost indexes that show how labor and material costs change over time, and we are starting an index to show how changes in bid prices. Click the link below to find out more about the TDB Bid Index.

 

   

Value Engineering

Value engineering was devised during World War II, and has continued to prove its worth since that time. We discuss the history and practice of Value Engineering in this article.

 

Museums

Museums come in a dewildering selection of types, so what are the issues affecting the design of them? We address these issues in this article.

 

CSI's MasterFormat 2004

MasterFormat has been a system for organizing specifications, bids, estimates, etc., for forty years, and the 16 Division version that we are all use to has been around since 1995. However, since 1995 technology has developed substantially, and building services have become a much more involved portion of construction, and just having one section for all mechanical systems and one for electrical has become rather confining. To correct this situation, the CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) has issued MasterFormat 2004 which eliminates Division 15 as the mechanical division and allocates that work to Divisions 22 and 23, and Division 16 is also gone, and the electrical work is now spread over Divisions 26 and 27. Some other sections have also been broken out of the previous divisions and been given their other divisions.

The other main difference between MasterFormat 2004 and its predecessor is in the numbering system. While the main division numbering (Level One) still uses two digits as previously, levels 2 and 3 now also use two digits (instead of the previous one) and if level 4 is used, it too is two digits, but preceded by a decimal point or 'dot'.

While the new format is referred to as having 50 divisions, not all fifty are currently used. The current MasterFormat 2004 Level One division list is as follows:

Division 00 - Procurement and Contracting Requirements
Division 01 - General Requirements
Division 02 - Existing Conditions
Division 03 - Concrete
Division 04 - Masonry
Division 05 - Metals
Division 06 - Wood, Plastics, and Composites
Division 07 - Thermal and Moisture Protection
Division 08 - Openings
Division 09 - Finishes
Division 10 - Specialties
Division 11 - Equipment
Division 12 - Furnishings
Division 13 - Special Construction
Division 14 - Conveying Equipment
Division 21 - Fire Suppression
Division 22 - Plumbing
Division 23 - Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning
Division 25 - Integrated Automation
Division 26 - Electrical
Division 27 - Communications
Division 28 - Electronic Safety and Security
Division 31 - Earthwork
Division 32 - Exterior Improvements
Division 33 - Utilities
Division 34 - Transportation
Division 35 - Waterway and Marine Construction
Division 40 - Process Integration
Division 41 - Material Processing and Handling Equipment
Division 42 - Process Heating, Cooling, and Drying Equipment
Division 43 - Process Gas and Liquid Handling, Purification and Storage Equipment
Division 44 - Pollution Control Equipment
Division 45 - Industry-Specific Manufacturing Equipment
Division 48 - Electrical Power Generation

Design consultant: Katie Levine of Vallance, Inc.