CSI sets standard for organization, communication

Today's construction industry is swamped with work! The demand on the industry is to deliver plans and specifications faster and faster with an emphasis on buildings being delivered at rapid rates.

Members of the construction team continually rely on standardized construction documents and on well-trained professionals who expertly produce them.

Since 1948, the Construction Specification Institute has been working to meet the industry's need for a common system and language to organize, standardize and communicate construction information. Everyone in construction knows about the 16 divisions of a specification document, but many do not know about the organization that created them.

CSI has been the industry leader in education and development of technical support products for design professionals and the construction industry to aid in writing specifications such documents include MasterFormat, UniFormat, and SectionFormat. CSI's format documents provide guidance for organizing construction information logically, uniformly and consistently.

If you are a designer who wants to prepare clear project specifications to ensure that you give your clients exactly what they want; if you are a contractor who wants to submit the bids that win jobs; if you are a building product manufacturer or representative who wants to have your product successfully and correctly installed in a building; or if you are an owner who wants to limit your liability by getting all members of the team on the same page then the Construction Specifications Institute is for you.

CSI is an organization that represents the interests of individuals from every discipline in the construction industry. Nationally, more than 19,000 architects, engineers, specifiers, contractors, product representatives, contract administrators and educators come together for one common goal to provide technical information and products, continuing education, professional programs and product shows to enhance communication among all disciplines of the construction industry.

CSI offers continued education of the construction industry through local chapter meeting programs, organized tours, product shows and the enhancement of communication among construction industry.

In addition, CSI offers one certificate program and three certification programs which are an opportunity for practitioners to increase their knowledge of construction documents and be recognized by peers and employers as having demonstrated, via rigorous examination, their mastery in preparing and using such documents. The programs are:

Construction documents technology program: The CDT program acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated their knowledge of the fundamentals and formats of construction documents. Passing the CDT certificate exam is a prerequisite for the following three certification programs.

Certified construction specifier program: The CCS program recognizes people who have the experience and demonstrated knowledge and skill in preparing written construction documents.

Certified construction product representative program: The CCPR program affirms a product representative's demonstrated knowledge and ability to use construction documents and advise design professionals in preparing such documents.

Certified construction contract administrator program: The CCCA program recognizes practitioners for their demonstrated excellence in administering all phases of construction contracts.

Certification is one of many ways CSI offers opportunities in training and education. With the continuing construction boom, never before has it been so critical or vital for the construction industry to stay on the cutting edge of accurate and concise specification writing.

The Southwest Missouri Chapter CSI was chartered in Springfield in March 1995 by a group of local design professionals, contractors and product representatives who saw a need for educating themselves and their industry on specification writing. Today the organization has more than 70 members.

The southwest Missouri chapter meets the third Thursday of each month for informative and educational programs as well as for communication among the construction industry. Each month the organization focuses on improvements to specification writing and providing tours of local construction products.

The southwest Missouri chapter also sponsors an annual product trade show for the benefit of product representatives to bring the latest information on construction products to professionals and the construction industry.

Next time you happen to see the letters CSI following a person's name on a business card or letter, just remember that they belong to an organization that believes in the need for improving and sustaining quality specification writing for the benefit of the construction community.

(Melissa Higbie, CSI, is president of the Southwest Missouri CSI Chapter and an associate with Esterly, Schneider Architects.)