Unveiling The New MasterFormat 2004 Edition  

Released last November, MasterFormatâ„¢ 2004 Edition is the most significant revision in the 40-year history of the publication. For the first time it addresses all elements in the project life cycle; offers a comprehensive means for operating and managing facilities; provides a powerful tool to reduce the many billions of dollars lost from poor data communication; and, is built to accommodate technologies of the future. Already, leading public and private organizations are committed to making the transition to the new edition, while others are being persuaded-some albeit reluctantly, like the architect who remarked, "I hate MasterFormat, but I'm using it now because my largest financial client requires it." Clearly, MasterFormat 2004 is here to stay.

So, what is MasterFormat? MasterFormatâ„¢ is a master list of numbers and titles classified by work results or construction practices, primarily used to organize project manuals, organize detailed cost information, and relate drawing notations to specifications. It is the most widely used standard for organizing specifications and other written information for commercial and institutional building projects in the U.S. and Canada. Users follow a master list of divisions, and section numbers and titles within each division, to organize information about a facility's construction requirements and associated activities into a standard sequence. The 2004 edition of MasterFormat is produced jointly by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) and replaces the 1995 edition and all previous editions. Over the past forty years, its system of organizing construction information into Procurement and Contracting Requirements, and technical Divisions of activities and work practices has been applied in every information resource used in design and construction in North America.

As the Dewey Decimal system for project information, it organizes information around ‘work results,' rather than products.

A work result is based on traditional construction practices and reflects a component or sub-system of a project that is generally designed, built, and maintained as a segment of the work. For example, there is no heading titled simply ‘sheet metal,' which is a type of product. Instead, sheet metal is found in specifications describing a work result, such as ‘flashing,' which could include fasteners, sealants, and other materials as well as the fabrication or installation of sheet metal. Sheet metal could also be found in another section of the specifications where it might be used to create ducts in a work result called ‘air distribution.' By employing a standard system of numbers and titles with which to order work results, MasterFormat is used for organizing project manuals for bidding and contract requirements, specifications, relating drawing notations to specifications, product information, detailed cost information, and building operations and maintenance functions.

Construction projects use many different kinds of delivery methods, products, and installation methods, but one thing is common to all-the need for effective teamwork by the many parties involved to ensure the correct and timely completion of work. Standardizing the presentation of such information, therefore, improves communication among all parties involved. This helps the project team deliver structures to owners according to their requirements, timelines, and budgets.

While MasterFormat addresses the practices of the many disciplines within the architecture and engineering professions, its divisions are not intended to establish design disciplines, despite the similarity between some MasterFormat division titles and traditional discipline nomenclature. Again, its organization is structured around a work result and is independent of whether a process engineer designs a facility's HVAC, or architect designs site drainage.

Nor do MasterFormat divisions establish trade jurisdictions. Assignment of work into bid and contract packages is defined by the building owner or by the general contractor-not by the divisions and sections of the project manual. For example, all concrete work may be specified in Division 03, but responsibility for it may be assigned to several contractors or subcontractors depending upon whether it is for site work, building foundations, superstructure, or equipment pads.

It is important to reiterate that MasterFormat is not structured around product classifications. As in the sheet metal example above, products are organized by work result. Asphalt, for instance, is a material that can be used in roofing, waterproofing, pavement, to protect against dissimilar metal contact, and other work results. Galvanized pipe, too, is found in many sections because it is a material that can be used in utilities, handrails, plumbing, electrical conduit, and other types of work results.

Why was MasterFormat revised?

MasterFormat has been updated several times since it was first produced in 1963 in response to the constant evolution of construction methods and materials. But the 2004 edition is the most significant because it addresses the remarkable changes in information technology that have occurred in the last decade.

While the 1995 edition served some facets of construction well, it did not fully meet the needs of the industry as products and technologies have proliferated and become more specialized and complicated. One instance of dramatic growth is the scope and complexity of computer and telecommunications networks and the integrated building automation systems used to operate and secure buildings. Reorganizing and expanding MasterFormat provides a powerful tool to harmonize the information from all types of construction projects, and facilitate and efficiently organize construction communication well into the foreseeable future.

Telecommunications is but one example of the need for change. When the original 16 divisions were created there was one telephone company. It maintained connections needing a single telephone closet for the wiring. Phone lines were used mostly for talking. Today, building owners often provide space for much more complicated equipment, and tenants choose from a myriad of providers for the array of services ‘fat pipes' bring into the building. These fast-advancing telecommunications networks, part of nearly every construction project today, carry voice as well as huge amounts of electronic data and video.

While building technologies have grown in number and complexity, new construction priorities also have developed. Security and life safety, especially post-September 11th, impact project design as never before. Green building and sustainability, rarely mentioned 40 years ago, are growing concerns.

The massive amount of information generated for modern building projects has overwhelmed the 16-division format's capacity. For some time, specifiers have made do using logic and creativity to find a place for information not accommodated by the 16 divisions in project manuals. This task may not be difficult for experienced specifiers, but is daunting for the uninformed. Moreover, an arbitrary system of information does not meet the goal for MasterFormat which is to serve the many facets of the construction industry as a multipurpose categorization system. MasterFormat 2004 Edition, therefore, addresses these issues by simplifying the process of determining where specific subject matter is located.

Users also have tacked non-standard divisions, such as Division 17, on to the 1995 edition's 16 divisions. Officially, there is no such thing as Division 17, but many different versions of it have been created in organizations across the country. They cover everything from telecommunications to railway track work to traffic signaling devices. The evolution of Division 17 reflects the inability of some users to properly determine subject matter locations, or to find a location that suited what they were attempting to specify.

Even with a Band-Aid like Division 17, critical project information could be misplaced or left out entirely, resulting in costly and time-consuming change orders, errors, and omissions. The inconsistent use of non-standard MasterFormat numbers for subjects not covered by the 16-division structure diminishes construction coordination, and users of construction documents pay for the inconsistencies in time spent searching for information, or the consequences of overlooking information that is improperly located. The old 16-division format, designed for buildings 40 years ago, also proved to be inadequate for horizontal construction work and the complex process engineering construction of today. Consequently, the 2004 Edition has expanded the existing 16-structure division and provided specification locations for categories not offered before, such as heavy civil engineering projects (roads, bridges, tunnels, utilities, etc.), and industrial construction (factories and power plants).

The new divisions and additional sections make it easier for all involved in the design and construction process to locate information critical to understanding and executing their work.

Unprecedented industry input

The 2004 Edition is remarkable for the extraordinary effort that went into the new revision since the CSI/CSC MasterFormat Expansion Task Team chaired by Dennis Hall, FMCS, CSC, CAA, IAA, Managing Principal of Hall Architects, Charlotte, N.C., started work in 2001. In an unprecedented attempt at obtaining industry wide acceptance and participation in the development process, it drew members from many parts of the construction industry in North America and included architects, engineers, specifiers, contractors, and subcontractors, representing a wide variety of professional, contractor, trade, and manufacturing organizations. Due to the expanded scope of MasterFormat, special emphasis was placed on input for highway, telecommunications, and process engineering work.

The team's initial task was to establish guiding principles. These included:

• Keep changes to a minimum where the current system appears to be adequate
• Make it more acceptable to the mechanical and electrical disciplines
• Expand as required to cover things other than buildings
• Follow recognized classification principles
• Provide room for future expansion
• Maintain organizational consistency
• Expand to cover life-cycle activities

The team solicited input, from over 500 professional and industry organizations to identify what MasterFormat users wanted and needed in a new edition. They used a wide variety of methods: a series of Stakeholders' Symposia, over 120 presentations to construction industry groups, numerous articles in national construction industry magazines, and four Internet discussion forums. In each case, commentary and input was solicited and incorporated into the process, all to help arrive at the highest
quality of content and the most logical organization for the 2004 Edition. As various drafts of the new version were created, the task team sought feedback through direct contact with major organizations and companies, workshops, meetings, and Internet message boards.

MasterFormat 2004 Numbering

In order to address new topics and expand the structure, the number of divisions has been reorganized into Groups, Subgroups and Divisions, and the number of divisions increased from 16 to 50. A new subgroup named Facility Construction (Division 02-19) under the Specifications Group covers general construction subjects that are similar to those in the 1995 edition. Other subgroups under the Specifications Group are General Requirements, Facilities Services, which has new separate divisions for plumbing, fire suppression, electrical, communications, integrated building systems, electronic safety and security systems, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), Site and Infrastructure (transportation, utility and marine construction), and Process Equipment (industrial and process engineering subjects).

To enable MasterFormat users to handle the volume and complexity of today's projects more expeditiously, the numbering scheme has been revised to allow it to more adequately cover the subjects of MasterFormat and to provide room for future addition of new subjects without restructuring the entire system. The previous five-digit numbers have been expanded to allow room for more subjects at each level of classification and thereby accommodate more consistent classification. The five-digit numbers had limitations because of the way each of the five digits were employed. The first two digits represented the Division, with the remaining three digits left to set a hierarchy of subjects within each Division. Because only a single digit was assigned for each Level after the Division, the number of possible Level 2 subdivisions within each Division was held to nine. Similarly, the number of categories available at Level 3 and Level 4, which was unassigned by MasterFormat, were also limited to nine each. In many Divisions, this small number of available spaces for information was too limiting, and MasterFormat simply ran out of room to properly address topics. This lack of room often resulted in inconsistent classification, such as the insertion of topics such as Cathodic Protection, Lightning Protection, Fire Suppression, Detection and Alarm, and Solar and Wind Energy Equipment into Division 13, rather than other Divisions such as 15 or 16 where they would fit more appropriately, simply because there was available room in Division 13 and there wasn't in the others.

The solution to these limitations was to add a sixth digit, and the six digits were arranged into three sets of paired numbers. These pairs of numbers allow for many more subdivisions at each level and the main six-digit number still represents three levels of subordination, as the published numbers in previous editions of MasterFormat have done. Another advantage of grouped pairs of numbers is that they, like telephone numbers, are easier to recall.

Poor information coordination costs $billions

But the value of MasterFormat 2004 Edition reaches far beyond efficiency, convenience, and improved communication. It is a potent tool that reaches where it counts: the bottom line. By providing the means for documenting and costing each life cycle stage, from planning to renovation to demolition to salvage, it offers all parties involved in the construction process-especially facility owners, a control over finances that does not presently appear to exist.

A recent federally funded study sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology reports that poor data coordination costs building owners and others in the capital facilities industry a very conservative $15.8 billion a year. Titled Cost Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry (NIST GCS 04-867, http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build04/PD./b04022.pdf), the study focuses on commercial and institutional buildings and industrial facilities. It traces facility information flow from planning and programming, through design and construction, to operation and maintenance, at each stage figuring the cost of poor communication born by different stakeholders.

Defining interoperability as ‘relating to both the exchange and management of electronic information, where individuals and systems would be able to identify and access information seamlessly, as well as comprehend and integrate information across multiple systems,' the study reveals examples of inefficiencies. In addition to manual reentry of data, they include duplication of business functions, and the continued reliance on paper-based information management systems. Problems stem, the study reports, from the highly fragmented nature of the industry and are further compounded by the large number of small companies that have not adopted advanced information technologies. On the brighter side, the report notes, even small improvements in efficiency potentially represent significant economic benefits.

Equally significant as the considerable sum of dollars lost is who bears the burden. Of the three general cost categories used in the study-avoidance costs before problems occur, mitigation costs incurred after problems occur, and costs of delays-owners, according to the study, pay the most, about two thirds or $10.6 billion a year, in redundant data costs, predominantly during ongoing facility operation and maintenance. General contractors and specialty fabricators and suppliers bear $1.8 billion and $2.2 billion respectively, while architects and engineers have the lowest interoperability costs at $1.2 billion-a figure comparable to the $1.3 billion costs born by general contractors during the construction phase (see figure ES-1 for a graphical depiction of mitigation losses by general contractors). Not surprisingly, the largest losses ($1.0 billion) sustained by architects and engineers occur during the planning, design, and engineering phase; their subsequent avoidance and mitigation costs amount to $485 million and $684 million, respectively.

While all parties report frustration at the lack of incentives to improve interoperability both within and among organizations, it is the owners who have the most incentive to demand tighter data specification and control and-as reported by the architect above-to require that professionals get on board with MasterFormat 2004.

CSI member Tom Rauscher, a Rochester, N.Y. communications, life safety, and automation systems consultant, spells out the savings in construction costs if voice, data and video systems are addressed fully in a building's specifications. When they are coordinated between consultants during the design phase, problems are relatively minor, he notes (see table of cost categories page 180). But when the building is already under construction, they are harder to resolve, and, he estimates, drive up the cost of building as much as 50 percent-thus adding five to 10 percent to the facilities' overall construction costs. He lists some of the many forms changes and delays may take:

• Tearing down and rebuilding walls to install cabling or cable pathways
• Adding closets to house switches, servers, and other electronic components.
• Expanding the HVAC system to handle the heat generated by such systems.
• Paying for express delivery of large amounts of products, such as wire and cable, to minimize schedule delays.
• Paying crews overtime to install systems to keep the overall project on schedule.
• Using higher-interest money such as a line of credit to pay for systems because they are a change order during construction. Lower-interest money via the building's mortgage, can be used if the systems are fully specified in the project manual developed during the design phase.
• Paying additional money to install voice, data, or video systems after the building has been completed.

The costs which the owner absorbs or passes on, Rauscher points out, can be considerably greater for technology-rich facilities such as hospitals and hospitality and entertainment facilities which have elaborate systems for intercom, paging, closed-circuit television, and public address/audio applications.

Who is adopting MasterFormat 2004?

A number of major public and private construction organizations, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Navy Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), and the Sweets construction products catalog, are making the transition to the 2004 edition.

The Army's and Navy's decision to use MasterFormat's new edition is in conjunction with an update of their Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS), the specifications used by all the armed services' construction branches. Plans call for organizing them according to MasterFormat 2004 by early 2006. The decision will eventually impact U.S. military construction projects worldwide worth approximately $22 billion per year. That includes construction of U.S. Air Force buildings, nearly all of which are built, under federal law, by USACE or NAVFAC.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will also be using the MasterFormat 2004-based Unified Facilities Guide Specifications. The federal Department of Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, is studying whether to do so.

Construction product information firms already deciding to transition to MasterFormat 2004 include the 2006 editions of McGraw-Hill Construction's Sweets construction products catalog and Reed Construction Data's First Source, and the 4Specs.com directory of construction products manufacturers.

Several providers of master guide specifications systems also have decided to realign their products per MasterFormat's new edition. They include:

• ARCOM's MasterSpec®
• Building Systems Design's BSD SpecLink®
• CSRF SpecText®
• Digicon Information Inc.
• Canada's National Master Guide Specifications, commonly known as the NMS (National Master Specification)

The new edition has earned accolades from one of the world's largest professional liability insurance underwriters, Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc., which found the revisions "are needed, are logical, and are beneficial to architects and engineers." "Any time there is a change there is a possibility of missed communications and missed communications can lead to professional liability claims," writes Frank Musica, Assoc. IAA, a risk management specialist at Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc. "However, we see the change in the MasterFormat to be not really different from the AIA issuing a new edition of A201. A201 is the major communications tool between the owner, the architect as the owner's agent, and the contractor. When the 1997 edition was issued many architects and contractors ignored the changes and some claims resulted. In fact, we still find architects and contractors who do not understand their duties under A201. So it is likely to be with MasterFormat 2004. There will be a learning curve and problems are bound to surface. For the most part, however, we feel that the changes are needed, are logical, and are beneficial to architects and engineers."

At the local government level, chapters in CSI's Northwest Region that covers Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, have set January 2006 as their target date for implementing MasterFormat 2004. Members hope that setting a date will make it easier for the region's users to plan for the transition.

"Our decision as a region was that any project that goes out to bid after Jan. 1, 2006, will use the new MasterFormat," says Anne Whitacre, CSI, CSC, a member of the Institute's Certification Committee and chair of the Northwest Region's Planning Committee. "Large architectural firms in Seattle, Portland, and Anchorage use many of the same consultants. Our thought was that it would be easier on them if we had a standard turnover date."

With a date in mind, Northwest Region Director Tom R. Deines, CSI, CAA, is focusing on educating both CSI and non-CSI members. "The folks in CSI know it's coming, but there are folks who aren't members that will be facing a 50-division MasterFormat 2004 Edition they've never seen before. We need to reach them before January 2006."

Will it be a difficult transition?

For many specifiers, switching to MasterFormat 2004 Edition will take less time than previous editions required, states Karl F. Borgstrom, Ph.D., executive director of CSI. Depending upon their perspective, users will have different experiences adapting to the new edition. For manufacturer representatives, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, the transition should simply be a matter of learning the new numbers applicable to their product or work, while architects will find the divisions covering the products they specify comfortably familiar. In contrast, systems and building engineers will need to check the much expanded divisions of mechanical and electrical work for easy-to-find locations for the work they must specify.

The greatest beneficiaries will be building owners, who, for the first time, will have the comprehensive means to maintain project information, record documents, and other related data critical to facility maintenance and operation. Once in place, the expanded system will require less work on the part of those who prepare and disseminate construction information, and allow quick retrieval of information by users.

Any costs incurred for word processing, printed materials, or modifying electronic databases, will be more than offset by the long-term usability and expandability of MasterFormat 2004 Edition. The cooperation of those who provide construction information resources ranging from master specifications systems, manufacturer data and estimating tools is critical to the implementation of MasterFormat 2004 Edition.

Today's word processing software, which has a variety of powerful labor- and time- saving devices, will help users go a long way in automating the reformatting of content while maintaining consistency, including:

• Styles (a more complete way of applying formatting)
• Global search and replace
• Autotext (to automatically change words)
• Macros (sets of instructions that carry out commands automatically)
• Fields (special codes representing intelligent data about documents, such as footers and headers for automatically numbering pages or adding text identifying a specific project).

"If you're using the technology, it's going to be simple," says Toledo member Louise Schlatter, RA, CSC. She is architectural department manager and also a senior project architect at SSOE Inc. "For the primary users of MasterFormat in its previous versions, the change that they will have to make is extraordinarily small."

CSI member David E. Lorenzini, FMCS, CSC, SCIP, an independent construction specifier in Leesburg, V.A., agrees. "Most of the routines will be ‘search and replace' type things," he says.

Lorenzini suggests that another aid to a smooth transition is to develop, use, and keep current a master specifications template instead of going to a previous project's specs to start a new project. Templates are special documents that can contain styles, macros, and other automated features to provide a customized basis for new documents. The customized features and automated routines in a template are available to all documents. Making changes to a template means those changes only have to be done once. Lorenzini estimates the conversion for most specifiers will be about an 80-hour task.

In order to ensure a timely and orderly transition, Hall Architects along with many of Charlotte's architectural firms has been discussing the implementation process of MasterFormat 2004 for several months. Based on these discussions, the firm will officially adopt MasterFormat 2004 for all projects that start after June 1, 2005. All consultants will be required to provide work compliant with MasterFormat 2004 on projects after this date.

In order to assist its clients and consultants with the transition, the firm is scheduling a series of training sessions on implementing MasterFormat 2004. It foresees three 3-hour training sessions beginning in the spring, facilitated by Dennis Hall. They will be accredited with continuing education credits.

Already the office has produced several project manuals using the new structure with great success. In one instance, the firm worked with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) to produce a master guide specification using MasterFormat 2004, which is required on all BART projects.

CSI is launching an industry wide education initiative to support the transition to the new edition. Two types of programs will be offered for MasterFormat users and prospective instructors. For users, CSI will provide Customized Education Programs for groups at architectural, engineering and construction firms, government agencies, corporations, and national conferences. Sessions will address the differences between the 1995 and 2004 editions, best-practice concepts for the new edition, the use of its section and transition strategies.

The MasterFormat Accredited Instructor Program, to be launched at the 49th Annual CSI Show & Convention in Chicago, April 20−23, 2005, will prepare people from various segments of the industry to teach others about MasterFormat's 2004 edition. Using CSI-supplied materials, accredited instructors will conduct education tailored to the needs of their particular constituencies, including architects, specialty contractors, product suppliers, owners, and others. Plans call for holding this program several times during 2005 after the initial session at CSI's convention.

Another CSI member education program, now downloadable from the Chapters section of CSI's website (www.csinet.org/masterformateducation) is available to provide people at their local chapter meetings an overview of MasterFormat's new edition.

Interested parties wanting to discuss implementation issues or providing input for future enhancements, are encouraged to go towww.csinet.org/masterformat, where there is information on MasterFormat and a discussion area. If people have any difficulty accessing the web site, they should contact CSI'S Member Services Center at 800-689-2900 orcsi@csinet.org.