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After a major disaster, entire communities often need to be elevated and rehabbed. This is a huge, often multi-year challenge to the imagination, ingenuity, perseverance and fortitude of the recovery team. To alleviate these headaches, a comprehensive program specifications document can help guide the process by outlining specifications that span from paint color to roof pitch.

“Ultimately the program specifications document is a tactical guide that serves as the foundation of the recovery program,” explains IBTS Build It Back (BiB) Recovery Team Project Manager Josh Cummings. “If successful, the program specifications will provide a hierarchy for decisions from the administrator, all the way to a small subcontractor.” IBTS relied heavily on their specifications document throughout their involvement with many post-Sandy rehab projects, and developed a wealth of knowledge in the process.

What is a Program Specifications Document?

The program specifications document is required for participation in HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, but it also provides far-reaching benefits to localities. The document is designed to help communities benefit from the past experience of others; it provides a framework for materials and construction methods that addresses common needs encountered by the program. It also serves as a long-term framework; some elements will be relevant at the inception of the program, while others not necessary until later in its lifecycle.

All levels of professionals in CDBG-DR programs will use this framework. Program administrators will use it to determine if a given element of a project matches their goals; builders will use the document to review whether a particular material can be utilized. Government agencies and community groups can reference the specifications to quantify improvements in the quality of life of their constituents.

To accomplish this broad set of goals, the program specifications document should identify and define criteria in three areas: materials, performance and processes. Although the document itself will be broken down into chapters each addressing a different need, these three areas will need to be integrated and applied to each area of a dwelling.

Materials

Materials can be specified to an exact delineation, such as the sheer capacity of a particular bolt, or be subject to broader criteria, such as exterior-paint color options.

Extensive sources are available for material specifications for the built environment. Nationally, many builders depend on ARCAT or SWEETS. Local material suppliers, such as a concrete plant, can also be helpful during document preparation. The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) also offers a wealth of relevant resources, including technical information and products, continuing education, professional conferences and product shows.

Performance Criteria

Performance criteria supplement the material specifications and can be divided into assemblies and local standards.

An assembly expands on material delineations to fill in gaps that can’t be defined by a single material. For example, the document might stipulate “1.2gpf low-flow toilets,” with neither the material nor the manufacturer being specified. This makes it clear that an estimator or builder will have to take flow criteria into consideration when preparing their work.

Local standards are specific to local construction methods and climate conditions. A program specifications document in Maine, for example, might specify a higher roof pitch to address snow accumulation, than a document in New Mexico. An SME in the local area should be consulted when deciding which standards to apply.

Processes

Processes include local regulations, such as building code, energy code, and hazardous material abatement, in addition to homeowner interaction in relation to the process of completing the work.

A cellar is an example of where a defined process within the specifications can be important. Cellars are used for a wide range of uses – from living rooms to storage spaces – and often are not legally allowed for habitation. Yet lower levels of the home often suffer the worst damage in floods or earthquakes. The program specification document can be used to clearly define how much recovery work can be done on cellars and other difficult spaces.

Localities often find themselves overwhelmed with the need to review far more homes than they are used to. Open Construction Permits and existing non-compliant conditions also often cause roadblocks in the rebuilding process. It’s important to account for common setbacks in the program in the program specifications document by detailing the process to remediate all possible circumstances.