NOTES ON SCHEDULES work  performed  by  the  Seabees.  There  are  three types of NAVFAC specifications. Notes are generally placed a minimum of 3 inches below the “Revision” block in the right-hand side of the first sheet. The purpose of these notes is to give additional   information   that   clarifies   a   detail   or explains how a certain phase of construction is to be performed. You should read all notes, along with the specifications,  while  you  are  planning  a  project. WRITTEN SPECIFICATIONS LEARNING  OBJECTIVE:  Upon  completing this  section,  you  should  be  able  to  interpret written construction specifications. Because many aspects of construction cannot be shown   graphically,   even   the   best   prepared construction  drawings  often  inadequately  show  some portions of a project. For example, how can anyone show  on  a  drawing  the  quality  of  workmanship required for the installation of doors and windows? Or, who is responsible for supplying the materials? These   are   things   that   can   be   conveyed   only   by hand-lettered  notes.  The  standard  procedure  is  to supplement   construction   drawings   with   detailed written  instructions. These  written  instructions, called  specifications  (or  more  commonly  specs), define and limit materials and fabrication to the intent of  the  engineer  or  designer. Usually,  it  is  the  responsibility  of  the  design engineer  to  prepare  project  specifications. As  a Builder, you will be required to read, interpret, and use these in your work as a crew leader or supervisor. You must be familiar with the various types of federal, military,   and   nongovernmental   reference specifications used in preparing project specs. When assisting  the  engineer  in  preparing  or  using specifications, you also need to be familiar with the general  format  and  terminology  used. NAVFAC SPECIFICATIONS NAVFAC   specifications   are   prepared   by   the Naval  Facilities  Engineering  Command  (NAVFAC- ENGCOM),  which  sets  standards  for  all  construction work performed under its jurisdiction. This includes NAVFACENGCOM Guide Specifications NAVFACENGCOM guide specifications (NFGS) are  the  primary  basis  for  preparing  specifications  for construction   projects.   These   specifications   define and  establish  minimum  criteria  for  construction, materials,  and  workmanship  and  must  be  used  as guidance in the preparation of project specifications. Each  of  these  guide  specifications  (of  which  there  are more than 300) has been written to encompass a wide variety of different materials, construction methods, and circumstances. They must also be tailored to suit the  work  actually  required  by  the  specific  project. To better explain this, let’s look at figure 2-19, which  is  a  page  taken  from  a  NAVFACENGCOM guide specification.    In this figure, you can see that there   are   two   paragraphs   numbered   3.2.1.   This indicates   that   the   spec   writer   must   choose   the paragraph that best suits the particular project for which  he  is  writing  the  specification.  The  capital letters  I and J in the right-hand margin next to those paragraphs  refer  to  footnotes  (contained  elsewhere  in the same guide specification) that the spec writer must follow   when   selecting   the   best   paragraph. Additionally, you can see that some of the information in   figure   2-19   is   enclosed   in   brackets   ([]).   This indicates  other  choices  that  the  spec  writer  must make. Guide specifications should be modified and edited   to   reflect   the   latest   proven   technology, materials, and methods. EFD Regional Guide Specifications Engineering  Field  Division  regional  guide specifications  are  used  in  the  same  way  as  the NAVFACENGCOM guide specifications but only in areas under the jurisdiction of an EFD of the Naval Facilities  Engineering  Field  Command.  When  the spec writer is given a choice between using an EFD regional guide specification or a NAVFACENGCOM guide   specification   with   the   same   identification number, the writer must use the one that has the most recent  date.  This  is  because  there  can  only  be  one valid guide specification for a particular area at any one time. 2-18