Guide to specification writing
A Guide to Specification Writing
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Guide to specification writing
1 What is a specification?
A Specification (sometimes called a Statement of Requirements) details the needs and
expectations of the users for goods, services or works and is used to support the procurement
process by providing a degree of clarity that will enable the suppliers to bid for work with a level of
certainty that they understand your requirement.
It is essential that the major users of the goods, services or works play a key role in developing its
specification as they are most able to describe requirements and their support of the resulting
order, contract or framework is critical to its success.
A specification should describe both the immediate need and the required service level at the point
of delivery or throughout the duration of the contract/framework as this will have a major bearing
on the costs to potential suppliers. It will provide the basis for like for like bids (including the
evaluation criteria upon which the offered goods/services will be assessed) and help
avoid/manage any failure of service during the life of the contract/framework.
2 Why is it important?
A written specification ensures a common understanding of requirements across the university
and can address and incorporate differing needs (eg service levels) that might exist from
department to department.
It provides the same information to all suppliers bidding for the work so ensuring the university is
able to compare like for like offers when they request quotes or tenders.
In some instances, the specification will provide opportunity to the suppliers to offer alternatives to
the current solution, so enabling innovation and creativity from the supply base.
3 Benefits to your department and service area
Having a documented specification can benefit your department and service area by:

Ensuring that bidders/suppliers understand your requirements

Providing opportunity to challenge how the goods/services have been bought in the past

Engaging with suppliers to ensure best solutions are identified

Improving overall value for money

Providing the opportunity for creativity and innovation in how and what the university buys
4 Writing a specification
Decide who needs to be involved by identifying the major users of the requirement and seeking
their involvement in the drafting of the specification. Some may prefer to be involved in the actual
drafting; others as part of a reference group to quality assure the document. Give them the option,
but ensure that a user takes on the role of drafting the specification – because of their direct
involvement they often have a better understanding of the requirement than you. (This role is later
referred to as the lead user).
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Guide to specification writing
Actions to determine who should be involved:

Identify through use of your spend analysis who the major users are

Make sure that everyone involved knows what is expected of them and that they have a
common understanding of the requirement

Identify gaps between who you need involved to ensure success and the resource
available, then seek to reduce the gaps by agreement with users and/or the university’s
senior management team
Actions to document the specification:

Prepare the first draft from initial discussions with users – you can facilitate the process but
ownership must be with the lead user

Information to be gathered may include:
o Technical data e.g. volumes, accuracies etc that the final purchase must, or should,
meet
o Performance requirements e.g. delivery schedules or output volumes that must be
achieved
o Issues with the current processes and systems that the university would like to
resolve through the new arrangements
o Required improvements to the current processes and systems
o Spend and/or volumes used over the previous 12/24 months
o Anticipated changes (up or down) in future usage
o Current suppliers’ performance
Remember - not all of these will be appropriate for all specifications.

Categorise essential (must do) and desirable (would like it to do) requirements; however,
seek to remove complexity and un-necessary extras

Include the required service levels e.g. in relation to a cleaning service, the different types
of cleaning needed such as emptying bins daily, damp wipe of desks weekly etc

Obtain agreement from users that the specification meets all their needs

Involve suppliers, if this will provide a better outcome; however, remember to advertise the
opportunity to attend a Supplier Boot Camp (or Supplier Interest Day) and ensure that
suppliers understand that you are seeking to standardise, simplify or identify smarter ways
of working, not provide any preferential treatment/opportunities for them
Possible sources for data gathering include:

Purchase orders and invoices over a twelve month period or longer

Contracts in place and suppliers used over last 5 years

Current Service Level Requirements

Performance reports
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Guide to specification writing

Minutes from meetings

Sector/commodity reports
The University needs to decide whether the specification will be:

Technical

Performance

Conformance (sometimes referred to as Output)
Technical Specification
A technical specification details an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a product or
service such as:

Dimensions

Tolerances

Component and material standards

Safety and/or quality standards

Environmental requirements

European/International and British standards

References to any applicable drawings and how to access them

Proprietary standards
Performance Specification
A performance specification details the required performance characteristics of goods or
services, including inputs and outputs. These will include…

Requirements which are mandatory, desirable or optional

The function and performance required

Essential information only

Giving potential suppliers the opportunity to demonstrate some creativity in how they will
produce/deliver requirements
You may wish to specify minimum / maximum performance criteria and methods of performance
measurement and avoid stating any unduly restrictive criteria.
Conformance Specification
A conformance specification is normally the preferred type of specification that seeks to identify
a desired capability or outcome and focuses on what is to be achieved rather than the method of
achieving it, e.g. a requirement to introduce an automated system to manage student information
rather than defining the hardware/software required. It will provide……..

The outputs required i.e. what you want the requirement to do e.g. provide on-campus
catering services
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Guide to specification writing

No detail as to how they are to be achieved

The ability for potential suppliers to be as creative as possible in how they will
produce/deliver requirements

The potential to assess as many options as possible

Potentially implausible solutions, which seek to look beyond the here and now
What a specification must not do……..

Over-specify requirements

Make reference to any supplier’s product or service

Reflect the preferences of those drafting the specification e.g. must be a Brand X laptop

Discriminate in favour of or against any supplier or product

Use brand names, sources of supply, trade marks, origins or specific means of production
Whilst brand names, etc must not be given for EU tenders, it can be stated that requirements must
be compatible with existing equipment/systems. It is then down to the bidders to demonstrate the
compatibility of the products/services offered.
When assessing a specification, determine whether any of the following are possible……..

Standard rather than bespoke (customised) components can be used

Alternative materials or ways of providing the services are possible

Suppliers have had opportunity to provide input into design

Can the service or performance standards be reduced?

Can the scope of the requirement be broadened?

Can the process/systems be improved?
Consider the performance standards and whether (and how) they can be measured…..

Availability/Delivery

Quality

Cost Improvement

Safety and/or quality standards

Environmental requirements

Accuracy of documentation
o Invoices
o Delivery notes

Capacity and throughput

Management information
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Guide to specification writing
Finally, produce the specification, including wherever possible…..

The scope of requirement

The form of specification

Service levels

What is to be measured, how and by whom

Which elements of the process or systems you will seek improvements for

Roles and responsibilities
When drafting, keep thinking about

How you will decide which bid offers best value for money

What award criteria should be used, and

How you will assess each bid received against the identified award criteria
Consider whether you need to ask other questions to help the university reach a decision, such as
use (and cost) of consumables, required utilities and cost of disposal.
Remember, what you will find is that while drafting the specification, you will identify elements that
do not become part of the specification but instead will be used as:

Selection criteria that look at a supplier’s capability and capacity to provide what it is that
you require, and

Award criteria that are used to evaluate the solution proposed by the supplier in its
quotation or tender (also see “A Guide to Evaluating and Scoring of Tenders”) – be clear on
how you will mark the bids received and, if necessary, justify the final decision on which
supplier you choose.
If you have any questions please contact the Purchasing and Insurance office.
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