The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) today announced that it is introducing a new annual revision process for maintaining and updating MasterFormat.
A product of CSI and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC), MasterFormat is used to organize construction documents for commercial and institutional building projects in the United States and Canada.
"The change is designed to improve MasterFormat by offering a greater level of certainty and predictability when it comes to resolving proposed changes that we receive," said CSI Executive Director and CEO Walter Marlowe, P.E., CSI, CAE.
Using a defined periodic updating process will provide a number of benefits to MasterFormat and its users:
Greater predictability for numbers and titles by providing a limited, grouped set of revisions released at a predictable time each year.
More certainty about when submitted proposals will be resolved.
Improved capacity to keep pace with the volume of submitted proposals.
Proposals already received to revise MasterFormat and those submitted by April 30, 2009, will be eligible for consideration during the 2009 revision cycle. Proposals submitted after April 30, 2009, will be considered for the 2010 revision cycle.
The MasterFormat revision process will continue to be conducted by the MasterFormat Maintenance Task Team (MFMTT), a committee of volunteers appointed by CSI, CSC and MasterFormat Sponsors. The MFMTT's annual revision review workshop will take place in late July and results from that meeting will be announced in September.
MasterFormat is the resource that aids project delivery by facilitating communication among architects, engineers, specifiers, contractors, suppliers and other consultants, which helps them meet building owners' requirements, timelines and budgets. By fostering fuller and more detailed construction specifications, MasterFormat is designed to reduce costly changes or delays in projects due to incomplete, misplaced or missing information.
About the MasterFormat Sponsor Program
Many of the leading construction information publishing companies in North America have joined together with CSI to support the MasterFormat Update Program. CSI and its members appreciate the donations of time and funding to help maintain MasterFormat as an industry resource from these Sponsor organizations:
Reed Construction Data
ARCOM
Industrial Information Resources
Building Systems Design
McGraw-Hill Construction
The Construction Sciences Research Foundation
About CSI
CSI is a national association dedicated to creating standards and formats to improve construction documents and project delivery. The organization is unique in the industry in that its members are a cross-section of specifiers, architects, engineers, contractors and building materials suppliers. The organization has 146 chapters and more than 14,000 members. Monthly Chapter meetings allow members the opportunity to communicate openly with their counterparts and exchange information for successful project management. CSI is renowned in the industry for its rigorous certification programs for professionals seeking to improve their knowledge of accurate and concise construction documents. CSI provides continuing education, professional conferences and product shows.
