HOW TO DEVELOP AND USE EQUIPMENT PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS

Equipment purchasing officials are often called on to purchase a wide variety of goods and services without the aid of prior experience or working knowledge of the products. This process becomes critical when the official is asked to purchase major products such as four wheel drive loaders, backhoe loaders, motor graders or other heavy equipment which often remain in use for several years. Experienced specification writers have developed numerous techniques to avoid the traditional "award going to the low bidder meeting specifications" method of purchasing. This Circular documents some of these techniques and how they can be used. They are presented as the five step method to successful specification writing. The basic steps include: (1) Understand Job Requirements; (2) Determine What's Most Important; (3) Evaluate Equipment On-The-Job; (4) Clearly State What Is To Be Purchased; and (5) Identify the Bid Award Criteria.

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trcircular/381/381.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00978515
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Publication Date: 1991-10

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: 25 p.
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Circular
  • Issue Number: 381
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0097-8515

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Equipment; Methodology; Purchasing; Specifications
• Old TRIS Terms: Heavy equipment
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Freight Transportation; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Vehicles and Equipment; I10: Economics and Administration; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00616485
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 31 1991 12:00AM