Construction Specifications

NOTE-- We retired the complete MacNail construction software package in 2000. and replaced it with Goldenseal-- which handles construction spec writing, plus accounting, construction estimating, and project management, This manual is still online, as a courtesy to die-hard MacNail users! Contract-writing is similar in Goldenseal, with Contract Clauses that you can use to create a purely boilerplate contract, if no specs are required.

Using a Clauses File

It is also possible to get Specifications directly from a Clauses file in the MacNail construction management software, without creating a bid or estimate first. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Choose Spec Writer Clauses from the Navigate menu to open a Clauses file.
2. Select one or more rows that you'd like to include in the contract (see page 71).
3. Choose Set Flags from the Options menu. Turn on the Include if no Estimate option (and any other flags you'd like to use on the selected rows), then click OK.
4. Repeats steps 2 and 3 for any other line items you'd like to include.
5. Choose New Contract (or New Subcontract) from the Specs menu.
6. Select Flagged Clauses as a source for Specs. Also select any other options you'd like to use (see page 18).
7. Click OK.

When you make a contract directly from the Clauses file, no quantities will be entered, since there is no estimate available to provide details about the project.

To enter your own quantities in the contract, follow these steps:

1. Open the contract with a word processor or Excel (see page 59).
2. Use the program's Find command to look for QTY.
3. Replace each instance of QTY with the actual quantity you'd like to specify for that item.

You can also use the New Contract command to make a listing of some or all of the phrases in the Clauses file.

This is useful when you are checking the wording of a number of contract clauses.

To do so, follow these steps:
1. Open the Clauses file.
2. If you want to look at just some of the clauses, drag the mouse through those rows you'd like to include.
3. Choose New Contract or New Subcontract from the Specs menu.
4. Select This File-- all items or This File-- selected range as a source for Specs.
5. Click OK.