“Hey, Joe?EUR??,,????'??+you gunna follow the spec sheet!?”

“Hail, no! I can git most of them things, just as good, for half the price at one of those discount houses across town.”

Sound familiar? Maybe not. Sometimes the landscape architect is the last to know when some or all of his specified materials are being exchanged, for oftentimes inferior products, to save the landscape contractor (or project owner) some money. These decisions, if left up to the contractor, can cause irreparable damage to the reputation of the landscape architectural firm, even if liability is on someone else’s hands.

If the substituted product fails, the first place they’ll look is at the specs. The specs with your name on them Already you are being associated with ill feelings. Even worse ones if the commonplace “or equal” clause is staring you in the face. Did you approve this substitute or did you leave it up to the contractor? Either way you lose.

As licensed professionals, striving for recognition in a widely diversified construction industry, landscape architects should keep close reins over the strict adherence to the specs. Even on the smallest jobs. This also means avoiding the “or equal” clause that opens the way for doubt. Not only the doubt associated with a different product but also doubt about the capability of the landscape architect to generate accurate working plans.

You wouldn’t want your doctor to prescribe ‘some sort of antibiotic’ and then let the pharmacist choose one for you. So should you expect the project owner to rely on your professional judgement in selecting specific materials, right down to the soil additives, for each individual project.

It may seem like an enormous task to keep track of every little item on the spec sheet. It might of course be easier to worry only about the sculptures or the front walkway. But the consequences might cause you to lose the next bid.

The reputation of a landscape architect is his or her greatest asset. Reputation is also the greatest asset of the profession as a whole. Strict adherence to the specs can strengthen your reputation and strengthen your position in the construction industry as well.

Next time a landscape contractor asks if he should stick to the specs, you should be there to say, “Hail, yes!”

?EUR??,,????'??+God Bless