A Catch 22 Product Specification

Specifications occasionally include unintended contradictions, and in some instances they are related to schedule.

Not long ago, I reviewed a specification for roofing that included a requirement for a particular "ice and water shield" product and allowed no substitutions. The application requirements for the product included a minimum ambient temperature of 40 degrees F. That looked good from a quality control perspective, but the schedule for this fast-track, multi-building project in snow country required construction during the winter, when temperatures were expected to be well below 40 degrees F, and neither the schedule nor the budget allowed for temporary tenting and heating of whole buildings. As a result, in order to meet the schedule, the contractor had to apply the product under conditions that were not recommended by the manufacturer and were not in compliance with the specification.