Client/Partner | Alameda County Public Works Agency

The current version of the Project Specifications boilerplate is Std18e.

If a spec document was begun using a boilerplate version that has been superseded, you can review the revisions between versions to determine if any significant changes were made to sections pertinent to your project. Versions are superseded by advancing letter suffixes--Std18a, Std18b, Std18c... etc.

Guide to ACPWA Specifications

The Standards are organized into 99 Sections. Some are blank--reserved for future content. Others, such as 58, "Sound Walls," are not likely to be used on a typical Agency project.

Project specifications should only contain sections applicable to the Project. Most sections in division 1, "General Provisions," and division 2, "General Construction," are applicable to most projects. Therefore, sections within these divisions (sections 1 through 16) should usually be retained (although section 11, "Welding," is often not relevant and can be omitted).

Including other sections is primarily dependent upon a Project's Bid Item List. A bid item references the pertinent specification section. Include these sections in the Project Specifications. Other sections can be omitted, but it is useful to retain sections referenced by sections that are included.

If you frequently work with the specs, committing the following section numbers to memory may be useful as these contain the bulk of pertinent technical provisions for most Agency projects:

• 12 - Temporary Traffic Control

• 13 - Water Pollution Control

• 15 - Existing Facilities

• 19 - Earthwork

• 20 - Landscape

• 39 - Asphalt Concrete

• 73 - Concrete Curbs & Sidewalks

• 77 - Local Infrastructure

• 82 - Signs and Markers

• 84 - Markings

• 86/87 - Electrical

Additional Useful Information . . .

• Tips for Preparing Project Specs

• Differences Between Agency Specs and Caltrans Specs

• Spec Section References to Other Sections