Maritz, Tinus2017-02-062017-02-062005Maritz, T. (2005). Efficiency in the provision of production specifications for the South African construction industry. Acta Structilia, 12(1), 63-82.1023-0564 (print)2415-0487 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/5515English: In most developed countries production specifications are based on national standardised specification systems, such as the National Building Specification or NBS (Great Britain), the National Specification System or NATSPEC (Australia), Master Specification Systems or MasterSpec (United States of America and Canada), General Materials and Workmanship Specifications or AMA (Sweden), and the National Standard Building Specification or STABU (the Netherlands). Standard specifications are primarily designed to shorten descriptions in the texts of new projects, whether in respect of descriptions on architectural or engineering drawings and technical specifications or descriptions in bills of quantities, schedules of rates, etcetera. In some countries the development of computerised specification systems has reached the point that these systems are supplanting the traditional word processing method. These systems are also providing links or interfaces to other information systems of the construction sector, such as design, products and cost information systems, etcetera. The South African construction industry, however, lags behind these countries that have been involved in the development of construction information systems or processes over the years. A call is therefore made to improve the efficiency of providing production specifications, as inadequate project information has been identified as one of the major causes of inefficiency in the building process.Afrikaans: In meeste ontwikkelde lande word konstruksie inligtingstelsels gebasseer op nasionale gestandaardiseerde spesifikasiestelsels, soos die National Building Specification of NBS (Groot Brittanje), die National Specification System of NATSPEC (Australië), Master Specification Systems of MasterSpec (Verenigde State van Amerika en Kanada), General Materials and Workmanship Specifi cations of AMA (Swede), en die National Standard Building Specification of STABU (Nederland). Standaard of algemene spesifikasies bevat instruksies en/ of vereistes betreffende die uitvoering en gehalte van werk en verkort be skrywings in ander verkrygingsdokumente, soos byvoorbeeld beskrywings op argiteks of ingenieurstekeninge en tegniese spesifikasies of beskrywings in hoeveelheidslyste en skedules van tariewe. In sekere lande het die ontwik keling van gerekaniseerde spesifikasiestelsels die stadium bereik waar kon vensionele woordverwerkingmetodes vervang word met ’n objekgeoriënteer de benadering vir die organisering van konstruksie inligting sonder menslike intervensie. Hierdie moderne stelsels voorsien ook skakeling of integrering met ander inligtingstelsels wat in die konstruksiesektor gebruik word, soos byvoor beeld met produksoek , tender en koste inligtingstelsels. Die Suid Afrikaanse konstruksiebedryf het egter ’n agterstand teenoor lande wat oor jare reeds met die ontwikkeling van konstruksie inligtingstelsels of prosesse gemoeid is. Dit is algemene kennis dat gebrekkige projekinligting een van die hoofoorsake van oneffektiwiteit in die bouproses is, en die feit kan nie weg geredeneer word nie dat integrasie van inligting op tekeninge en in spesifi kasies die hoogste prioriteit onder die veeltal betrokkenes in die veld van kon struksie inligting behoort te geniet.enSpecificClassification systemsConstruction informationInteroperabilityStandardisationArticleUniversity of the Free State