How CSI Helps Manufacturers Get Their Building Products Specified
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How do you get your building products specified? That’s the million-dollar question. Industry veterans will tell you hard work, persistence, intention, being a good listener, and building a relationship with the design community. From time to time, a back to the basics approach is needed by veteran building product manufacturers and newbies to the industry. And there is one national organization that can significantly help manufacturers.
One of the best resources available for building product manufacturers is the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). The CSI was founded in 1948 to improve the quality of construction specifications. The organization has over 9500 volunteers which includes specifiers, architects, contractors, engineers, and manufacturer’s reps. CSI members develop and the standards and formats that are used every day on construction projects. Let’s review how CSI can assist building product manufacturers getting their products specified.
Local CSI Chapter
The best piece of advice I can give to a young, aspiring building product rep is to join their local CSI Chapter. Local chapters provide a great opportunity for product reps to network with local design professionals. Many chapters book AIA lunch and learns to educate their members which provides an excellent opportunity to build a relationship with specifiers, architects, engineers, and contractors. Offering free AIA continuing education to CSI members generates goodwill and can open the door to future opportunities.
CSI Certification Program
The CSI Certification Program can help building product reps understand the entire construction process. The program covers four key areas: construction documentation, specification writing, product research, and communicating with design teams. There are four certificates that design professionals can earn through the CSI Certification Program.
- Construction Documents Technology (CDT)- This certificate provides an overview for anyone who writes, interprets, or manages construction documents. The CDT certificate can help building product manufacturers improve communication with the project team, comprehend the documentation in the construction process, and add a powerful education designation to their business card and resume.
- Certified Construction Contract Administration (CCCA)- This certification can help design professionals with the bidding process, construction inspections, Division 01: General & Supplemental Conditions, agreements, and documents.
- Certified Construction Specifier (CCS)- This is a product researcher who investigates and identifies cost-effective, efficient solutions, and then conveys those solutions through the specifications.
- Construction Product Representative (CCPR)- This certificate is an excellent resource for building product reps. The education process can help product reps make sales calls, understand the responsibilities of the project team, understand all phases of construction process, and use the same language as specifiers.
Local chapters offer education resources to pass the certification exams. In addition, there is a no-cost resource for building product reps to study for the CDT exam. The CSI Tampa Bay CDT Committee has produced an entire series of comprehensive videos to study for the exam. The video modules also provide a great education and resource for building product reps who don’t take the exam and want to better understand the specification process.
CSI Standards
It’s crucial that product reps understand the various formats involved in the construction process. The three standards that guide the construction industry's documentation process include:
- MasterFormat- CSI publishes this master list of numbers and titles. MasterFormat organizes project manuals and also relates to drawings and specifications. Information must be retrieved efficiently and MasterFormat provides a standard system to achieve this goal. MasterFormat lists the titles and section numbers for data about products and construction requirements. Every product rep should be familiar with the MasterFormat system.
- UniFormat- This publication arranges construction information based on elements without regard to materials and methods used. UniFormat is used in performance specifications. The format is used for estimators to present cost estimates during the schematic phase.
- GreenFormat- This format organizes all sustainable information, products, and systems in the built environment. This format allows product manufacturers to identify product characteristics and provides designers with information to meet sustainable requirements. GreenFormat can be utilized to produce a sustainability profile of a product.
Construct and National CSI Convention
The CSI national Convention is a great opportunity for building product manufacturers to exhibit or walk the show. The show has hundreds of product manufacturers exhibiting new products. The event is great for networking, meeting specifiers, and learning about new trends in the industry.
Overall, CSI is a great organization that can help building product manufacturers get their products specified. Does your company participate in CSI programs? How has it helped your specification opportunities?
For more information or to discuss the topic of this blog, please contact Brad Blank
