Performance Specifications

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Performance Specifications is a document that specifies the operational requirements of a component or installation. Simply put, a performance specification tells the contractor what the final installed product must be capable of doing.

The contractor is not instructed as to how to accomplish the task of meeting the performance specification requirements - only as to how the component must function after installation.

For example, a performance specification may be used in the construction of an industrial pumping system. The specification would provide a required pumping rate (say 500 gallons per minute), a required pressure (20 psi) and the difference in height between the pump and the final destination (+40 feet).

The specification will also state that the liquid to be pumped will be at a temperature of 140°F and is corrosive (pH of 3). It is up to the contractor to provide pumping equipment that meets or exceeds the requirements stated in the specification. In many cases the contractor will also be required to test equipment to make sure that is operating properly, and will provide operations manuals.

Source: https://www.archtoolbox.com/practice/contract-documents/types-of-construction-specifications.html