How do I use the Spec Reviewer to turn a job specification into a Mix Designer project?

The Spec Reviewer is designed to reduce the time needed to turn a long job specification into an actionable Mix Designer project. It reads the PDF specification you provide, finds the concrete applications and the requirements stated for each, shows where every value came from, and populates an editable form once you accept an application.

• Gather one representative PDF specification for the job.
• Gather any PDF documents the specification references. Referenced documents missing from your upload are flagged, so include them where you can.
• Check the total size. The Spec Reviewer accepts PDF files, including scanned PDFs, and structural drawings, up to 50 MB together for one job. The limit applies to all the files for the job combined, not to each file.
• Strength and age, the strength required at a given age.
• Slump, a measure of how fluid the fresh concrete must be.
• Air content.
• w/cm, the water-to-cementitious materials ratio.
• Cementitious content, the amount of cement and SCMs per unit volume of concrete.
• GWP, the global warming potential limit, where the project sets one.
• Paste requirements.
• Aggregate size.
• Permitted or prohibited materials.

1. You provide the job's documents: PDFs (including scanned PDFs) and structural drawings, up to 50 MB combined.

2. The Spec Reviewer identifies the concrete applications, such as footings, slabs on grade or columns.

3. It extracts the stated requirements for each application and shows the file, page and section for every value.

4. It flags issues that could affect your bid. See the related article for what it highlights.

5. You accept one application. The Spec Reviewer then populates an editable form for it, which you review and complete.

For each application, the Spec Reviewer extracts the requirements the specification states:

Every extracted value shows the file, page and section it came from. Use these to confirm the values that matter most for your bid, such as strength and age, w/cm and any prohibited materials, before you design to them. Being able to trace each value back to the original text also helps teams review specifications in a consistent way.

One Mix Designer project represents one application with one set of requirements. If a specification covers several applications with different requirements, treat each application as its own project. You accept one application at a time to populate its form.