How to properly define and formalize a set of specifications?

The needs expression phase makes it possible to determine the nature of the need in both qualitative and quantitative terms. The purpose of needs expression is to establish a set of specifications that will be handed over to the suppliers consulted.

The set of specifications will be more or less detailed depending on the following parameters:
• Short procurement lead time (generally more of a consultation) or long (the possibility of drafting a complete call for tenders);
• Stakes (high or low);
• Resources available (sufficient, limited or even non-existent);
• Objectives (ambitious or in continuity with a past history).
• Risks (novelty, quality incident, etc.)

The stakeholders in needs expression

Needs expression is carried out on the basis of an inseparable “quartet”:

1. the user for their field experience,

2. the prescriber for their technical knowledge,

3. the supplier for their offer,

4. the buyer being the project manager in charge.

The buyer, always at the epicentre of this group, ensures a subtle balance between the stakeholders:
• internally, they define the company’s needs with their contacts,
• externally, they select the suppliers and deal with those who best meet these needs.

The ideal is to define a need as accurately as possible, which in reality is complicated because we never have all the necessary information. The balance between over-quality and under-quality is a delicate one.

The 2 types of Set of Specifications

The set of specifications that allows the supplier market to be consulted can be:
• fixed (generally a precise reference);
• functional.

Of course, the choice between these two types of specifications is defined on the basis of the strategy that has been put in place.

The fixed set of specifications

It is expressed in terms of “made of”, that is to say a solution is imposed, without necessarily explaining what it will be used for or the useful level of performance.

It is therefore a document bringing together all the characteristics that are imposed on the suppliers.

Depending on the stakes, the technical set of specifications may take a simplified form based on a definition plan and a certain number of commercial criteria, or a more elaborate form comprising:
• an introduction containing general information,
• the purpose of the contract, specific to the consultation and defining the context, the duration of the contract, the agreement associated with the contract, the environment and its regulations, etc.
• the description of the need, comprising the characteristics of the equipment or service expected, the desired level of quality, the standard of the norms to be complied with, etc.
• the contract price, which consists in specifying to the suppliers the response terms regarding price,
• the organization of the procedure, which sets out the description of the obligations to be complied with, such as the deadline for receiving offers, the person in charge of the file, etc.
• the award criteria, which present the procedure for selecting suppliers.

The functional set of specifications

This type of specifications is expressed in terms of “made for”, that is to say the search for a result derived from a supplier solution. The constituent elements of a functional set of specifications are:

1. The general presentation of the need, which describes the main needs that the product or service must satisfy, information on volumes and their distribution over time and the general context of the project (the situation, the parties concerned by the project and the objectives, the nature of the service requested, the confidential nature and the environment sought),

2. The functional expression of the need, which is the result of a functional analysis of the product or service, which reveals the different levels of detail in the expression of the request.

The service functions and the constraints: a constraint is defined as a limitation on the creativity and innovation of the designer. These constraints may be:
• Regulatory: safety, environment.
• Qualitative: standards, labels.
• Environmental: available energies, surrounding installations, handling equipment.

3. The assessment criteria: for each function, the assessment criteria must be defined so as to be able to state that the
function is fulfilled or the constraint complied with. For example: the capacity, the temperature, the repair time, the length of the flame, etc.

The essential clauses of a set of specifications

But whatever the form of specifications to be adopted, the elements below constitute the standard basis of the clauses that must appear in the consultation:
• Purpose of the set of specifications
• Scope of the consultation
• Duration and associated schedule of the project
• Technical or functional description of the need
• Whether or not technical variants are possible
• Mandatory steps to be complied with (non-negotiable clauses)
• Structure and monitoring of the contract at the supplier
• Confidentiality
• People to contact
• Main evaluation criteria
• The technical appendices