What’s New
SpecAssist™: Automated Alternatives Management
To mitigate risk and eliminate manual data entry, ATS Spec Tool is launching SpecAssist™. This feature automatically inserts vetted alternatives into your specification documents, referencing the project’s basis of design and your firm’s pre-approved product lists.
This new feature allows one individual or a committee to determine what the approved manufacturers are and ensures any specifications generated by your organization include the approved brands.
Setting up SpecAssist™: Technical Workflow
The implementation of SpecAssist™ is managed through simple administrative controls and integrated into your existing workflow. To have access to this feature email info@asspec.com or your Specification Manager.
1. Administrative Setup (When Alternatives will be populated):
Simply click the check box to determine where Alternatives should be auto populated.
This option allows you to automatically add alternatives to anything your organization works creates on ATS Spec Tool including:
A. Projects
B. Product Specification (Quick Spec)
C. Master Specifications
Adversely you can decide that it will not be automated to any project, spec or master and allow your colleague the flexibility to choose when to alternatives based on your organizations’ preferences.
2. Administrative Setup (Approved Manufacturers):
The account Administrator establishes a list of approved manufacturers for specific product categories. If your organization has multiple offices set up in Spec Tool, you will have the ability to customize this list for the entire organization (or firm) and your individual office.
To add a category and its preferred alternative manufacturers, click the plus button at the top right corner.
Choose whether to apply it at the firm or office level
Select the category and then the manufacturers from the list.
3. Implementing SpecAssist™
Creating a Quick Spec or Project on ATS
A. If the setting is turned on then :
Depending on the setting of where SpecAssist will populate alternatives (Project of Quick Spec) When a word-based document is downloaded (Long Spec, Short Spec, CSI 3-Part Spec), SpecAssist™ automatically inserts the pre-approved alternatives based on the products specified.
B. If the setting was turned off:
For any Projects, Quick Specs and Masters than click the “SpecAssist” button on any Project/Quick Spec or Masters Detail page.
This will automatically add alternatives to the one project/Quick Spec or Master you are working on.
4. What the Construction Documents look like with Alternatives Added
Today any word based download formats can have the alternatives added. This includes the CSI 3 Part spec or a long product specification or a shortened version or the Short Product specification.
Long Spec
Short Spec
CSI 3 part spec
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