the newsletter of tbd consultants - edition 3, 3rd qtr 2006
						Printable PDF version Subscribe to our newsletter In this Edition The TBD Bid Index Value Engineering Museums MasterFormat 2004
		Construction Management Specialists 111 Pine Street, Suite 1315 San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 981-9430 www.TBDconsultants.com
		The TBD Bid Index How are bid prices changing in relation to the changes in labor and material prices? There are plenty of cost indexes that show how labor and material costs change over time, and we are starting an index to show how changes in bid prices. Click the link below to find out more about the TDB Bid Index.
		Value Engineering Value engineering was devised during World War II, and has continued to prove its worth since that time. We discuss the history and practice of Value Engineering in this article.
		Museums Museums come in a dewildering selection of types, so what are the issues affecting the design of them? We address these issues in this article.
		CSI's MasterFormat 2004 MasterFormat has been a system for organizing specifications, bids, estimates, etc., for forty years, and the 16 Division version that we are all use to has been around since 1995. However, since 1995 technology has developed substantially, and building services have become a much more involved portion of construction, and just having one section for all mechanical systems and one for electrical has become rather confining. To correct this situation, the CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) has issued MasterFormat 2004 which eliminates Division 15 as the mechanical division and allocates that work to Divisions 22 and 23, and Division 16 is also gone, and the electrical work is now spread over Divisions 26 and 27. Some other sections have also been broken out of the previous divisions and been given their other divisions. The other main difference between MasterFormat 2004 and its predecessor is in the numbering system. While the main division numbering (Level One) still uses two digits as previously, levels 2 and 3 now also use two digits (instead of the previous one) and if level 4 is used, it too is two digits, but preceded by a decimal point or 'dot'. While the new format is referred to as having 50 divisions, not all fifty are currently used. The current MasterFormat 2004 Level One division list is as follows: Division 00 - Procurement and Contracting Requirements Division 01 - General Requirements Division 02 - Existing Conditions Division 03 - Concrete Division 04 - Masonry Division 05 - Metals Division 06 - Wood, Plastics, and Composites Division 07 - Thermal and Moisture Protection Division 08 - Openings Division 09 - Finishes Division 10 - Specialties Division 11 - Equipment Division 12 - Furnishings Division 13 - Special Construction Division 14 - Conveying Equipment Division 21 - Fire Suppression Division 22 - Plumbing Division 23 - Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Division 25 - Integrated Automation Division 26 - Electrical Division 27 - Communications Division 28 - Electronic Safety and Security Division 31 - Earthwork Division 32 - Exterior Improvements Division 33 - Utilities Division 34 - Transportation Division 35 - Waterway and Marine Construction Division 40 - Process Integration Division 41 - Material Processing and Handling Equipment Division 42 - Process Heating, Cooling, and Drying Equipment Division 43 - Process Gas and Liquid Handling, Purification and Storage Equipment Division 44 - Pollution Control Equipment Division 45 - Industry-Specific Manufacturing Equipment Division 48 - Electrical Power Generation
		Design consultant: Katie Levine of Vallance, Inc.