GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFICATION INTEGRITY

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), in conjunction with the Lighting Industry Resource Council (LIRC), has developed the following GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFICATION INTEGRITY, which suggest actions specifiers can take to build and preserve a specification of high integrity.

Quality lighting design depends on accurate information, quality specifications and follow through. These guidelines provide information to prepare lighting specifications with clarity and precision. They also provide information on how to communicate with owners/clients and manufacturers and their representatives concerning their standards of quality for lighting equipment. These guidelines strive to provide specification recommendations relating to various phases of a project's development, from the early  design phases through completion of construction and commissioning.

One of the most essential aspects of producing a good lighting design is to get what you specify – to meet the project and client requirements. Therefore, it is critical to balance design parameters with the project's budget. Most professional lighting designers agree that obtaining a distributor net unit pricing from the manufacturer is one of the most important things one can do to help control the lighting design/specifications and minimize unnecessary substitutions by the construction team.

The following recommendations are intended as a guide only, and do not imply specific tasks that must be accomplished by a specific party. These guidelines do not intend to outline other aspects of a lighting designer's scope of work and/or responsibilities. The lighting designer is responsible for only taking on tasks for which he/she is capable, and which may have been contractually agreed upon.

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