Winning Spec Process: Best Practices for Architects and Engineers

This post distills lessons from a veteran architectural consultant on why successful specification of windows and doors is more than an aesthetic choice. It’s a blend of technical expertise, regulatory knowledge, and relationship management.

Drawing on nearly four decades of experience with JELD-WEN’s Architectural Services Group, Scott Alden explains how early collaboration and the right consultant attributes reduce risk. These factors also help control budget and accelerate project delivery.

Specification is part design, part diplomacy

Architects balance design intent with performance requirements, schedules, and budgets. The consultant’s role is to translate vision into buildable, code-compliant assemblies while preserving aesthetics.

Technical knowledge and stakeholder coordination are as essential as taste. Architects often push the limits of size, glazing ratios, and unique profiles.

A strong consultant helps navigate available products and testing parameters to arrive at practical, compliant solutions.

Real-world challenge: coastal impact-rated glass

Consider a recent church project in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., where coastal wind codes required impact-rated glass. Solving that problem meant balancing large fenestration openings with structural and code demands without compromising the design.

That kind of technical nuance is where specification expertise delivers measurable value.

Ten qualities every architect should demand from a consultant

When you bring a consultant into a project, you’re buying more than product catalogs. You’re buying risk mitigation.

These are the ten capabilities Scott Alden recommends architects evaluate before engaging a specification partner.

Consultants as trusted partners

The most effective consultants act as advocates for the architect’s intent. They deliver practical, code-compliant execution.

Consultants bridge gaps between designers, builders, and manufacturers. This helps ensure the final building performs as intended and looks the part.

When you choose a consultant, look beyond product lines. Choose someone who will protect the design through construction and ensure performance in the field.

 
Here is the source article for this story: The Secret to a Winning Spec Process