UFGS tailoring and editing.
The designer selects sections, resolves brackets and fill-ins, and edits the guide specification with government spec-writing tools. UFGS tailoring at design produces the project book.
Solutions · UFGS & DOT specs
UFGS specification compliance review with AI
Specset checks federal construction submittals, shop drawings, product data, and drawings against the conformed UFGS sections and returns findings cited to the paragraph and the sheet. The book is conformed first: brackets already resolved at design, agency supplements, addenda, and amendments merged into one governing text per section. Specset also conforms Caltrans, WSDOT, FDOT, and railroad books the same way. Your reviewer still owns the stamp.
UFGS compliance
UFGS specification compliance review with AI for federal construction projects
UFGS compliance review checks what the contractor submitted against what the tailored UFGS book requires. Specset does that check on construction-phase packages: each submittal is read against the governing UFGS section, Section 01 33 00 Submittal Procedures, and the current drawings, and every finding cites the paragraph or sheet it came from.
UFGS are written jointly by USACE, NAVFAC, and AFCEC for military construction, published on WBDG, and updated quarterly. On a project, the designer tailors the guide specifications, resolves the brackets, and issues the book. The contractor then builds submittals against that issued book. Specset starts there: it conforms the issued sections with agency supplements and addenda, then reviews the packages against them.
Federal tenants run in CUI mode, which keeps model calls inside the Assured Workloads boundary and turns off the Procore and Autodesk integrations.
UFGS compliance review.
Specset reads the issued, conformed book and checks shop drawings, product data, and drawings against it. Findings are cited, consolidated, challenged by a second AI, and returned on the marked-up package for the reviewer’s call.
Submittals
Can AI check federal construction submittals against UFGS?
Specset checks shop drawings, product data, and drawings against the conformed UFGS sections (brackets resolved, project amendments applied) and returns cited findings. That check does not replace agency review or the engineer of record.
On USACE and NAVFAC work, the review reads UFGS submittal procedures after the project book is conformed. UFGS tailoring at design happens before construction. Specset reviews the construction-phase package against that tailored, conformed result. It picks up after tailoring.
UFGS
What is UFGS and how do teams check submittals against UFGS sections?
UFGS is the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications. On a real job the guide spec is not the whole contract. Agency supplements sit beside UFGS sections. Addenda land after the set is printed. Special provisions amend paragraphs deep in the book.
Checking a submittal against UFGS means checking it against the governing section. Base language, supplements, and addenda merge into one text. Every paragraph keeps the file it came from. The package (product data, shop drawings, samples) is then reviewed against that text and the current sheets. Findings come back cited to the paragraph or the page.
The Specset Cloud Platform service description names UFGS compliance checking. The platform flags potential issues and returns cited answers drawn from the customer’s own project documents. That check does not replace agency review or the engineer of record. Licensed reviewers still own the stamp.
SD numbers
How do UFGS submittals work, from SD-01 to SD-11?
UFGS Section 01 33 00 Submittal Procedures sorts every submittal by a Submittal Description (SD) number. Each technical section lists the submittals it requires under those numbers, and a "G" marks the ones that need Government approval.
- SD-01 Preconstruction Submittals
- Required before or at the start of work, such as the submittal register, schedules, and the QC plan.
- SD-02 Shop Drawings
- Drawings, diagrams, and schedules prepared to illustrate a portion of the work.
- SD-03 Product Data
- Catalog cuts, performance charts, and brochures showing what will be installed.
- SD-04 Samples
- Physical examples, color samples, and mock-ups.
- SD-05 Design Data
- Design calculations, mix designs, and analyses.
- SD-06 Test Reports
- Lab and field test reports on the specified material or system.
- SD-07 Certificates
- Signed manufacturer or contractor statements that the item meets the spec.
- SD-08 Manufacturer’s Instructions
- Installation instructions and safety data sheets.
- SD-09 Manufacturer’s Field Reports
- Manufacturer’s representative test and verification records from the site.
- SD-10 Operation and Maintenance Data
- Data facility staff need to operate and maintain the item.
- SD-11 Closeout Submittals
- Record drawings, as-builts, and other closeout documentation.
Submittals marked "G" (or "S" for sustainability reporting) go to the Government for approval. The rest are approved by the contractor’s quality control system. The guide specification notes that the submittal register is created from the project specification files at the end of design. Specset reviews each package against the section that called for it, so a product data sheet is checked against the same paragraphs the reviewer will hold it to.
DOT projects
How do you build a conformed specification book from addenda and special provisions on a DOT project?
Special provisions amend paragraphs deep in the standard book. Addenda land after the set is printed. A keyword search, or a chat over the wrong revision, misses what actually governs. Non-standard is the standard. Conforming happens before screening or review starts.
- 01
Ingest as issued
Specs, drawings, addenda, and special provisions, in whatever shape the owner published them. No template reformatting required to start.
- 02
Conform per section
The base section and its amendments are applied oldest to newest, as the directive language is written: replace this value, add this paragraph, delete that subsection. The result is one governing text per section, with attributions and precedence. Every paragraph keeps the file it came from. Click through to the issued page.
- 03
Revision-track the sheets
Drawing revisions stay visible so RFIs and submittals answer against the current set.
- 04
Run the agents
Design quality review, bid screening, submittal log and review, and closeout read that same record. Conforming happens before screening or review starts.
Agency manuals
Caltrans, WSDOT and FDOT books, conformed
A state DOT job is the standard specifications plus the project’s special provisions and addenda. Conformed spec book software merges them into one governing text per section before anyone reviews a submittal or prices a bid. Specset does that for Caltrans, WSDOT, FDOT, and other agency books.
Caltrans and DOT conformed specification book software →The standard book, still in separate files.
Caltrans, FDOT, and WSDOT manuals publish the standard specifications and how the book is organized. On a live project they are not the whole contract. Special provisions, addenda, and the project manual sit beside the standard sections. Reading them as separate PDFs leaves the amendment in a different file from the paragraph it changes.
One governing text per section.
Conformed software merges the base book, the special provisions, and the addenda into one governing text per section before screening or review starts. Caltrans special provisions are merged into the standard sections they amend. WSDOT and FDOT books are read as issued. Search and review then run on what governs now, with a click back to the issued page.
Formats
Formats already in production.
A new format is normal work. Upload the book as issued.
- UFGS
- Unified Facilities Guide Specifications. Also named in the FedRAMP public service description for compliance checking: the platform flags potential issues and returns cited answers from the customer’s project documents.
- Caltrans
- Including special provisions merged into standard sections.
- WSDOT, FDOT
- State DOT books, read as issued.
- BNSF and other railroad and port authority books
- Railroad and port authority specifications, including BNSF engineering specifications. Submittals are reviewed against the conformed book with cited findings.
- Scanned legacy manuals
- And one-off project manuals.
Who uses this
The teams that inherit the public book.
General contractors, construction managers, design teams, and owners working from UFGS or a state DOT set.
GCs and CMs
Bidding and building federal and state work. The book arrives with special provisions and addenda already in force. Review runs on the governing section, not on a search of the wrong revision.
A/E and design-build
Issuing milestone sets against UFGS or DOT specs. Design quality review reads the same conformed record the team will build from.
Owners and agencies
Approving sets and inheriting closeout on public programs. Findings stay cited to the paragraph or the sheet.
Federal UFGS
Does Specset support federal UFGS submittal review?
Yes. A submittal is checked against the conformed UFGS section and the current sheets. Each finding cites the governing paragraph or page. Specset does not replace the reviewer who owns the stamp.
Design quality review, bid screening, and closeout read that same conformed record on federal and public programs.
Federal solutions →Common questions
What teams ask about UFGS and DOT specifications.
01What is UFGS specification compliance review with AI?
It is a construction-phase check of submittals against the tailored, conformed UFGS book. Specset reads each package, including shop drawings, product data, and drawings, against the governing UFGS section, Section 01 33 00 Submittal Procedures, and the current sheets, and cites every finding to the paragraph or page. It does not replace agency review or the engineer of record.
02How is Specset different from UFGS tailoring tools?
UFGS tailoring at design is done with government spec-writing tools: the designer selects sections, resolves brackets, and edits the guide specification into the project book. Specset picks up after tailoring and reviews construction packages against the tailored, conformed project book.
03Can AI check federal construction submittals against UFGS?
Specset checks shop drawings, product data, and drawings against the conformed UFGS sections (brackets resolved, project amendments applied) and returns cited findings. That check does not replace agency review or the engineer of record. On USACE and NAVFAC work, the review reads UFGS submittal procedures after the project book is conformed.
04What is UFGS and how do teams check submittals against UFGS sections?
UFGS is the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications. Teams check a submittal against the governing section: base UFGS language, agency supplements, and addenda merged into one text, then the package reviewed against that text and the current sheets. Findings are cited back to the paragraph or page. Specset flags issues from the customer’s project documents. It does not replace agency review or the engineer of record.
05What are UFGS SD-01 through SD-11 submittals?
They are the Submittal Description numbers defined in UFGS Section 01 33 00 Submittal Procedures: SD-01 Preconstruction Submittals, SD-02 Shop Drawings, SD-03 Product Data, SD-04 Samples, SD-05 Design Data, SD-06 Test Reports, SD-07 Certificates, SD-08 Manufacturer’s Instructions, SD-09 Manufacturer’s Field Reports, SD-10 Operation and Maintenance Data, and SD-11 Closeout Submittals. Items marked "G" need Government approval. Specset reviews each package against the section that requires it.
06How do you build a conformed specification book from addenda and special provisions on a DOT project?
Upload the base book, special provisions, addenda, and drawings as the owner issued them. Conforming applies those amendments oldest to newest into one governing text per section, with attribution and precedence. Every paragraph keeps the file it came from. Drawing revisions stay visible. Design review, bid screening, submittal review, and closeout then read that record. Conforming happens before screening or review starts.
07Can Specset merge Caltrans special provisions into the standard specs?
Yes. Special provisions are merged into the standard sections they amend, with attribution, so agents and searchers read one governing text per section.
08Does UFGS compliance checking mean Specset replaces agency review?
No. Specset flags issues and returns cited findings from the customer’s project documents for licensed reviewers. Agency and engineer-of-record judgment remain with the humans who own the stamp. The FedRAMP public service description uses the same boundary: the platform flags potential issues and returns cited answers drawn from the customer’s own project documents.
09Is MasterFormat required?
No. Caltrans, WSDOT, FDOT, and MasterFormat structures are first-class on the Specset platform. Upload the owner’s format.
10Does Specset support federal UFGS submittal review?
Yes. Specset reviews submittals against the conformed UFGS sections and the current drawings, with a citation on each finding. Design quality review, bid screening, and closeout read that same record. Specset does not replace the reviewer who owns the stamp.
11What is Specset’s FedRAMP status?
Filed FedRAMP 20x Class A application, under review; Marketplace listing FR2631258135, Initial Implementation; pursuing Class C.
Start with the book as issued
Request a UFGS or DOT review.
Bring the book as published. Specset conforms it, and you check the citations before anything goes back on the project letterhead.