How to Write Specification Texts That Architects Actually Use

A manufacturer's specification text gets used when a planner can copy it into the tender specification without rewriting it. That means it describes performance in neutral, testable terms, cites the standard behind every value, names your product only where the procurement route allows it, and arrives in the file format the planner's software reads, such as GAEB DA XML in Germany. If a text reads like a brochure, the planner has to rewrite it, and your product's defining properties can get lost on the way.

This guide is for building product manufacturers who supply tender texts to architects and specialist planners and want those texts to survive into the final tender.

What a specification text has to do for the planner

The planner, not the manufacturer, is responsible for the description of works. Under German public works rules, the description has to be unambiguous and complete enough that every bidder understands it the same way and can calculate a price without extensive preparatory work (§ 7 (1) VOB/A, Section 1, 2019 edition). Private clients are generally not bound by these rules, with exceptions: in Germany, private-law companies can be contracting authorities under § 99 no. 2 GWB if they are set up to meet needs in the general interest and are mainly publicly financed or controlled, and § 99 no. 4 GWB covers certain projects, such as hospitals or school, university and administrative buildings, that are more than 50 percent publicly subsidised. The EU basis for the subsidy rule is Article 13 of Directive 2014/24/EU. A text that meets the public rules also works on private projects, so write to that standard either way.

So the planner reads your text with three questions in mind:

• Can I use it without creating a liability for myself?

• Can a contractor price it without phoning me?

• Does it fit the structure and format of the tender I am already building?

A text that answers all three saves the planner work, which is why it gets used.

Public and private projects follow different rules

On public projects, brand references are the exception. EU Directive 2014/24/EU, Article 42 (4), says technical specifications must not refer to a specific make, trade mark or type that favours certain products, unless the subject matter justifies it or the requirement cannot otherwise be described precisely. Where such a reference is allowed, it must carry the words "or equivalent". In Germany, § 7 (2) VOB/A applies the same principle to public works below the EU thresholds. For public works above the thresholds, § 7 EU (2) VOB/A in the 2026 edition contains the same rule, also with "oder gleichwertig". According to the introduction decree of the Federal Building Ministry (BMWSB) of 14 October 2026, this edition has applied since 8 September 2026. § 31 (6) VgV transposes the rule for supplies and services. For contracting authorities covered by the UK Procurement Act 2023, section 56 contains a similar rule for trade marks, producers and types. Devolved Scottish authorities are generally excluded from the Act and follow the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

For manufacturers this has a practical consequence. On public work, the performance description is the yardstick against which any alternative is measured. On private work without procurement obligations, the planner is freer to name a reference product, but a contractor can still propose an alternative later, and the performance values are what the planner will compare it against.

Write every text so that it works without the brand line. Then add the brand line where it is permitted.

The structure of a text planners can lift

The table below shows the elements a usable position text contains and the mistakes that create extra work for the planner.

Keep one position per product function. A text that bundles three options into one position forces the planner to split it, and your wording can get lost in the process.

Write performance values that can be tested

"High sound absorption" cannot be checked. "Sound absorption class A according to EN ISO 11654" can. The same applies to fire behaviour, where a reaction-to-fire class according to EN 13501-1 tells the planner and the contractor exactly what must be delivered.

Testable values do two jobs. They let the planner describe the requirement neutrally, and they become the yardstick for any alternative a contractor proposes later. The values belong in the text because the building needs them. If your product meets them well, that shows in the comparison without a brand reference.

Avoid listing every value from your data sheet. Choose the properties that matter for the use case, and leave out the ones that only narrow the field without a functional reason. On public projects, requirements that only one product can meet without a functional reason are a hidden breach of product neutrality, according to the Bremen guidance note on product-neutral tendering (dated 30 July 2026).

Deliver the text in the format the planner's software reads

In Germany, tender documents are commonly exchanged in GAEB DA XML, a data exchange standard for tendering, award and billing maintained by the Gemeinsamer Ausschuss Elektronik im Bauwesen. According to the GAEB website, version 3.3 is the current release and version 3.4 was published as a beta in March 2026. If your texts are available as GAEB files, a planner can import them into the Leistungsverzeichnis (the itemised tender specification) instead of retyping them.

Outside Germany, ask which specification system and format the practice uses before you send anything. A well-written text in the wrong format still means manual work for the planner.

Offer at least three formats: a GAEB file where relevant, an editable text document and a PDF for reference. Make the source of each text visible, with product name, version and date.

Keep the texts maintained

Specification texts age. Products are reformulated, test reports are renewed and standards change. A planner who copies an outdated text into a tender creates a problem that lands on your sales team during construction.

A simple maintenance routine helps:

• One owner per product group, for example in product management or the specification team

• A version number and date in every text and file

• A review whenever a product, test report or referenced standard changes

• A list of withdrawn texts, so sales can warn planners who still use them

Connect the texts to your sales process

Specification texts are most useful when they reach a planner during design, before the tender documents are fixed. That makes them a sales tool as well as a download.

Record in your CRM which project received which text and when. When the tender for that project is published, check whether your wording made it in. If it did, you know your contact works with you. If it did not, you have a specific question for the next conversation. Over time, this record shows which texts get adopted and which get rewritten, which is direct feedback from planners for your product management. The share of projects where your specification survives into the order is covered in our article on specification rate.

How Building Radar fits in

Building Radar detects construction projects at planning and design stage, before a tender is published, and Jeane, the intelligence inside Building Radar, reads tender documents and summarises what matters for your decision. For specification teams, this helps with knowing which planners are working on relevant projects early enough to offer your texts. Whether a published tender contains your wording is something your team still checks in the tender documents. More on this on our tenders page and in early project influence.

Frequently asked questions

Should a manufacturer specification text include the product name? As a rule, only as a reference product with the words "or equivalent", and only where the procurement route allows a brand reference. On public projects in the EU, brand references are an exception under Article 42 (4) of Directive 2014/24/EU. The Bremen guidance note describes narrow cases in which a product-specific reason justifies naming one product without "or equivalent", such as a natural stone available from only one quarry. The performance description has to stand on its own in every case.

What makes planners rewrite a manufacturer's text? Marketing language, values without test standards, missing installation scope and formats that cannot be imported. Each of these creates extra work or liability for the planner, so the text gets replaced by the planner's own wording.

Which file format should specification texts be delivered in? In Germany, GAEB DA XML is the common exchange format for tender documents, alongside an editable text file and a PDF. In other markets, ask the practice which specification system it uses before sending files.

How often should specification texts be reviewed? Whenever the product, a test report or a referenced standard changes, and in any case on a fixed schedule set by the owner of the product group. Every text should carry a version number and date.

How do you know whether a specification text was adopted? Record which project received which text, then compare the published tender with your wording. This shows which texts work and gives your sales team a concrete reason to talk to the planner again.

Talk to us about your specification process

If you want to see how early project information and tender summaries fit into your specification work, you can schedule an initial consultation.