4.3 New Special Specification and Special Provision Submission Requirements

In the early stages of design, the basic nature and character of work should be established, so that bid items may be selected. Also, this allows the designer to establish if any special circumstances may require Special Specifications or Special Provisions.
New Special Specifications and Special Provisions should be submitted only when it has been determined that construction under the Standard Specifications will not achieve the desired results or will not prove to be economical. If new Special Specifications or Special Provisions are needed, the early identification will allow time for them to be reviewed and approved prior to the submission of the PS&E.

4.3.1 General Guidelines

Special Provisions should modify the Standard Specification only to the extent necessary to accomplish the desired results. When voiding portions of an article, void only the sentences requiring removal/replacement and the remainder of the Article should remain exactly as it appears in the Standard Specification. While condensing and simplifying an article may result in what appears to be a more concise Special Provision, this practice has often resulted in misinterpretation and the unintentional omission of important Standard Specification requirements.
The same general format and wording used in the Standard Specifications should be followed in preparing Special Specifications. This can most readily be accomplished by using a similar standard item as a guide and substituting the desired wording where appropriate. In particular, the measurement and payment paragraphs should be essentially the same as similar standard items. This is necessary since conflicts or vagueness in these paragraphs are often the basis for claims against the department.
During the preparation of both Special Provisions and Special Specifications, considerable thought should be given toward requirements and wording which will permit the use of the Special Provisions or Special Specifications on other projects having slightly different conditions. This can be achieved by relegating certain features, such as density and gradation requirements, to the plans and exercising foresight in preparing the measurement and payment paragraphs. The repeated use of desirable Special Provisions and Special Specifications is most beneficial in that it results in progress in construction methods and materials, and uniform interpretation of specification requirements.
Ensure that new Special Specifications and Special Provisions do not contradict the other articles of the specifications and provisions in the contract.
All articles of the newly prepared Special Specifications and Special Provisions should be reviewed and compared to those of the other specifications and provisions in the contract.

4.3.2 Requesting New Special Specifications, Special Provisions, or Bid Codes

To request a new Special Specification, Special Provision, or Bid Item, a Specification Request Form must be completed and submitted through TxDOTCONNECT (TxC).
For additional information on accessing and submitting the Specification Request Form, refer to the .
For all projects, when a Special Provision or Special Specification has been used three (3) or more times in a District, the status of districtwide use is encouraged. When the District determines they want a proposed Special Provision or Special Specification for districtwide use, the District must submit a Specification Request Form in TxC.

4.3.3 Specification Templates

Templates have been developed and must be used to develop new Specifications and Provisions. Special Specifications and Special Provisions will not be accepted for submittal and review unless they are in the correct format.
These templates are found on the TxDOT.gov .
The templates open with a .docx extension and must be saved with an .rtf extension prior to uploading to TxC with a Specification Request Form. Once the document is opened and the information has been entered and ready to be saved, click on File > Save As > Browse, and under “Save as Type” select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).

4.3.4 Approval Procedure

Once a Specifications Request Form has been submitted through TxC, it is routed through an automated workflow. The workflow differs for each Form type.
Refer to the for additional information on the workflows, including review and approvals.