What this service covers
Most building services specifications fail at the same point — they describe outcomes rather than methods. A specification that says "the BMS shall control heating and ventilation" is useless to an installer, unhelpful to a controls engineer pricing the job, and unenforceable during commissioning. The Spektris approach starts from the opposite end: what does the installer need to know to get this working, and what does the commissioning engineer need to verify when it's done?
BMS architecture specifications
Cover BACnet/IP as the backbone with MS/TP field buses for legacy or cost-sensitive terminal units. Full point schedule: AI (Analog Input), AO (Analog Output), BI (Binary Input), BO (Binary Output) — all labelled by zone, equipment tag, and sequence reference. Every controller specified with its I/O count, network address range, and commissioning tool. Gateway devices (BACnet/Modbus bridges, IP/MS/TP routers) specified by model or approved equivalent with configuration parameters.
IoT sensor network layout and protocol selection
Wireless sensor networks need a site survey before a specification. LoRaWAN gateway placement is dictated by RF propagation, not floor plan aesthetics. Bluetooth Mesh needs repeater node spacing calculated against the specific environment — open plan behaves differently from cellular offices. The specification documents: gateway placement with coverage calculations, device spacing and density, channel plan and sub-band allocation, and the data schema for every sensor point — not just "temperature sensor" but what units, what resolution, what reporting interval, and what the receiving platform expects.
Smart lighting integration
DALI-2 specifications include: bus topology (max 64 devices per bus, max cable length), addressing scheme, group assignments, scene definitions, and emergency lighting gear type codes. Bluetooth Mesh specifications document: node types (luminaire, sensor, switch), network key management, publication/subscription model, and the gateway or controller that bridges to BACnet or MQTT. DALI/BACnet gateway specifications include mapping tables — DALI address to BACnet object — so commissioning is deterministic rather than exploratory.
Every specification Spektris produces includes a commissioning verification schedule — a table of tests and expected results for every controlled point. This is the document that closes out a project cleanly without disputed snagging lists.
What makes a specification actually buildable
- Written for the trade, not the client. Language installers and controls engineers actually use.
- Protocol parameters specified, not just protocol names. "BACnet MS/TP at 76,800 baud on RS-485, max 32 devices, termination resistors at both ends" — not just "BACnet MS/TP."
- Approved suppliers named but with "or approved equivalent" on commodity items, giving procurement flexibility without specification ambiguity.
- Equipment schedules in tabular format — every item on one row with model, quantity, location, and specification reference.
- Commissioning checklist embedded in the document — so the specification is also the handover verification tool.
Typical deliverables
The standard output is a self-contained specification package containing: a narrative technical specification (BS8300 / CIBSE format), a full point schedule spreadsheet, a network topology diagram (draw.io source included), an equipment schedule, a gateway and connectivity schedule, and a commissioning verification checklist. For projects going to competitive tender, a tender clarification questions template is included.