FOR ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS AND SPECIFICATION WRITERS

Assemble the spec book together.

Your consultants write their sections inside your project, from their own libraries. You issue one sealed revision, and everyone you issue it to reads and comments free.

Create accountBook 25 minutes

One draft, every discipline · Every revision sealed · Free to start

PART 1 · WHAT CHANGES

Four things a PDF cannot do

1.01

Live, in one draft

Your consultants write their sections inside your project, live, at the role you give them. Every edit is tracked to its author. Two people in the same standard are kept apart clause by clause, and a clause both changed is refused, never overwritten. Nothing is issued until you publish.

A looping demonstration of two people editing the same project draft, Building 400, draft of Rev 4, in the HVAC Ductwork standard. T. Nakamura of Meridian MEP is the mechanical consultant writing in Harbor Engineering's project. On the left, R. Alvarez of Harbor Engineering changes clause 12.2.8 to read "Joints with gaps exceeding 1/2 in. shall be re-fabricated or re-fitted, not merely bridged with mesh and mastic." and saves. The save lands. On the right, T. Nakamura adds "Remove any found on site before the leakage test." to clause 12.3.3, "Cloth-backed duct tape is not UL 181A or 181A-P listed and is not acceptable for ductwork sealing in any application.", and saves. That save lands too, and a notice says R. Alvarez's change to 12.2.8 is now in their copy. Both then edit clause 7.2.7, "Seal Class B is required for pressure class 3 in. w.g." R. Alvarez saves "Seal Class B is required for pressure class 3 in. w.g. and for all ducts in unconditioned spaces." first. T. Nakamura saves "Seal Class B is required for pressure class 2 in. w.g. and above." second. The second save is refused: a dialog titled "You and R. Alvarez both changed 7.2.7" asks T. Nakamura to choose which version to keep, and says nothing is saved until they choose. Nothing was overwritten: R. Alvarez's text for 7.2.7 stands.

1.02

Comments on the clause

Every comment sits on the clause it is about, at the revision it was raised against. Notes, questions and suggestions for your own team stay internal. A recipient's response, Comply, Deviation, Exception or N/A, is forwarded one hop upstream and resolved there or passed on. Every comment is in the register, and each revision's responses roll up into one summary you can export as PDF.

A looping demonstration of commenting on a clause. In project Millbrook WTP Electrical Upgrade, a contractor, D. Whitfield of Northgate Builders, reads the SynC standard Low-Voltage Switchgear, revision 2.1.0, and presses the comment button beside clause 3.2.4: "Each main and feeder breaker shall be set to the coordination study and tested by primary current injection before the switchgear is energized." The comment dialog opens with that clause cited. The comment is a Compliance comment to Harbor Engineering, routed to bubble up the chain. The disposition is changed from Deviation to Exception and the reason is typed: "No primary injection test set for the 4000 A mains is available before the outage. We propose secondary injection at the mains." It is submitted and appears on the clause, dated Oct 21, 2026. The view moves to Harbor Engineering's comment register, where the comment is listed as received and awaiting response, with its citation Low-Voltage Switchgear 3.2.4, and in the as-bid rollup as open. Harbor Engineering resolves it with the outcome Rejected and the note: "Primary injection stands: secondary injection does not test the current sensors. Schedule the outage when a test set is available." The loop ends on Northgate Builders' view of the clause, where the comment now shows Rejected with that note.

1.03

Compare any two revisions

Projects and standards alike. Each addendum reads clause by clause against any earlier revision, with a revised standard opened in place. Nothing is retyped and nothing is missed.

A looping demonstration of comparing two revisions of project Millbrook WTP Electrical Upgrade. On the Compare revisions page the older revision changes from 1.1.0, Addendum 1, to 1.0.0, Issued for bid, and the newer stays 1.2.0, Addendum 2. The comparison from 1.0.0 to 1.2.0 lists four standard changes: Surge Protective Devices added at revision 1.0.0; Enclosed Switches removed, at revision 1.2.0; Grounding and Bonding revised from 1.3.0 to 1.4.0; Low-Voltage Switchgear revised from 2.0.0 to 2.1.0. The datasheet SWGR-1 Main switchgear is revised from 1.0.0 to 1.1.0, with 1 field changed. Low-Voltage Switchgear opens in place, its row pinned at the top with Previous changed standard, Next changed standard and Close. Its revision register compares 2.0.0, Jun 2, 2026, with 2.1.0, Oct 6, 2026: 4 clauses changed and 1 datasheet field. By kind: 1 clause added; 2 clauses and 1 field modified; 1 clause removed. Listing changes only, clause 2.3.1 is unchanged but its field Short-circuit current rating changed: the option 100 kA is added, and the default moves from 42 kA to 65 kA. Clause 3.2.4 is modified: "Each main and feeder breaker shall be field tested before the switchgear is energized." now reads "Each main and feeder breaker shall be set to the coordination study and tested by primary current injection before the switchgear is energized."

1.04

Who did what, per revision

Every revision names its author and the reason it was issued. The project's change panel names who did each act, when, and why.

A looping demonstration of who did what on project Millbrook WTP Electrical Upgrade. The draft 1.2.0, Addendum 2, is open. Publish opens the Publish new revision dialog: draft Addendum 2 is published as revision 1.2.0, a minor revision. The revision name Addendum 2 is typed, then the description: The utility's available fault current rose. Switchgear is now rated 65 kA, and breakers are tested by primary current injection. Publish revision is pressed. The revision register then lists three issued revisions: 1.2.0, Addendum 2, current, published by Maya Okafor on Oct 9, 2026 at 3:05 PM with that description, contributors Maya Okafor and Luis Ferreira; 1.1.0, Addendum 1, published by Maya Okafor on Aug 18, 2026, surge protective devices added and enclosed switches removed; 1.0.0, Issued for bid, a major revision published by Daniel Reyes on Jul 14, 2026. Revision 1.2.0 is opened. Its change panel, Revision changes in this revision, records one standard updated: Luis Ferreira, on Oct 7, 2026, moved Low-Voltage Switchgear from revision 2.0.0 to 2.1.0, because the utility's available fault current now exceeds 42 kA and 2.1.0 makes 65 kA the default rating.

PART 2 · WHAT HOLDS IT TOGETHER

The record under the collaboration

2.01

Sealed revisions

Publish and the revision is sealed with a fingerprint. Anyone holding an export can look it up and confirm what was issued. Exports carry a signed certificate that can be checked offline.

A looping demonstration of checking a sealed revision. Project Building 400 is open on its published snapshot, revision 3.1.0, Addendum 1, issued Oct 24, 2026, with content fingerprint a58fba855e04 (sha256). The Integrity and Metadata card lists the revision, published Oct 24, 2026 at 3:05 PM, the full content hash, and the Verify ID. Then the public page Check a SynC document opens. The exported PDF package, building-400-specifications-r3-1-0.pdf, is dragged onto the drop zone, which reads that nothing is uploaded, and the page checks it in the browser. The result: the file, PDF, 2.4 MB, checked in this browser. The certificate for Building 400, a project specifications revision, has status Authentic. Certificate authentic: SynC issued this certificate for 3.1.0 on October 24, 2026, and the certified content attached to the file is exactly what SynC sealed for that revision; it covers the whole revision, 9 specifications and 6 datasheets. Revision 3.1.0, issued October 24, 2026, fingerprint a58fba855e04, extent whole revision, and the Verify ID. SynC certifies the content; the pages are a convenience view, and the check does not cover the pages you see.

2.02

Change a value once

A standard asks for the project's altitude, its adopted code, its ambient temperature. Answer each once, as a project parameter, and every clause that cites it reads the answer. The answer carries from revision to revision, and when it changes, the next revision shows the change.

A looping demonstration of the project parameter register for project Building 400, draft 3.1.0. The register lists three parameters the project's adopted standards ask of it. On file 3, answered 1, unanswered 2, register open. adopted-building-code is answered Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). altitude and seismic-design-category read TBD. Altitude is asserted by Automatic Transfer Switches and Boilers. The Answer button on the altitude row is pressed, the value 1500 and the unit ft are typed, and Save answer is pressed. The row now reads 1500 ft, answered rises to 2 and unanswered drops to 1. Then the Automatic Transfer Switches standard opens in the project at clause 5.2.1, under Environmental and Service Conditions, Altitude: "The transfer switch shall be de-rated for altitude in accordance with the manufacturer's published correction factors where the altitude exceeds the rating basis of the listing." The parameter first reads Altitude TBD, then the project's answer, 1500 ft, takes its place in the sentence.

2.03

Drawing coordination checklist

Mark a requirement as deferred to the drawings and it goes on the project's checklist, with every datasheet value still open. Work the list down before the issue date instead of reading the whole spec with a highlighter.

A looping demonstration of the drawing coordination checklist for project Building 400, draft 4. The checklist collects four requirements the specification defers to the drawings, grouped by the standard they come from. From Storm Drainage: 6.1.2, the pipe material, size, slope, and invert elevations for each reach shall be as indicated on the storm drainage plan and profile; 7.1.1, structure locations, types, rim elevations, and pipe invert elevations shall be as indicated on the storm structure schedule; 12.6.6, the point of connection to the public storm system shall be as indicated on the civil utility plan. From Sanitary Sewer Systems (Site): 6.1.2, the pipe material, size, slope, and invert elevations for each reach, main and lateral alike, shall be as indicated on the sanitary sewer plan and profile. The status reads 4 of 4 open. Storm Drainage 6.1.2 is checked off with the note "Sheets C-301 and C-302.", then 7.1.1 with the note "Sheet C-501.", both confirmed by R. Alvarez on Oct 21, 2026. The status drops to 2 of 4 open, with 12.6.6 and the sanitary sewer item still open.

2.04

Library and project, in step

When a library standard is revised, see what changed and apply it to the project copy. Your values are kept. Every clause keeps its history, in the library and in the project.

A looping demonstration of a library standard revision reaching a project. In project Millbrook WTP Electrical Upgrade, the customized copy of the standard Panelboards uses library revision 1.2.0, and its title block flags a newer revision: SynC Panelboards 1.3.0, 8 changes. Review source changes opens: made from SynC Panelboards 1.2.0, newest SynC Panelboards 1.3.0. No conflicts; every difference applies without a decision. By kind: 3 clauses and 1 datasheet field updated, 2 clauses and 1 field added, 1 clause removed, 2 clauses kept from the copy, 8 clauses and 2 fields in all. Clause 6.3.2 is updated from the source: "The assembly short-circuit current rating marked on the nameplate of each panelboard shall equal or exceed the maximum available fault current at its line terminals." now reads "The assembly short-circuit current rating marked on the nameplate of each panelboard shall equal or exceed the available fault current at its line terminals as established under the short-circuit study." Clause 9.1.4, the project's own text, is kept from this copy: "Panelboards in the chemical feed building and the chlorine storage room shall have Type 4X enclosures of Type 316 stainless steel." Clause 9.1.7 is added by the source: "A field opening in a Type 4X cabinet shall be made only with a hub listed for that enclosure type, at a location the manufacturer permits." Apply changes to a draft puts the source changes in a draft of the copy, and Save revision saves it. The copy now uses library revision 1.3.0: customized from SynC Panelboards 1.2.0, it has the changes through SynC Panelboards 1.3.0. The project datasheet keeps its values: Main Bus Continuous Current 400 A, Assembly Short-Circuit Current Rating 65 kA, Interrupting Rating Basis Fully rated.

2.05

One look, every author

Word and PDF with a table of contents, bookmarks, continuous page numbers and SynC's house styles, no matter who wrote each section.

A looping demonstration of exporting a project. On project Building 400, Revision 3, the quick actions menu opens and Export is chosen. The export dialog opens on the PDF package format, with datasheet fields and the options not chosen included and all eight specifications selected: Storm Drainage, Steel Deck, Structural Steel Framing, Door Hardware, HVAC Ductwork, Chillers, Domestic Water Piping and Panelboards. HVAC Ductwork and Chillers were written by the consultant Meridian MEP and the rest by Harbor Engineering. Export PDF prepares each specification in turn, requests the certificate and builds the PDF. The dialog closes and the file, building-400-specifications-r3.pdf, opens on its cover page: project title, revision Rev 3, issue and export dates, and a contents list of every specification under its section with its revision code, all in one house style whoever wrote it. The footer reads Page 1 of 104, numbered continuously through the package. Beside it the bookmark outline lists the sections, one bookmark per section divider page, and Air Distribution opens to show HVAC Ductwork.

2.06

Your own standards

Keep your office master in a private company library, each spec with its datasheet. Convert it yourself with the conversion guide, or bring one section to a call and we convert it with you.

Read the conversion guide
A looping demonstration of a company library. The Standards page shows Harbor Engineering's own register on the Company tab, eight standards grouped by category: Door Hardware, Panelboards, HVAC Ductwork, Chillers, Domestic Water Piping, Storm Drainage, Steel Deck and Structural Steel Framing, each with Edit and Deprecate controls. The user switches to the Global tab, the SynC library, and searches for dry-type. Low-Voltage Dry-Type Transformers is the one name match. Its page shows revision 1.2.0, and the user presses Customize. The Customize dialog copies revision 1.2.0 to the company library, for everyone in Harbor Engineering, as Low-Voltage Dry-Type Transformers (Custom) in the Power Distribution Equipment category. The copy's page confirms it was copied to the Harbor Engineering library at revision 1.0.0, marked Customized, with a Customized from card naming SynC Low-Voltage Dry-Type Transformers 1.2.0. Back in the Company tab the register now holds nine standards, and the new row reads Customized from Low-Voltage Dry-Type Transformers.

PART 3 · HOW TO START

From your library to issued for bid

STEP 01

Start from a standard

Import a company or SynC standard into the project draft. It arrives linked to its source, not pasted in, so the project knows when the source is revised.

A looping demonstration of adding a library standard to a project draft. The draft of Building 400 is open, editing draft 3.1.0, Addendum 1. Under Standards by section, the Electrical section holds Panelboards at revision 3.0.0 and Low-Voltage Dry-Type Transformers at revision 1.2.0, marked Customized, and the Specifications tile reads 8. The user presses Add standard. The Add a standard to the project dialog opens on the Company Standards tab, showing the Harbor Engineering Standards library. The user switches to the Global Standards tab, the SynC Wiki library, and searches for site lighting. One standard remains: Exterior and Site Lighting, filed under Electrical and Lighting, with its description. The user presses Import beside it. A second dialog, Import standard, names the standard, from SynC Wiki in the category Electrical, Lighting, states that SynC writes and maintains it under the CC BY 4.0 license, that the project copy is the user's to edit, and that documents carry a one-line credit to SynC Standards. The project section defaults to Electrical, Lighting, the standard's own category. Revision 2.0.0, the latest, is selected; it adds the surge protection rating and the lighting zone to the datasheet. Revision 1.0.0, the first revision, is also listed. The user presses Add to project, which reads Adding while it works. Back in the draft, a notice says Exterior and Site Lighting was added to the project. A new Lighting subsection under Electrical holds it at revision 2.0.0 with no datasheets yet and an Add datasheet action, and the Specifications tile reads 9.

STEP 02

Fill out the datasheet

Fill this job's values and edit clauses only where it differs. Mark what the drawings still owe.

A looping demonstration of setting a datasheet in project Building 400. The create screen opens as New datasheet, Create New Datasheet, based on template Domestic Water Booster Pump Systems. The prefilled datasheet name is replaced with BP-1 Domestic water booster. The datasheet has 22 fields; four are shown. Field 6.2, Minimum Available Suction Pressure in psi, starts as indicated on the drawings, and the locator note Flow test on sheet C-101 is typed in, so its status reads As indicated on the drawings, Flow test on sheet C-101. Field 6.4, System Design Peak Flow in gpm, also starts as indicated on the drawings; Specify a value instead is pressed and its slider, from 20 to 1000, is set to 200 gpm. Field 6.4, Required Discharge (Boosted) Pressure Setpoint, keeps its default of 70 psi, on a scale from 40 to 125. Field 8.1, Pump Wetted Material, keeps its default, Type 304 stainless steel bowls and impellers (standard potable booster). Create datasheet opens the First revision summary dialog; the summary Initial values from the 60% plumbing set. is typed, the dialog notes the datasheet will be recorded as revision 1.0.0, and Create datasheet is pressed. The project draft returns with the notice Datasheet created successfully. Under Plumbing, the standard Domestic Water Booster Pump Systems now lists the datasheet BP-1 Domestic water booster, marked 1 deferred and Current, with content fingerprint 7f3a9c2e51b4 and an Edit button.

STEP 03

Share, then resolve

Publish a sealed revision and send it as share links. Comments come back on the clause, in one queue.

A looping demonstration of sharing a project. On the Distribution page for project Building 400, the Share dialog opens on revision 3.0.0. The recipient’s email, d.whitfield@northgate-builders.example, is typed in and the access level Viewer (read and comment) is chosen: the recipient reads the revision and comments on it, and cannot edit. Send confirms “Shared with d.whitfield@northgate-builders.example”, and the share link appears in the share links list as Pending. When it is accepted the status changes to Accepted, and the Access Records tab shows a new record: D. Whitfield of Northgate Builders, role Viewer, received Rev 3.0.0 on Oct 21, 2026, with a Remove access control beside it.

WHAT IT COSTS

Your first author is free. Every author after that requires a seat, at one price, with no tiers. Everyone you issue to reads, comments and responds free.

SEE PRICING

Questions

What is the difference between the spec and the datasheet?

The specification holds the requirements every project shares. The datasheet holds the values that change from job to job. The prose stays put, which makes it easier for you to write and easier for every reader to read, and the values sit in one place, where a reader looks for them. When the prose does need to change, the revision compare shows exactly what moved.

What happens when a standard I imported or customized is revised?

SynC shows what changed. Changes that do not touch your edits apply cleanly; where a library change and a project edit meet, you choose. Your datasheet values are kept, and nothing moves into the project until you apply it.

How is access controlled?

Per person and per project. A share link is issued against a published revision at the role you choose. You decide whether the recipient may forward it, how far, and whether they may export a copy. You see who accepted and when, and you can withdraw access.

Can my consultants use their own standards?

Yes. A consultant with an Editor link works in your draft from their own company library. Their standards stay theirs. The project is yours.

Is there an AI?

Yes. Anyone on a project can ask it questions and it answers from the record your account can see, with a citation to the clause it relied on. It writes too: ask it to edit a clause, fill out a datasheet or add a standard, and it proposes the change as a card you approve before anything is saved. Routine changes can be given standing approval. It never reaches further than your account does.

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