About the author:

China State Construction Overseas Development Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200125, China

Abstract:

In international projects, the tension between the employer’ s high-quality requirements andthe contractor’s cost control persists throughout the project. The specification （SPEC）， serving as a corecontract document, can effectively balance this conflict between requirements and costs,which hasbecome a vital management tool for international projects. The concept, format, and content of SPEC arefirstly elaborated, then the role of SPEC in international project management is analyzed. Furthermore,by incorporating practical case studies of SPEC application in international projects, key managementpriorities and strategies for SPEC are proposed.