Question 1. Who owns the National Master Specification (NMS)?
The NMS is owned by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). However everybody in the Canadian construction industry has a vested interest in ensuring that the NMS is kept current and accurate since the NMS plays a major role in construction specifications in Canada.
Question 2. Where can I get a copy of the NMS ?
The NMS is sold by private sector organizations on behalf of NRC . Visit the NMS Publishers page.
Question 3. Do I have to purchase a complete set if I only work with a single discipline within the construction industry?
No. In addition to being sold as a complete set, the NMS is available in packages tailored for specific industry need. NMS packages currently available are:
- Air Transportation Package
- Building Services Package
- Conservation Package
- Electrical Package
- Heavy Civil Engineering Package
- Interior Design Package
- Landscape Architectural Package
- Mechanical Package
- Performance-based Package
- Structural Engineering Package
Each package includes a copy of Division 01 of the NMS . The NMS is also sold by individual divisions and individual sections.
Question 4. Who updates the NMS Sections?
Although the responsibility for ensuring that the NMS is current lies with NRC , the research and review of each section is carried out by discipline specialists from both the public and private sectors. Since the NMS is used in all regions of the country, reviewers are asked to ensure that regional differences are taken into account and included in the NMS .
Question 5. How does the NMS address environmental responsibility and sustainability?
The NMS includes SPEC NOTES specifically dealing with this subject, which assist the specification writer in making appropriate environmental and sustainable choices. In addition NRC is continually updating individual sections to accommodate projects that might be seeking LEED™ requirements and accreditation.
Question 6. What software do I need to be able to work with the NMS ?
All publishers offer NMS sections for use with commercially available software and word processor packages. Depending on your requirements, you can select from various packages available from the NMS publishers. Some offer straight text with few enhancements and others offer specification-editing systems with macros that work with the word processing software to help you more easily manage your specification projects.
Our publishers offer proprietary software specifically designed for editing master specification systems.
Question 7. Who should I contact if I need to talk to someone about sections in a specific division of the NMS ?
Contact NRC directly.
Question 8. Who should I contact for general inquiries about the NMS?
Contact NRC with your inquiry.
Question 9. How can I get involved in the review of NMS sections?
Contact NRC directly to get involved in the review of NMS sections.
Question 10. How can I get my product listed in the NMS ?
The NMS is a generic master specification system. It does not list manufacturer's names or product and trade names. However, NRC takes every opportunity to ensure that the characteristics, physical properties and criteria for each manufacturer's products are incorporated into the appropriate sections of the NMS .
Contact us
National Master Specification (NMS)
National Research Council Canada
Telephone: 613-993-9960
Email: NRC.CONSTNMS-Info-DDN-InfoCONST.CNRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca