DIVISION 23
Division 23 commercial HVAC contractor
BUILT TO THE SPEC
Reading Division 23 before the price, not after award
Division 23 is the HVAC section of the specification format most architects and engineers use. It sets the equipment, materials, installation methods, testing and documentation for the mechanical work, and on larger or institutional projects it carries real cost that never appears on the drawings.
Named manufacturers, duct construction and sealing classes, insulation types, independent test and balance, vibration isolation, commissioning support, extended warranties and owner training are all written into the spec. A contractor who prices from the drawings alone will miss them.
We read the division before pricing and state in our bid which sections we have included. Where a specified product has a lead time or availability problem, we raise it with a priced alternative early, through the proper substitution process.
Division 23 sections that commonly carry cost
- General mechanical requirements
- Duct construction and sealing classes
- Named manufacturers for equipment and controls
- Independent testing, adjusting and balancing
- Commissioning support requirements
- Warranties, spare parts and training
SCOPE OF WORK
What a specification-driven project requires
Spec review
A section-by-section read of Division 23 and the related general requirements before pricing, with inclusions stated in the bid.
Submittals
Equipment data, duct shop drawings and controls submittals organized to the spec’s section numbers.
Substitutions
Formal substitution requests with equivalent products when a specified item has a lead time or availability problem.
Test and balance
Independent or in-house testing, adjusting and balancing to the standard the spec names, with a certified report.
Commissioning support
Working with the commissioning agent on functional tests and resolving the issues they find.
Closeout deliverables
As-builts, test reports, O&M manuals, warranties, spare parts and owner training delivered as the spec lists them.
HOW THE JOB RUNS
A specification-driven job, step by step
01
Read the division before pricing
02
Submit to the spec
03
Install and test
04
Commission and close out
COMMON QUESTIONS
Division 23 questions
It is the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning division of the standard construction specification format. It covers equipment, materials, installation, testing and closeout for the HVAC work.
The drawings show what goes where. The specification sets what it is made of, who can make it, how it is installed and tested, and what must be delivered at the end.
Yes, through the substitution process the spec defines, with the documentation the engineer needs to approve it.
Yes. We schedule functional testing with the agent and resolve the issues they find before turnover.
It depends on the spec. Many require an independent certified balancer; others allow the mechanical contractor to perform it. We carry whichever the spec calls for.