It was the consensus of the Joint Committee that if the above criteria was met, the positive results would be many fold. Primarily it would result in a reduction in the cost of design and construction, facilitate the approval process, quicken the time of construction, and lead to the avoidance of disputes over misinterpretation.  After over 30 years of use and over one billion dollars of capital construction being done through these specifications, it is safe to say that the original goals have been realized.

Initially, only a guide specification was produced by the Joint Committee. It told the authors of various specification sections what should and should not be included. This approach was found to be insufficient given the need for clarity and standardization within the industry. The mandate of the committee was expanded to produce a cover to cover technical specification complete with a construction contract. An agreement was reached with the Canadian Construction Documents Committee to licence CCDC 4 (and later CCDC 18) and ever since then the document has been updated annually and released to subscribers each spring before the onset of the construction season.

The Joint Committee on Contract Documents has continued their association with the NSRBA and NSCEA and has grown to include representation from Landscape Nova Scotia. Members of the committee still consist of contractors, consulting engineers, landscape architects, and owners (both public and private). We continue to strive to fulfill the guiding principles set by the original committee and will continue to promote the usage of the Standard Specification for Municipal Services.