Deliberate Words

David Stutzman and Steve Gantner
  • 5.0 (1)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

by Conspectus, Inc. - decision managers, word masters, aggregators. There is tremendous power in a word that is perfectly placed at the best location, at the best time, during the design and construction process of a project. Deliberate words can manage success, build trust, and provide transparency that every member of the project team craves. As decision managers of the team, Conspectus explores the notion of how transparency transforms three main components of every project: behavior, content, and outcomes, through the appropriate usage of words. Behavior of every participant, is the foundation communication and collaboration, through deliberate words. It will transform the team, and build strong relationships. Content, the documentation built on these relationships, containing deliberate words, is then transformed. The outcome is a successful project, with a legacy of ultimate collaboration. Join us as we chat with members of the architectural, engineering, construction, and owner communities to learn how deliberate word shape their contributions, their projects, and their world! Through these conversations, words aggregate decisions, and transforms perspectives on transparency in the decision-making process.

  1. What A Week! To Copy or Not To Copy Spec Sections

    4D AGO

    What A Week! To Copy or Not To Copy Spec Sections

    This episode was sparked by a familiar and uncomfortable question: should you copy a specification section from a prior project, or start from scratch? Steve Gantner, Elias Saltz, Dave Stutzman explored why “copy-paste” has become such a common criticism from contractors and why that perception exists in the first place. They unpacked the risks of inheriting outdated codes, discontinued products, and mismatched scope, especially when prior edits and deletions are invisible. At the same time, they acknowledged the realities of practice, where templates, masters, and institutional knowledge can be powerful tools when managed correctly. The conversation ultimately reinforced that credibility, coordination, and project-specific thinking are what protect both the documents and the firm’s reputation. Learning Points Industry insight: Contractors notice when specifications feel recycled. “Copy-paste” documents erode trust and signal a lack of coordination.Practice takeaway: If you reuse content, treat it as a template, not a finished product. Read it line by line against current drawings, codes, ownership, and site conditions.Process lesson: Masters and maintained templates are safer than copying entire project manuals. Controlled updates reduce the risk of generational errors compounding over time.Risk or opportunity: The risk is hidden liability, outdated requirements, and reputational damage. The opportunity lies in disciplined document management that strengthens accuracy, efficiency, and confidence across the project team.In the end, the consensus leaned toward a simple principle: best practice is to start fresh, or at least review as if you did.

    15 min
  2. Passing the Torch, 4specs Acquisition Announcement with Colin Gilboy

    FEB 16

    Passing the Torch, 4specs Acquisition Announcement with Colin Gilboy

    Colin Gilboy, founder of 4specs.com, sat down with Conspectus executives David Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz in Orlando, FL to button up the final details of its acquisition and share something bigger with the industry, his retirement. We were able to capture a glimpse of that moment and the conversation behind it. For decades, 4specs.com has been a steady compass for product and manufacturer research in the AECO world. Colin talks about how it started, why he built it, and the simple principle that guided it from day one: give people honest, useful information and let the quality speak for itself. There is a long history between Colin and Dave, built on respect and a shared belief that better education, transparent knowledge, and strong community connections lead to better projects. This episode feels less like a transaction and more like a passing of the torch.

    17 min
  3. Trebuchets, Tenacity, & Technical Curiosity featuring Tucker Beech Drexel U Architecture Student

    FEB 13

    Trebuchets, Tenacity, & Technical Curiosity featuring Tucker Beech Drexel U Architecture Student

    This Deliberate Words episode captures a lively conversation between Dave Stutzman and Steve Gantner of Conspectus and their guest, Tucker Beech, a third-year (of six) Drexel architecture student who first connected with Dave after he guest-spoke to a Drexel class about specifications. Tucker shares the origin story of her architecture obsession, from a custom-built childhood home and a fifth-grade “intro to architecture” project (complete with a too-small-to-compete fire station model) to being inspired by travel and historic architecture in Europe. She talks candidly about what architecture school is really like, pushing back on the all-nighter myth and emphasizing time management, work-life balance, and personal safety when commuting late in Philadelphia. A key theme is humility and learning from others. Tucker recounts advice from an architecture camp: never assume you know more than the people doing the work around you. Steve reinforces it with a story from his father (a bricklayer) and explains how that mindset shaped his approach to construction administration. Professionally, Tucker is exploring “architecture-adjacent” paths that still use her strengths, especially building codes, specifications, and technical observation. She lights up describing how specs let you read a room through details (like recognizing an acoustically sensitive space by door hardware), and the group connects the dots between code knowledge and strong spec writing. Steve encourages her to take business classes if possible, noting how valuable that foundation is in practice. The episode also has plenty of personality: a running gag about technical glitches, a spirited “cheese drawer” debate (Midwest pride), and Tucker’s other signature interests (dogs, ducks, pumpkins, and dreams of pumpkin chunking with trebuchets). They close with the show’s “five words or less” question. Tucker’s answer: “providing hope, safety and security to all.” She ties it back to her goal of eventually designing residential projects that give others the same sense of belonging she felt growing up. Dave and Steve wish her luck, invite her to stay in touch with spec questions, and give a light-hearted “hire Tucker” shout-out to listeners in the Philadelphia area.

    41 min
  4. What A Week! CURT National Conference Recap: AI, Energy, & Productivity

    FEB 9

    What A Week! CURT National Conference Recap: AI, Energy, & Productivity

    Steve Gantner, Elias Saltz, and Tina Montone attended the CURT National Conference in Orlando, Florida in early February 2026 and returned with a clear throughline from the conversations taking place across the conference. In this discussion with Dave Stutzman, they reflect on how AI, data centers, power infrastructure, and construction productivity are no longer separate topics, but deeply interconnected forces shaping the future of project delivery. As data centers continue to be built at unprecedented speed, demand for reliable, redundant power is rising just as quickly. At the same time, AI is emerging as a practical tool to improve construction productivity not by pushing crews to work faster, but by reducing rework, improving information flow, enhancing safety, and accelerating knowledge transfer across generations. Despite the momentum, significant challenges remain. Regulatory complexity, labor shortages, and long-term declines in U.S. construction productivity continue to strain the industry. A consistent theme throughout CURT was the need for earlier collaboration and better alignment of data across design, construction, and procurement as a pathway to reducing inefficiencies and building long-term industry resilience. Key Takeaways Industry Insight: AI, data centers, power availability, and construction productivity are no longer separate issues, they are part of a single, interdependent system shaping project delivery.Practice Takeaway: Productivity gains will come less from working faster and more from eliminating rework, improving information accuracy, and getting the right data to the right people earlier.Process Lesson: Early alignment of design, construction, and procurement data is essential to reducing RFIs, delays, and downstream inefficiencies.Risk or Opportunity: AI presents a significant opportunity to offset labor and productivity challenges, but only if paired with reliable power infrastructure and disciplined implementation.People & Culture: Technology will not replace experience; the real value lies in using AI to capture, transfer, and amplify human expertise across generations.

    20 min
  5. What A Week! Reference Standards: Say It Once. Say It In The Right Place.

    JAN 26

    What A Week! Reference Standards: Say It Once. Say It In The Right Place.

    In this episode, Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz tackle a deceptively simple question that carries real contractual risk: Where should reference standards live in the specifications, and should they be dated?  Reference standards belong in Part 2 of the technical sections, not in consolidated lists. Avoid listing dates unless a specific edition is required by code. Rely on Division 01 Quality Requirements to govern which standards apply. Saying things once, in the right place, reduces conflicts, RFIs, and unnecessary risk. Learning PointsIndustry insight: Reference standards create more risk through duplication and dating than through omission when they are not placed intentionally.Practice takeaway: Keep reference standards in Part 2 of technical sections and let Division 01 govern applicability to avoid conflicts.Process lesson: Saying things once, in the right place, is the simplest way to improve clarity and reduce downstream rework.Risk or opportunity: Eliminating dated, consolidated reference lists reduces RFIs and protects the contract from unnecessary ambiguity.People & culture: Good specifications reflect disciplined thinking, shared responsibility, and respect for how teams actually use the documents.

    15 min
  6. From RFI's to Results: Inside the CURT Dialogue, featuring Construction Users Round Table Members

    JAN 26

    From RFI's to Results: Inside the CURT Dialogue, featuring Construction Users Round Table Members

    A conversation captured at the Construction Users Round Table. CURT members don’t gather to admire the industry as it is, we gather to challenge it. Throughout the year, owners come together to wrestle with contracting strategies, team dynamics, technical risk, global pressures, and the realities shaping how projects actually get delivered. This is the Deliberate Words podcast, In this episode, I’m filling in for David Stutzman and joining Steve Gantner, leaders in Conspectus, the specification company….where words have a power that can create trust, transparency, and transform the process and can significantly impact the success of a construction project and team! At the September 2025 member meeting, we had the opportunity to bring The immersive collaborative experience to the room. LEGO bricks on the table, assumptions off the table. What followed wasn’t just a workshop, it was dialogue. Candid. Constructive. Occasionally uncomfortable in the best way. Sitting down afterward with CURT members: Herb Strong of HazTek, Andy Browning and Fred Marsh of Duke Energy, and Nicholas Johnson of Kahua as participants, critics, colleagues, and friends reminded us why these conversations matter. As presenters, the feedback was invaluable. As CURT members, the reflection was even more powerful. And this is just the beginning. Next up: the CURT National Conference in Orlando, February 3rd. The conversations continue and only get better.

    22 min
  7. What A Week! Informational Submittals: What NOT to Ask For

    JAN 19

    What A Week! Informational Submittals: What NOT to Ask For

    In this week's episode, Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz unpack a deceptively simple question with serious implications: Why don’t we recommend requiring manufacturer instructions as a submittal? What follows is a candid discussion on liability, means and methods, and the unintended consequences of asking for information that design teams neither control nor should be reviewing during construction. From informational submittals to samples that add little value, the team reinforces a core principle of good specification practice: clarity during design reduces risk, rework, and unnecessary burden during construction administration. Learning Points: Requesting manufacturer instructions as a submittal can increase architect liability, even if reviewed “for record only.”Simply receiving information implies responsibility to review, identify errors, and act on them.Manufacturer instructions fall squarely within contractor means and methods, not design review.Submittals are not contract documents and should not be used to tweak design decisions late in the process.Fewer, more intentional submittals save significant time and cost during construction administration.Product compatibility issues must be resolved during design, not after bidding or procurement.Over-specifying submittals often exceeds realistic CA budgets and site observation scope.Clear specifications reduce change orders, finger-pointing, and downstream risk.

    17 min
  8. What A Week! 33 Years In: Survival to Succession

    JAN 12

    What A Week! 33 Years In: Survival to Succession

    This episode is sparked by a simple question that opened a much bigger reflection: why Conspectus started, and how it became what it is today as the firm enters its 33rd year. David Stutzman shares how the company was born out of economic uncertainty in the early 1990s, when necessity, planning, and a leap of faith converged into a new kind of specification practice. The conversation traces the firm’s evolution from a one-person operation to a multi-disciplinary team, highlighting how organic growth, culture fit, and relationships shaped that journey. It also explored the intentional five-year succession plan now nearing completion, showing how shared leadership has eased pressure while sustaining momentum. The discussion ultimately tied growth, technology, and people together as drivers of more resilient firms and better project outcomes. Learning Points Industry insight: Independent specification consulting has matured from solo practices into scalable, collaborative firms.Practice takeaway: Sustainable growth often comes from relationships and timing, not rigid expansion plans.Process lesson: Gradual succession planning allows knowledge transfer without overwhelming new leadership.Risk or opportunity: Investing in internal tools can evolve into platforms that strengthen both services and business development.People & culture: Hiring for fit and capability, rather than preset criteria, builds resilient and diverse teams.

    15 min
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About

by Conspectus, Inc. - decision managers, word masters, aggregators. There is tremendous power in a word that is perfectly placed at the best location, at the best time, during the design and construction process of a project. Deliberate words can manage success, build trust, and provide transparency that every member of the project team craves. As decision managers of the team, Conspectus explores the notion of how transparency transforms three main components of every project: behavior, content, and outcomes, through the appropriate usage of words. Behavior of every participant, is the foundation communication and collaboration, through deliberate words. It will transform the team, and build strong relationships. Content, the documentation built on these relationships, containing deliberate words, is then transformed. The outcome is a successful project, with a legacy of ultimate collaboration. Join us as we chat with members of the architectural, engineering, construction, and owner communities to learn how deliberate word shape their contributions, their projects, and their world! Through these conversations, words aggregate decisions, and transforms perspectives on transparency in the decision-making process.

Information

  • Creator
    David Stutzman and Steve Gantner
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Deliberate Words
  • Show Website
    Deliberate Words