[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 96 (Thursday, May 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24761-24763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12180]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Technology Administration
[Docket No. 960508127-6127-01]
RIN 0693-XX18
Federal Agency Guidance for the Acquisition of Modular Metric
Construction Products
AGENCY: Technology Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Publication of Federal Agency Guidance.
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SUMMARY: These guidelines provide information and a policy statement
for Federal agency implementation of metric-usage requirements in the
acquisition of modular construction products. After a review process
starting on April 12, 1996, the guidelines were approved by the
Interagency Council on Metric Policy on May 3, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Ralph Richter, Metric Program, U.S. Department of Commerce,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 820, Room 306,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Phone (301) 975-3690.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-
418, section 5164) amended the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 to, among
other things, require that each Federal agency use metric measurements
to the maximum extent feasible in its procurements and business-related
activities. To fully implement this legislation within the Federal
agencies, Executive Order 12770, ``Metric Usage in Federal Government
Programs,'' was signed by President Bush in 1991. The Federal agencies
are required to encourage and support an environment that facilitates
the U.S. transition to the metric system of measurement.
Using the Executive Order and the 1988 amendments as guidance, the
agencies involved in the construction of federal buildings and
facilities have made substantial progress in the adoption of metric
measurements. During this metrication process, the Government's
construction agencies have worked closely with the private sector to
reach a consensus among all of the interested parties: building
material manufacturers, trade associations, design firms, and
construction contractors.
Dimensions for the vast majority of construction products need only
be ``soft-converted'' for use in metric construction projects. A soft
metric conversion means that the physical dimensions of the product
remain unchanged while the measurement units used to describe and
specify the product are changed to metric units. To make metric
construction succeed, however, a small percentage of products need
their physical dimensions ``hard-converted'' to fit the product into
the internationally recognized building module of 100 millimeters.
These products are frequently referred to as modular products.
Just as it is logical and cost effective for inch-pound
construction projects to use modular products that fit into the 4-inch
module, it is logical and cost effective for metric construction
projects to employ modular products that fit into the 100 mm module.
Modular construction products are brick, concrete block, suspended
ceiling systems--including recessed lighting fixtures and air
diffusers, raised access flooring, wallboard, plywood, particle board,
and rigid insulation.
Before a modular construction product in a hard metric size is
specified in a federal construction project, the product's application
must require it to fit together with other modular metric components,
and the product must be found to be available at a reasonable cost.
The statutory language in the 1988 legislation provides the
necessary flexibility for appropriate implementation of this policy on
modular construction products--the Federal agencies are required to
forego metric conversion when it is impractical or is likely to cause
significant inefficiencies or loss of markets to United States firms.
The intent of the law is to pursue metrication for increased cost-
effectiveness and productivity in U.S. business and greater access to
international markets while avoiding any undue burden on American
firms.
General Policy
(a) As construction metrication efforts continue, the Government's
construction agencies shall continue to work closely with all
interested private sector parties: building material manufacturers,
trade association, design firms, and construction contractors.
Consensus, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness shall be the goal.
(b) The Federal agencies shall conduct market research to determine
the availability of modular metric construction products before
developing new procurement specifications. Procurement officials in
each agency, to the maximum extent practicable, shall specify
commercial items or nondevelopmental items other than
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commercial items to meet the needs of the agency.
(c) Throughout the acquisition process, the Federal agencies shall
ensure that they give due consideration to the known effects of their
actions on State and local governments and the private sector, paying
particular attention to effects and possible cost burdens on small
business.
(d) Modular construction products in a hard metric size shall only
be specified in a federal construction project for situations in which
the following criteria are met: (1) the product's application requires
it to coordinate dimensionally into the 100 millimeter building module,
(2) market research demonstrates the product's availability, sufficient
to ensure competitive process, and (3) the product's total installed
cost is reasonable.
Guidelines for Specific Modular Construction Products
A large portion of the language in this section is credited to the
Guide for Specifying Metric Modular Products, a recently-developed
draft document available from the Construction Metrication Council of
the National Institute of Building Sciences. The Institute is a
private, nonprofit organization created by Congress to serve as an
authoritative source on issues of building science and technology.
Both the public and private sectors are working together to resolve
building product metrication issues through the Construction
Metrication Council. With broad support and participation of the
private sector, the Council develops guidelines and recommends
procedures to adopt the metric system of measurement as a means of
increasing the international competitiveness, productivity, and quality
of the U.S. construction industry. The Council works closely with the
Interagency Council on Metric Policy to disseminate this information to
the Federal agencies.
Steel Reinforcing Bar
Steel reinforcing bar is not considered to be a modular
construction product because it is buried in concrete and is not
required to coordinate dimensionally into the 100 mm building module.
Specifications for steel reinforcing bar are issued by the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), a private sector standards-
making organization. In 1979, ASTM first issued its Inter p p its
International System of Units (SI) ``hard metric'' specification for
steel reinforcing bar, ASTM A 615M. After receiving assurances from the
steel industry that reinforcing bar conforming to ASTM A 615M would be
supplied when it was specified and ordered, Federal agencies adopted
this standard for their metric construction projects.
Starting in May 1995, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute
(CRSI) and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) mounted a campaign
to endorse, instead of ASTM A 615M, a soft metric conversion of the
current inch-pound specification, ASTM A 615. Most steel companies
support the position that a soft metric conversion of ASTM A 615 should
be adopted as the steel reinforcing bar standard for metric
construction projects. Since the summer of 1995, it has been
recommended that the Federal agencies specify bar conforming to a soft
metric conversion of ASTM A 615 for projects still in design and that
they allow soft-converted substitutions for work ready to bid.
The American Society for Testing and Materials is in the process of
revising its standard for steel reinforcing bar to reflect the steel
industry's support for a soft metric conversion of this product. The
industry has pledged to provide complete metric design information,
data, and specifications to both public and commercial users of steel
reinforcing bar that conforms to a soft metric conversion of ASTM A
615.
Brick
The American Society for Testing and Materials' Standard Guide for
Modular Coordination of Clay and Concrete Masonry Units, ASTM E 835/E
835M, sets forth metric dimensions for brick based on a module of 100
mm. Many common brick sizes are within a millimeter or two of metric
modular sizes and nearly all can fit within the 100 mm module
vertically be slightly varying mortar joint widths. The Brick Institute
of America supports metrication.
A table that can be used to specify common brick sizes in metric
units is available from the Construction Metrication Council of the
National Institute of Building Sciences.
Concrete Block
Concrete block is usually considered a modular product. The
Government's construction agencies, however, are aware of the
costliness to the concrete masonry industry of buying the molds needed
to produce concrete block in hard metric sizes and are attempting to
minimize this expense. Inch-pound (soft-converted) block substitutions
are recommended in all cases in which concrete block is used as a
backup or infill material and in which architectural considerations
otherwise permit.
Concrete block in a hard metric size will only be specified in a
federal construction project in cases in which the block will be
located in an architecturally exposed area or will be required to fit
together with other modular metric components. The concrete block must
also be found to be available at a reasonable cost. The Corps of
Engineers has stated that approximately 60 percent of the cost of a
concrete block wall is labor, 25 percent is the concrete block, and 15
percent is for other materials such as mortar and reinforcement. In
projects for which concrete block in a hard metric size is needed,
allowing inch-pound (soft-converted) block may save on the cost of the
block, but would substantially increase the amount of cutting and
trimming and would unreasonably increase labor costs. Therefore, in
certain circumstances, it is logical and cost effective for the
Government to specify concrete block in a hard metric size.
Total installed cost should be the determining factor in the
selection of concrete block. Most often, concrete block is used as a
back-up or infill material; when this is the case, inch-pound block
substitutions are recommended. Where concrete block in a hard metric
size is considered for use as an architectural material or as a primary
structural system, cost and availability should be determined in
advance to judge the appropriateness of such use.
Suspended Ceiling Systems
Components for suspended ceiling systems are T-bars, hangers,
ceiling tile, recessed lighting fixtures, and recessed air diffusers.
All components are available in modular metric sizes from a variety of
manufacturers. With the exception of recessed lighting fixtures, all
components are priced competitively with their inch-pound counterparts.
A few large lighting manufacturers with highly automated production
processes oppose metrication, and the product may carry a slight cost
premium. Even so, quality modular metric lighting fixtures continue to
be procured without difficulty when specified in federal projects.
Cost and availability shall be determined when components for
suspended ceiling systems are specified in modular metric sizes.
Raised Access Flooring
Raised access flooring is a specialty item used primarily in
computer rooms
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and other areas where provision for under floor cabling is desirable. A
number of manufacturers make raised access flooring to fit the 100 mm
module, but there may be a cost premium for small orders and longer
delivery times for all orders. The Federal agencies shall specify
metric raised access flooring if costs are generally comparable to
inch-pound access flooring and procurement lead times are acceptable.
Wallboard
Wallboard is formed in continuous sheets of variable widths and cut
to specified lengths. A variety of manufacturers make wallboard to fit
the 100 mm module (1200 mm wide and 2400 and 3000 mm long), but there
may be a cost premium for small orders and longer delivery times for
all orders since metric wallboard is not yet a stock product. While the
use of metric wallboard is desirable in metric construction projects,
its use is not mandatory on small projects if project length or cost
will increase.
Where framing spacing is specified to fit modular metric
construction, the Federal agencies shall specify wallboard sheet type
and thickness without specifying length and width. The construction
contractor shall make the decision whether metric wallboard sheets or
trimmed inch-pound sheets offer the most efficient and cost-effective
solution in each situation.
Plywood and Particleboard
Like wallboard, wood-based sheet products such as plywood,
particleboard, and oriented-strand-board (OSB) can be produced in a
1200 mm width and 2400 and 3000 mm lengths. There may be a premium for
small orders and longer delivery times for all orders since metric
plywood, particleboard, and oriented-strand-board are not yet stock
products. With the exception of military family housing, however, wood
products are rarely used in Government facilities.
Where framing spacing is specified to fit modular metric
construction, the Federal agencies shall specify sheet type and
thickness without specifying length and width. The construction
contractor shall make the decision whether metric sheets or trimmed
inch-pound sheets offer the most efficient and cost-effective solution
in each situation.
Rigid Insulation
Rigid insulation is used on exterior walls and as a roof
underlayment. Currently this metrical is available only in inch-pound
sizes and must be cut to fit 400 or 600 mm framing spacing. On roofs,
the product is usually laid over a rigid substrate that allows any
sheet size to be used. The Federal agencies shall specify sheet type
and thickness without specifying length and width. Where the sheets are
applied directly to 400 or 600 mm framing spacing, the width must be
trimmed by the contractor.
Further Guidance
Further guidance on the federal acquisition of modular metric
construction products is available from the Construction Metrication
Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences. Guidance is
also available from the General Services Administration and its Metric
Design Guide.
Dated: May 9, 1996.
Mary L. Good,
Under Secretary for Technology.
[FR Doc. 96-12180 Filed 5-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-BP-M
