If you’re wondering how to write product specifications, especially for programs funded with federal funds, you’ve come to the write place!
A written product specification, often just called a “spec”, is where you tell the vendor what you’re looking to buy.
You include the written product specification with your quote, IFB, or RFP. You can include the specs in the written document, or you can attach it separately.
This article will cover:
Rules about written specifications
What to include in a written product specification
Rules About Written Specifications
There are 4 rules you have to follow when writing product specifications for a federal procurement.
Rule #1 You must have written product specifications when getting quotes or doing formal purchasing methods.
Two key parts here:
- They must be written. This means if your state allows you to obtain quotes over the telephone or printed off the web, you still need to write a product specification to accompany your documentation. This will help make sure you’re relaying the same information to every vendor.
- They’re required for both quotes and formal purchasing methods. From my experience, it’s rare for a bid or RFP not to have them, but I’ve seen them forgotten many a time when obtaining quotes.
Some states have small purchase log templates you can use to keep documentation of your small purchases, and there should be a place for you to write your product specification to prevent you from forgetting to meet this requirement.
Those work, but it can also be something as simple as a piece of notebook paper or Word document.
Rule #2 Anyone involved in developing the product specification can’t provide a quote or bid/proposal.
Why? Because whoever developed the specification has an unfair advantage. Essentially, they could have written in something that would exclude other products that are perfectly acceptable for you.
While this can be tempting when you’re procuring something that’s complicated, like equipment, you’ll need to avoid having a vendor write it if they are going to bid on it.
Rule #3 If you list a preferred brand, you must state “or equal” or “or pre-approved equal”.
This is part of creating free and open competition.
Usually “or pre-approved equal” signals to the vendor that there is a process they have to follow to get your permission to bid another brand.
Rule #4 The description cannot “unduly restrict competition”.
This means you can’t narrow it down so far that it excludes products or services that would have satisfied your needs.
What to Include in a Written Product Specification
There are several parts of a written product specification. There’s nothing regulatory that requires you to include all of these, but they are the most commonly used aspects of a written specification.
Description
Describe the item in enough detail to tell them what you need.
Choose your words wisely.
To avoid restricting competition, stick to only characteristics that are non-negotiable for your program, not just some arbitrary description of something you already have or saw.
More information on writing a description is in the last section below on writing a new specification.
Preferred Brand
I recommend including a list of the brand or brands you find acceptable. Even better if you can include the product code. Here are a few other options you can use in place of a brand:
- “Private Label”: this is essentially generic brand, so it usually saves you money. It’s commonly used for items that your customers don’t see the packaging and the brand doesn’t matter, such as canned/frozen fruits & vegetables, spices, and paper goods.
- “Distributor’s Choice”: this tells a distributor they can bid any brand they want. Use this when you have absolutely no preference if they use private or brand name, like baking ingredients, rice, or disposables.
Case/Pack Size
It’s important to list the case size you have in mind so that vendors can match that to the usage, but you generally don’t hold the vendor to that exact case size unless there’s good reason.
For example, if you were planning on buying 1,200 cases of 100ct Goldfish, but a vendor only stocks the 300ct, your usage will now only be 400 cases, so it’s important for the vendor to know you had the 100 ct in mind.
If you do need to keep to a certain pack size for any reason, you’ll want to write that into the description. For example, if you don’t use much flour, a 50 lb bag will go bad before you can use it all (plus the staff have a hard time moving them!). In the description, you could write “pack size not to exceed 25lbs”.
For school nutrition programs, you DO need to ensure the vendor submits the same pack size when you use “Distributor’s Choice”. For example, if you ask for sugar in 10/4lb bags, they can’t substitute a 40lb or 50lb bag. “Why?” you might ask. No idea. But several state agencies and ICN teach this.
Quantity or Estimated Usage
I tend to see “quantity” listed when you’re pretty sure how many you’re going to buy – like with equipment or smallwares – and “estimated usage” on items like food and disposables, but you can use either term.
Providing estimated quantities is important because the vendor can often provide bulk discounts when purchasing in large quantities.
For repeat purchases, they’re also trying to figure out how much they will need to bring in for you each month to determine whether it’s going to have to be special order.
This doesn’t need to be exact, but it should be a good educated guess.
How to Write Product Specifications for Existing Items
You might be thinking, “I have the specs from the last time we got quotes/bids/proposals. Can I just use that?”
It’s a good starting point! You’ll still need to update your written product specifications:
- You might no longer need some items. Delete those.
- You might need new items. Add those.
- Product codes and pack sizes change over time. Update this information.
- Products themselves change over time. For example you probably don’t want to buy the same computer today you bought five years ago. Update the specs to reflect the products on the market.
- Your needs may have changed, and you want to reword your descriptions. Edit those.
- Your usage will vary based on customer demand, market conditions, operational changes, etc. Update your usage to reflect most recent numbers.
How to Write Product Specifications for New Items
Ok, you have a product you want to write a product specification for, but you’re starting from scratch. How do you write a product specification for a new item?
There are 6 steps to writing a new product specification.
Step 1: Start with a common name for the product.
The first word of your description is typically the common name for the product. This helps set the stage for what you’re asking for.
For example, instead of starting off by saying, “8.5×11″ copy paper”, I recommend starting with the common name “paper” and then go on to describe it “paper – copy, 8.5×11…”. This lets the vendor know off the bat what you’re talking about, as well as makes it easier to find it in a list by not having to scan each description for the key word.
To show you how I would write a product specification for a new product, we’ll start with an example that we’ll look at throughout each step in the process. I’ll highlight the words I will include in the final specification in red.
I work with school meal programs, so I’ll use an example of a food, but it will work with any product you’re procuring.
Let’s say you want to add those nifty individual applesauce pouches kids bring from home. We’ll use this as our example throughout. In this case, the common name is “Applesauce”.
Step 2: Think about what you need out of this product.
Some aspects to consider when brainstorming descriptors:
Packaging
If you’re looking for a specific packaging type, be sure to specify which one. You can specify:
- Bulk vs. Individually Wrapped (IW): this is definitely one you’ll want to specify if both types of products exist on the market. Bulk usually refers to product that comes loose in the case, and IW usually means it comes in individual packages or wrapping. For example, do you want your granola to come in bulk that your staff will have to cup up, or do you want individual packages? Plastic silverware can come loose in a box or individually wrapped. Even pens can come individually wrapped. You usually pay a few more pennies per serving for IW, but it can save on labor or provide a more sanitary delivery.
- Form of packaging: for example, do you want detergent in a bottle or bucket? Are you looking for juice in cartons, boxes, cups, bottles, or cans? In our applesauce example, IW applesauce can be packaged in cups and pouches, so you’ll want to be even more specific than just “IW” by stating “pouches” in your spec.
- Size of packaging: if you need a specific size package or want to put size limits, you can add those too. Examples include “8 oz carton” for milk or “gallon” for bleach.
Temperature Performance
Does the item need to be oven safe? Or able to withstand low temperatures?
This is common for IW items that need cooked and is often called “ovenable film”.
Some IW items can be served warm but are not oven safe. Instead, they are intend for you to warm it in a warmer instead of an oven. Be sure you know which you’re getting.
Another option is “boil-in-bag” for sauces or pastas that can be heated in the bag.
Think about the cold-end of the spectrum too, especially for disposables. Not all plastics will hold up in the freezer. I love Pactiv’s Product Temperature Chart.
Flavor/Color/Variety
If more than one flavor, color, or variety exists on the market, you can specify which you want. You can be specific, such as “bandages – orange color” or give more options by saying “bandages – non-nude color.” You can also state “any flavor” or “any color” if you want to let the vendor know that you’re not picky.
In the case of our example, flavored applesauce does exist, so we’ll specify plain applesauce.
Shape/Cut/Form
If the item comes in many shapes, you’ll want to clarify.
For example, fries come in crinkle cut, loops, waffle, wedges, etc. Pizza could be 4×6, wedge, 16″, boat, etc. Carrots come whole, baby, sticks, diced, coins, crinkle cut coins. Trash cans can be round or rectangular.
Size
If size is important, be sure to include it.
Examples of sizes you might include are 4 oz yogurt, 3/8” fries, 8 oz foam bowl, size medium gloves, etc.
Be cautious of including both size and meal crediting information (for schools). Instead, you can often get away with just listing one or the other to be briefer and less restrictive.
For example, with our applesauce, we could state the size of the applesauce cup OR the fruit crediting information, but it would be redundant to list both.
In this case, we’re not going to list either because we (for purposes of this example) aren’t going to use these pricy pouches in the meal pattern.
Performance Standards
This is any characteristic of how the product performs, such as shelf life, hold time, yield, etc.
If you include these, you’ll have to be prepared to test any pre-approved equal requests. For example, if you say that a certain fry must have a 30-minute hold time, you will need to have processes in place for testing different fries and what it means to have “held up” after 30 minutes.
Ingredients
If there are specific ingredients you do or do not want included in a food product, you can add these to the specification, such as added salt or sugar, artificial colors or flavors, nitrates/nitrites, allergens (soy, nuts, wheat), gluten, etc.
In the case of applesauce, it comes with both added sugar and no added sugar, but applesauce is usually referred to as “sweetened” and “unsweetened”. Let’s say we want unsweetened applesauce.
Nutrition
Similarly, if there are specific nutrient limits you want to impose, you can add those too. This would include calories, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, etc.
Just be cautious you’re not restricting competition unnecessarily. Have a justification for each nutrient you’re limiting.
We don’t necessarily need this for our applesauce.
Smart Snacks for Schools
If you’re a school selling the item a la carte, you might want to add something like “must meet USDA Smart Snack guidelines”.
Remember, entrees are exempt from Smart Snacks, but sides are not. I’ve been known to add this requirement to a la carte items, as well as sides like French fries.
Unsweetened applesauce is Smart Snack compliant by nature, so it would be redundant to put it on this particular spec.
CACFP Compliance
If you need the item to meet the CACFP pattern for pre-K students, you can state “CACFP compliant” to your item.
This is common on items like low sugar cereals and yogurt.
Our applesauce doesn’t need this specified.
Crediting for School Meals
If you need the item to credit for the meal pattern, be sure to include the component(s) and the amount.
For example, “crediting must equal 1 oz grain”. Just be careful with “equal”, “at least”, “no more than”, etc.
For example, my district uses different rolls for different grade groups. We say something like “crediting must equal 1.5 oz grain” for the small roll and “crediting must equal at least 2 oz grain” for the large roll.
We want the 1.5 oz roll to EQUAL 1.5 oz, no bigger, no smaller, so that it fits into our weekly grain minimums without exceeding calories. However, we want our larger roll to credit for AT LEAST 2 oz of grain, but we’d be okay with it crediting for more.
Be sure to only specify crediting if you intend on serving it as part of the meal pattern.
Back to the applesauce example, let’s say we plan on selling this item a la carte because we already know they’re a little too pricy for us to fit into our per meal cost. If you are only planning on selling the item a la carte, then why would it matter how much it credits as? This is an example of putting unnecessary limitations on a product, but I see it done quite a lot.
Other Unique Characteristics
Any other aspect of the item can be specified.
Examples include 100% juice, whole grain (WG) vs white, frozen vs. refrigerated vs. shelf stable, individually quick frozen (IQF), etc.
Step 3: String the descriptors together to form the description
Now that you’ve determined what descriptors you want to use in your product specification, it’s time to string them all together.
The order doesn’t matter much, but I always try to stay consistent. For example, I personally put WG toward the beginning and crediting toward the end. The consistency makes it easier to edit later because I can easily find what I’m looking for when it’s always in the same spot. Kind of like a stockroom!
Here’s what that applesauce description might look like:
Applesauce – pouches, plain, unsweetened
Step 4: Specify your preferred brand(s).
Some prefer to just list one brand or item, and they let vendors substitute any “equals” the vendor thinks meets the written description without needing prior approval. This is less work for both the buyer and the vendor, but you lose quite a bit of control and might end up with some products you don’t feel are truly equals. If you go this route, you can just list one preferred brand or item code here.
Others prefer the vendor submit for approval all equals. This is usually referred to as a “pre-approved equal”. If this is the case, best practice is to try to list all the brands you know off the bat you will pre-approve to limit the amount of work the vendor needs to do.
How will the vendor know what your process for quoting/bidding an equal is? Easy. You tell them in your instructions with the bid.
Finding Products
To find products, here are some sources you can check:
- Manufacturer Websites – this is my personal favorite. It’s super fast and easy, if the manufacturer has the info posted. I don’t understand these companies that hoard their product information so that we have to contact them to get it.
- Distributor Websites – some distributors have online catalogs you can access whether you have an account with them or not, and these can provide valuable information about products. Other distributors you must have an account, so if you do have an account, you can add these to your bag of tricks.
- Product Sheets – anyone else have an entire drawer dedicated just to product sheets and catalogs that sales reps bring you? You can check these too.
- Brokers/Manufacturer Reps – you can email or call your sales reps and ask for product recommendations.
Finding Products in Our Example
In the applesauce example, I found the following items that meet our spec:
- I started with a Google search for Mott’s. A lot of food manufacturers have separate websites for foodservice so searching for “Mott’s foodservice” or “Mott’s K12” will often get me to the correct site, but it looks like they don’t have a foodservice site.
I checked their regular site and only found retail information. I then remembered their broker had sent me a product sheet a long time ago, so I found that in my files.
Just to be sure, I did a quick Google search of that product code and discovered… that code had been discontinued!
The product sheet mentioned that they qualify for Cool School Café points, so I checked the Cool School Café website, and they had the correct, new product code Mott’s 10125272. (Note to manufacturers: do you see how hard you make this for us???). The case size is 48/3.2oz .
- I checked Musselman’s foodservice website. I found Musselman’s #11781 pretty easily, but I didn’t find a case size. It’s a 3.17oz pouch.
- I know that Buddy Fruits makes a 3.2oz pouch of plain unsweetened applesauce, but I couldn’t find the foodservice pack anywhere online. I would have to contact the broker if I wanted the Buddy Fruits exact product code. In this case, we’ll just state Buddy Fruits.
From here, you can decide whether you need to test these or if you’re comfortable assuming these are all equivalent.
When in doubt, I test. Especially if it’s a company I’ve never heard of or a major part of the meal pattern, I want our staff to have the opportunity to see how it performs for them and for students to have the opportunity to try it first. Even disposables or oven mitts I will ask to see a sample of in order to make sure it will work for our needs.
This isn’t always necessary though. In this case, I’m planning it as a lower volume a la carte item, and all the brands I found are ones I’m familiar with. If another company came along that I never heard of wanting to be considered a pre-approve equal, I would probably request samples.
This process is unique to each school district, so feel free to do what is best for you. Just be sure your processes are fair.
So once you’ve finalized your pre-approved equals, you’ll list all of these in your “Preferred Brand” column: “Mott’s 10125272, Musselman’s 11781, or Buddy Fruits”. The product code is really optional, but I find it helps clarify it with vendor, as well as makes it much easier on them.
Step 5: List the Case/Pack Size
Here, you’ll list a case size (also called pack size), if the item comes in a case. Obviously, you don’t need this if you’re buying an office chair or cafeteria table.
Alternatively, you could forgo a pack size and just list the number of projected units or servings in Step 6. This only works if the item(s) you’re procuring all have easy-to-determine units or serving sizes, like pencils or pieces of pizza. It doesn’t work great for things that aren’t unitized, like spices, flour, liquid soap, paper towels, etc.
I mentioned this earlier, but you generally don’t require a vendor bid exactly the pack size you list unless:
- You’ve listed a case/pack size limit in the description OR
- You’ve listed “Distributor’s Choice”, and you are a school food food program
I like to list the case size of the first brand I listed, just for consistency. In our applesauce example, I could only find the case size for the Mott’s brand anyway, so I would list theirs: 48/3.2oz.
Step 6: Estimated Usage
You then estimate usage based on the case/pack size you just listed.
If you have historical data to rely on, you can use that. Just be sure you factor in any upcoming changes that will affect purchases.
If you don’t have historical data, you can estimate based on an educated guess.
For example, you might estimate you’ll sell 15 pouches of this applesauce each day at each of your 3 elementary schools. That’s 45 pouches per day x 170 operating days = 7,650 pouches. The case has 48, so 7,650 pouches/48 pouches/case = 159.375 cases. We’ll say our estimated usage for the year is 160 cases.
I do have a free Specification Template in Excel you are welcome to use. Entering our spec into this would look like:
| Description | Preferred Brand | Case Size | Estimated Usage |
| Applesauce – pouches, plain, unsweetened | Mott’s 10125272, Musselman’s 11781, Buddy Fruits, or pre-approved equal | 48/3.2oz | 160 cases |
And that’s how you write a product specification from scratch!
Summary
If you stick to the 4 rules of writing product specifications and use the above process as a guide, you’ll be writing product specifications like a pro in no time!
