Constructions Specifications Canada (CSC) and its U.S. sister organization, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), have introduced a new annual revision process for maintaining and updating MasterFormat.

The reasons for establishing defined periodic updates include:
• greater predictability for numbers and titles (as there will be a limited, grouped set of revisions released at a set time each year);
• more certainty about when submitted proposals will be resolved; and
• improved capacity to keep pace with the volume of submitted proposals.

Already received proposals will be eligible for consideration during the 2009 revision cycle. Proposals submitted as of May 1 will be candidates for the 2010 revision cycle.

The MasterFormat Maintenance Task Team (MFMTT), a group comprising volunteers from CSC, CSI, and sponsors, will continue to oversee changes in the resource. The task team's annual revision review workshop is scheduled for late July—results will be announced in September.

MasterFormat updates since the release of the 2004 edition can be found at www.masterformat.org/revisions.

For more information on the revisions, see the interview with MFMTT member Keith Robinson, FCSC, RSW, LEED AP, in the May/June issue of Construction Canada.