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NBS Training
Training is available for this product, please contact training@theNBS.com for further details.
Support
If you already subscribe to NBS Landscape you can access:
Fact
Poor specifications are the underlying cause for over 25% of architects' PI insurance claims, with failure to enforce specifications responsible for much of the rest (e.g. workmanship, supervision & inspection).
RIBA Journal 1994
NBS Landscape
NBS Landscape enables you to write concise, technically accurate and up-to-date specifications for hard and soft landscape projects.
NBS Landscape: Enables technical accuracy
With a subscription to NBS Landscape, you benefit from the work of our in house team of technical authors, who are continually researching to provide the best technical guidance and clause options to people writing specifications.
NBS Landscape: It will keep you up-to-date
Clauses, guidance and product information are updated regularly. Customers receive updates on CD-ROM three times a year, and incremental updates are available to download online, so the information you are using is always up-to-date.
NBS Landscape: It will save you time
Clauses are pre-written so you don’t have to type much, and the guidance for each clause appears beside it on screen for speedy referral. You can add product specification information with a single click, and many clauses have drop-down lists of commonly specified values enabling you to add them more quickly.
NBS Landscape: It will maintain quality control
By using NBS Landscape you can be assured you are using the industry standard specification system that conforms to best practice. It provides extensive guidance to help you select and edit the right clauses for your project. In NBS Landscape you can set permissions, monitor progress and track revisions.
NBS Landscape: Giving you more than just software
Our multi-discipline team of qualified and experienced construction professionals are at your disposal to answer technical queries and offer guidance; anything from which contract to use and how to achieve BREEAM outstanding ratings, to where to specify surveying and monitoring of invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed. Our software support specialists are on hand when you need them too – all part of your NBS subscription.
Up-to-date information
When you use NBS Landscape, the software will let you know if you are using the most up-to-date information. If updated material is available, it will prompt you to download it.
Pre-written clauses
NBS Landscape contains pre-written technical specification clauses and preliminaries for selection and editing to produce project specifications. Clauses are authored by our team of in-house landscape architects, engineers, architects and surveyors to be concise and robust and are arranged in accordance with the Common Arrangement of Work Sections.
As the clauses are pre-written, very little typing is involved. Some clauses require additional information which you can either type in or complete with the use of drop-down lists of suggested solutions. Clauses are provided for both prescriptive and performance specification.
Guidance
General guidance with information on materials and design, including workmanship advice and tips on how to avoid pitfalls is provided for each work section. Extensive technical guidance is also provided to help you complete individual clauses.
Guidance provides access to technical information resources including websites and The Construction Information Service*.
Building product specification
NBS Landscape contains building product information to help create accurate and detailed building specifications. Manufacturer product information has been written specifically for NBS clauses and is checked for currency at each update.
Office standards
If you regularly work on similar projects, there is a facility to create, manage and update your own office standard specifications.
Printing and issuing
Flexible formatting options mean that you can present your documents using your corporate style. They can then be printed or exported to PDF.
Collaboration across the design team
NBS Landscape now includes the NBS Tools feature. One of the key benefits of NBS Tools is the ability to annotate your CAD models, schedules and bills of quantities using clause references from NBS specifications or construction references from NBS schedules of work.
NBS Tools is also available as a free download for non NBS subscribers to allow collaboration between colleagues on a project team regardless of who has an NBS licence.
Intuitive user interface
NBS Landscape has been designed to be intuitive and simple to use. Specifications and NBS Libraries are organised on the left-hand side of the screen. The centre of the screen is used for editing work sections. The right-hand side of the screen displays Guidance, NBS Plus, Help, and links to other information resources.
* The Construction Information Service is a searchable database of full text documents from publishers such as BRE and BSI. It is available as an online subscription service from IHS, telephone 01344 404434, email marketing@ihsti.com or visit www.ihsti.com.
NBS Landscape is a subscription service. As part of the subscription you will receive updates on CD-ROM three times a year. Additional updates can be downloaded from the NBS website when available.
NBS Landscape is a selection of NBS work sections with landscape preliminaries, including those for ICE Minor Works, JCLI Agreement for Landscape Maintenance Works, JCT 2005 Minor Works and SBCC 2005 Minor Works. The product is intended for use on landscape and external works projects.
The scope and contents of NBS Landscape is listed below:
Current at March 2012
(NBS Landscape Update 2012-1)
Preliminaries/general conditions within NBS Landscape
| A10-A13 | The project generally |
| A20 | ICE Minor Works |
| Irish Short Public Works Contract for Civil Engineering and Building Works Designed by the Employer | |
| JCT 2011 Framework Agreement | |
| JCLI Landscape Works Contract 2008 | |
| JCLI Landscape Works Contract with Contractor's Design 2008 | |
| JCLI Landscape Maintenance Works Contract 2008 | |
| JCT 2011 Minor Works Building Contract | |
| JCT 2011 Minor Works Building Contract with Contractor's Design | |
| NEC3 Engineering and construction short contract | |
| SBCC 2011 Minor Works Building Contract | |
| A30 | Tendering/Subletting/Supply |
| A31 | Provision, content and use of documents |
| A32 | Management of the Works |
| A33 | Quality standards/control |
| A34 | Security/Safety/Protection |
| A35 | Specific limitations on method/sequence/timing |
| A36 | Facilities/Temporary work/Services |
| A37 | Operation/Maintenance of the finished works |
| A4 | Contractor's general cost items |
| A5 | Work by others or subject to instruction |
Work sections
Complete buildings/ structures/ units |
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| B91 | Buildings in the landscape | |||
Existing site/ buildings/ services |
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| C10 | Site survey | |||
| C11 | Site investigation | |||
| C20 | Demolition | |||
Groundwork |
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| D20 | Excavating and filling | |||
| D41 | Crib walls/ Gabions/ Drystack masonry | |||
In situ concrete/ large precast concrete |
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| E10 | Mixing/ Casting/ Curing in situ concrete | |||
| E20 | Formwork for in situ concrete | |||
| E30 | Reinforcement for in situ concrete | |||
| E40 | Designed joints for in situ concrete | |||
| E41 | Worked finishes to in situ concrete | |||
Masonry |
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| F10 | Brick/ Block walling | |||
| F20 | Natural stone rubble walling | |||
| F21 | Natural stone/ ashlar walling/ dressings | |||
| F22 | Cast stone ashlar walling/ dressings | |||
| F30 | Accessories/ Sundry items for brick/ block/ stone walling | |||
| F31 | Precast concrete sills/ lintels/ copings/ features | |||
Structural/ carcassing metal/ timber |
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| G12 | Isolated structural metal members | |||
| G20 | Carpentry/ Timber framing/ First fixing | |||
Waterproofing |
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| J10 | Cementitious mortar tanking/ damp proofing | |||
| J30 | Liquid applied damp proofing | |||
| J40 | Flexible sheet waterproofing/ damp proofing | |||
| J44 | Sheet linings for pools/ lakes/ waterways | |||
Windows/ Doors/ Stairs |
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| L37 | External, stair, ramp, handrail and blustrades systems | |||
Surface finishes |
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| M20 | Plastered/ Rendered/ Roughcast coatings | |||
| M40 | Stone/ Concrete/ Quarry/ Ceramic tiling/ Mosaic | |||
| M60 | Painting/ Clear finishing | |||
Furniture/ equipment |
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| N16 | Bird and vermin control systems | |||
| N91 | External signage and interpretation | |||
Building fabric sundries |
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| P30 | Trenches/ Pipeways/ Pits for buried engineering services | |||
Paving/ planting/ fencing/ site furniture |
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| Q05 | Biodiversity and environmental conservation | |||
| Q10 | Stone/ concrete/ brick kerbs/ edgings/ channels | |||
| Q20 | Granular sub-bases to roads/ pavings | |||
| Q21 | In situ concrete roads/ pavings/ bases | |||
| Q22 | Coated macadam/ Asphalt roads/ pavings | |||
| Q23 | Gravel/ Hoggin/ Woodchip roads/ pavings | |||
| Q24 | Interlocking brick/ block roads/ pavings | |||
| Q25 | Slab/ Brick/ Sett/ Cobble pavings | |||
| Q26 | Special surfacings/ pavings for sport/ general amenity | |||
| Q28 | Topsoil and growing media | |||
| Q30 | Seeding/ Turfing | |||
| Q31 | External planting | |||
| Q32 | Internal and artificial planting | |||
| Q35 | Landscape maintenance | |||
| Q37 | Green roofs | |||
| Q40 | Fencing | |||
| Q41 | Barriers/ Guardrails | |||
| Q50 | Site/ Street furniture/ equipment | |||
| Q52 | Play and sports equipment | |||
| Q55 | External decks boardwalks and pergolas | |||
Disposal systems |
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| R12 | Drainage below ground | |||
| R13 | Land drainage | |||
Piped supply systems |
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| S14 | Irrigation | |||
| S15 | Fountains and water features | |||
| S17 | Water reclamation systems | |||
Electrical supply/ power/ lighting systems |
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| V91 | Electrical systems - landscape | |||
Building fabric reference specification |
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| Z10 | Purpose made joinery | |||
| Z11 | Purpose made metalwork | |||
| Z12 | Preservative/ Fire retardant treatment | |||
| Z20 | Fixings/ Adhesives | |||
| Z21 | Mortars | |||
| Z22 | Sealants | |||
| Z31 | Powder coatings | |||
NBS Software Licensing
NBS software can be licensed for use on standalone PCs, or for use on a network. When running on a standalone PC the software will be licence locked for use only on that machine.
For network installations, the software will be licence locked to the server PC. Other PCs on the network may access the licence on the server for concurrent use, up to the number of licences subscribed to.
System requirements
For a full description of the system needed to run this software, please read the NBS system requirements.
Client Testimonials
We use NBS Landscape because it provides an easy to use method of specifying that is updated regularly to ensure consistency and compliance with legislation and best practice. 
Greg Vaughan, Principal Landscape Architect at Groundwork Caerphilly
View Demo
View the NBS Landscape demo
As of November 2008,