Specifying equipment and services can make or break a project, even an established organization, if not properly structured and carried through the procurement process with professionalism and care. Too many buyers don t specify properly and wonder why the suppliers respond in kind. Many buyers go on a fishing expedition with a broad shopping list they perceive to be a request for proposal (RFP) when at best it is only a request for information (RFI). Perfectly intelligent but woefully unexperienced and lacking knowledge, individuals pass themselves off as consultants to managers and executives who are ill-equipped to pass judgment on their ability to create and document requirements, specifications, conduct evaluations, and make recommendations throughout various aspects of a procurement process. Worse yet, many organizations buy and pay significantly more than they should or would have to if they were to take the time to prepare and carry out a reasonable procurement process. The process of procuring goods and services is only one aspect of a project or program. Likewise, specifying equipment and services is only one aspect of the procurement process. This chapter is about specifying what is to be acquired. The focus is getting the specs right, one of the most critical steps in any successful project or program. If what you want is not properly specified the specs can sour an otherwise flawless acquisition process. Acquisition of goods and services is the subject of the next chapter.