The Scope Gap Index / Division 09
Division 09 · Finishes · Q3 2026
92 Division 09 packages across 23 projects, generated between 17 July and 30 September 2026 for Provision customers, ranked by how often each job got flagged. Model flags, checked by a person on fewer than one item in a hundred. Where to look, not proof.
Division 09 packages across 23 projects, 17 July to 30 September 2026
of 92 had at least one flag from Scope Agent
flags in total: 1,463 inferred, 665 coordination
of flags were inferred, meaning the documents named no trade at all
Inferred means Scope Agent judged the job necessary and found no scope naming who does it. Coordination means it judged the job to sit between two trades. Neither is a confirmed omission on that project.
Ranked
Tolerances, joints and trade interfaces got a flag in 63 of 92 finishes packages, and 60 of those were inferred. Floor flatness under the tile, the level of drywall finish the painter needs, moisture in the slab before the flooring goes down. The finish trade is the last one in, so it inherits every surface the trades before it left, and the documents say what the surface must be without saying who makes it so.
| Job flagged | Packages | Inferred | Coordination | Share flagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolerances, joints and trade interfaces60 inferred · 13 coordination | 63 of 92 | 60 | 13 | 68% |
| Sealants, flashing and waterproofing joints49 inferred · 35 coordination | 62 of 92 | 49 | 35 | 67% |
| Temporary protection61 inferred · 17 coordination | 62 of 92 | 61 | 17 | 67% |
| Removal, demolition and disposal57 inferred · 8 coordination | 61 of 92 | 57 | 8 | 66% |
| Maintenance, warranty and spares49 inferred · 4 coordination | 51 of 92 | 49 | 4 | 55% |
| Blocking, backing and support38 inferred · 36 coordination | 48 of 92 | 38 | 36 | 52% |
| Testing, inspection and certification39 inferred · 12 coordination | 44 of 92 | 39 | 12 | 48% |
| Hoisting, lifting and delivery39 inferred · 1 coordination | 40 of 92 | 39 | 1 | 43% |
| Scaffolding, shoring and access39 inferred · 0 coordination | 39 of 92 | 39 | 0 | 42% |
| Cleaning39 inferred · 5 coordination | 39 of 92 | 39 | 5 | 42% |
| Penetrations, sleeves and firestopping28 inferred · 19 coordination | 36 of 92 | 28 | 19 | 39% |
| Openings, cutting and patching9 inferred · 20 coordination | 27 of 92 | 9 | 20 | 29% |
| Anchors, embeds and connections9 inferred · 11 coordination | 20 of 92 | 9 | 11 | 22% |
| Shop drawings and submittals18 inferred · 1 coordination | 18 of 92 | 18 | 1 | 20% |
| Utility and service connections5 inferred · 2 coordination | 6 of 92 | 5 | 2 | 7% |
“Inferred” and “coordination” count packages with that kind of flag, and a package can have both, so the two columns can add to more than the total. The generic supply-versus-install topic (77 of 92) is left out; see the method note.
Beyond the ranking
Across all 1,290 packages, inferred flags outnumber coordination flags by three to two. In finishes it’s more than two to one: 1,463 inferred against 665 coordination. A finishes package is the end of the chain, with fewer trades after it to hand off to, so when something is left out there’s often no other scope for it to have landed in.
Scaffolding and access (39 of 39), hoisting and delivery (39 of 40) and cleaning (39 of 39) drew inferred flags almost exclusively. Lifts for the painter in the atrium, getting flooring pallets to the twelfth floor, and the final clean before turnover. The spec expects it done and nobody’s scope says by whom.
Fifty-one packages got a flag for maintenance, warranty and spares, 49 of them inferred. Attic stock of tile, carpet and paint, the warranty start date for a floor installed early, and the maintenance instructions the owner’s facilities team will ask for. It’s the closeout line that bids leave out and owners remember.
The items in detail
The eight jobs flagged most often, after the generic supply-versus-install topic. Check your own documents before assuming a flag is right.
Floor flatness and levelness for tile and resilient flooring, moisture vapour testing before adhesive goes down, the level of drywall finish the paint sheen needs, and the control joints in a long run of board. Sixty of the 63 flags were inferred. Put the acceptance criteria in the finish scope, require a written pre-installation inspection, and say who grinds, fills or skim-coats when the substrate fails it.
Caulking between the countertop and the wall, sealant at tile-to-tub and floor-to-base joints, acoustic sealant at drywall perimeters, and waterproofing under shower tile. Forty-nine inferred, 35 coordination. Say whether the painter, the tile sub or the drywall sub caulks each joint, and who installs the membrane under wet-area tile.
Covering new flooring while other trades finish, protecting painted walls from the millwork delivery, and keeping dust off a freshly skimmed ceiling. Sixty-one of the 62 flags were inferred. Name the trade that protects each finish, with what and until when, or put it in general conditions and say so.
Removing existing flooring, ceilings and paint on renovation work, disposing of carpet and tile offcuts, and stripping adhesive before the new floor. Fifty-seven of the 61 flags were inferred. State whether the finish sub removes its own existing material or the demolition sub does, and who handles abatement if the old floor tests positive.
Attic stock of tile, carpet tile, ceiling panels and paint, warranty terms and start dates, and the maintenance manual for the floor system. Forty-nine of the 51 flags were inferred. Make attic stock a quantity in the scope and the warranty start a date tied to substantial completion, not installation.
Backing for acoustic ceiling grid hangers, support for wall-hung tile, and the blocking behind drywall where toilet accessories and handrails will mount. Thirty-eight inferred, 36 coordination. The drywall sub closes the wall over whatever the framer provided; say who confirms the backing is there before boarding.
Moisture and pH tests on the slab, mock-ups for paint and tile, the fire-rated assembly inspection for drywall, and slip-resistance certification for flooring. Thirty-nine of the 44 flags were inferred. List each test as a deliverable with the trade that performs and pays for it.
Getting drywall stacks, flooring pallets and ceiling grid to the floor they’re installed on, and the hoist or crane time it takes. Thirty-nine of the 40 flags were inferred. Say whether the GC’s hoist is available to finish trades and when, or whether the sub carries its own.
Method
92 scope packages classified to MasterFormat Division 09, generated by Scope Agent between 17 July and 30 September 2026 on 23 of the 24 projects in the quarter’s cohort. Painting (22 packages), drywall (20) and flooring (20) make up two-thirds of it, with access flooring (2), acoustical ceilings (2) and resinous flooring (1) alongside. Twenty-five more carried a customer-specific label we couldn’t map to a standard trade, more than in any other division, counted because the package itself was coded to the division. A package is one trade on one project, as it stood at quarter end, so a project typically contributes four finishes packages. An item counts when Scope Agent flagged it as inferred or coordination. We grouped the items into sixteen topics by keyword, and one item can land in more than one topic.
92 packages on 23 projects clears our 20-package threshold comfortably; one package moves a share by about a point. The caution is the mix: a painting package and a flooring package get flagged for different things, and a quarter of this sample carries labels we couldn’t map to a trade at all. These are Provision customers’ projects, and the numbers describe this sample only. A flag is Scope Agent’s judgment, checked by a person on fewer than one item in a hundred, so some flags will be wrong. We’ll update it every quarter.
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