The Scope Gap Index / Division 21
Division 21 · Fire Suppression · Q3 2026
26 Division 21 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 21 packages across 23 projects, 17 July to 30 September 2026
of 26 had at least one flag from Scope Agent
flags in total: 358 inferred, 76 coordination
flagged for temporary protection, the highest share for that job in any division
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
Scope Agent flagged temporary protection in 22 of 26 fire suppression packages, 22 as inferred and 17 as coordination, both counts high. Protecting heads and drops while other trades work overhead, and protecting the building from the system: draining down for the winter, the freeze watch on an unheated floor, the flooded ceiling when the painter knocks a head. Anchors and penetrations tie second at 21.
| Job flagged | Packages | Inferred | Coordination | Share flagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary protection22 inferred · 17 coordination | 22 of 26 | 22 | 17 | 85% |
| Anchors, embeds and connections20 inferred · 7 coordination | 21 of 26 | 20 | 7 | 81% |
| Penetrations, sleeves and firestopping20 inferred · 13 coordination | 21 of 26 | 20 | 13 | 81% |
| Scaffolding, shoring and access16 inferred · 0 coordination | 16 of 26 | 16 | 0 | 62% |
| Maintenance, warranty and spares15 inferred · 0 coordination | 15 of 26 | 15 | 0 | 58% |
| Testing, inspection and certification15 inferred · 0 coordination | 15 of 26 | 15 | 0 | 58% |
| Utility and service connections13 inferred · 5 coordination | 15 of 26 | 13 | 5 | 58% |
| Blocking, backing and support7 inferred · 1 coordination | 8 of 26 | 7 | 1 | 31% |
| Sealants, flashing and waterproofing joints1 inferred · 6 coordination | 7 of 26 | 1 | 6 | 27% |
| Tolerances, joints and trade interfaces2 inferred · 3 coordination | 5 of 26 | 2 | 3 | 19% |
| Removal, demolition and disposal1 inferred · 2 coordination | 3 of 26 | 1 | 2 | 12% |
| Cleaning2 inferred · 0 coordination | 2 of 26 | 2 | 0 | 8% |
| Openings, cutting and patching0 inferred · 2 coordination | 2 of 26 | 0 | 2 | 8% |
| Shop drawings and submittals2 inferred · 0 coordination | 2 of 26 | 2 | 0 | 8% |
“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 (21 of 26) is left out; see the method note.
Beyond the ranking
Scaffolding, shoring and access drew 16 flags, maintenance and warranty 15, testing and certification 15, and not one of the 46 was a coordination flag. The lifts to hang the mains, the hydrostatic test with the authority present, the annual inspection the owner needs in year one. There’s no other trade in the argument. The documents just don’t say.
Penetrations, sleeves and firestopping drew 21 flags, 20 inferred and 13 coordination. The sprinkler main through the rated wall, the sleeve through the slab, the firestopping around both. The sprinkler sub assumes the firestopping sub seals it. The firestopping sub’s scope lists mechanical and electrical and not sprinkler.
Where the fire line crosses the envelope, somebody seals it, and Scope Agent found seven packages where the documents showed the crossing without naming the tube. Same pattern as electrical: a sprinkler package doesn’t need caulk on its own account, only where it meets the roofer’s or the waterproofer’s work.
The items in detail
The seven jobs flagged in more than half the packages. Check your own documents before assuming a flag is right.
Protecting installed heads and drops through the finish trades, draining and freeze protection on unheated floors, and the response when a head is knocked. Twenty-two inferred, 17 coordination. Say who protects the heads, who drains the system and when, and who carries the water damage if neither happens.
Hangers and seismic bracing into the structure, the embed for the main at the slab, the connection to the water service and the fire department connection. Twenty inferred, seven coordination. Name who supplies and sets each anchor and who makes the service connection.
Sleeves through slabs and rated walls, coring after the pour, and firestopping every sprinkler penetration. Twenty inferred, 13 coordination. Put sprinkler on the firestopping sub’s list, or in the sprinkler sub’s scope, and require a sleeve drawing before the pour.
Lifts and scaffolds to hang mains and branch lines at height, access to the mechanical room. All 16 flags were inferred. Say who provides the lifts and whether shared scaffolding is available.
Spare heads and the cabinet, the first annual inspection, the warranty start date on a system charged early for construction cover. All 15 flags were inferred. State the spares, the warranty date and who performs the first inspection.
Hydrostatic and flow tests, the authority’s acceptance test, the fire alarm interface test, the certificate the owner needs. All 15 flags were inferred. Make each test a deliverable with a named trade and say who attends.
The water service to the riser, the backflow preventer, the fire department connection, the tie-in to the fire alarm. Thirteen inferred, five coordination. State the boundary with the plumber and the electrical sub at each connection.
Method
26 scope packages classified to MasterFormat Division 21, generated by Scope Agent between 17 July and 30 September 2026 on 23 of the 24 projects in the quarter’s cohort. Twenty carried the trade label fire protection and three fire suppression. Three more carried a customer-specific label we couldn’t map to a standard trade; they’re counted here because the package itself was coded to the division. A package is one trade on one project, as it stood at quarter end. 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. Hoisting, lifting and delivery drew no flags in this division and is left off the table.
Twenty-six packages on 23 projects clears our 20-package threshold for publishing a division. It’s small enough that one package moves a share by about four points, so treat the ranking as an order and the percentages loosely. 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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