Facility Renovation Memorandum

November 28, 2001

This memorandum outlines updated procedures and schedules for campus renovation projects as part of Physical Plant’s continuing effort to improve and streamline the management of these projects. These projects include but are not limited to office, laboratory, and classroom renovations, and interior renovations that involve new furniture and carpet. The procedures to request routine maintenance are unchanged and these requests should continue to be transmitted directly to your Physical Plant Zone Maintenance Office.

Physical Plant is now responsible for the design and management of renovation projects with budgets up to $2,000,000, an increase from the previous cap of $600,000. Since these larger projects demand more design and construction time than smaller projects, they will require earlier submittal to ensure timely project delivery. Physical Plant will continue to evaluate its current project delivery system to improve its capacity to accommodate these larger projects. In addition, to meet this increased demand and to help address the existing design backlog, Architectural and Engineering Services Division (A&E) of Physical Plant recently established open-ended contracts with several design firms, enabling more projects to be designed each year.

In our efforts to continue to improve our service and to help Physical Plant to better meet your needs, the following information and guidelines are provided to assist you as you submit projects.

As the first step to initiate a new renovation project, the client must identify the scope of work and submit a request for preliminary design and cost estimate using a work request form [PP-10]. Work Request forms are available on the Physical Plant web page. Select "PP10 Order Forms (PDF)" from the list at the top of the page.

Academic departments and non-academic units must submit the PP-10 request for preliminary design and cost estimates to their Dean’s or Vice President’s office. The Dean or Vice President should assess the validity and scope of the proposed project, determine its relative priority, and forward only those projects that are clearly important to enhance their programmatic goals to the Planning and Construction Division (P&C) at Physical Plant. A careful screening at this stage will permit the University to make optimal use of limited resources and ensure that Physical Plant dedicates estimating and design resources to projects which best serve the University.

The second step is the development of a preliminary design and cost estimate by Physical Plant. Generally, first priority for Physical Plant estimating and design resources as well as project execution resources is assigned to faculty recruiting requests. Second priority is assigned to requests for preliminary design and cost estimates for renovation projects critical to the development of new initiatives and/or the continuation of existing programs. Third priority is assigned to all other routine projects.

The third step and final step in the process is authorization for construction, which involves formal approval of the project and identification of the funding source by the client. All client questions pertaining to funding of the project shall be directed to the Provost or the respective Vice President. Academic departments should submit requests for construction authorization, accompanied by all the preliminary design and cost estimate materials, via their respective Dean to the Provost. Non-academic units should submit their requests to their respective Vice President. The Dean or Vice President should re-assess the project and decide if the project should be approved for construction. If the project is approved, the Provost or Vice President should determine the overall priority for the project within their operating unit. Academic departments must comply with Provost procedures regarding funding and project scope approval.

Special expediting or other unusual handling of proposed academic and non-academic construction projects requires the approval of the Provost or Vice President for Employee and Campus Services. Since project estimating resources as well as design and construction resources are finite, approval of a request to expedite a project will usually require deferring other projects currently in progress.

The Provost and Vice Presidents have final responsibility for the approval of renovation projects. For certain projects, however, this authority may be delegated. Examples include: (1) delegation of project approval authority by the Provost to Deans for initiation of projects and for approval of department-funded projects under $10,000; and (2) delegation of authority by Vice Presidents to auxiliary enterprises for projects using auxiliary funds.

To ensure a priority renovation project is completed by a desired occupancy date, it must be submitted to Physical Plant with adequate time to design, competitively bid, and construct the project. To determine the amount of time a given project requires from a planning perspective, please refer to the chart below. Previously, October 15 was the deadline to submit renovation projects in order to meet an August 15 delivery date. Due to the new $2M project budget cap, the chart below should now be used to estimate project delivery dates. The timelines shown in the chart are estimates for each project phase and Physical Plant will make every effort to complete designated first priority projects within these time frames. However, these timelines should not be interpreted as guarantees — each specific project schedule will be developed on the basis of the particular scope and characteristics of that project. As mentioned previously, new projects involving faculty recruiting (PAR’s) are given first priority and may require that work on existing projects be deferred.

Example: If a project must be completed by August 15, 2003 and the estimated project cost is $550K, then the work request form (PP-10) should be submitted to Physical Plant by May 15, 2002 (15 months total time required.)

Clients must recognize the timelines shown in the chart only reflect the estimated design and construction time required for the project and do NOT include additional department/unit tasks that may be required after construction is completed. These commissioning phase tasks include such things as installation of department purchased furniture, and special laboratory and/or multi-media equipment, etc; delivery, installation, and activation of phone and computer systems; and relocation of occupant files and equipment. These tasks may add days or weeks to the total project delivery timelines and must be identified when establishing design and construction schedules with Physical Plant.

Projects may be submitted at any time and will be added to the A&E design schedule. The earlier a request is submitted, the more likely a desired schedule will be met. Projects submitted with less than the prescribed project timelines may NOT be delivered by the desired completion date. Departments and non-academic units are strongly encouraged to work directly with Physical Plant in managing their workload so that resources may be directed appropriately. Renovation is a very dynamic activity with many variables and speculative characteristics. Estimates of cost, resources and schedule are not exact and become more refined only as the project moves through the project delivery process. It is therefore of paramount importance that good communication occurs between Physical Plant and a single representative from the client organization from the beginning to the end of the project delivery process. It is equally important that the client’s representative keep all client stakeholders informed regarding their project.

If you have any questions concerning these procedures or schedules, please contact John Rishling, Associate Vice President for Campus Planning and Facilities, at 475-6976.