Construction & Use of Space
1. Authority and Responsibility
Major responsibilities that cannot be delegated:
- Ensuring that construction and alteration of space furthers the university mission of teaching, research, and public service.
- Oversight and review of the different phases of construction to include the project concept and request phase, the feasibility study design phase, the capital budget approval phase, the design development phase, the contract document phase, the bid phase, the construction phase, and the project closeout phase.
- Approval of proposed fund expenditures and review of actual transactions. A thorough review is necessary, as billing continues until closeout of projects, which might be up to a year after actual construction is finished.
- Appropriate staffing of plans and proposals, to include coordination of space issues with the Office of Resource Management and Planning. Administrative Officials have the responsibility and discretion to assign space as they deem appropriate to maximize the department's effectiveness, and should make such assignments after appropriate departmental consultation (e.g., the unit space committee.)
Alteration of Space
Any proposed alteration of campus space must be accomplished using the campus services available from Facilities Management or Design & Construction Management to ensure that work complies with all applicable policies and codes. The Campus Care Index was designed to help people find their way through the many campus services related to building maintenance and construction. The web-site provides step-by-step instructions for simple projects to major capital projects.
2. Delegations
Major responsibilities that can be delegated:
- Campus space is assigned to the respective Deans and Vice Chancellors for the purpose of conducting university business. Space management responsibilities rest on the respective Deans and Vice Chancellors, who may further delegate their responsibility and authority for space assignment to the heads of units under their jurisdiction with respect to the space already designated.
- Each campus unit has a space coordinator, and each unit is responsible for assisting in the updating of the annual campus space inventory. The inventory provides the detailed information that is used to justify new space requests, and to meet reporting requirements of UCOP and the State. It must be accurate and up-to-date in reflecting the current assignment and use of campus space.
3. Areas of Potential Risk
Cost Over-runs
When an Administrative Official requests alteration of space, it must be done with the understanding that unforeseen results can occur. These types of events can cause the project to cost more than the unit was prepared to spend. Since Facilities Management and Design & Construction Management are primarily recharge operations, they are prevented by law from making a profit. For this reason, there is often no large contingency fund available to cover cost over-runs on projects, with the exception of the very large projects. The unit requesting construction may have to bear the burden of these extra costs, or request funding from a third party.
Hazardous Materials
Older buildings often have a variety of hazardous materials that, if left undisturbed, do not pose a health risk to the residents or employees within the building. However, renovation or improvement of that building may cause a condition in which a hazardous material is disturbed, and thus requires hazardous material abatement. Further, it is standard procedure to remove these materials when encountered during a renovation or improvement project, to protect the campus from future liability. Units requesting the renovation or improvements have the fiscal responsibility for hazardous material abatement, since the hazardous condition was caused by the construction requested by the unit.
Contracting and Bidding
Both Facilities Management and Design & Construction Management frequently contract work which cannot be performed by university personnel. Either Facilities Management or Design & Construction Management will administer the public bidding process and contract award. Several options regarding the type of contract bid process to be used are available. The department, with consultation assistance from Facilities Management or the Office of Design & Construction Management, will choose the competitively bid contract option which best suits the project constraints.