Facility Work Categories and Prioritization

Definition:

Maintenance/minor repair is the work required to keep buildings or utility systems functioning as originally intended. Keeping existing facilities in proper condition requires services to offset the effects of normal "wear and tear" as well as equipment and materials failure.

Highlights:

• Addresses maintenance and minor repairs of building/utility systems throughout campus
• Typically, does not include building furnishings such as furniture, decorations or equipment unless built into the building
• Performed by Physical Plant workforce and/or outside contractors managed by Facilities Management and Campus Services staff
• Includes preventative maintenance and replacement/repair of small, non‐capital items when they reach the end of their useful life
• Emergencies such as major water leaks, power outages or significant security/safety issues should be reported immediately to 815-753-1741
• Minor repairs are generally less than $10,000
• Work is charged based on the type of building being addressed
  • General revenue buildings: Maintenance budget managed by Physical Plant
  • Auxiliary operation buildings: Maintenance budget managed by individual auxiliary units

Initiate a maintenance work request

Definition:

Any facility improvement that can be defined as minor/simple in scope and typically costs less than $10,000. Such actions may involve space rearrangements, fixture replacements or changes to any building systems (walls, power, water, ventilation, etc.) Work may include minor remodeling of an existing space, minor ADA compliance or repairs that result in a significant upgrade (adds value to the structure versus strict direct replacement).

Highlights:

• Less than $10,000
• Typically, does not include building furnishings such as furniture, decorations or equipment unless required to be built into the facility or hard-wired for power
• Performed by Physical Plant workforce and/or outside contractors managed by Facilities Management and Campus Services staff
• Work is typically requestor funded from general revenue, auxiliary, grant or foundation donation accounts as may be applicable for the requested work

Initiate a Small Mission Enhancement Work Request

Definition:

Any significant renovation or remodeling of an existing facility that results in a permanent improvement. Landscape improvements, street and sidewalk renovations, utility modifications or additions, and the purchases of fixed equipment that require modifications to a facility are all considered discretionary improvements. Projects initiated for the purpose of ADA compliance or that necessitate a permanent improvement to maintain or improve the health and safety of the university's students, faculty, staff and visitors are discretionary improvement projects. All new construction projects are discretionary improvements.

Highlights:

• $10,000 or greater
• Typically requires deliberate long-term approval, budgeting, planning and design prior to construction
• Projects are typically funded from centrally budgeted accounts, state programs, donations or financing arrangements
• Projects may be requestor funded from general revenue, auxiliary, grant or foundation donation accounts as may be applicable for the requested work

Initiate a Large Mission Enhancement Work Request

Definition:

Any significant repair of a building system or section of campus infrastructure either by replacement or restoration. The project objective is to generally restore to original capability. Enhancements are only supported if original systems are no longer manufactured or there is a reasonable return on investment (life cycle cost savings or energy conservation savings) for a higher cost option.

Highlights:

• $10,000 or greater
• Typically, will require longer lead times for deliberate prioritization, approval, budgeting, planning and design steps prior to construction
• Projects are typically funded from centrally budgeted accounts, state programs, donations or financing arrangements
• Projects may be requestor funded from general revenue, auxiliary, grant or foundation donation accounts as may be applicable for the requested work

Initiate a major repair request

The types of work noted above are regularly collected and reviewed for completeness. Maintenance and minor repair requests are assessed based on the following criteria to determine a general prioritization of work for near-term execution or backlog deferral. Maintenance and minor repairs take a natural priority over most other types of work due to the need to keep existing buildings and campus infrastructure functioning.

• Safety hazards presented
• Criticality of building affected
• Criticality of building function affected
  • Emergencies: major water leaks, power loss, major security issues, etc.
• Potential for further property loss
• Scope coverage by another major project investment

Small mission enhancement requests are generally supported secondarily to maintenance and minor/corrective repairs due to the limited magnitude of the request (less than $10,000) and funding provided by the requestor. If the requested work is technically acceptable and there are no significant cash flow concerns being experienced by the university, this work will be executed as maintenance/minor repair priorities allow.

Large mission enhancement and major repair projects will be similarly prioritized based on criteria such as the following and reviewed regularly with divisional representatives in separate monthly prioritization meetings and with the collective leadership in the monthly capital planning meetings.

• Life/health/safety issues
• Mission impact/alignment
• Property loss
• Return on investment
• Risk mitigation
• Type of funds

The capital planning group contains the following members: provost, vice president of research innovation and partnerships, vice president of administration and finance and the president’s chief of staff. Monthly meetings are organized and facilitated by Facilities Management and Campus Services and ad hoc guests are included from other divisional areas as topics may require. These representatives deliberate over the project priorities according to four project categories:

Major repair projects

Prioritization based on the amount of funds the university makes available for facility/infrastructure repair investments.

General revenue centrally funded mission enhancement projects

Prioritization based on the amount of funds the university makes available for buildings supporting general revenue operations.

Auxiliary revenue centrally funded mission enhancement projects

Prioritization based on the amount of funds the university auxiliary operations make available for enhancement investments.

Requester-funded mission enhancement projects

Since funding in this category is typically earmarked for each project (i.e. grants, specific auxiliary operations, department budgets, donations, etc.), forum representatives review projects more for awareness and mission importance rather than prioritization.

The integrated prioritizations validated by this group drive how available execution capacities within Facilities Management and Campus Services and Procurement Services and Contract Management are focused for major capital projects. Once projects are determined a university priority, specific approvals are obtained as outlined below. 

Project approval levels:

• Between $10,000 and less than $500,000 (all facility-related requirements: AVP) Facilities Management and Campus Services
• $500,000 or greater (all requirements): Board of Trustees (BOT Regulations)
• $2 million or greater (all non-instructional requirements): Illinois Board of Higher Education (110 ILCS 205/8 and 23 Ill. Admin. Code 1040)
• All new housing construction or property acquisition: General Assembly (110 ILCS 15)