Campus Projects General Information

In compliance with Board of Governor’s Regulation 14.020, the Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) Department is responsible for the administration of all campus projects – whether remodels, renovations, additions, or new construction.   The role of PDC is to help assess the need for and provide physical facilities to support the academic, research, and service mission of the University.  PDC can provide Design Services (Feasibility Studies, Space Planning and Analysis, Concept Design) when requested.  PDC will also professionally manage Campus Projects to ensure that they conform to UCF Standards, that all required permits are in place, and that final as-built conditions are properly documented.

 

Please read the following information before clicking the minor project request submission button at the bottom of this page.

 

Campus Projects Requests

The “click here to submit a submit minor project request” button below links to the project request form. This form is web-based and must be filled out in its entirety to submit a new project request. Once submitted, it will route to various Facilities & Business Operations (FBO) employees for review and approval. Once all approvals are obtained, a project will be created and as capacity allows a Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) Project Manager or Facilities Operations Planner will be assigned. Within a week of project assignment, your project manager or planner will contact you to discuss the project’s scope and schedule. The project will be available for your review in e-Builder.

 

Funding Transfers and Project Manager Support

Update 05/03/2023: It is unlikely that projects requested after March 1, 2023 will have funding restricted to the project this fiscal year. We encourage you to discuss internally with your leadership and budget managers if under these circumstances you would still like to move forward with the project request, and if so, how the earmarked funding can be made available in FY 2024. Planning, Design and Construction can accept all valid projects, but if we do not have project manager support to execute a project, it will be placed in a “NOT ASSIGNED” category until we can support the project request. Projects in this “NOT ASSIGNED” status cannot and will not be able to accept project funds. Funding is only transferred to project accounts after an approved Minor Project Proposal (MPP) for design and/or construction services has been fully scoped. Requesters are responsible to ensure that funding is available across multiple fiscal years to execute their projects.

 

PDC Professional Management Services (PMS) Cost

July 1, 2021, PDC implemented a new PMS sliding fee scale. The sliding fee scale ensures proper PDC funding for necessary staffing to provide proactive service and continuous communication through the life of your projects. In addition, this fee structure more accurately reflects the work necessary to plan, design, permit, bid, construct, and close out projects. Fees are charged 50% due at the design MPP (using the total project estimated cost as a basis for the fee), and the remaining 50% due at the construction MPP (using the total project actual cost as a basis for the fee).

 

Project Cost Cost to Client
From To Fee % Min Max
$0 $49,999 15% $1,000 $7,500
$50,000 $99,999 12% $7,500 $12,000
$100,000 $499,999 9% $12,000 $45,000
$500,000 $999,999 6% $45,000 $60,000
$1,000,000 $1,499,999 5% $60,000 $75,000
$1,500,000 $1,999,999 4% $75,000 $80,000
$2,000,000 3% $80,000 TBD

Professional Management Service sliding fee scale:

 

Cost Escalation

The current construction market is experiencing significant cost escalation and schedule uncertainty. Limited factory production has caused material shortages which has driven up material prices. A reduced labor pool has driven up labor costs. Both of these factors have created uncertainty on project schedules. The industry is seeing many contractors and sub-contractors giving limited duration quotes (some as short as 24 hours), and many are putting project clauses in their quotes so they can pass on the escalation cost of materials from the time of their quote to the time of actual purchase. This will impact our project budgets and schedules, and our ability to provide fixed costs and schedules to campus clients. PDC will be taking a few steps to mitigate these issues:

 

 

Thank you for your patience during this very volatile construction market.

 

Funding

Minor Project applicants must refer to the UCF Expenditure Guidelines on F&A’s website, specifically section IV, to verify that the proper source of funds is being used for design and construction projects. Visit www.fa.ucf.edu, under the Resources/FA Forms & Procedures/Business Procedures and Guidelines/UCF Funds Use Guidelines.

 

Facilities and Business Operations, and PDC, do not provide funding for Campus Projects. All funding for projects must be provided by the requestor. As part of your project request, you must provide funding worktags for your project, and the budget amount that you have available to fund your project. Though the funds will not be restricted to your project until the project is fully scoped and the budget approved, sharing your available funding with PDC is critical to the success of your project – without knowing the funding available for a project, it is impossible for us to know if your scope is achievable.

 

It is important to keep in mind that when you request modifications to a room, that the room must be brought up to code for the new use of the space – this often causes unanticipated costs, but they are a part of the project and must be funded by the requestor.

 

Cost Estimates

If you are unsure of the cost of your project, PDC can assist in providing a cost estimate. To request a cost estimate, follow the project request process, and clearly list in your project description that a cost estimate is desired. While PDC will endeavor to provide accurate and reliable cost estimates, our estimates are usually based on partial information and are subject to change depending on scope adjustments and market conditions. Rough order of magnitude project estimates can be provided by your project manager and will only cost $150. If you require a close range estimate a third-party cost estimator/ architect/engineer/contractor must be engaged at a cost to the requestor. PDC estimates are our best “statement of probable cost” of a project given the scope that we know at the time, with pricing known at the time. In addition to the design and construction costs, all projects require BCO Permit Fees, SFM fees (if applicable), and Professional Management Services (PMS, a sliding scale percentage of the design and construction value of your project).

 

Remodels, Additions, and New Construction

Any project request that adds space to the campus, changes space function, transfers “ownership” of space, reconfigures existing space by removing or adding walls, or alters occupancy must be approved by the University Space Committee prior to progressing as a minor project. Please note that seemingly simple modifications to furniture can have effects on occupancy due to occupancy code changes in recent years. If applicable, the project request will route to the office of Space Administration for an initial review followed by a subsequent review with the University Space Committee. A clear and detailed description of your project scope will expedite project review.

 

Priorities

PDC manages a significant number of projects, and we have a number of internal procedures and steps to follow to ensure that projects are properly executed. As projects are started, they are assigned a priority category, as described in the diagram at the right. While we attempt to expedite all projects, ones with higher priority must be addressed first. We highly encourage our Campus Clients to plan well in advance of when a project is needed in order to allow PDC adequate time to properly execute your project.

 

Schedule

It is very important to properly plan your project and submit a project request well in advance of when your project is needed. PDC manages approximately 400 projects at any given time, and there are many steps to approving, scoping, designing, permitting, bidding, and constructing any project. Please see the sample schedule below which illustrates some of these steps. Small projects can often be constructed without the need for an Architect/Engineer to create signed/sealed drawings, however these are generally under $50,000 in construction cost and have no adjustments to life safety components. More expensive (over $50,000) or complicated projects generally do require an Architect/Engineer’s involvement. Projects that have adjustments to a life safety component (changes to room layouts, egress, occupancy, sprinklers, exit signs, fire strobes, fire alarm) require permitting through the State Fire Marshal (SFM). By statute, the SFM has up to 45 days to review drawing submissions. Therefore, it is critical that these types of projects be submitted well before they are needed so that they can be properly designed, permitted, and constructed. Below is a graphic illustrating the typical steps of a project and their average durations – these vary depending on the scope of a project so any project may take more or less time than what is illustrated below. If A/E and SFM involvement is not needed, it will reduce the time to scope and bid your project.

 

Schedule

 

Camera and Access Control Projects

Projects that exclusively add cameras or access control to UCF facilities must be approved by the UCF Department of Security (DS) prior to processing by Planning, Design, and Construction. Please contact DS directly for these requests using the contact information below. DS will meet with you to discuss your request, help develop your project scope, offer suggestions for improvement, recommend product specifications, and work with third party vendors to establish a quote for the scope. Once approved by DS, a campus project request can be submitted by the requester including the approval documents from DS. Access control and camera installation request forms for can be found on the Department of Security’s website: http://police.ucf.edu/security

 

Electrical Projects

Requestors of projects containing ANY electrical systems alteration should be aware that electrical panels and support systems studies will be conducted of all panels and support systems effected by the Requestors project. Electrical projects require either a 30-day load study, a detailed electrical panel analysis, or recent existing building documentation that clearly shows adequate electrical capacity in order to determine electrical capacity for electrical additions. These studies may have a cost and time impact – the requestor will be responsible for the cost of these electrical studies. The requestor will be responsible for the cost of ANY upgrades that are required to the electrical systems should they not have the capacity to accommodate the project.

 

Lab Projects

Requestors of lab projects should take note of several items prior to submitting requests:

 

 

Furniture

Furniture purchases on the UCF campus are decentralized, the only furniture with specific requirements are for classrooms. Office, cubicle, conference room, and public space furniture can be purchased directly by departments. However, PDC and EH&S must review any furniture purchase that may trigger the need for a permit – in particular:

 

 

Click on the link below for the furniture review form. Please email this form to Michelle Embach, michelle.embach@ucf.edu, for review and processing. Upon request, PDC can work with departments on furniture recommendations, to ensure you are purchasing durable and properly warrantied products.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FURNITURE REVIEW FORM

ORDERS FOR FURNITURE, MODULAR FURNITURE SYSTEMS, CORRIDOR FURNISHINGS AND CLASSROOM SEATING

 

Cancellation

Projects with inactivity from a requestor for over 30 days may be cancelled. These projects can be reactivated quickly once they are ready to proceed. There is no cancellation fee for projects.

 

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A MINOR PROJECT REQUEST