Project Request and Prioritization Process

Project Request Form

Overview and Rationale for the Process

This proposal puts forth a process for the OWU community to request, prioritize, determine order of magnitude cost estimates, and obtain approval for campus projects. This effort intends to create an annual process for intake, consideration, triage against stated campus values and initiatives, prioritization, allocation of funding, and placement on an execution timeline to ensure appropriate stewardship, transparency, and time for planning.

This process proposes that all work, aside from repair, be identified as separate project work, based on the definitions found later in this document.

This process provides Ohio Wesleyan University a framework for implementing projects that best support the campus' strategic interests and directions and provide it the most value. The Project Request and Prioritization process intends to achieve the following results:

1. Build consensus among the campus community, with approval from the Cabinet, to determine the most important campus projects.
2. Assure project alignment with Ohio Wesleyan University strategic goals.
3. Add transparency to the prioritization of projects.
4. Increase collaboration across the University.
5. Improve the smooth flow of work for delegated project staff/vendors.
6. Educate campus colleagues on the realities of projects, project requests, and budget.
7. Identify and prioritize project requests with appropriate overview, consideration and levels of transparency.
8. Provide a responsive, consistent, and cost-effective delivery system for infrastructure, capital, remodeling, and minor construction projects, as well as other building related projects that reflect departmental priorities.
9. Allow for campus community members with program or departmental needs that require modifications to a building or building system to participate in project triage and prioritization.
10. Exercise sensitivity toward the compatibility of projects with building systems, appropriate usage, and future maintainability.
11. Achieve Trustee expectations for accountable and facilities-forward design and construction.
12. Compliance with building codes and guidelines and use trained design and construction professionals as appropriate.
13. Improve the performance of campus buildings and maintain the integrity of building systems.
14. Reduce the backlog of project requests awaiting Facilities and encourage stakeholder involvement and communications.
15. Ensure appropriate planning so projects can be contracted, designed, scheduled, and constructed in a manner that minimizes impacts to budget and the campus community.
16. Allows maintenance staff to complete preventative maintenance tasks proactively, because projects requested by campus are properly scheduled.
17. Effectively counters the "Everything is a priority" mindset, so that contractors and facilities staff are able to attend to scheduled and prioritized projects, allowing those projects to be completed well and on time.
18. Eliminates project requests that lack authorization, sponsorship, and funding.

The goal of the process is the creation of an annual prioritized project portfolio representing interests of faculty, students, administrators, and IS, that is forwarded through a cross-functional Project Prioritization Committee to the Cabinet. This Committee hears request justification presentations, reviews requests, recommends project priorities, and confirms project budgets for campus ensuring resources are available for the completion of the project.

What is a Project?

Projects with the following characteristics require Facilities approval/administration:

• Modifications that affect the structural, mechanical, electrical, architectural, fire safety (occupant exiting), invoke requirements such as, ADA, building code, life safety considerations including fire and/or security systems of a building.
• Modifications requiring architectural and/or engineering services.
• Change of space usage (i.e., office to lab, classroom to computer lab).
• Modifications requiring significant multiple-trades coordination.
• Modifications that affect exit paths.
• Installation or removal of equipment connected to building systems.
• Installation or removal of walls or partitions.
• Modifications to finishes (painting, carpet, fixed furniture, etc.).
• Modifications to grade, turf, plantings or hardscape.
• Special assignments, based on other criteria.
• The minimum expected project dollar threshold for submissions is $5,000.
• This ensures prioritization of impactful and significant projects while maintaining efficient use of resources for reviews and approvals.
• Projects below $5,000 may be submitted only if they meet defined exception criteria.
• Example Exception: Health and safety concerns (e.g., compliance, mitigation of immediate risk).
• Justification Requirements: Submissions below $5,000 must include:
  • A clear explanation of the issue.
  • Supporting documentation demonstrating urgency or risk.
  • Endorsement from a relevant stakeholder or subject matter expert.
• Suggested Definition Framework:
  • Immediate or potential risks to personnel, contractors, or public safety.
  • Non-compliance with legal, regulatory, or industry safety standards.
  • Situations likely to result in injury, illness, or environmental harm.
  • Examples: Fixing hazardous wiring ($3,000) or installing emergency lighting ($4,000).

Requesting a Project

Projects can be received throughout the year, but unless they are life safety or property emergencies, they will be gathered, held, and managed through the campus project prioritization process. This framework is used to select the projects that best support campus strategic plans, master plan, goals and current priorities, as well as provide the greatest value to the campus. All projects must be submitted through this process for review and priority assessment.

• After obtaining approval from their divisional Director/Vice President/Provost, employees submit projects to the Campus Project Prioritization Process by completing the Project Request Form.   The Project Request Form gives Facilities a general scope and definition of the proposed project. Preliminary impressions of feasibility, cost range, timing constraints, and other information must be provided by the initial requestor.  Architectural and engineering analysis is not provided at this stage.
• A staff member from Facilities will contact the project requestor to schedule an initial site visit.
• Facilities will forward your project to the Campus Project Prioritization Committee by November 18, 2024.

Important Note: Submission of the Request for Project form does not guarantee approval of the project request. A variety of factors will be considered in the evaluation of a project for approval. These factors include: the estimated dollar amount of the project, scope of the work requested, funding source, funds and cash available, maintenance/aesthetic renewal, campus priorities, the project's impact on operations, and timeframe.

Critical Dates to Remember for the 2024-25 Cycle

• Prior to December 9, 2024 – Employees submit projects to the Campus Project Prioritization Process after obtaining approval to do so from their divisional Director/Vice President/Provost by completing the Project Request Form. Note: Projects must be submitted using the form to allow for proper tracking through the process.
• December 10, 2024 - January 15, 2025
  • Facilities Management obtains clarification on scope for submitted projects from the requestor and establishes Order of Magnitude Pricing (OOMP).
  • Facilities Management identifies high-priority deferred maintenance projects and establishes OOMP for requestor.
  • VP of Finance and Administration establishes a budget for campus projects.
• January 16, 2025 – Facilities Management provides to the Campus Project Prioritization Committee the OOMP pricing for requested projects and deferred maintenance projects.
• January 17-31, 2025 – Campus Project Prioritization Committee reviews and discusses project requests, utilizes criteria/rubric to prioritize projects.
• February 1, 2025 – Campus Project Prioritization Committee provides recommendations to the Cabinet for approval of the delegated project priority list.
• February 15, 2025 – The Cabinet directs Facilities Management to seek investment grade estimates for the priority recommended projects.
• March 1, 2025 – Project list completed with estimates and funding sources.
• By March 3, 2025 – Facilities complete appropriate RFPs as needed for final design and contracts so that projects can be bid and contracts established for summer work.  (Due to the time required for effective planning, design, bidding, equipment and material lead times, etc., the timeline for project delivery may need to be adjusted.)

Project Prioritization Committee

The membership of the Project Prioritization Committee is as follows:

• Steve Lippiello, Vice President for Finance & Administration and Treasurer
• Jay Scheffel, Assistant Director of Facilities Management
• Allison Zang, Controller
• Brian Rellinger, Associate Provost for Academic Support & Chief Information Officer
• Dale Brugh, Associate Provost
• Brian Emerick, Director of Residential Life
• Dee Peterson, Director of Libraries
• Tenique Dennis, Director of Access and Strategic Recruitment
• Abby Stoner, Assistant Director of Athletics for Operations and Events
• Amanda Rodenborg, Director of Accessibility Services
• Zahra Yazdani, Student
• Gabby Gonzalez Duarte, Student

The Project Prioritization Committee utilizes the following criteria when assessing and prioritizing all project requests:

1. Does the project address a life safety issue?
2. What is the impact on or improvement of instruction/operations?
3. How well does the request align with University priorities?
4. How well does the request align with the department's strategy and financial plan?
5. How well does the request align with the financial position of the University?
6. What is the proposed composition of funding sources (i.e., across department and University)?
7. Does the project address a potential impact on the building structure or limit potential damage to the facility?
8. Does the project address a significant impact on customers (such as ADA path of travel issue)?

Framework

The campus Project Prioritization Committee measures projects against campus objectives as well as the campus' capability to undertake projects.

The project prioritization process includes:

1. Project scoring – An overall weighted score is generated that represents the project's value to the campus. The higher the score, the more value. The scoring is performed by the OWU's Project Prioritization Committee and recommended to the President and Cabinet for approval and final disposition.
2. Funding availability –identify available funds to carry out the project, and location of those funds.
3. Resource capacity evaluation – Identify which Facilities and/or other staff resources are available to work on the project.
4. Project scheduling – A project is scheduled based on its scoring, including funding, and resource capacity. A high-scoring project may not be able to start immediately if resources and/or funding are not available. Similarly, lower-scoring projects with available resources may start ahead of a higher scoring project. Projects with a future start date can be scheduled based on the future availability of resources and funding.

Definitions

• Maintenance & Repair – The recurrent, day-to-day, periodic, or scheduled actions required to preserve a building system, equipment, or device to functional operating status and/or to compensate for wear and tear rather than to improve the building system, equipment, or device. Examples: light bulb replacement, floor tile replacement, belt replacement, or heating unit adjustments. These items are most appropriately managed via the work order process.
• Renovation – The total or partial upgrading of an existing facility or facility system to higher standards of quality or efficiency. Under certain conditions, a renovation can also be classified as an improvement. Examples: installation of air conditioning, installation of grid ceilings to facilitate the replacement of incandescent lighting with more efficient lighting.
• Alteration – The changing of internal arrangements or other physical characteristics of an existing facility so that it may be effectively used for a new designated purpose. Interior partitions can be rearranged to provide a specific space for a certain function, or space can be converted to a different use with the installation of new equipment. For example, a classroom can be converted to a lab or a series of office suites.
• Improvement – The addition of quality features—the upgrading of mechanical or electrical systems or architectural finishes—to existing space. Examples: installation of carpet on floors that are not worn or otherwise unsatisfactory, the installation of drapes and/or blinds that were previously not existing or do not need to be replaced because of age or function, painting outside of cyclical maintenance requirements, the addition of air conditioning, or the installation of new or different lighting for aesthetic purposes.
• New Construction – The erection of a new facility or the addition or expansion of the exterior of an existing facility that adds to the building's overall dimensions. New construction creates a requirement for additional ongoing expenditures for operation, maintenance, custodial, and future renewal.
• Equipment Installation – The installation of equipment required by an academic or departmental program and not necessary for proper operation of the physical facility itself. Examples: fume hood installations, computer labs, specialized program air conditioning or ventilation requirements.

Facilities Planning Requirements

1. Fire/life safety
2. Imminent failure, increasing compromise to facility integrity
3. Americans with Disabilities Act
4. Impact on instruction
5. Sustainable design and construction
6. Architectural finishes and interior design
7. Asbestos abatement
8. Electrical systems
9. Mechanical systems
10. Access systems
11. Monitoring/Security systems
12. Structural systems
13. Tele-data communications
14. Emergency alarm systems
15. Energy conservation
16. Grounds, landscape, hardscape

Requirements for All Projects that Affect Campus Facilities

Approval from campus Facilities (regardless of the origin of the project's funding)is required for any work that affects campus facilities. This includes the acquisition and installation of equipment that affects the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire safety, or security system of a campus building or results in a change in space utilization. This approval is required to ensure that the proposed work is a feasible project that complies with campus standards, applicable building codes, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, and that existing systems can support any new equipment or remodeling.

All project requests must be submitted through this process for review and approval to ensure proper design, code compliance, and construction, including the preparation of specifications, the issuance of purchase orders, coordination with our tradespeople, and technical oversight through the course of the project.

As a general rule, projects in motion will not be stopped and re-started just because their relative priority has changed; however, the department to which the project is delegated retains responsibility for overall project portfolio management. From time to time, this will require adjustment of project activities based on the best interests of the institution. Some examples of reasons to halt a project include:

1. Organizational hardship (no money)
2. Project feasibility, cost benefit
3. Business case no longer applies
4. Overruns are extreme (budget and time)
5. Equipment and material lead times
6. Contractor availability (lack of availability)

Project Request Form