Planning

Campus

Getting started

To begin a capital project, you, the customer, need to first obtain departmental leadership and/or other committee approval. Obtaining approval will depend on your department’s specific requirements.

Project requests submitted for academic space projects are subject to approval by Facilities Planning and Space Management in the Office of Planning and Budgets. Service requests for non-academic projects only require departmental approval. Once you have project approval, the next step is to submit an online Service Request to IPF. This document triggers a preliminary cost assessment (PCA) for a project.

The PCA is a conceptual cost evaluation without the benefit of drawings or detailed investigation. It helps MSU administrators make initial plans, but it’s not intended to be used as a final budget.

If more information is required before moving to the design phase or seeking approval from the Board of Trustees, IPF and the customer may arrange for a more detailed study. The PCA is provided at no cost to you. However, if a further detailed study is required, the customer is responsible for those additional costs.

Customer request

Prior to requesting new construction or renovation services from Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, refer to Facilities Planning and Space Management Policies and Procedures in the Manual of Business Procedures, to determine what steps you need to take within your department. There will be two required budget-related items.

No. 1 - Estimate (Yes/No)

The first is to indicate if you are requesting a cost estimate for the service. If you select “Yes”, then a Preliminary Cost Assessment will be provided prior to any services.

No. 2 - Account Number

The other item is an account number. If you indicated you wish to receive an estimate, there will not be any charges applied to your account number until you give authorization.

Project funding

  • A plant fund account is established by IPF for any project having a budget of $250,000 or above, as mandated by the university policy.
  • Once the plant fund account is established, a transfer of funds from the funding source(s) is initiated by IPF Support Services, which then monitors and reconciles the account monthly for the duration of the project.
  • Some potential funding sources include federal, grant, donor, unit departmental, just-in-time maintenance, joint capital outlay committee and energy funds.
  • Actual project expenditures to the billing account may be viewed by customers in Enterprise Business Systems (EBS) as well as on the monthly IPF customer statement.
  • When the project is completed, any excess funds are returned to the funding sources. Once the transfer is complete, the plant fund account is closed.

Planning and project funding

The programmatic needs of the project drive the PCA. These may include functional requirements, space characteristics, room lists, square-footage needs, building-efficiency data, adjacency requirements and occupancy projections.

  • The PCA will include a review of non-programmatic costs. These costs may include impact from applicable building codes, safety, barrier-free access, security and fire protection.
  • Energy planning and conservation goals; sustainability measures. These include items such as recycling and water conservation, environmental impacts on zoning, infrastructure capacity, just-in-time maintenance needs, hazardous-material remediation, site and landscape needs.
  • Impacts on traffic and parking. All projects will be examined to comply with the university’s planning principles and infrastructure strategy.

Developing the PCA requires investigating the existing facility. This includes review of the just-in-time maintenance list as well as minor demolition for inspections.

The PCA also includes identification of work coordination opportunities that may benefit the university long term. The office of the Executive Vice President for Administration will be consulted to provide guidance.

The PCA is expressed as an “order of magnitude” range and is based on anticipated costs at the time the project is planned.

What you can expect

  • We promptly respond when we receive your request.
  • We thoroughly research existing conditions affecting the scope of your project.
  • We bring proven expertise in applicable codes and university policies affecting the scope of your project.
  • We provide good faith advice and guidance to help you achieve your facility objectives.

What IPF expects

  • You initiate a PCA using the online Service Request form.
  • You provide sufficient information to clearly explain needs.
  • You collaborate with us on potential solutions and options.
  • You btain required authorization should project proceed.

The team

IPF

  • Power and Water
  • Energy and Environment
  • Telecommunications systems
  • Planning, Design and Construction
  • Occupational Safety and Compliance
  • Landscape Services
  • Communications
  • Building Services
  • Sustainability

Professional services

  • Architecture
  • Engineering
  • Landscape design
  • Project management
  • Commissioning
  • Interior design
  • Contracting

Planning partners

  • Residential and Hospitality Services
  • Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
  • Campus Infrastructure Planning Work Group
  • Office of Planning and Budgets
  • University Physician's Office
  • Off-campus partners
  • IT Services
  • MSU Police

Project team

  • IPF design manager
  • IPF project manager
  • Customer representative
  • Professional consultants
  • Constructor

Technical support

  • IT Services
  • Environmental Health and Safety
  • MSU Police