Administrative Procedure 3522 - Requesting Building Alterations and Improvements

I. Purpose

To provide mandatory procedures to request and authorize substantial alterations or improvements to administrative office buildings or school facilities/grounds requiring communication, planning and budgetary consideration.

II. Background

All administrative office building and school facility/grounds alterations or improvements are supervised by the Director of Building Services or his/her designee. This direct oversight ensures compliance with all applicable standards and building codes. To ensure that such alterations and modifications are properly authorized, the Request for Facility Alterations or Improvements form must be submitted to the Director of Building Services. Requests not submitted using the Request for Facility Alterations or Improvements form will not be considered.

III. Definitions

“Building Alterations or Improvements” means any major modification, improvement, addition or change to electrical, heating, plumbing, grounds or other installed systems including walls, doors or partitions of the building, or construction of and modifications to small outbuildings requiring communication, planning and budgetary consideration. Smaller projects will be recommended to be submitted in the work order management system.

IV. Procedures

The following procedure will be used in initiating the building alteration and improvement process:

Initiating a Request: Principal, Director, Chief Administrator
1. All requests for alterations or improvements must be completed by the principal, director or Chief Administrator using the Request for Facility Alterations or Improvements form and submitted to the Director of Building Services. A detailed written description and justification of the desired alterations or improvements including diagrams, scheduling requirements, specific location, etc., must be provided.
  
  The Director of Building Services will determine if the project will be submitted to the Work Order Management System or to the Facility Advisory Committee/CIP for review. If the project is recommended for the Work Order Management System the
  requestor is notified in writing by the Director of Building Services. Projects that are submitted to Facility Review Committee/CIP will be recommended to continue or denied. Funding must be identified for those projects recommended to continue.
2. Where a funding source has not been identified by the requestor and the cost is under $100,000, the Associate Superintendent of Supporting Services will recommend either approval or denial of the request for alterations or improvements. If authorized to move forward, the request will be forwarded to the Chief Financial Officer for the identification of funding. Once funding is identified, the Director of Building Services/CIP will schedule a site visit, the project’s prioritization and timeline. The requestor will be notified in writing that the project has been approved. If funding is denied at any phase, the requestor will be notified in writing by the Director of Building Services.
3. Where a funding source has not been identified by the requestor and the cost is over $100,000, the Associate Superintendent of Supporting Services and Director of CIP will approve or deny the project. If approved, CIP determine the inclusion into the CIP as a future project. Once funding is identified, the Director of Building Services/CIP will schedule a site visit, and develop the project’s prioritization and timeline. The requestor will be notified in writing that the project has been approved. If denied, the requestor is notified in writing and the project is identified as a future project in the CIP.
Submitting Requests:
1. The Department of Building Services and Capital Improvement Program staff will work with the requestor to determine project scope; develop cost estimates; select consultants; receive and analyze bids; award the work; monitor the contractor’s
  performance; and coordinate the departments’ timeline and budget. The expenditure and time commitments required for alterations and improvements and the large number of requests received annually demand careful scrutiny by the staff of Building Services, Capital Improvement Program office and the Facility Advisory Committee in an effort to set priorities for the limited funds available.
2. All requests for alterations and improvements will be carefully reviewed to determine long range impact on the school system including state rated capacity (SRC), identified Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects, instructional programs, and
  other initiatives. The review will address whether the request is aligned with the Master Plan, the school’s academic plan and if the request is a legal compliance issue. Projects will also be reviewed to determine if they can best be handled through the work order management system.
3. Projects costing under $100,000 that are recommended for authorization to move forward by the Associate Superintendent of Supporting Services will be forwarded to the Chief Financial Officer for the identification of funding from the operating budget. If approved, the Department of Building Services and the Capital Improvement Program staff will determine the prioritization and timeline. If denied, the project will be identified as a future project in the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan.
4. Projects costing more than $100,000 that are recommended for approval will be considered for funding through the CIP.
Gifts: Where applicable, all administrative office buildings or school facility/grounds alterations or improvements, resulting from gifts by any organization including, but not limited to, civic groups, booster clubs and PTAs must follow the procedures outlined in this Administrative Procedure. A gift to a school or administrative office may not be accepted as property of the Board of Education of Prince George’s County until approved by the Director of Building Services. Upon approval by the Director of Building Services, the gift automatically becomes the property of the Board of Education of Prince George’s County. Donors must be notified in writing from the Associate Superintendent of this Administrative Procedure in advance of the donation.

V. Related Policies and Procedures

None.

VI. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

This Administrative Procedure will be reviewed periodically by the Associate Superintendent of Supporting Services and changes will be made as necessary.

VII. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedures 3522 dated July 1, 2015 and 7110.50 dated July 1, 2013.