Capital Projects

About Capital Projects

The Capital Projects team is comprised of Project Managers, University Architects, Space Management Architects, Campus Planning, Sustainability and Energy Management. Project Managers align your budget and needs with University requirements outlined in the Denver Advantage Plan.

Planning a Request with Your Department

If your department has maximized it's space utilization or needs extensive maintenance over $5k, work with your Business Officer to prepare project scope, budget, and goals.

Requirements:

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  Plan Scope & Budget with Your Business Officer

  Requests must be preauthorized and signed by the Requestor's Division Leadership and Business Officer. To get started, Review Project Types.

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  Prepare a Project Statement for Your Request Form

  Align strategic imperatives for community impact to enhance diverse campus needs with your Space Modification or Building Project.

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  Allow Three Months Lead Time for Provost Approval

  Allow three months lead time to process review & approval on the academic schedule and alleviate pressing University needs when Submitting Capital Projects Requests.

• Project Objectives & Request Types

  Request Types are Defined by Scope & Budget

  Typically, requests exceeding $5K are managed by Capital Project Management.

  • General Maintenance under $5K can be requested from iServiceDesk. Small requests include hanging items, sign fabrication, some furniture fabrication, painting requests (less than five years old or special color requests), minor building alterations and improvements, and some special event support.
     
  • Minor Capital Projects over $5k do not require a substantial long-term investment to acquire, plan, build, or renovate. They include space enhancements to expand divisional area footprint with construction services to support growing University services.
     
  • Major Capital Projects requiring long-term investment include large-scale building projects include extensive painting or renovation efforts, and space modifications to enhance accessibility, learning, and work environments.

   

  Project Objectives Considered for University Approval

  • Renovate space within assigned footprint to update existing divisional services or offerings
  • Expand our divisional footprint into other facilities with leadership approval
  • Enhance our student and faculty experience by adding new divisional programming and service
  • Address issues concerning ADA, mobility or other accessibility issues
  • Modify space in order to meet institutional research, teaching, and learning objectives
  • Enhance information and communication technologies for greater flexibility and utilization

   

  Capital Projects Funding Partnership Considerations

  • Is this project to be jointly funded and/or managed by multiple campus partners?
  • If so, will there be a memorandum of understanding or other joint agreement?
  • To the best of your knowledge, will this impact community members in adjacent spaces?
  • Will this work impact any centrally controlled spaces (e.g., Registrar controlled classrooms)?
  • Are you seeking central funding or other campus partner funding to support this modification

   

  Also Recommended: 

  Submitting a Capital Projects Request and Capital Projects Request Guide.

   

• The Capital Projects Process

  Requests are governed by a 10-phase construction process under the campus framework plan, The Denver Advantage, and the University's Capital Projects Policy. Projects Managers are assigned to incoming requests to ensure departments meet all code and legal requirements. This process aligns department construction requests with Office of the Provost, to position space enhancement and construction requests for greatest impact on student success.

   

  Capital Projects are Developed in 10 Phases

  1. Project Request Initiation and Concept Development – Ensure general understanding of the proposal and inform administrators of the intent of a project sponsor. To view construction schedule and three-month lead times, see Submitting a Capital Projects Request.
  2. Feasibility Plan and Project Approval – Document in detail the concept developed in Phase I and develop the basic financial plan to provide thorough information for the approval group.
  3. Project Planning and Design – Describe the requirements of a proposed initiative in such a manner that a professional consultant could prepare a proper design.
  4. Architect Selection – Hire consultants necessary for the planning, design, and management of the capital construction project.
  5. Schematic Design – Develop the concept and basic framework for the design of the project.
  6. Design Development – Develop a rational plan to incorporate the program in a building form on the site.
  7. Construction Documents – Develop the construction plan, process and site/material specifications.
  8. Bidding and Negotiation – Review bids and negotiate terms with the general contractor to be hired.
  9. Construction – Build the building and complete the construction work.
  10. Warranty Period – Typically one year after completion, during which deficiencies are evaluated and addressed.

   

• Submitting a Capital Projects Request & Lead Time

  A Capital Project Request form initiates a feasibility review by DU Facilities Management & Planning (FMP) of your project request. The request can only be completed by authorized requesters and must be signed by your division leadership and financial officer. FMP Capital Projects & Office of the University Architect staff will review the scope and budget of your request. FMP will schedule a meeting with your team to ascertain if the project requires any additional considerations: building code, accessibility, technology, sustainability, and equity concerns.

  After the feasibility review, if the scope and budget are not reasonably aligned with the identified funding sources, FMP will refer the project back to your division for scope and/or budget revisions. After the projected scope and budget are reasonably aligned, the project request will be sent to the Office of the Provost and the Office of Budget & Finance for review along with other proposals across the institution, for consideration of programmatic priority. University Leadership review will occur at quarterly intervals aligned to submission dates and proposed start dates for construction.

  Allow three months lead time for the complete approval process for all project requests:

  Capital Projects Request Submission	University Leadership Review	Earliest Start of Construction	Earliest Start of Construction
  April 1st	July 1st	Winter Break	Spring Break
  July 1st	October 1st	Spring Break	Summer Break
  October 1st	January 1st	Summer Break	Summer Break
  January 1st	April 1st	Summer Break	Winter Break

  *All projects are reviewed and approved by senior leadership who may alleviate a project's timing to meet pressing University needs.

  Note: Project submission timeline reflects anticipated design and permitting effort based on project budget (scope complexity). Permitting with the City and County of Denver can take 13 to 16 weeks.

  After University Leadership approval, the project implementation phase will commence, initiating project design, finance, contractor selection, and scheduling.

• Working with the Capital Projects Team

  If you have a space modification or construction project to submit for approval, you'll be assigned to a University Capital Projects Manager at Facilities Management & Planning. A Project Manager is assigned to ensure that the work a department wants to do meets all code and legal requirements and maintains University standards. 

  Project requests requiring $5K or more in capital are governed by a multiphase construction Process for Capital Projects Process under the campus framework plan The Denver Advantage. This collaborative process aligns department construction requests with Office of the Provost, to prioritize space enhancement requests and construction projects that impact student success in our diverse organizations and communities. 

  Refer to our Capital Projects Requests Guide to learn best practices and collaborate with your division to present a clear project scope and budget.

   

Related Resources

• Capital Projects Request Form
• Establishment & Approval of Major Capital Projects
• Capital Funds Policy
• Space Utilization Policy