The Facilities Design and Construction Department is responsible for providing and/or managing the professional planning, programming, designing, construction management and inspection, building fit-out, building commissioning and warranty period follow-up for all construction and renovation projects on the campus.  The department is the University's professional representative for Facilities projects. Facilities Design and Construction is assigned with helping to bring project scope and budget in line and managing the execution of design, construction and follow-up.

In carrying out these functions, our services include:

• feasibility studies
• code analysis
• cost estimates
• site analysis
• land-use analysis
• landscape design
• sketch, preliminary architectural & engineering designs
• construction contract drawings/specifications
• project scheduling
• municipal approvals for zoning & land development and building permits
• state approvals for building plans
• contract administration
• construction management and inspection
• building commissioning, building fit-out, indoor air-quality testing
• contract warranty follow-up

All projects are either managed by a Project Manager or a Project Architect.  For some projects, all design, programming, design, project management and construction management/inspection is done by in-house staff.  For some projects, outside professional consultants are also hired.  The in-house team works with and manages the services of the outside consultant, who is paid to provide various services from the range listed above.  Facilities Design and Construction personnel also act as the professional liaison between the University users or customers and the consultants.

Some project construction work is done by in-house personnel from the Plant Operations Department who are members of the Projects Work Force staff or members of the maintenance shops.  Work which is determined to be routine maintenance and repair work is usually done directly by the Plant Operations Department personnel.  For some of the more complex or extensive maintenance and repair work, the Facilities Design Department provides drawings, specifications, municipal and state approvals, and construction oversight to the Projects Work Force or maintenance shops.  The staffs of the Facilities Design & Construction Department and the Office of Campus Facilities Projects work together closely, with some people working concurrently on capital projects as well as smaller locally-funded projects.

Funding for projects is derived from one or more of these primary sources: legislative funds, capital campaign funds, bond issues, or operating funds. The University's principal administrative groups and shared governance committees determine project priorities.