WKU Planning, Design and Construction Department

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Approval process for designs and change of use

Once you and your Project Manager have determined a scope of work, written details and drawings may be presented for signature by the responsible party in your department to indicate final approval before construction begins.

Making changes to the scope after contracts are in place or after work has begun can increase the cost of a project and delay completion. This is why we ask that all details be nailed down prior to approval to eliminate change orders.

If you are proposing the usage type of a space be changed, your department will need to acquire approval from the office of Institutional Research. PDC will typically provide you with a floor plan requiring signatures of your department head or dean as well as Institutional Research. Examples of change in usage are changing a classroom into offices or vice versa, absorbing lobby space into offices, or creating retail space.

Approval Process for Funding and Encumbrance

When you request an estimate for your Service Request, an electronic estimate will be sent to the person listed on the SR. To approve the estimate, you should respond by email. Once your Project Manager receives your approval, the original SR will be sent for signature approval by the person responsible for the funding account. This signature enables us to encumber funds in the amount of the estimate. If you are using a Foundation account to pay for your project, a signature will be required, but no encumbrance is processed. Please reference the SR number in any correspondence to ensure your information is applied correctly and expeditiously.

Project Billing

Once your project is complete and PDC has received all invoices, your account will be billed and any remaining balance of the encumbrance will be released. If for any reason during the project your Project Manager foresees that costs will exceed 10% above the estimate, he will notify you so a decision can be made about how to proceed.

When engineers or architects must be hired and associated costs

Some project scopes mandate that registered architects or engineers be hired for design services or to perform a feasibility study. If this is the case, your Project Manager will discuss specific requirements and costs with you. These professional services are an expense that will be charged to your project.

EH&S, Hazardous Materials, and Assuming the role of "Project Manager"

One of the functions your PDC Project Manager performs is liaison to WKU’s Environmental Health & Safety Department. Our departments work closely together to help minimize risk of exposing WKU faculty, staff, students, and visitors to hazardous materials like asbestos and lead. When you bypass PDC and perform or ask others to perform renovations or make physical changes in a building, you are considered a University Project Manager by EH&S, and as such assume responsibility for creating any exposures to hazardous materials. Alterations as simple as painting, hanging window shades, removing a chalkboard, or hanging a projector can disturb hazardous materials and expose yourself and others to health risks. Before you consider performing any renovations yourself, you should reference the WKU Environmental Health & Safety department’s web page for further details

Purchasing and Price Contracts

WKU is required to follow the Kentucky Model Procurement Code. Price contracts are one of the ways the university does that. Pursuant with established price contracts, there are many services for which we are required to use particular vendors. For materials and equipment, we often have a wide variety of price contracts to employ. Your Project Manager works with the WKU Purchasing Department and has access to these contracts, and can help keep your project within regulations.

Designing Projects to fit the University, not just the current occupant

While an office, classroom, or breakroom, etc. may feel like ‘yours’, it really belongs to the university. Sometimes an occupant may want to modify a space to fit their current needs better, but it may not always be in the best interest of the university. Your Project Manager works with other departments across campus to help ensure the scope of your project will not create a maintenance problem, create a situation that has to be reversed for the next occupant, or violate life safety codes.

Following building codes and Life Safety codes

The university is obligated to adhere to a broad range of building codes and life safety codes. These include egress routes, occupancy loads, ADA accessibility, and much more. The PDC department works with state officials, consultants, and other departments on campus to help create and maintain a safe environment for all of WKU.

PDC coordinating with IT, EH&S, and DFM on projects, and billing through SR for their services

Your project may incur charges from a variety a sources: contracted work, campus IT, EH&S testing, Facilities Management labor, etc. PDC can consolidate billing for all these sources through your Service Request to simplify billing for your department.

Why outside contractors are hired to perform your project

The university does not keep a staff of tradesmen to perform renovation projects. While Facilities Management employs tradespeople, their function to is to perform maintenance tasks. Therefore contractors will be hired to perform your project work, based on the specific needs of the project. Contractors we hire are instructed to work safely, behave courteously, and adhere to university regulations. PDC staff continuously evaluates the performance of contractors we hire. If you experience any problems relating to contractors during your renovation, please inform your Project Manager immediately so they can be addressed.

Why costs seem higher than home renovations

If you have contracted renovations for your home, you may have been reluctant to pay someone else to do work you think you might be able to do yourself if you just had more time. But when you hire a licensed contractor, you are paying for both their time and their expertise. WKU works to find contractors who are experienced in their respective trades and have appropriate training and certifications. To deal with elevated liability related to commercial construction, licensed contractors have additional expenses such as greater insurance costs. These factors can add up to make non-residential renovations seem even more pricey compared to your home repairs.

The difference between Renovation projects and Capital Construction projects

Project under $60,000 are considered Renovations. Capital Construction can be renovation activities or new construction greater than $60,000.

Services offered by PDC

PDC can help you with a wide variety of needs. This list is only a sampling of typical Renovations: space planning, furniture selection, finishes selections such as flooring and paints, window coverings, construction of walls, installation of cabinets, demolition, chalkboard replacement, A/V upgrades, lighting changes, electrical outlets and networking service additions, new office space development, classroom modifications, or any other physical modification to a university owned or operated facility.

How we help you define your scope and find solutions

Your assigned Project Manager will work with a representative from your requesting department to discuss your needs and possible solutions. PDC has a variety of resources at our disposal and a staff with a broad range of experience and education from which to draw. Your PM will present you with one or more possible solutions and work with you to nail down details of your project to meet your department’s needs, the university’s goals, life safety codes, and budget requirements.

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