The Design Development Phase

Prerequisites

1.       Addition of the Project to the Capital Improvement Program (Back to Top)

Before proceeding to the Design Development Phase, the Board of Regents must approve the Addition of the Project to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP).  Upon approval, the institution becomes eligible for reimbursement of up to 10% of the anticipated Total Project Cost from designated funding sources.  These funds will be provided by the institution initially but will be reimbursed to the institution from applicable project funds upon Design Development Approval or upon submission of a project application to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (if applicable), whichever is later.

Tasks and Deliverables

1.       Authorize Preparation of Design Development Documents (Back to Top)

Per BOR Rules and Regulations 80402 and 80404, the authority to release the project architect, engineer, or design-build contractor to prepare Design Development Plans resides in the following offices:

• For OCP Managed Projects – The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Capital Projects
• For Institutionally Managed Projects – The President of the Institution

2.     Complete Design Development and the Associated Cost Estimate (Back to Top)

Design Development entails the confirmation of the program requirements and schematic design efforts, the continued development and refinement of the project design and detailing, and the expansion of outline specifications and Basis of Design to fully describe the nature and intent of the project prior to developing the construction documents.

Design Development documents normally include:

• Updated Basis of Design
• Complete building code analysis
• Complete drawings to scale
• Further refinement of all plans incorporating Schematic Design review comments, including the number of drawing sheets
• Draft SECO worksheets
• For renovation projects, include existing building plans, elevations, structural, architectural, and demolition plans
• Descriptive specifications with a narrative description of the component systems, materials, and equipment in alignment with the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) MasterFormat
• Descriptive literature cataloging cut-sheets of proposed systems, materials, and equipment Summary construction schedule, sufficiently tied to the costs and specifications to allow a meaningful analysis
• Construction cost estimate based on detailed quantities and unit costs for all materials, labor, equipment, building systems, general conditions, fees and contingencies in the CSI MasterFormat or Uniformat Assemblies format.

Per the UT System Capital Expenditure Policy, the Design Development cost estimate is expected to be within 10% of the final cost prior to consideration by the Board of Regents.  For new construction, the cost estimate should be itemized in accordance with the FPCC Agenda Item Cost Detail Template Instructions for presentation to the Board.  With the exception of “Insurance”, which is specific to certain U. T. System projects, the cost breakdown categories are a subset of those normally required for the subsequent submission to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).

3.     Complete the Project Business Plan for New Construction Projects (Back to Top)

A finalized Business Plan is required for all FPCC/BOR requests for Design Development Approval of Major New Construction Projects.  The Design development cost estimate, operating costs, and funding plan inform and support the Business Plan and serve as the basis for evaluating the proposed project.  The Business Plan should include a Pro Forma for all Major Projects funded by RFS debt identifying what revenue sources will be used to repay the debt.  If the project is gift or grant funded, the Institution’s Representative should confirm when the funds are available, including if there is a date when they need to be spent.  Institutions should also address anticipated costs for physical asset recapitalization and long-term facility maintenance.

The Business Plan must be signed by the Institution’s President, Provost, VP for Business Affairs, Director of Facilities, the Project Advocate, and other key stakeholders at the institution.  The Business Plan normally includes the following sections as further detailed in the Business Plan Template:

I.    Executive Summary

II.   Project Description

III. Strategic Rationale, Justification and Options

IV.  Summary of Economic Analysis

V.   Opportunities and Risks Analysis

VI.  Success Criteria

VII. Impact of Project Postponement

Appendix A: Proposed Site Map

Appendix B: Pro Forma

Deferred Maintenance and Recapitalization Plan

4.     Request Design Development Approval (Back to Top)

Upon completion of the Design Development Phase, Design Development Approval authorizes the U. T. System Administration and the institutional administration to expend 100% of the anticipated total project cost from designated project funds to complete the project.  Expenses from temporary funds provided by the institution will be reimbursed to the institution from applicable project funds upon Design Development Approval or upon submission of the project application to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (if applicable), whichever is later.

Once the institution determines that the project design, cost estimate, and business plan are ready to submit for Design Development (DD) approval, the following steps must be completed for various project categories.

Design Development Approval of Major New Construction Projects (Back to Top)

Design Development Approval for all Major New Construction requires that certain project and administrative activities be completed and that a review and presentation process be conducted with U. T. System executive officers and staff.   The process is as follows:

Documents Required for Requesting Design Development Approval on a New Construction Project:

1. President’s Agenda Item Request Memo or President's Agenda Item Request Letter Template With TPC Increase including confirmation of completed Definition Phase
2. Online Project Planning Form (updated as necessary)
3. FPCC Agenda Item Cost Detail per the FPCC Agenda Item Cost Detail Template Instructions
4. Finalized Business Plan
5. DD PowerPoint Presentation
6. DD Fact Sheet (OCP Managed Projects Only)

Timeline for Document Submission for Requests for DD Approval on a New Construction Project:

1. Approximately 7 to 8 weeks prior to the BOR meeting (as per deadlines specified for each meeting), the institution will submit the following to OCP (cipsupport@utsystem.edu):
   1. A president’s letter to the appropriate Executive Vice Chancellor (Academic or Health), requesting an Agenda Item for the purpose of DD Approval (Please copy cipsupport@utsystem.edu).
   2. A complete, accurate and final Online Project Planning Form.
   3. A complete, accurate and final FPCC Agenda Item Cost Detail.
   4. An electronic copy of the updated final, fully executed Business Plan to cipsupport@utsystem.edu for distribution to System Offices (OCP, EVC, Business Affairs, Real Estate and Finance).
2. For OCP managed projects that are to be presented to the FPCC by the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Capital Projects, approximately 6-8 weeks prior to the BOR meeting: OCP will schedule a dry run of the DD presentation with the AVCFPC, OCP staff, and institution’s staff. A draft of the DD presentation and DD Fact Sheet should be submitted to cipsupport@utsystem.edu no later than two (2) days prior to the dry run.
3. Based on collaboration with the project team and the information provided in the above listed documents, OCP will generate updated cost benchmarks for similar projects and will incorporate them into the Agenda Item and PowerPoint Presentation.
4. OCP will submit the Business Plan to the Board Office for inclusion in BOR agenda material sent to the Regents.
5. The DD Approval PowerPoint Presentation will be included in the overall FPCC presentation and will be set up and ready for presentation by the appropriate party at the FPCC meeting.

For additional information on this process, please contact Capital Program Support at: cipsupport@utsystem.edu.

Design Development Approval of Major Repair and Renovation Projects (Back to Top)

Per BOR Rules and Regulations 80402 and 80404, the authority to approve the Design Development Plans for all major repair and rehabilitation projects that are not architecturally or historically significant and authorize expenditure of appropriated funds resides in the following offices:

• OCP Managed Projects – The Chancellor
• Institutionally Managed Projects – The President of the Institution