Campus Renovation Services

Begin the process by entering a work request through the Physical Plant ReADY website. This is the first step in initiating any Physical Plant work, including those handled by CRS.

Once your Work Request is submitted, a Facilities Specialist will be assigned to your project. The specialist will reach out to you to discuss the specifics of your request and coordinate the delivery of the work.

After initial discussions, an in-house Design Team will be arranged to conduct a site visit. This team will consist of licensed designers from various disciplines relevant to your project. Depending on the project’s needs, additional consultants from Environmental Safety, UWPD, or other departments may also be involved.

Following the site visit, you will receive an email from the Facilities Specialist that includes a rough order-of-magnitude (ROM) estimate, a brief description of the scope of work, and any pertinent comments from the design team. This Courtesy Consult is provided at no cost and serves as the first deliverable in the project process.

The Work Induction Board, composed of representatives from various FP&M departments, will review your project request. This ensures that the project is directed through the most efficient and appropriate delivery method.

If more detailed planning is required before proceeding, a Schematic Design phase may be suggested. This phase involves creating a more exact estimate, a space plan or equipment layout, and a written assessment of the existing conditions and scope of work. The design fee for this phase is based on an hourly rate and agreed upon via a Consultation Design Service Agreement.

Once your project is approved by the WIB, the design team will begin creating construction documents, either in the form of a worklist or detailed drawings. This phase includes finalizing room layouts, selecting finishes and furniture, and ensuring that specific equipment utility needs are met. The design fee for this phase is typically 9% of the final project cost, with a slightly higher rate for projects under $25,000. The fees are agreed upon in a Design Service Agreement and are collected after construction is completed.

After the design documents are completed and approved, they are sent to Project Management for a detailed labor-and-materials estimate. This estimate is then included in a Construction Service Agreement (CSA), which is sent to you for approval. Construction will not begin until the signed CSA is returned.

The construction phase involves more than just the physical work. It includes pre-ordering materials, holding pre-construction meetings, coordinating any changes in work scope, managing state inspections if necessary, and conducting a final punch list walkthrough. Some work may be subcontracted to outside resources as determined by the Physical Plant.

Once construction is completed, you will have the opportunity to review the work and provide feedback through a project survey. This feedback helps CRS improve its processes and services for future projects.

 While CRS handles a large volume of projects and must adhere to internal procedures to ensure proper execution, we understand the importance of having your project completed quickly. We strive to expedite all projects, but those with higher priority or urgent needs may occasionally take precedence. Therefore, we strongly recommend planning well in advance to allow sufficient time for your project to be completed efficiently.

However, if speed is your primary concern, there are some options to accelerate the process. If timing is prioritized, it may be possible to compress certain steps in the project development process. While preliminary and shop estimates are essential and cannot be skipped, there are strategies that can help expedite the timeline:

1. Time & Materials Estimate: If budget constraints are less of a concern, a Time & Materials estimate can allow for a quicker start to the project.
2. “Early Material Order” Letter: This option enables the ordering of materials early in the process, potentially speeding up construction.

Physical Plant maintains a set of standard finishes, including carpet tile, paint, plastic laminate, and solid surface materials. These standards are intended to serve as the default option, particularly for projects that do not involve a design professional. If your space or building already has established standard finishes, we will make every effort to match or coordinate with them. For spaces without existing standards, a Physical Plant architect or interior designer will collaborate with you to develop a design that aligns with your needs while also ensuring sustainability, maintainability, and consistency with campus aesthetics.

Yes, you can work with a flooring vendor to add carpet, but the process must go through FP&M for approval to ensure compliance with UW Purchasing Services Policy. FP&M reviews all carpet requests to check for issues like asbestos or subfloor damage and to ensure the carpet fits the space’s purpose. Submit your carpet project via the remodeling request form for a streamlined process with attention to quality and safety.

The Design Service Agreement confirms the project scope, authorizes designers to create construction documents, and commits you to pay a design fee, even if the project doesn’t proceed. If canceled mid-design, fees are prorated based on hours worked. Additional fees may apply for multiple revisions.

You are agreeing that the information in the design documents meets your intended design scope, and requesting the construction manager to schedule a site visit for the trades to begin estimating your project based on those design documents. You can write notes on the documents and still approve the documents as noted.

For example, while reviewing the drawing set for your new office, you notice that the desk, originally planned for one wall, needs to be moved to the opposite wall. Since you’re handling the furniture purchase independently, add this note to the design documents and sign them as “approved with notes.” The design team will incorporate your comments and update the documents before finalizing them for the construction team’s estimates.

The Construction Service Agreement authorizes funding to start construction, including ordering materials and scheduling. It provides an updated budget estimate (not a fixed cost), with changes documented through change orders requiring your approval. Non-cost-impacting requests are also documented for your records.

The original estimate is a rough approximation based on early discussions. Final costs may differ due to scope changes, site conditions, scheduling adjustments, unforeseen circumstances, or the project’s billing on an actual time-and-materials basis.

There are several departments involved with the final billing processes. Design fees are billed at the end of the month after the project is put into “Closeout” status, and are based on the final construction cost of the project. All other billing is processed at the end of each month and is uploaded towards the beginning of the following month. Purchase orders are not billed to the project until auditing has reviewed and confirmed the work is satisfactorily complete. Final charges on purchase orders may occur several months after construction completion. Please contact your Construction Manager for project-specific billing inquiries.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a fixed cost estimate. The department is not allowed to make a profit, and we are unable to fund shortfalls. However, Project Management assembles a detailed estimate and presents it to you, the customer, in the form of a Customer Service Agreement for your approval before construction is scheduled. This is a trades estimate based on completed construction drawings immediately prior to construction. This estimate is generally more accurate than the architect/engineer estimate that was provided at the initial site visit as many details and scope-of-work changes have been worked out interim.

During construction, the construction manager should be the one and only point of contact for the customer. Your construction manager is introduced to you at the Estimating Site Visit, held on-site and with all trades in attendance before construction begins. Individual tradespersons cannot/should not take instruction for additional work from the customer. If they do, it will not be considered part of the documented scope of work and may not be considered in the funding/budgeting.

 Hourly rates vary by trade. For more information, consult the Renovation Rates sheet (NetID required).

Yes, when possible CRS recycles construction materials. We support the Chancellor’s Environmental Sustainability Initiative, though it comes with additional costs, particularly in waste management. We pay staff to sort and recycle construction waste, and incur higher disposal fees compared to landfills. Some costs are project-specific, while others are centrally funded. On the design side, we prioritize local sourcing and manufacturers who use green production and recycled materials.

Whenever possible, we prioritize recycling and reusing workstation components, including furniture, some of which is given to SWAP. Metal parts are typically recycled, while other materials are assessed for reuse opportunities. However, due to limited storage space and resources for redistributing these items, we sometimes need to dispose of items. We are always open to suggestions and partnerships that help us keep these materials out of landfills!

In-house projects should not exceed $300,000 in project cost. This dollar limit was derived based on the number of projects it is felt the in-house staff can handle on a repeated and dependable basis at the current staffing levels.

This $300,000 project limit includes everything project-related (design fee, materials, labor, contingency) except furniture and equipment that are of a nature that they could be picked up and taken with the occupant if they move.

Some examples: Carpet counts towards the limit. Cubicle partitions sometimes count. Modular walls always count. Fume hoods count. Dishwashers do not count.