ADVERTISEMENT PREPARATION AND TIMING REVIEWS
For Bid Advertisements, Front End Documents are created first by university staff in Contracts+ and reviewed by appropriate approval authority in Contracts+.
The Bid Advertisement is then created in Contracts+, and when reviewed and executed by UOCP, the UOCP Business Administrative Associate will prepare the advertisement posting and submit to the Procurement Bulletin. The posting will request the SPO to review and publish Bid Advertisement on specified date included within the Bid Advertisement.
Before UOCP review and Procurement posting, the goal is to receive two (2) weeks' notice prior, for most contracts and for QBS Advertisements.
CONTRACTS+ IMPLEMENTATION
On June 1, 2022, Contracts Plus (C+) implemented capital contract templates and document templates into the system to allow universities to generate all the same documents that were generated from Upside. Additionally, Upside was officially retired as of August 1, 2022. Therefore, all capital documents will be generated and routed for internal approval along with routing in the approval workflow for the comptroller's signature.
The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will break ground on a new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility for the Fighting Illini baseball program. A lead naming gift of $3.0 million has been pledged by Susie Atkins. The facility will be named the Susan and Clint Atkins Baseball Training Center.
JULY 2022 CHANGES TO POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
U of I System Capital Updates - July 2022
www.uocpres.uillinois.edu
The University Office of Capital Programs and Real Estate Services (UOCP&RES), in collaboration with the three universities and other System colleagues, supports the University of Illinois' mission by facilitating and overseeing the development of and adherence to policies, procedures, and systems pertaining to the built environment of the University.
Q & A with REIFSTECK REID & COMPANY ARCHITECTS
What is your favorite University of Illinois (U of I) System project and why?
It’s hard to pick just one, but we love projects that are especially meaningful to the user. We’ve worked very closely with the user group for the Beckman Institute Animal MRI and National Institute of Cancer projects and have learned how instrumental these facilities would be for future research. Another example is the O’Leary Learning Center for the College of Education which facilitates collaborative learning for future teachers. We are honored to work on projects that will have such a resounding impact.
What project objective(s) was achieved on your current Baseball/Softball Training Centers project?
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics wanted to provide the baseball and softball teams with state-of-the-art training facilities that could be utilized year-round. These would also function as a recruitment tool for prospective athletes. Despite COVID striking during design and subsequent budget issues, we feel the project has met these objectives and we’re looking forward to construction completing soon.
What do you find most interesting about working for the University of Illinois System?
We love having the opportunity to work on a wide variety of project types at the University. From the linear accelerator addition for the College of Veterinary Medicine to the pedestrian suspension bridge at the Civil Engineering Hydrosystems building, we are constantly meeting new users and learning new facets of design. We are never bored!
Or most challenging?
A major challenge, which is not exclusive to University projects, is satisfying all parties that are involved in a project. During design, we find that the user group and Facilities and Services often have differing objectives and while we understand both points of view, it’s sometimes difficult to come to a unanimous decision. However, we pride ourselves on our communication and problem-solving skills and enjoy finding a solution that works for everyone.
What is your favorite building on the U of I System campuses, and why?
The Business Instructional Facility is a great building. It fits in with the University’s aesthetic while being innovative and inviting. It also has excellent acoustics. Despite usually being full of students, the atrium always seems quiet. We’ve actually had the opportunity to do work at BIF. We were asked to help troubleshoot an issue with the atrium’s flooring system. A few years later, we were lucky to have the opportunity to design the fourth-floor office addition.
If you could change one thing, what would it be?
A post-construction meeting with the user group, F & S, and PSC to discuss everyone’s thoughts about the project would be invaluable. We want to hear honest feedback, so that we can make improvements or continue to utilize successful strategies for the next project. Also, we would love to be invited to more dedication or open house events. It’s fulfilling to see the impact our work has had on the University.