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How to Start a Capital Project

A Capital Project is one that has a total project cost of more than $250,000, or uses a Professional Services Consultant (PSC). When a campus unit is ready to start a Capital Project, the first step is to submit an approved Exhibit 1 form.

Step 1: submit an approved Exhibit 1 to CampusCapitalApproval@illinois.edu.

F&S will identify the best delivery method for the scope of work and assign a project manager to work with the client.  The project manager will contact the client to confirm the scope of work, and develop a project scope statement (called Exhibit 2), as well as the project budget and schedule.  The Exhibit 2 process includes coordination with related campus units to assess potentially competing priorities.

Step 2: review and sign the Exhibit 2, when received from F&S.

If the project will add new space, the Net Zero Space Growth Policy applies.  In this case, the client should work with the Assistant Provost for Capital Planning to identify an equivalent square footage to decommission or vacate.  New facilities should already be included in the Campus Master Plan. If the new building or addition is not in the Campus Master Plan, the project manager will follow the site selection process.

Projects over $5M require approval from the Chancellor’s Capital Review Committee (CCRC). This committee meets every other month, and also approves naming of facilities and site selections, before the project is taken to the Board of Trustees.

Step 3: complete Exhibit 3, to allocate funding to the project.

Once the project is fully approved and funded, the Capital Programs team will work with the client and related stakeholders to complete the Planning, Design, Bid and Award, Construction, and Close-out phases of the project.  This is done in cooperation with the University Office of Capital Programs, which oversees capital projects for the entire University of Illinois system.

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Capital Programs


Capital Programs directs the programming, design, and construction of capital projects with more than a $250,000 total project budget at the University of Illinois.

Capital Programs

Architectural Review Committee (ARC)


The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) is involved any time the physical fabric of the campus is considered for alteration. Its mission is to create, review, and maintain comfortable, healthy, safe, and sustainable facilities in support of the academic mission.

Richard D. and Anne Marie Irwin Doctoral Study Hall.

Landscape Architect


The University Landscape Architect oversees site development on the main campus and auxiliaries. All changes to the fabric of campus support the mission of our institution, balancing the needs of aesthetics for staff and students, attracting prospective students and donors, education uses, and sustainability.

The Gelvin Gardens provide an oasis of natural beauty gracing the entrance of the Krannert Art Museum. The gardens, originally designed by landscape architecture professor emeritus Terry Harkness, are maintained by KAM Council Gelvin Gardens volunteers led by Master Gardener Gloria Rainer. The space offers a peaceful place to enjoy flowers, fauna and sculpture work. The gardens are found at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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