Department of Facilities Management

Capital Construction Projects & Services

Nutting Hall Entrance Plaza Project - Check it out by clicking here

Capital construction project management is critical to the successful completion of the construction process. Excitement, enthusiasm and optimism are characteristic feelings as work begins on a new building. However, months or years of effort on the part of many participants to secure funding and create the building design will precede actual groundbreaking. Construction, building commissioning and moving, depending on the size of a project, can also stretch to several years. The entire process, from initial budget estimates that help set fund-raising goals to occupancy, is the responsibility of the Project Manager.

Capital projects are construction/renovation projects costing more than $10,000. There are complex issues to be addressed that include topics such as financing, siting, utility service, designer selection, permitting, and contractor selection and construction quality. There are standards, regulations and code issues that must be addressed including: removal of asbestos containing materials (ACM), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Building Officials and Code Administrations (BOCA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MeDEP), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), State of Maine minimum wage laws and local code enforcement inspection requirements. As a public institution, The University of Maine is subject to laws and policies that define how competitiveness and fairness goals will be addressed in the selection of designers and builders, how contractors will be paid and how disputes will be settled. All of these issues are addressed with the assistance of the Project Manager.

Capital construction project management is critical to the successful completion of the actual construction process. In general, the construction process involves a building contractor who, in successfully bidding for a project, will have provided the University with a fixed price for the construction that is lower than the prices offered by all competing bidders. The nature of the process is such that the successful contractor has little margin for error in the completion of the work. There is an inherent tension in the construction contracting process that requires careful oversight of the project on the part of the University to ensure that issues of personnel safety, building quality, adherence to the architectural and mechanical plans, and even successful completion of the project, are realizable goals.

Complete List of Active Capital Construction Projects