Bidding Process: The process of soliciting and collecting competitive cost quotations from contractors.

Certificate of Occupancy: A legal document produced by the local municipality allowing occupancy of the project. Typically received after all life safety and mechanical systems have been installed and are operating properly.

Commissioning: Process for verifying building systems meet design intent specifications as well as owner and occupant operational requirements. Normally follows the completion of building mechanicals installation.

Construction Documents: Construction drawings, specifications, general and special conditions that detail all aspects of design, function, and construction that are used for estimating costs and securing bids for constructing the project.

Design Development: Identifying and verifying technical building systems and solutions to meet design requirements identified in schematic design phase.

Facilities Operations Team: Vassar’s in-house department responsible for the maintenance and repair of all College buildings and grounds. 

Finance Team: Representatives from the Procurement, Budgets and Planning and Accounting teams who complete the procedures necessary to authorize the spending of assets to complete the project.

Funding Source: Where the money will come from (endowment, gift, asset preservation, department budget) to support the project.

Municipal and Regulatory Approvals: Depending on the nature of the project, local state and federal authorities will ensure the project meets all applicable building code requirements.

Municipal and Regulatory Authorities: Local, state, and federal officials who ensure the project meets all applicable standards and regulations.

Planning Study: An analysis of potential options typically performed by an architectural firm to assess various options to meet the programmatic needs.

Project Close Out: A joint effort between the Project Team and Finance Team to ensure final invoices have been paid, the project budget is properly closed out and the overall project costs have been properly entered into the College balance sheet.

Project Schedule: A description of the timeline of a project including major milestones.

Project Scope: A narrative description of the objectives of a particular project.

Project Manager: An experienced individual assigned to support and coordinate the project, with skills in project planning, project management, and construction.

Project Origination Form: A Workday document that initiates a project. The process requires approvals from multiple College departments. It is necessary to create the budget number that will allow College funds to be spent on the specified project.

Project Requestor: Individual who will advance the concept of the project to their manager and Senior Officer.

Project Team: The group that supports the project manager in the design and construction of the project. Depending on the nature of the project, it is likely to include: architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, and site representatives.

Punch List: Identifies work that must be resolved by the contractors, generally prepared by the architect/engineer of record for the project.

Schematic Design: Conceptual design is refined, adding details on building form, site, sustainability strategy, general materials, and building systems.

Senior Officer: Typically a Dean or Vice President reporting directly to the President, responsible for a division or a number of departments.

Senior Officer Sponsor: A Senior Officer who proposes the identified project to the Senior Team for consideration of funding.

Senior Team: The entire group of Senior Officers.

Value Engineering: A process that the Project Team will engage in to maximize functional value and reliability while minimizing cost to ensure the project cost meets budgeted cost.