Capital Project Planning Process | Michigan Tech Facilities Management

Are you planning an office, lab or classroom remodel, building addition, specialized equipment installation, building utilities change, landscape or exterior site work? Will the work require modifying the space size or layout, multiple contractors, public bidding, engineering, design or project management, change of space use, code review, permitting or other regulatory oversight? Michigan Tech's processes for project requests are outlined below:

Capital Projects (Over $50K)

To optimize the ability to predict and plan for future capital projects, the University is requiring the financial impacts of proposed projects be known prior to the development of the upcoming year’s budget. Capital Project Planning Forms must be submitted for review and prioritization by Friday, January 17, 2025 to be included in the FY26 budget (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). Any project request submitted after that deadline will not be reviewed nor included in FY26 planning.

For project proposals you would like to be considered for FY26 and beyond, please complete and submit a Capital Project Planning Form, following these 3 simple steps:

Complete page one of the online Capital Project Planning Form (see the evaluative criteria below)
Secure the electronic signature of your Dean or Director
Save the signed form, and then email it to us at facilities@mtu.edu

Minor Projects (Under $50K)

For projects under $50,000 that will be requested, funded, and completed in the same fiscal year, please complete the Minor Project Request Form, and send it to facilities@mtu.edu. Funds for these projects should be available or expected within the current fiscal year.

Off-Cycle Capital Projects (Over $50K)

For projects over $50,000 which may come up during the year outside of the annual project planning cycle, a Capital Project Planning Form can be submitted. These projects must include external funding sources. Examples include new faculty start-ups, grant proposals, or emergency issues.

Evaluative Criteria for Capital Projects (Over $50K)
Evaluative Criteria	Evaluating Factors	Scoring Parameters	Max Points
Impact on MTU Core Mission	To what extent does the project enhance the core mission (academic, research, or programming) of MTU	low - high	40
Sustainable investment in existing facilities and infrastructure	To what extent does the project support investment in or adaptive repurposing of existing facilities and infrastructure	low - high	10
Life and Safety	Does the proposed project address facility or infrastructure deficiencies that pose a serious threat of injury or death	low - high	20
Occupancy and utilization of existing facilities	To what extent has the requester demonstrated occupancy and effective utilization of existing facilities to merit capital investment	low - high	10
Estimated amount of funding provided	To what extent is current funding sources available to cover the cost of the project	20=100% funding in hand 15=less than 100% 10=less than 75% 5=less than 50% 0=less than 25%	20
Estimated operating costs	To what extent has the requester identified operating costs and existing resources to support them	low - high	10
Direct Student impact	To what extent will the project directly impact students positively	low - high	10
Project Bundling	To what extent is the proposed project able to be bundled with other similar or adjacent projects to create synergy and lower costs	low - high	10
Return on Investment (ROI)	To what extent does a return on investment apply to this proposed project including energy savings	20=less than 2 yr ROI 15=Less than 5 yr ROI 10=Less than 10 yr ROI 5=no ROI 0=increase in annual costs	20
Alignment with Campus Master Planning for the University	To what extent does this project have a direct impact on the University strategic plan and Campus Master Plan priorities	low - high	20