THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

Guidelines for Submitting

Capital Budget Requests

OVERVIEW

Yearly capital budgeting is essential for planning long-term capital improvements. Long-term planning identifies financial resources and manpower requirements in a logical and coordinated fashion. Each Vice President/Provost as well as Technology Services, Housing, and Facilities are requested to provide a detailed capital plan for each budget year by submitting the Capital Request Form.

Capital improvements are defined as any single unit valued and purchased for $5,000 or more with a useful life exceeding one year, regardless of funding source or project length. These improvements may include construction projects, equipment, furniture, or vehicles.

GUIDELINES

The following guidelines are provided to assist you in preparing the Capital Request form:

  1. Requestor: A drop-down list is provided, click on the drop-down arrow and select the appropriate requestor, either the Vice President or Provost responsible for your respective department/school.
  1. Priority: Rank the priority of the project between 1 to 5 (“1” being High and “5” being Low). A drop-down list is provided, click on the drop-down arrow and select the appropriate priority level.

·  1 = High

·  2 = Slightly High

·  3 = Neutral

·  4 = Slightly Low

·  5 = Low

  1. Supports/Description of the Project: A drop-down list is provided. Indicate which of the following five areas the project supports. Provide a detailed description of the capital request or project.

·  Accreditation – Fulfills a need identified through a prior accreditation study or to prepare for an upcoming study. Please note the specific need and study in the Objective/Impact section of the form.

o Example: Updating a laboratory to meet a recommendation in the School’s 2011 Accreditation Study

·  Deferred Maintenance – Maintenance, upgrades or repairs needed due to the passage of time.

o Examples: Repairs to parking lots and building roofs; Purchase new server to support IT infrastructure

·  Enhancement – Allows the department to provide additional services, increase efficiency or improve the student experience.

o Example: Stairs and handicap accessibility at CUA Soccer Field

·  Master Plan – Funding used to partially or fully address an in the Campus Master Plan. Please identify the specific Master Plan item in the Objective/Impact section of the form.

o Example: Create a parking lot on West Campus

·  Safety – Provides additional protection for students, faculty or staff.

o Example: Update the fire protection system in a residence hall

  1. Multi-Year Project: Identify if the project will take longer than one year and identify the fiscal years that the project will be in action.

o Example: FY 2014 - 2015

  1. Estimated Cost: Provide estimated project cost based on collected information. If cost is unknown, please leave blank. Do not request cost estimates from Facilities or outside vendors. Formal cost estimates will be determined when the project is approved.
  1. Objective/Impact: Provide a specific objective for the project. What is the purpose of the project? What will it accomplish? If the request supports the Master Plan or Accreditation, please note the specific requirement or item that the project supports.
  1. Funding Source: Indicate the fund and organization number supporting the capital request.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

·  It is important to identify and accurately record capital expenditures in order to determine depreciation expenses in compliance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and audit standards.

·  The items listed from each Vice President/Provost should be in addition to the items listed in the integrated Facilities plan.

·  To obtain the Capital Budget Requests Form or if you have any questions, please visit the Budget Office homepage.

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