UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
PLANNING AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
PRESENTED BY:
Jay Kalra, Chair, Planning and Priorities Committee
DATE OF MEETING:
June 18, 2009
SUBJECT:
Report on Multi-Year Capital Plan and Major Capital
Projects
COUNCIL ACTION:
For information only
CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND:
The Major Projects Planning Process serves as a systematic and transparent approach to
review major capital and infrastructure projects in excess of $500,000, including major
equipment acquisitions and computer software purchases.
The planning process provides the Planning and Priorities Committee the opportunity to
review and provide advice, guidance, comments and observations on each project at three
stages: Stage 1 (project request), an early-stage outline of the rationale and scope of the
project, and Stage 3 (project brief), a detailed description of the project, including capital
and operating funding requirements and potential funding sources. Approval for the
project to proceed to Stage 4, Board of Governors consideration, is granted by PCIP at
Stage 3.
This year, the governance structure of the Major Project Planning Process was revised to
permit the Planning and Priorities Committee to continue to provide advice and input to
projects once they had reached Stage Four: Project Governance (Board FYI and Board 1
and 2 approvals).
DISCUSSION SUMMARY:
Major Capital Projects
Over the course of the year, the Planning and Priorities Committee reviewed the project
briefs for the following major capital projects and recommended they proceed to the next
stage of consideration:
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University Telephone System Upgrade
Heating Plant Boiler Feed Water Treatment Replacement and Expansion
Roof Replacement Program
Student Health and Counselling Centre
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Dairy Research Facility (Agriculture and Bioresources)
Centennial Plaza
Edwards School of Business Downtown Campus (ESB)
Graduate Commons
Replacement of Direct Buried Steam Distribution System – WCVM to VIDO
Relocation and Construction of Beef Cattle Research and Teaching Unit
(Agriculture and Bioresources)
Clarion Project (Arts and Science)
The committee also discussed the concept for the development of the University’s
Undergraduate Student Housing Residence Project.
A summary of the Major Projects Planning Process and status of each project is found on
the Facilities Planning section of the Integrated Planning web site at
www.usask.ca/ip/inst_planning/major_planning/capital_planning/progress_report.php
Clicking on the individual project name links to project specifics, such as overall
projected cost, project approval stage, executive sponsor(s), and visual representations.
The Planning and Priorities Committee also reviewed the Vision 2057: University Land
Use Planning Report, which designates the university’s urban land holdings as either
core campus, core campus agricultural, or endowment lands to inform future land
development and planning.
Infrastructure and Deferred Maintenance
The university’s ageing infrastructure continues to remain a pressing concern, with
$250.0 million of the estimated $620.0 million in deferred maintenance needs identified
as critical. The one-time capital funding grant of $62.1 million requested of the province
to assist with unfunded balances on capital projects and critical needs was not awarded;
however, the university remains in discussion with the province regarding the
university’s capital needs. Audit assessments, such as the Roof Condition Assessment,
are ongoing to determine the status of the university’s infrastructure and plan for cyclical
renewal.
Knowledge Infrastructure Program
The Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) is the federal initiative to renew Canada’s
college and university infrastructure with up to $2.0 billion dollars in funding available
nation-wide. Fourteen university projects have been submitted across the program’s four
categories: major research and development facilities; maintenance in support of
research and development; Green projects; and Aboriginal and social issues. As each
project submitted has already been identified within the university’s major project
planning process, projects potentially funded under the KIP program will assist the
university’s capital renewal through the release of already committed funds.
Multi-year Capital Plan
The Multi-year Capital Plan will be considered for approval at the Board of Governors
Meeting on June 26, 2009, and is attached for Council’s information. The Multi-year
Capital Plan is the first plan of its type developed to provide an overview of the
university’s capital needs and projects, including critical maintenance and renewal, in
relation to the principles of the Major Project Planning process. The submission of the
Multi-year Capital Plan completes the academic, financial, and capital planning
components of the Second Integrated Plan.
The Multi-year Capital Plan provides the base information for the commitment within the
Second Integrated Plan on Infrastructure and Capital Resources by providing a
comprehensive overview of the considerations relevant to capital planning: buildings and
space, land, infrastructure, including municipal structure, information and communication
technology requirements, equipment, and renewal and operating costs. Within the
framework provided by the multi-year plan, which focuses on the principles and
components of capital planning, the Annual Capital Plan provides the specifics of the
capital priorities and projects for the coming year.
The Planning and Priorities Committee was involved in the development of the Multiyear Capital Plan and supports the philosophy that university’s capital needs be
considered in the same manner as its financial needs are considered within the Multi-year
Operating Budget Framework.
Attachments: 1. Multi-Year Capital Plan and appendices
www/university_secretary/council/committees/planning_priorities/report_files/pdf/
PPJune200910.3attachmentmultiyear.pdf
2. Annual Capital Plan
www/university_secretary/council/committees/planning_priorities/report_files/pdf/
PPJune200910.3attachmentannual.pdf