University Renovations

University Renovations (UR) oversees new construction and renovation within existing VCU facilities on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses costing up to $3 million per project. It is staffed by design and construction professionals who develop and vet the project scope and provide an approximate construction schedule for the client. Staff advertise the project for bid as required by the Commonwealth of Virginia, authorize funding and award the contract, execute and inspect work during construction, and make sure that the final project meets the client's needs and applicable codes.

To expedite the execution of projects and provide the best value through competition, UR works with a VCU-approved group of pre-qualified/term contractors to solicit bids for work. This group includes general contractors who perform multi-trade projects and specific trades specializing in skills such as painting, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. The contracts are governed by a term agreement, which include the Supplemental General Conditions to the General Conditions of the Construction Contract (HECO-7) included in the VCU Higher Education Capital Outlay Manual (VCU HECO Manual). 

UR utilizes Commonwealth of Virginia procurement methods, primarily competitive bidding. VCU policy encourages the use of small, women-owned and minority business enterprises to perform construction services.

Submit a project request

VCU and VCU Health employees can submit project requests should be submitted via eBuilder. Upon receipt, a UR project manager will be assigned to the project and contact the client to begin the process of scoping and bidding the work. The UR project manager:

• Works closely with the client to develop the scope of work, acquire cost information, provide an approximate schedule and prepare the documents for bid. 
• They will also solicit proposals from internal vendors for non-construction services such as network IT, A/V and access controls to be included in the total project cost. 
• Supervises the bidding process.
• Oversees scheduling for the project.
• Leads site visits with potential bidders.
• Answers requests for information. 

Once the final bids have been obtained, the UR project manager shares the bids with the client and adds the lowest bid to the total project cost for client review. If the client decides to proceed with the project, UR management fees are added to the budget for approval and funding prior to obtaining contracts and transferring the funds from the client to a Construction Management account. 

Once the project begins, UR construction services include, but are not limited to:

• Managing the construction.
• Overseeing contract administration. 
• Conducting progress meetings with the client.
• Coordinating contractor submittal review.
• Coordinating inspections, commissioning, scheduling, budget and invoice management.
• Transiting the project to VCU Facilities Operations for maintenance and warranty management upon project completion. 

Service financial information

UR is financially supported by the services it provides. As such, various fees exist to maintain its functions. These fee amounts have been established to break even and not provide profit.

Projects totaling up to $250k will be charged a 13% fee and projects totaling more than $250k will be charged an 8% fee to cover UR fees. The client will be charged for the UR fees incurred during the project regardless of whether the project enters the construction phase.