WWU working to update capital budget planning process

The capital budget is one of the most important tools for implementing institutional strategic priorities and achieving results, said Kathy Wetherell, interim vice president for Business and Financial Affairs, in an e-mail message to Western Washington University faculty and staff on Tuesday.

The Office of Capital Planning and Development has been working with the offices of Space Administration and Facilities Management to develop a new capital planning process for the 2011-13 biennium, along with the related 10-Year Capital Plan, Wetherell said in the e-mail.

Initial drafts of the proposed process framework, forms and timeline are posted at http://www.wwu.edu/wwuarchitect/. A community discussion forum also is set up at http://forum.wwu.edu/NewCapProcess.

Elements of Western's proposed new capital planning process include:

  • A clearly defined process for submitting any type of capital project request (see http://www.wwu.edu/wwuarchitect/Planning_Steps/IntroductiontoCapitalProcess.shtml).
  • Enhanced visibility of the projects and their deliberation through the process.
  • Timelines for development of capital project requests allow more time for development, discussion and collaboration of project priorities.
  • A new E-Form that allows greater definition of the capital request, its strategic benefits, operating impacts, critical dependencies, construction schedule impacts and measurements of project success.
  • Continuous assessment to ensure that the new process is consistently open, strategically driven and transparent.

At the same time as WWU is focusing efforts on the 2011-13 and 10-year capital planning process, officials are reminded that significant efforts are being expended to complete the 2009-11 Minor Works program, Wetherell said int he e-mail. More details on that program are available at http://www.wwu.edu/wwuarchitect/2009-11MinorWorksProjects.shtml.

For more information about any aspect of the proposed planning processes, contact Wetherell at (360) 650-3182 or Rick Benner at (360) 650-3550.