Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does Facilities Management do?
A: Facilities Management operates and maintains the Colorado School of Mines facilities and grounds in support of the academic, research, and administrative mission. This includes custodial, grounds maintenance and snow removal, utilities and energy management, electrical and plumbing, access services, events and moving, and structural trades.
Q: What does the Office of Design and Construction do?
A: Office of Design and Construction is responsible needs to be contacted when you need a change of space or environment including wall modification, systems furniture reconfiguration, color palette changes, major equipment installations, outdoor furniture or signage. ODC is responsible for Capital Construction, Controlled Maintenance and In-house Project Management, State Buildings Programs Delegation, Code Compliance, Architectural and Engineering Design and Drafting, and Facility Audit
Q: What does Environmental Health and Safety do?
A: The Environmental Health and Safety team develops and promotes environmental health and safety programs designed to create a safe, sustainable and compliant campus. EHS professionals provide training and consultative services to control risk related to chemical, biological, radiological, and physical hazards. The EHS department procures and tracks hazardous chemicals for the campus. Sustainability services include recycling, surplus property management, green buildings, and energy and water reduction initiatives. Campus emergency management is an interdepartmental effort that focuses on prevention, planning, training, response, and reporting.
Q: What does Business Services do?
A: Business Services is committed to excellence, as we provide supportive services necessary for the operations of the Mines Campus. If it is Parking Services, submitting a work order, or a question on department fuel charges or projects, our goal is to provide premier customer service to students, faculty, staff and the community. Areas of responsibility include Parking Services, Distribution Services, work order management, Budget and accounting, CAD support, and space inventory.
Q: What do I do if I have an emergency?
A: Dial 9-1-1 for life-threatening emergencies (medical-fire-human violence-criminal). For non-emergency assistance, call Public Safety at 303-273-3333.
For hazardous materials incidents (leaks and spills) call the EHS Department at 303-273-3316. This number is monitored by EHS personnel on a 24/7/365 basis.
Facilities Management After Hours Numbers: INSERT HERE
Q: How do I submit a work order?
A: Submit a work order request for all campus Construction, Maintenance, and Environmental Health & Safety needs. Your request will be routed to the appropriate department based on the problem type you select on the request form.
Q: Will I be charged for my request work?
A: It depends. We define request work as work requested that is outside of the normal maintenance and operations of the existing facilities. You will always be given an estimate before work begins unless it is less than $300. If the labor can be done in-house and fits in the required schedule you will only be charged for materials. If time or schedule dictates that a contractor must be hired then you will be charged for the contractor costs as outlined in the estimate.
Q: What is the difference between request work and maintenance work?
A: Request work is anything that is over and beyond typical repair and maintenance. For example, painting an office or re-carpeting an area, not due to the condition of the carpet. Maintenance work is necessary for a building to run safely and proficiently.
Q: I want to buy new furniture, how do I go about doing this?
A: The Office of Design and Construction can assist in selecting commercial grade furniture that is part of a State pricing agreement. ODC can also design layouts that provide adequate clearances for ADA compliance and exit aisles. Submit a work order and your request will be routed to the appropriate group to assist you.
Q: When do I need Department Head or Dean’s Approval?
A: Routine maintenance, and EHS requests do not require Department Head or Dean approval. Improvements to space, including construction, furniture, utilities, etc require Department Head and Dean approval before the work is scheduled. Make sure that your Department Head and Dean support your request before submitting a work order for improvements.
Q: How do we prioritize requests?
A: Requests are generally prioritized based on the following order:
- Emergency/Life Safety issues
- Issues that affect the critical operation of the campus such as chemical spills, floods, and utility outages.
- Funded work orders and projects based on schedule and the critical need
- Request work based on prioritization given by VPs, Deans, and Department Heads
Q: My lab equipment is broken; can you help me fix it?
A: Typically, no. Most lab equipment is the responsibility of the researcher. Facilities Management repairs all building infrastructure and systems that are permanent fixtures in a lab such as fume hoods, building process chilled water, building compressed air, electrical systems to the disconnect or outlet, etc. If there is ever a question you can always submit a work order and FM will help make the determination if it is a building system or not.
Q: Can I modify my own space?
A: No, you will need to submit a work order and Facilities, Office Design and Construction, and Environmental Health and Safety will contact you to discuss your needs and provide you with cost estimates.
Q: How are work orders charged back?
A: Smaller request work i.e. office painting, furniture cleaning, etc. will no longer go through the full estimate process unless specifically asked for in the work order request. Work that is approximately less than $300 will be completed using the work order request as the authorization of work completion, an index will be obtained to cover the costs. Communication through the work order system will be used prior to the start of work if the amount will be over $300 and will need index and approval. Once work is completed a journal entry will be completed to transfer the funds.
Q: How do I get an estimate on how much something will cost?
A: If you need an estimate (cost proposal), fill out a work order request. After receiving your request, Facilities Management or Office Design and Construction will
- Issue a work order for the cost estimate;
- Assign a project/estimate coordinator;
- Contact you to verify the request and determine what type of cost proposal is required.
The time to complete a detailed cost proposal, which may require engineering expertise, design, and auto cad drafting may vary depending on the scope of work. Requests for changes to space will require Department Head and Dean approval before an estimate will be started. The schedule can be worked out with the cost proposal coordinator.
Allow 10 working days for the regular and conceptual cost proposals completion.
Smaller request work i.e. office painting, furniture cleaning, etc. will no longer go through the full estimate process unless specifically asked for in the work order request. Work that is approximately less than $300 will be completed using the work order request as the authorization of work completion, an index will be obtained to cover the costs. Communication through the work order system will be used prior to the start of work if the amount will be over $300 and will need index and approval.
For budget purposes, we will provide you with an “order of magnitude” conceptual cost proposal. Upon your approval and funding verification, we will work on a detailed cost proposal.
Q: How do I purchase a parking permit?
A: All permits are sold online at the parking portal: https://mines.t2hosted.com/cmn/auth.aspx. If it is your first time logging in, you will need to create an account.