Capital Development Policy
The Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education hereby declares that the goals for Rhode Island higher education need to be supported by a clear and systematically conceived investment process. Accordingly, the Board of Governors hereby establishes a capital development program for higher education in Rhode Island which, at the outset, shall be applicable to capital development programs and acquisitions of the three public institutions of higher education, whereby capital investment proposals to the Board of Governors shall be fully documented on the basis of education need; and whereby all proposals relating to capital investments give full disclosure of the information needed to make sound decisions for inclusion of such items in the Board of Governors’ request for development as part of the Rhode Island capital development program.
Further, the commissioner of higher education shall establish such policies and procedures as may be necessary for the administration of this program with such policies and procedures to be in accord with the state laws, rules and regulations.
Further, the commissioner of higher education shall encourage the three institutions of higher education to establish sound policy for capital investments in higher education and that such policy should be related to the needs of higher education.
Finally, the commissioner of higher education shall investigate all facets of the capital development function in higher education and make such recommendations as may be necessary for improvement to the Board of Governors.
Nothing in this policy interferes with the executive responsibility of the presidents of the institutions of higher education to initiate, develop and review capital development projects for their individual institutions. Further, it is assumed that the execution of capital development projects on the individual campuses will be the responsibility of the institutional executive.
The Rhode Island Board of Governors hereby declares that it has a duty and responsibility to the taxpayers of this state to monitor, as appropriate, and give such advice as may be solicited or deemed necessary by the Board in the execution of its capital development program when bonds have been authorized and issued for such purpose in the case of either self-supporting enterprises or obligations incurred against the State of Rhode Island.
The Board, therefore, directs the commissioner of higher education to undertake the following duties:
a) A liaison official be appointed by the commissioner for office items and by each institution president for their own projects in the case of each construction project authorized under a bond issue, who shall be responsible for contacting the director of administration and the state purchasing office to render such assistance and effect such liaison as necessary in the specifications drawing and contact bidding process. Said officers shall be selected by the commissioner and the institution president, as appropriate, and shall be from the staff of URI, RIC, CCRI or the Office of Higher Education as appropriate to each construction project submitted to the commissioner.
b) The commissioner of higher education and each institution president, as appropriate, shall report to the Board of Governors at lease semi-annually the status of all authorized work.
c) The commissioner of higher education and institution president shall take care to note any possibility of a conflict of interest occurring between any person employed by the three public institutions of higher learning and the process for issuance of bonds and the administration or contracting procedures for capital development under such authorization and report any such possible conflict to the Board.
d) The commissioner of higher education or institution president, as appropriate, shall give ample notice to the Board of Governors of any major delays in authorized capital construction projects amounting either to an exceptional delay or any change in expected completion date.
e) The commissioner of higher education or institution president, as appropriate, shall cause the project liaison official to assist in noting major discrepancies in authorized capital construction or improvements as may be required by the director of administration, noting such discrepancies in reports to the Board of Governors.
f) Turnover of capital construction improvement projects to the Board shall be preceded by at least one month’s notice to the Board of Governors by the commissioner of higher education or institution president, as appropriate, and the designation of such education official to act in acceptance procedures for the Board. Reports to the Board shall be made on the progress of such projects and any anticipated difficulties at the regular meeting of the Board scheduled at least one week prior to the scheduled turnover.
