Capital Development Policy
The Council on Postsecondary Education (the Council) hereby declares that the goals for Rhode Island postsecondary education need to be supported by a clear and systematically conceived investment process. Accordingly, the Council hereby establishes a Capital Development Program for postsecondary education in Rhode Island which, at the outset, shall be applicable to Capital Development Programs and acquisitions Rhode Island College (RIC) and the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), whereby capital investment proposals to the Council 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 Council’s request for development as part of the Rhode Island capital development program.
Further, the Postsecondary Commissioner (the Commissioner) 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 shall investigate all facets of the capital development function in postsecondary education and make such recommendations as may be necessary for improvement to the Council.
Nothing in this policy interferes with the executive responsibility of the presidents of the institutions of postsecondary 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 Council 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 Council 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 Council, 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 RIC CCRI or the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner as appropriate to each construction project submitted to the commissioner.
b) The Commissioner and each institution president, as appropriate, shall report to the Council at lease semi-annually the status of all authorized work.
c) The Commissioner and each institution president shall take care to note any possibility of a conflict of interest occurring between any person employed by the two 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 Council.
d) The Commissioner or institution president, as appropriate, shall give ample notice to the Council 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 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 Council.
f) Turnover of capital construction improvement projects to the Council shall be preceded by at least one month’s notice to the Council by the Commissioner or institution president, as appropriate, and the designation of such education official to act in acceptance procedures for the Council. Reports to the Council shall be made on the progress of such projects and any anticipated difficulties at the regular meeting of the Council scheduled at least one week prior to the scheduled turnover.
