All anticipated work or expenditures that meet the definition of a capital project must be initiated and approved through the annual capital budget process, culminating in Trustee approval at their annual March meeting. Following is a summary of the capital budget process.
October: Proposals for each capital project are submitted by the sponsoring division/school through the Budget SharePoint website. Proposals must meet the annual submittal deadline to be approved in the next fiscal year's capital budget. The deadline is listed in the SharePoint calendar. Each proposal must have a prioritized ranking within the division's or school's capital budget proposal and must be approved by the VP or Dean.
November: A Campus Services team reviews each proposal to verify that issues of cost, space utilization, schedule, swing space, infrastructure, permitting and other relevant factors have been properly addressed. The project sponsor will be contacted if further information is required, with a resubmission deadline of December 1.
The Director of PM Services works with the project sponsor to resolve any issues with a project submittal; the sponsor is then required to resubmit the proposal through SharePoint by December 1. The Director of PM Services indicates final approval of the SharePoint documents.
December: Members of Dartmouth's senior leadership, Finance, and Campus Services teams meet with each division/school to review their capital budget proposals.
January: Senior leaders review capital project proposals and develop a list of projects to include in the capital budget. Departments are informed by the Budget Office of the tentative status of their proposals.
February: The Finance and Campus Planning & Facilities Trustee committees preview the capital budget at an off-cycle meeting.
March: The Board of Trustees votes on the capital budget. Funding for centrally-funded, Trustee-approved capital projects is released for projects on July 1. Department-funded projects may begin at any time following Trustee approval of the capital budget.