Kahua Update
The final migration of existing projects into Kahua was completed on March 4. With the final migration complete, the Kahua team has turned attention to the next phase of planned work. During this quarter, the team will be investigating the Closeout App and the Capital Planning App, working on integrations between Kahua and Banner for change orders, creating new dashboards, and continuing work related to reporting.
AITS and Decision Support continue to work on mapping Kahua data for its imminent inclusion in the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). Concurrently, work is underway on preparing required reports for fiscal year end needs.
Select projects that were nearing closeout were not migrated, but rather, were noted to closeout in FCPWeb and PRZM. A list of projects with their status was emailed separately. FCPWeb and PRZM will be retiring in March 2026, so all projects must be completely closed by then.
Facilities Condition Assessment (FCA) Updates
The FCA is a System-led comprehensive building assessment for UIUC, UIC and UIS that will identify current deficiencies and building systems in need of future repair or replacement. The System Purchasing contract can be viewed as a “retainer” in which future assessment requests of Cannon will be made through Amendments (contract shall expire on 6/30/2028, with a potential for renewal not to exceed 10 years including original contract). Current assessments cover ~57% of presently owned facilities across the System (UIUC: ~53%, UIC: ~66%, UIS: ~33%). CannonDesign is performing the assessments, and field-visits began in late September 2023. Upon the initial building assessment engagement's completion, expected in late April 2025, information will be maintained by the universities in an interactive database (FOScore). After 4 university CCU requested Amendments, which included added and deleted square footage of building assessments, the current initial assessment plan covers more than 26.3 million square feet of space across the System (UIUC: ~13.5M, UIC: ~10M, UIS: ~0.5M). Each university has provided CannonDesign with extensive information to help them complete their assessments, and to provide them with issues or deficiencies known or identified by university facility managers.
CannonDesign data processing/estimating/prioritizing and university reviews in progress for some of these completed field work assessments and is expected to be completed by end of April 2025. Final reports per building are being saved in BOX.
Drone Surveys, including photos and videos of buildings taller than 2 stories, began in Spring 2024. CannonDesign is still completing Drone Surveys on the UIUC campus. Drone Survey information is currently being saved in BOX for A23002 and is providing CannonDesign with information regarding their exterior building assessments to be included in the database final information.
UIC has requested additional assessments (Amendment 5) including ~705,000 SF to be completed in Spring 2025. The initial assessment site visits were completed in March.
Training and support from CannonDesign will continue for all as we are yearly subscribers to the FOScore system. We have also saved some initial training videos for the use of the database in BOX. Key individuals from each university have access to those videos to share with all staff in the future.
Project Highlight
Summer is an especially busy time for capital construction projects across the University of Illinois System, with several significant initiatives in progress. At Urbana-Champaign, the new Illini Hall is set to break ground in May, promising state-of-the-art facilities designed to support students and faculty in mathematics and data sciences. Groundbreaking is also imminent for the new Library Commons building at UIS. Meanwhile, in Chicago, the highly anticipated Computer Design and Learning Research Center (CDLRC) approaches completion, poised to revolutionize research and collaboration in computer science and learning technologies. A ribbon cutting ceremony for this exciting project is scheduled for July, marking a pivotal moment in its development. These projects underscore the System's commitment to advancing academic and research excellence through innovative infrastructure.
Staff Highlight
After nearly 24 years of dedicated service to the University of Illinois, Chris Rogan has decided to embark on the next chapter of his life and is retiring effective April 30, 2025.
Chris has been a key leader in our office, bringing deep expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment to our capital initiatives. In addition to his contributions at the university, Chris has also been a dedicated leader in the industry, serving for many years as the President of the Illinois Chapter of the Construction Owners Association of America (COAA). His leadership and advocacy in this role has strengthened collaboration and best practices within the construction community across the state and country.
Starting in the UIUC O&M department (now F&S) in 2001, Chris managed the implementation of the underground utility infrastructure throughout the UIUC campus, converted over 50 building cooling systems from glycol to campus chilled water, and was the project manager for the construction of the Oak Street Chiller plant, amongst other projects. In 2005, Chris transitioned to the System office, where he continues to work today. He authored numerous capital policies, procedures, and processes, including Energy Performance Contracting, AFS R&R, diversity programs, PSC Scope Fee policy, electronic bidding, and single prime bidding to name a few. Chris has served as the liaison between the three universities, risk management, and legal counsel, and has trained various stakeholders on capital policies, procedures, systems, and contracts.
Chris has also interacted with Chief/State Procurement Officers and other state officials regarding the Illinois Procurement Code and Rules for Public Institutions of Higher Education. He has played a significant role in developing and implementing capital systems such as FCP Web, VSA, PSP, CAPS, Upside, Contracts+, and Kahua, as well as updates to PRZM.
Congratulations, Chris on a tremendous career in Capital Programs. Chris’ leadership has been integral to our organization’s success and his wealth of knowledge is unparalleled. We are grateful for all he has taught us as a leader, a colleague, and a friend. Thank you, Chris, we will miss you terribly but could not be happier for you as you embark on your next chapter.