09.05.01 – Building Coordinator Program
Section: Facilities
Area: Facilities Customer Service
I. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this document is to outline the purpose and scope of the Building Coordinator Program, the program's benefit to the University community and the role and expectations of the staff members who serve as Building Coordinators for their facilities.
II. POLICY
The University of Houston is committed to ensuring a safe physical environment in support of students, faculty, staff and visitors. As the University continues to fulfill its educational and research mission, it is faced with the challenge of facility growth. By providing responsible and quality stewardship, the University achieves long term preservation and growth while remaining cost effective and competitive. The Building Coordinator Program is critical in helping the University meet campus facility and safety needs. The program is designed to facilitate communications, support facility capital planning, coordinate Facilities Services-related activities and represent user needs within university buildings. Each Building Coordinator serves as a valuable partner to help resolve and address facility-related matters.
III. DEFINITIONS
A. Building Coordinator (BC): Primary contacts in each building to help facilitate building communications, represent user needs and coordinate facilities-related activities.
B. Building User/Occupant: Faculty, staff, students and visitors who utilize/occupy campus buildings.
C. Campus Support Agencies/Units: May consist of, but not limited to – Facilities/Construction Management; University Police; Fire and Life Safety; Environmental Health and Safety; Office of Emergency Management; Risk Management; Parking and Transportation; Academic Programs; etc.
D. Department Access Users (DAU): The DAUs have the responsibility for the management of electronic access to building perimeter doors and other access areas under the control of the department. This includes granting and revoking access to all restricted areas.
E. Physical Environment: Consists of the physically-built environment, as well as the surrounding grounds and campus infrastructure.
F. Primary Building Coordinator: Primary Building Coordinator is the primary/initial point of contact for facility issues.
G. Secondary Building Coordinator: Secondary Building Coordinators will assume the primary Building Coordinator's duties when the primary building coordinator is on leave, absent or not available.
IV. SELECTION/APPOINTMENT PROCESS
A. BCs are selected based on the unique needs of each building.
B. BC appointment will be approved by an Executive Director, Associate Dean or a higher ranked position or their designee. The approver must have departmental space within the building.
C. Once the BC has accepted the role, they serve as either Primary or Secondary BC.
D. The duration of the BC role is dependent on the BC's continued employment in their position at the University, and the needs of the University.
V. SELECTION CRITERIA
Each building will have a Primary BC and a Secondary BC selected using the following recommended criteria. It is recommended that:
A. The BC should be a full-time faculty or staff employee.
B. It is recommended that either the primary or secondary BC should be physically located (work location) within their assigned building.
C. The BC should have a broad understanding of the operational activities of the department(s) housed within their building.
D. It is further recommended that the BC work during regular business hours.
VI. BUILDING COORDINATOR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Serve as building contact between occupants and users, essential service providers and emergency responders if an emergency occurs.
B. Serve as the primary communication liaison between campus support agencies and building occupants.
C. Be familiar with UH FIX-IT and the online work request process.
D. Collaborate with Facilities/Construction Management to report facilities-related concerns, coordinate repairs, disseminate outage/construction notifications and assist with other facilities-related activities.
E. In coordination with the Office of Emergency Management, act as coordinator for building occupants in implementing building emergency response plans and with the Fire and Life Safety Office regarding evacuation plans.
F. Work as building liaison to other campus departments and units that provide support, assistance and input to emergency preparedness planning.
G. Notify occupants by posting notices and/or by email of impending access interruption to public areas due to repairs or construction or utility service interruptions in the building.
H. Work in conjunction with departmental leadership to designate individuals to act as primary and secondary Department Access Users (DAUs). A minimum of two (2) DAUs must be assigned per building. DAU roles and responsibilities are briefly described below in Section VII. Additional MAPPs are applicable to safety and access policies.
I. Work with the Office of Emergency Management regarding emergency planning to properly prepare the staff they represent and their building.
J. Attend BC meetings.
K. Tour assigned building(s) on a regular basis to help identify equipment and/or facility problems and report issues, such as unsecured exterior doors, water leaks, fire hazards, and maintenance and custodial issues.
L. Train and coordinate with their secondary BC to assume duties when primary coordinator is on leave, absent or not available.
M. Have communication access via phone and email.
N. Be available during normal business hours as well as after hours. (May be called upon to assist in resolving building-related emergencies after-hours.)
O. Perform other duties as determined necessary to maintain a safe environment in compliance with University policy.
VII. DEPARTMENT ACCESS USERS (DAU) ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Manage overall electronic access to building perimeter doors and other access areas under the control of the department. The DAU should only authorize the minimal amount of access required for an individual to perform their assigned duties.
B. Grant or remove authorization for user access to building entrances and other areas controlled by the department. This includes granting or removing or verifying access for new employees, departmentally sponsored visitors (POI's), retiring employees or terminated employees.
C. Maintain accurate records for individuals who have been granted electronic access to building perimeter doors and all other areas under control of the department.
D. Communicates within their specific department that all access requests should filter directly to the assigned DAU.
E. Partners with the Electronic Access Control team for training or modifications to access levels.
REFERENCES
Issued: 12/20/2016
Last Reviewed/Revised: 09/28/2023
Responsible Office(s): Facilities/Construction Management