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Facilities Division

We serve as a key strategic and operational partner in planning and supporting all units within the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Operationally, we provide quality support services to build and maintain a safe and sustainable environment for the campus. Strategically, we actively support UAB innovation and opportunity by providing a modern, urban campus where students, faculty, staff, and visitors can work together to achieve goals.

  • Board of Trustees Process:


    • Stage I Submittal (Information)

      1. Stage I is an approval of the project as a concept.
      2. Although budget numbers and a general scope are provided at this stage, these items are not formally approved until Stage II.
      3. All new construction and renovation projects with a total project cost equal to or greater than $750,000 require Stage I approval.
      4. Approval of the Stage I submittal allows UAB to select an architect and begin formal planning for the project.
      5. Projects inclusion in the Annual Capital Development Plan can satisfy the requirement for Stage I approval.

    • Stage II Submittal (Architect, Scope and Budget)

      1. Stage II is an approval of:
        • Final project scope
        • Final project budget
        • Ranking of interviewed design consultants
        • Ranking of other major consultants (Construction Manager, Commissioning Agent, Geotechnical Engineer, etc.)
        • Approval to negotiate consulting agreements with ranked firms
      2. All new construction and renovation projects with a total project cost equal to or greater than $750,000 require Stage II approval.
      3. For interior renovation projects with a total project cost of less than $10,000,000, a Stage II approval is the last approval the Board requires.

    • Stage III Submittal (Architectural Design)

      1. Stage III is an approval of the exterior design and appearance of a project.
      2. Items considered are the buildings (exterior appearance) relationship with surrounding facilities, the buildings compliance with the UAB Master Plan and UAB's design standards
      3. All projects with a substantial impact to the campus environment require Stage III approval regardless of project cost.
      4. Interior renovations that do not have a significant impact on the exterior of the building do not require a Stage III approval.
      5. Greenways, pedestrian promenades and athletic fields do require Stage III submittal even though they may not include buildings.

    • Stage IV Submittal (Contract Award)

      1. Stage IV Submittal is approval of:
      • Construction contract award (project has already bid and price for construction contract is known)
      • Approval of Construction Management Trade Packages (Construction manager will bid and award all trade packages in the future so long as they do not result in an increase in the total project cost)
      • All new construction projects with a total project cost equal to or greater than $750,000 require Stage IV approval.
      • Renovation projects with a total project cost equal to or greater than $10,000,000 require Stage IV approval (renovations less than $10,000,000 do not require Stage IV approval).



    All projects begin with submitting a request, and each work order routed to PD&C will be classified as one of the following project types.


    Project Types:


    • Small Public Works Project

      • Wall / door / space changes or design changes to existing facilities
      • SPW bidding to external contractors
      • Typically under $50,000

    • Intermediate Capital Projects

      • Renovations, space changes, new construction
      • Public Works bidding required
      • No approval required by Board of Trustees
      • Between $50,000 and $750,000

    • Major Capital Projects

      • New construction, renovations, space changes
      • Public Works bidding required
      • Approval required by Board of Trustees
      • Over $750,000

  • Capital Construction Projects - Information for Contractors


    The following documents are required for approval of construction contracts, consulting agreements and Architect/Owner Agreements: (See your UAB Project Manager for latest current documents)

    • CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS

      • Construction Contract
      • Vendor Disclosure Statement
      • Insurance Certificate
      • E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding

    • CONSULTING AGREEMENT

      • Consulting Agreement
      • Vendor Disclosure Statement
      • Insurance Certificate
      • E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding
      • Supplemental Instructions

    • OWNER/ARCHITECT AGREEMENT

      • Owner Architect Agreement
      • Standard Articles
      • Article 16
      • Vendor Disclosure Statement
      • Insurance Certificate
      • E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding
      • Supplemental Instructions

    • UAB Facilities Value Statement:

      We are committed to creating a sustainable environment. Designers should consider elements that would add to or subtract from this goal. LEED certification at the highest level is desirable but we expect our designers to evaluate the total cost of ownership of such features.

      UAB Facilities Standards are currently under revision, with an eye toward the sustainability triple bottom line. We are committed to providing adaptive standards that are transparent and show UAB’s accountability to environmental resilience. At the conclusion of this review, UAB Facilities standards will be publicly accessible through this webpage.

      If you have questions about standards or the revision process, please contact Melody Gillezeau at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..



      UAB Design and Construction Standards: (pdfs)

      • Electrical Standard
      • Landscape Standard
      • Construction and Demolition Waste Management Standard
      • Elevator Standard
      • IAQ Management Standard

    • UAB utilizes a Qualification Based Selection (QBS) process to identify the Architect/Engineer of Record for most of its projects that exceed $750,000 and for many project of lesser value. The QBS process is also frequently utilized to identify firms providing other professional services (geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, surveying, commissioning, etc.) in support of a project.

      The initial step in identifying a design firm, or other professional service provider(s), for the project involves the issuance of an RFQ. The RFQ will typically outline:

      • Background/history of a project
      • Scope of the project
      • Services being requested
      • Minimum qualifications a firm should have to be considered
      • Responding instructions

      The RFQ will be posted on this website as well as being emailed to all firms in our consultant database. The number of firms in this database varies. There are currently approximately 400 recipients in the database.

      The Universities intent is to make the RFQ available to as many firms as possible. There is no pre-requisite or pre-qualification required to be considered for a project. If a firm desires to be included in the University’s consultant database, please email the firm name, point of contact and email address for the point of contact to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


      Current active RFQ’s:

      1. Project Name: 12th Avenue Greenspace Concept Development (PDF)
        Project Number: 150098
        Submittal Deadline: 5:00 P.M. CDT – Friday, November 4, 2016

    • To allow UAB to address minor projects in a timely and efficient manner, IDIQ agreements are maintained with firms providing professional services in a variety of disciplines. The University currently has active IDIQ agreements for the following disciplines:

      1. Architectural Design Services (full scope)
      2. Civil Engineering Services
      3. Structural Engineering Services
      4. Electrical Engineering Services
      5. Mechanical Engineering Services
      6. Project Commissioning Authority and Retro-Commissioning Services
      7. Landscape Architectural Services
      8. Interior Design Services
      9. Traffic Consulting and Engineering Services
      10. Building Envelope Assessment Services
      11. Cost Estimating Services

      IDIQ Agreements will be for a term of two years and an RFQ solicitation will be issued at the end of each calendar year to select firms to replace those firms with expiring agreements.


      The most recent IDIQ RFQ is listed below:
      UAB Minor Project Delivery IDIQ Agreements for Architecture, Engineering and other Professional Services – September 4, 2015 (PDF)

  • Small Business Inclusion:

    It is the University’s policy to provide opportunities for diverse business enterprises to ensure their fair consideration as suppliers of our goods and services. In establishing this policy, UAB is recognizing its responsibility to the communities that it serves and the society in which it conducts its business.

    The use of diverse business enterprises must be a part of our routine purchasing procedures. No potential supplier will be precluded from consideration on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, or natural origin. The University firmly believes that in our free enterprise system every attempt must be made to utilize fully all resources.

    It is the mission of the Department of Small Business Inclusion (SBI), as a unit within the Facilities Division, to assist in UAB’s efforts to increase participation of Diverse Business Enterprises in the procurement and construction process through education, advocacy, mentoring, relationship building and other data driven initiatives.

    Small Business Inclusion Department serves as a liaison to purchasing, facilities, diverse suppliers and the university’s employees with purchasing responsibilities.


    • Assisting suppliers by:

      • Providing outreach and education to diverse suppliers on “how to do business with UAB”
      • Providing in reach and education to internal stakeholders on “doing business with diverse suppliers”
      • Encouraging alliances and partnerships between diverse supplier and majority firms, DBE to DBE
      • Recruiting diverse suppliers to do business with UAB enterprise-wide
      • Advocating for inclusivity of diverse suppliers
      • Working with certifying advocacy organizations like the Southern Region Minority Supplier Development Council (SRMSDC), Birmingham Construction Industry Authority (BCIA), and Women’s Business Enterprise Council South (WBECS)
      • Partnering with community organizations like Birmingham Business Alliance-African American, Hispanic Business Council and Birmingham Metro Black Chamber of Commerce

    • Success Steps:

      Step 1: Contact the Department of Small Business Inclusion for assistance with accessing opportunities.
      Step 2: Plan to come in and meet with us.
      Step 3: For guidance on doing business with UAB review our page on Supplier Information.
      Step 4: Get registered as a supplier in the university’s oracle system;
      Step 5: Consider becoming certified with SRMSDC, BCIA and/or WBECS



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