Frequently Asked Questions

Q. 1

Who do I call to get something done?  How do I make a request?

A.

Choose any of the following fast and convenient methods to communicate your request to the Facilities Call Centre (FCC).  Submit your request based on the 2 options below.

Note:  All emergencies must be reported by telephone:

• Downtown campus phone 4555 ׀ fax 3691 ׀ Email fcc [dot] downtown [at] mcgill [dot] ca ( fcc [dot] downtown [at] mcgill [dot] ca) or web www.mcgill.ca/facilities/fcc/downtown/

• Macdonald campus phone 7828 ׀ fax 7969 ׀ Email fcc [dot] macdonald [at] mcgill [dot] ca or web www.mcgill.ca/facilities/fcc/mac/

Requests submitted through the FCC may include:  Corrective maintenance, modification/installation of new products and services, and capital projects.

After hours our phone lines are automatically transferred to University Security.  No matter what day or time of day our staff is trained to respond to your call in a calm and professional manner.  You only need to remember one number – Downtown campus 4555 or Macdonald campus 7828.

Q. 2

Why does it take so long to get things done?

A.

As the Facilities Call Centre (FCC) receives over 25,000 maintenance related calls a year (over 100 requests per day), calls must be prioritized.  Operations prioritizes these calls by urgency and handles them in the following order:

• Emergency typically implies a failure that constitutes a danger, health hazard or endangers security for all occupants and users, i.e.  floods and other emergencies.

• Response time:  Immediately.  Resolved as soon as possible.

• Urgent implies that a service is compromised, i.e. electrical and ventilation systems breakdowns, critical temperature problems, broken guardrails, etc.

• Response time:  Investigated within 24 hours.  Restored within 48 hours

• Serious request is a repair in circumstances that do not compromise occupational or operational effectiveness, i.e. light bulbs, repairing an electrical outlet, too hot or too cold.

• Response time:  Investigated within 48 hours.  Full repair within 10 working days.

• Routine implies minor improvements and adjustments that if not dealt with could affect operational effectiveness in the long run, i.e. replacing a carpet, work place modifications, hanging up a picture and installing a coat hook.

• Response time:  Investigated within 5 working days.  Completion may take more than two weeks.

Q. 3

Why don’t we use McGill trades staff for renovation work?

A.

The mandate of the Operations team is to maintain our facilities and building systems, and answer customer requests.

Moreover, the Law and the rules of the “Commission de la construction du Québec” require the University to use licensed construction contractors for construction and renovation projects.

Q. 4

Why does it get so hot/cold in my workplace for a few weeks in the spring/fall?

A.

Spring and fall are transition periods also referred to as “shoulder periods”.  It is during these periods that we switch from heating our buildings to cooling them and vise-versa. As these periods are also highlighted by extreme temperature fluctuations in the ambient environment, it is difficult for us to maintain stable temperatures in our buildings. The following factors further complicate the matter:

• Most of our mechanical systems were not designed to respond to excessive temperature changes.

• Even though mechanical ventilation is maintained throughout these periods, most of our systems cannot heat and cool simultaneously.

• The transfer from one mode to the other is cumbersome and labor-intensive and   requires a few weeks to complete across the campus.

If you require any assistance or should you wish to discuss any situation of concern during these periods, we invite you to contact Yara Saad of Building Operations (downtown) at 398-8023.  If you are on the Macdonald Campus, please call 398-7828.

Q. 5

What is the process related to shutdowns?

A.

When Facilities requires a shutdown in order to do maintenance or renovation work, the Building Director is consulted to determine the most appropriate time for the shutdown.  Facilities prepares the paperwork to advise all stakeholders, and issues a communiqué to the constituency concerned advising of the date, duration and impact of the disruption.

Q. 6

Why do you only give an estimate for jobs of more than a certain value?

A.

In order to provide fast and efficient delivery of service, jobs evaluated at less than $500 are not estimated.  To remain efficient, jobs under $500 are invoiced once the work is finished.  The invoice will show the actual time and material cost along with a description of the work.

Detailed estimates are provided only for work evaluated at over $500. 

The accuracy of the estimate you receive will vary based on the phase at which it is prepared. The accuracy of the estimate is directly related to amount and quality of information available to the project team.

• Functional Programming Phase    -    30% to 50% variability

  In this phase of the project, the Project Manager, the design professionals and the client prepare a statement of requirements. Also referred to as a space needs analysis, this document clearly defines the problem, the client’s needs and objectives and establishes criteria for evaluating potential design solutions or strategic alternatives. Technical and building system infrastructure issues are examined at a macro level only.

  Schematic Design Phase    -    20% to 30% variability

  During this phase of the project, the client’s requirements and desires reach the conceptual stage and take form.  It is at this phase that the design professionals test the client’s program by studying various planning and massing relationships, always within the constraints of the project and the project budget. The understanding and determination of technical and building system infrastructure issues is refined and a general design strategy for these is developed. All involved discuss and confirm the key issues and agree on a concept. 

  Design Development Phase    -   10% to 20% variability

  It is during this phase that the design professionals refine and coordinate their designs. All technical and building system infrastructure issues are clearly defined and specific design solutions for these are developed. Specific systems and technologies are chosen. Outline specifications are prepared. The project schedule and the construction cost estimate are updated. Plans are reviewed with the Authorities having Jurisdiction. The client’s responsibility is to review and comment on the design and give approval of the design and to authorize the preparation of the construction documents. 

  Construction Documentation Phase    -   5% to 10% variability

  This phase of the project starts only once a formal approval has been received from the client as changes requested while construction documents are being prepared will likely entail delays and additional cost. The construction documents prepared by the design professionals and Facilities Operations and Development outline the contractual responsibilities of the parties. These documents provide detailed specifications and clear graphic descriptions of the work and of the technical systems and technologies requested.  These documents guide and direct the contractor and the sub-contractors in the preparation of their price or bid, and in carrying out their work on the project. 

Why can’t we have a detailed cost breakdown of the work (materials & labour) when we ask for an estimate?  Why doesn’t the contractor provide a detailed breakdown of his price?

We will give you as much information as possible when you ask for an estimate, however, the amount of detail available on an estimate is directly related to the amount of information available when the estimate is prepared.  See Q7 “How accurate is my estimate?” for more information.

In the early design phases of a project, the estimate is prepared using historical data and industry benchmarks for similar work. This “ball park” type estimate neither considers the specific requirements of the project nor the conditions of the site. It is in this phase of the design process that projects are typically estimated and submitted for approval. As the project progresses from the Schematic Design Phase through the Design Development Phase and the Construction Documentation Phase, the estimate is refined as each detailed element of the project is defined. Only during these later design phases is it possible to itemize costs.

With regards to contractors, the competitive bid process used at McGill does not require them to detail their submissions. Unlike residential work were the client may ask to see a breakdown by hours of work and individual material components, in the institutional sector, contracts are awarded on a lowest price basis therefore only the total price is relevant.

McGill employs construction experts in Facilities Operations and Development to ensure that the information in the construction documents is sufficient to assure that it can hold contractors to the obligation to build the scope of work described in the documentation for the price quoted.

Some customers ask for a detailed cost breakdown of the work in order to try to piece-meal their project in hopes of lowering their cost. It is important to understand that regardless of the phase in which the work is estimated, each line item does not stand alone and each item cannot be individually negotiated.

Q. 9

Why does it take so long for projects to be completed?

A.

In a complex institutional environment like McGill, each construction project is unique, with a unique scope of work, and logistical constraints affecting its execution and completion.  Accordingly, projects must be planned, designed and then built in as efficient a manner as possible.

A project has many steps, each with its own time requirement.  Programme scope definition and budgeting, design, tendering to contractors to obtain the most competitive cost, the off-site manufacturing of components, and the on-site construction itself may each require several weeks or months to perform.

In addition, Facilities may be administering several hundred different projects at a given time, each in different stages of design development or construction. Resources may often be spread thinly.

The most successful projects are those well planned in advance.

Q.10

A.

Why is the work so expensive?

A variety of issues make construction in an institutional environment much more expensive than residential construction.

• The technical requirements of the building code are much more stringent.

• The labour market is more controlled and more expensive.  All construction trades people must meet the competency requirements of the “Commission de la Construction du Québec” and are paid according to wage rates in the Quebec Construction Decree.

• The on-site construction logistics faced by contractors at McGill are very complicated and constraining and often involve extra costs.  Problems include:  a) difficult access for vehicles; b) difficulty in delivering and storing materials; c) difficulty in handling waste debris; d) execution of work in an occupied facility where regular University activities take precedence; e) access or availability of the site only at night or on weekends.

• The University aesthetic and functional objectives have to be respected, including timely and economical construction of low maintenance, long life, and energy efficient, architecturally appropriate buildings.  Compliance with municipal, provincial and national code requirements has to be insured.

• The geometry and size of the spatial environment is very different. 

For example:  At home an electrician could install a new electrical outlet in about one hour using light gauge un-shielded electrical cabling.  At McGill that work could cost 3 or 4 times the price because:  a) the cabling has to be shielded, i.e.:  run in metal conduit; b) the cable run to the fuse box may be 2 or 3 times longer; and c) the electrician may need 3 or 4 hours to do the work.  So both the materials and the time required to do the work cost more.

Q. 11

Why is it difficult to change things once construction starts?

A.

Once the construction contract has been awarded, the contractor and sub-contractors work to respect the construction schedule established in the contract.  In order to keep the project on budget and on schedule it is essential to minimize changes during the construction.  It can be very costly, both in time and money, to change the scope of work once construction has begun.

Q. 12

Why is the budget not the real cost or the final cost of the project?

A.

Each construction or renovation project is a one of a kind product, the components of which must be evaluated and priced individually.

As a project proceeds from initial idea to final completion, we increase the degree of resolution and precision as needs are clarified, issues are identified and the market is tested.  Only once a project is complete can we be certain of the final cost.

Initially, during the programming phase, we attempt as best we can to identify the scope of work required by the client, the physical constraints with which we must work in the building, and the requirements of authorities having jurisdiction.  Preliminary budgets are made on that basis.

As the project proceeds through detailed design development those issues with respect to the client’s requirements, the limitations of the existing building infrastructure, and the requirements of authorities having jurisdiction become more detailed, clearer and better understood.  The client also usually develops a better understanding of his/her needs and the technical requirements of scientific instrumentation to be accommodated by the project.  Revisions to the estimate are typically needed as a consequence.

Only after the project goes to tender and competitive prices are received, can we establish for the first time how the construction price will be affected by current market conditions – the shortage or surplus of materials and skilled trades and the availability of general contractors to do the work within the required time frame.  It is therefore only when tenders are opened that we get confirmation of whether or not our previous budget estimates were sufficiently clairvoyant.

Once the construction contract is signed and construction site work begins, the final project cost is still not guaranteed.  During construction and especially during renovations, complications almost always arise that require additional expenditures.  The three basic sources of additional costs are:  a) unforeseen site conditions that become apparent only after construction starts; b) omissions or other problems of clarity in the technical documentation produced by the construction professionals; c) changes to the scope of work requested by McGill (by the client or by Facilities), or by authorities having jurisdiction.

Therefore, it is only once construction is complete that we can know definitively what the project will have cost.

Q. 13

Why do we use the public tender process?

A.

Under the terms of Quebec Bill 17, public bodies like McGill that receive funding from the government, are obliged to award contracts whose value exceeds $100,000 by a public tendering process.  With respect to construction projects, this applies both to the mandate to be awarded to professional consultants and the contract for the performance of the site work by the construction contractor.

Q. 14

Why do we need consultants, architects and engineers?

A.

All University buildings are considered “public buildings“. In this context, it is required by law that all documents, drawings and specifications used for work completion, be developed and sealed by architects and engineers, members in good standing of their respective professional order. These consultants have the responsibility of ensuring that all completed work meet the requirements of applicable laws and regulations. With these professionals, McGill assures that the work is documented, and that the documents are safely kept for reference in future projects.

Q. 15

How come some projects are designed in-house and others are done by outside consultants?

A.

McGill University relies on a team of design professionals among its personnel within Facilities Operations and Development. As a priority, this team prepares documents for projects directly related to the University’s main mission, such as classrooms, laboratories, etc. When this in-house team is not available, documents are developed by external consultants. Projects requiring specific expertise are generally completed by external consultants specialized in these fields of activity, such as heritage building conservation for example. Considering the deadlines and the number of persons required to prepare documents for construction, and the level of complexity of these documents, all mandates for major projects are assigned to external consultants.

Q. 16

How are consultants and general contractors selected?

A.

Facilities uses contractors on a pre-qualified list who have been evaluated by the University.  Facilities screens contractors and consultants before allowing them to work on our construction projects.  Contractors and consultants who are selected have to demonstrate that they have an appropriate level of experience and competency to work on complex projects in occupied institutional buildings.  Contractors also have to prove that they have the financial resources and stability required of our projects by demonstrating that they are bondable and carry appropriate insurance coverage.  For contracts having a value over $100,000 a public tendering process is used, see Q. 13.