All capital projects requiring regental approval that do not meet the Capital Council exemption criteria will be evaluated across mission impact and foundational enablers to ensure project readiness for endorsement. This evaluation process focuses capital investments on the highest priorities and strategic needs of the university, ensuring key impact areas and university commitments are embedded in the delivery of all major capital projects.
Project evaluation criteria
Projects are evaluated across mission impact and foundational enablers to ensure project readiness for endorsement.
Gating
| Criteria | Gating1 |
|---|---|
| Has all required funding been identified? | Pass / Fail |
| Does this project adhere to ADA-accessible design standards? | Pass / Fail |
| Does this project adhere to U-M safety design standards? | Pass / Fail |
Mission impact
| Criteria | Weight1 |
|---|---|
| Which Vision 2034 core commitments are being addressed? | 5 |
| Why is this project important and what impact will it have? | 4 |
| How is the project responsive to projected academic and medical trends? | 4 |
| Who does this project serve/benefit? | 3 |
| What are the reputational impacts of the project for the university? | 3 |
| What are the risks if we don't pursue this project? | 1 |
Foundational enablers
Financial
| Criteria | Weight1 |
|---|---|
| How does cost of construction compare to similar projects? | 5 |
| What are the incremental operating costs of the project? | 5 |
| How does the project’s ROI compare with alternatives, including not doing the project?2 | 2 |
Non-financial
| Criteria | Weight1 |
|---|---|
| How does this project contribute to the university's sustainability goals? | 5 |
| What are key project risks and how are they being mitigated? | 2 |
| Will local or small/medium businesses be prioritized in construction? | 2 |
1Weighting places higher impact on certain criteria. For example, if all criteria in Mission Impact are rated the same, then "Which Vision 2034 core commitments are being addressed?" would make up 25 percent of the overall Mission Impact score by contributing 5 out of 20 points.
2Only applies to Michigan Medicine projects
Standardized rubric
A standardized rubric underpins the impact framework project assessment scorecard.
Mission impact
| Question | Low Score | Medium Score | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which Vision 2034 core commitments are being addressed? | Project does not address any Vision 2034 core commitments | Project addresses between one and three Vision 2034 core commitments | Project addresses more than three Vision 2034 core commitments |
| Why is this project important now and what impact will it have? | Need is not great | Need is apparent and project provides viable solution | Need is large and project provides optimal solution |
| How is the project responsive to projected academic, medical, or other trends? | Current trends have not been adequately considered, may require adjustment | Project design considers current trends and is well positioned to respond to them | Project design is on cutting edge of trends and is a leading example in respective field |
| Who does this project serve/benefit? What is the target population? | Serves < 25% of target population /department, low overall quantity | Serves 25%-50% of target population/ department, med. overall quantity | Serves > 50% of target population/ department, high overall quantity |
| What is the reputational impact of the project for the university? | The project will negatively impact the university's reputation | The project will have a neutral or slightly positive impact on the university's reputation | The project will have a strong and positive impact on the university's reputation |
| What are the risks if we don't pursue this project? | Need is not urgent, and there is minor risk if the project is not done | Time-sensitive need is apparent and without the project an important gap remains | Need is urgent and university is put at significant risk if project is not done |
Foundational enablers
| Question | Low Score | Medium Score | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| How does cost of construction compare to similar projects? | Cost of construction is > 25% above average internal or design professional benchmarks ($/SF) | Cost of construction is < 25% above average internal or design professional benchmarks ($/SF) | Cost of construction is below average internal or design professional benchmarks ($/SF) |
| What are the incremental operating costs of the project and how will they be funded? | Incremental costs are substantial and require university funding to sustain | Incremental costs are moderate and require some university funding to sustain | Incremental costs are minimal and/or will be mostly self-funded |
| How does the project’s ROI compare with alternatives, including not doing the project? 1 | No ROI calculated or ROI is negative | Alternative projects have better ROI or ROI calculation not required for project | Project has ROI that meets or exceeds the needs of the university |
| How does this project contribute to the university's sustainability goals? | Project does not meet basic university sustainability requirements (i.e. LEED Silver) | Project meets basic university sustainability requirements (i.e. LEED Silver) | Project exceeds basic university sustainability requirements (i.e. LEED Silver) |
| What are key project risks and how are they being mitigated? | Project does not have adequate risk mitigation measures in place | Project has moderate risk and adequate risk mitigation measures in place | Project is low-risk and/or has detailed risk mitigation measures in place |
| Will local or small/medium businesses be prioritized in construction? | Unknown, or few local or small/medium businesses qualified to bid on work scopes | Several local or small/medium businesses qualified and likely to bid on work | Several local or small/medium businesses are competitive bid candidates |
| Has all required funding been identified? | No, project fails gating requirements | Not Applicable | Yes, project passes gating requirements |
| Does this project adhere to ADA-accessible design standards? | No, project fails gating requirements | Not Applicable | Yes, project passes gating requirements |
| Does this project adhere to U-M safety design standards? | No, project fails gating requirements | Not Applicable | Yes, project passes gating requirements |
1 Only applies to Michigan Medicine projects