Introduction and General Instructions
Space Survey Instructions, Non-Research Departments
Space Survey Instructions, Organized Research Departments
- Training
- Functional Use of the Room
- Room Specific
- Consistency Between Functional Coding of Room and Dollars Spent
- Basic Process – A Step by Step Approach
- Types of Rooms
- Deadlines
- ManageSpace
Introduction and General Instructions
Purpose of the Space Survey
The purpose of the annual space survey is to confirm the rooms used by each department, gather information on how that space is used, and to verify attributes, such as room type and square footage. This information is always very important for monitoring or preparing the Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rate Proposal. All activity in the current fiscal year will be consolidated into the F&A proposal to develop overhead rate calculations that will help prepare us for the next base year. The space survey is a critical part of the F&A proposal because it determines how most of the facility costs (equipment and building depreciation, interest and operations and maintenance expenses) will be allocated to organized research. Because space has such a substantial impact on the costs allocated to the federal government, it is essential that the survey is done in accordance with the federal regulations and the results are accurate. In addition to the F&A proposal, the space survey is also used for rent proration, space analysis and planning, management reporting, and financial statement allocations.
Time Period Covered
The functional classification of a room is based on the activities conducted in that room during the entire fiscal year. It is not a snapshot of how the space was used at the end of the year. This survey must reflect the average functional use throughout the fiscal year. When completing the study, consideration should be given to the anticipated activity for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Room Type
Each room is assigned a room type code representing a general description of the room. (See Room Type Code Definitions) The code should be checked to see that it represents the general description of the room.
Renovations
Renovations that occurred in your department during the fiscal year should be reported to the appropriate Space Coordinating Office. (Erin Sweetman at Danforth Campus at s.erin@wustl.edu or Terrell Davis at Medical School Campus at davis.terrell@wustl.edu). Please have as much information available as possible (building, floor, room number) when you call.
Floor Plans
Small scale floor plans of your area are available upon request. Contact your Space Coordinating Office.
Space Survey Instructions for
Non-Research Departments
Space Utilization Report
The utilization report is provided to you by your Space Coordinating Office. It is a summary of your department’s information in the space system. Compare this report with the rooms your department actually occupies. The department field should reflect the specific department of the primary occupant, not the main or “roll-up” department.
The space utilization report is a continuous form, with one line for each room. It is designed to allow you to verify the following information: building, room, floor, square feet, room type, space functions and percentages, and principal investigator / primary occupant.
Please review this report and note any changes. The report should be signed and dated by the department space coordinator and returned to the appropriate Space Coordinating Office.
Room Type
Each room is assigned a room type code representing a description of the room. (See Room Type Code Definitions) The code should be checked to see that it continues to accurately represent the general description of the room.
If a more specific description of the room is desired, it can be noted on the Description field in the space utilization report (Danforth Campus only).
Functional Use of the Room
The most important part of the survey is to accurately reflect the functional use of space based on the activity performed in the room during the entire fiscal year, not just at the time of the survey. Each room function on the space utilization report is defined in the table of Space Function Codes (Indirect Cost Codes).
In some situations, multiple codes could be appropriate. The percentages assigned to the codes, for all functions performed in the room, must sum to 100%.
The room function (indirect cost code) for administrative departments will generally be the same for every room occupied by the department and normally the code does not change from year to year. It is based on the overall functional activity of the department (e.g. Accounting Services would have an indirect cost code of 87, General Administration).
Room Assignment
The list of rooms should be checked to be sure they have not been reassigned to another department or new rooms added due to renovation or transfer from another department. Change of assignment occurring during the middle of the fiscal year should be prorated for the year.
If space is loaned to another department, note the department number of the occupant department(s) with the beginning and ending dates on the space utilization report. If the department loaning the space did not use the room during the year, their percentage would be zero and the occupant department’s percentage would be 100%.
In some situations, a room is occupied by more than one department. Each department will have its own function code / IDC code(s) and percentage(s). The sum of the function code / IDC code percentages for each department must equal 100% of the room assigned to the department. The percentage of the room allocated to each department should be based on the area used by each department or the activity during the fiscal year. The shared department numbers are printed under the heading of “Shared Departments and/or Description” on the space utilization report.
Deadlines
Return the signed space utilization report by 5/31/2025 at 5pm, with any changes marked on it, to the appropriate Space Coordinating Office listed below.
Space Contacts:
Medical School Campus
Terrell Davis
Facilities Management
MSC 8010-0010-01
davis.terrell@wustl.edu
Danforth Campus
Erin Sweetman
Space Utilization Coordinator
s.erin@wustl.edu
Space Survey Instructions for
Organized Research Departments
Training
The training sessions will provide guidance on using ManageSpace tools to make the survey process more efficient for you. Available training sessions are listed in the Manage Space Tab.
Functional Use of the Room
The most important part of the survey is to accurately reflect the functional use of space based on all activities performed in the room during the entire fiscal year, not just at the time of the survey. Correctly estimating the percentages of total time for the year (not percentage of an 8 hour day) spent on the functional activities is critical. Each room function on the space utilization report is defined in the table of Space Function Codes (Indirect Cost Codes). Multiple codes should be assigned as needed. If there are multiple departments, codes can be assigned specifically to each department, or if there are multiple investigators, codes can be assigned to specific investigators by using the edit room function in ManageSpace to split the room. The percentages assigned to the codes for all functions performed in each room split must sum to 100%.
Room Specific
Functional coding of space must be done on a room-by-room or by copying the department, responsible party (PI) and occupants of a room to several rooms when applicable to those rooms. The coding must take into account the specific activities performed in each room. Arbitrary percentages are not acceptable and will be challenged by federal negotiators during a base year survey. The person completing the survey for a specific room should “walk the space” and must have first-hand knowledge about: who occupies the room, how the room is used, the funding sources of the occupants, and the specific activities conducted in the room.
Consistency Between Functional Coding of Room and Dollars Spent
Federal guidelines require that the functional coding of space be consistent with the coding of the expenses that support the activities in that space. If an activity is funded with an organized research account, the space used should be classified as organized research. Conversely, if an activity is funded with an instruction account, the space used should be coded as instruction. If there are other justifiable differences they should be explained in the “Survey Notes” field on the Room split edit screen in ManageSpace.
Basic Process – A Step by Step Approach
Verify the accuracy of the space inventory
Review building, floor, room, square feet, room type, and Principal Investigator / Principal Occupant (PI/PO) for space occupied by your department. You can review this information in the My Room List section of ManageSpace. You will also receive a space utilization report from your Space Coordinating Office that contains this information. Compare this information with the rooms your department actually occupies. The department field should reflect the specific department of the primary occupant, not the main or “roll-up” department. If any changes are identified to the department, room type, or Responsible Party, enter the new information in ManageSpace. Rooms reassigned to another department should be transferred to that department in ManageSpace. In some cases, it may be appropriate to enter the room as a split room in ManageSpace, particularly if the change of assignment occurred during the fiscal year. If rooms assigned to your department have not been included in your list of rooms, or if any changes are identified to the building, floor, room number or square footage, notify Erin Sweetman (Danforth Campus) at s.erin@wustl.edu or Terrell Davis (Medical School) at 314-362-8146. After reviewing all the rooms and entering any changes, complete the Inventory in ManageSpace for all rooms in your department.
Consider the type of room
The method used to determine the functional percentages for a room will vary depending on the type of room. The occupants of a room and their funding sources can be used to determine the activities that take place in rooms that have regular occupants, such as laboratory space. Other methods, reasonably reflecting how the room is used, may be used for types of rooms that do not have regular occupants, such as cold rooms, equipment rooms, etc. For example, in ManageSpace, service rooms may be assigned to the rooms benefiting from use of the service rooms and allocated based on the functions of the benefiting rooms.
Analyze activities in the room
Functional use (function code / IDC code) percentages must reflect the specific activities performed in each room, and the funding sources of those activities / occupants. Arbitrary percentages, such as averages or repeating percentages are not acceptable.
If necessary, conduct interviews of the responsible individuals within the rooms to substantiate the functional use of the room. DO NOT ASSUME that the space functional use has not changed from the last survey. The DHHS Review Guide instructs federal auditors that:
“…the current user of the space or a person knowledgeable about the use of the space and the direct cost functions should be interviewed to verify the accuracy of the space usage per the survey…Significant inconsistencies could lead to questioning the validity of the space survey.”
Space used by students (graduate or undergraduate) funded from Organized Research projects or participating in research training programs that are classified as organized research should be coded as Organized Research (Function Code / IDC code 82). Space used by unpaid students and students paid from instruction / unrestricted department funds should be coded as Instruction. The activities of the occupants determine the functional use of the room.
Enter data into ManageSpace > Complete Survey > My Room List > Room Splits. Use the Occupant, Accounts, FTE, and Functional Code tabs to enter functional use (function code/ IDC code) percentages and occupants in ManageSpace.
Types of Rooms
Laboratory space – You must consider the following issues when assigning functional use percentages for lab space:
Determine occupants
Identify all individuals who use the space, including anyone not paid by the University, such as visiting faculty, Howard Hughes investigators or unfunded students. Anyone that uses the space on a regular basis should be identified. Individuals who use the space on a non-recurring basis for a material amount of time should also be identified.
Determine funding sources
Classification of space must be consistent with the funding sources for the expenses that support the activities in that space, so it is necessary to determine the funding sources of the occupants of a room. However, individuals who use a room but are not paid by the University must still be taken into consideration when calculating functional use percentages by assigning them an appropriate percentage of room usage based on discussion with the person or persons responsible for the room.
Determine how the occupants use the room
What a person does in a particular room determines how that room should be coded for function. A person can work in multiple rooms and do different activities in each room. For example, a faculty member may use a research lab for organized research and a classroom for instruction.
Consider the extent of use by each occupant
A person working in a lab 15 hours a week for four months should be counted much less than someone who works in the lab 40 hours a week for the entire year.
Lab Support rooms (cold rooms, equipment rooms, etc..)
Coding support rooms should be done based on the average functional use of the labs or rooms supported. For example, a cold room used by everyone on a particular floor should be coded based on the average functional use of all the rooms on that floor. The rooms supported should be identified and documented. ManageSpace has an automated tool that will allow you to efficiently perform this allocation.
Offices
Offices should be coded according to the specific functional use of the room. Identify the occupants, and consider how they use the room, the extent they use the room, and their funding.
Conference Rooms
Conference rooms and other multipurpose rooms, such as break rooms, should be assigned a function code / IDC code of Joint Use (JU).
Instructional Space
Classrooms and class laboratories are normally coded 100% instruction. See function code / IDC code 81 Instruction and Departmental Research (Danforth Campus) or 96 Instruction (Medical School).
Animal Facilities
Service support areas where no organized research is being conducted, such as staff offices, feed storage rooms, cage wash rooms, etc. should be classified as Specialized Service Facilities (SSF). In accordance with HHS policy on animal facilities dated November 15, 1999, other areas such as procedure rooms, operating and recovery rooms, isolation rooms, quarantine rooms directly related to research protocols, and rooms that house animals involved in research that are not generally removed from the facility in order to conduct the research, will be classified according to the functional activity in the room based on the animal billing information in the accounting system.
Specialized Service Facilities/Recharge Centers
Specialized service facilities and recharge centers should code rooms as recharge space by checking the recharge box on the edit room screen in ManageSpace. If the center is supported with federal funding, the space associated with that funding should be coded as 82 (or other applicable functions) and the remaining space should be flagged as recharge center space. See definition of function code / IDC code 85 Specialized Service Facilities / Recharge Centers.
Deadlines
FY2025 Planning Survey estimated due date – May 2025
https://managespace.wustl.edu/archibus