Operations Division FY20 Annual Report

The Operations Division
constantly makes
improvements to ensure
operational readiness. This
year Operations made three
transitions to bring efficiency
to the division.
The first transition was MailTech moving to the Central
Warehouse. This change allowed combining functions
that overlapped between Central Warehouse and
MailTech, such as packages being processed by Central
Warehouse personnel while using the MailTech tracking
system and delivering packages on mail routes. An
additional improvement was establishing a Techbuy
inventory for personal protection equipment during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, campus orders were
made through emails that were manually entered by
the warehouse staff and most orders were picked up at
Central Warehouse by the requestor. Techbuy has since
allowed orders to be fulfilled online, packing slips and
shipping labels to be created, and items to be delivered
on campus with the regular mail deliveries eliminating
close face-to-face contact at the warehouse during the
pandemic.
Next, the transition of the two garages, one previously
operated by the Services Department and a second
Grounds’ garage which maintained the Grounds’
vehicles and equipment. Combining these two garages
has allowed for overall improvements. This included
implementing the TMA work order system for billing
and inventory and being able to improve service for the
entire Texas Tech University community for fleet vehicle
repair. With this transition, the garage has also been able
to service TTU Health Science Center vehicles.
Finally, Fleet was moved from Services to Transportation
and Parking Services. With this move Transportation
was able to cross-utilize the rental fleet with Raider
Ride shuttle service for students. This allowed to double
the capacity of the service and double the hours of
service. Fleet duties were also realigned to better utilize
employee skill sets and time. This was accomplished
by moving the management of fleet rental into the
Transportation Demand Management & Transit area.
This was a natural fit since Fleet already managed
transportation functions and assists customers with
getting around campus. With the established partnership
with a vehicle GPS vendor, Transportation now has the
capabilities to develop new reporting and management
capabilities. This partnership has resulted in new
developments in the GPS system creating new features
and services that better serve Texas Tech University. This
will give vehicle custodians and the university metrics
that will allow Transportation to maximize the use of
fleet across campus.
New Changes to the
Texas Tech Univeristy
Regent’s Rules
In December 2019, the TTU Board of Regents approved changes to the Regent’s
Rules, Chapter 08 relating to major construction projects. The amended
changes govern the process used to manage and oversee capital projects. The
threshold for a major project was changed from $2 million to $4 million for
Texas Tech institutions. In other words, a minor construction project is now
considered any project $4M or less. A major project is now any capital project
over $4M. For TTU, the Operations Division will now manage the minor projects
up to $4M. This same change applies to Angelo State, TTUHSC, and El Paso
School of Nursing. Each of their respective teams will oversee projects up to
$4M. Other changes that were approved to the Regent’s Rules in December
2019 include (1) flexibility in assigning projects for management, if the BOR
approves; and, (2) setting a cap on the cost for the public art fee and the
landscape enhancement fee which would each be set at up to 1% of a project’s
budget or $500,000, whichever is less.
These changes were good news for the Operations Division for several reasons.
Over time the cost of construction has continued to rise. As a result, a number
of maintenance projects were reaching or exceeding the $2M threshold and
required oversight by FP&C rather than Operations Division. This change also
helped reduce the time to complete projects with simpler approval processes
and contracting processes. The change in defining Minor Projects now allows
Operations Division to move ahead with managing and procuring a variety
of maintenance and renovation projects that the Division is familiar with
addressing. In addition, with the flexibility in managing projects, FP&C can
transfer project management to institutions to oversee specific projects for
which the institution has extensive knowledge and experience. For example,
large complex projects for the Central Heating and Cooling Plant would remain
in Operations for project management, pending BOR approval, on a case-bycase
basis. Lastly, the funding cap for public art and landscape fees allows
more of the project budget to remain in the renovation while still providing
funds for public art and landscape which benefit the project area and the
campus as a whole.
23