Who Pays for What

Physical Facilities is responsible for the maintenance, alteration, repair, and operation of physical plant buildings and equipment.

“Building equipment” is defined as mechanical or electrical machinery or equipment that is permanently attached to the structure as original equipment, as a replacement for original equipment, or as an upgrade to the facility. This equipment normally provides service to the entire building or to a major section of the building. Examples of building equipment include air handlers, exhaust fans, boilers, electrical panel boards, drinking fountains, building air compressors for HVAC controls, electrical buss ducts, and elevators. Physical Facilities pays the cost to repair, replace, and maintain building structures and building equipment.

“Departmental equipment” is defined as equipment or machinery purchased directly by a department or departments. Examples include wall-mounted shelves, single-room usage package air conditioners, fume hoods, sinks, and fixtures in labs, lab benches, and cabinets, carpet, modular office panel systems, furniture, walk-in coolers (even if built-in at the time of the original building construction), freezers, lab polishers, cage washers, kilns, ovens, ultra-cold freezers, air compressors for shops and labs, eyewash and safety showers, and backflow preventers that service departmental equipment. The department pays the cost to repair, replace and maintain departmental equipment.

As a general guide, if equipment is a function of the building, Physical Facilities should pay for its repair or replacement. If the equipment is a function of the department, the department should pay.

Generally, Physical Facilities pays all utility bills for water, gas, sewage, and electricity (pending policy to address the exceptions). Related repair, maintenance, replacement, production, and distribution are also the responsibility of Physical Facilities.

In the case of abuse of any equipment, utility system, or buildings, the abuser is responsible for paying repair or replacement costs.

Physical Facilities is funded to meet the normal operation and maintenance needs of the buildings on campus that are designed as Physical Facilities maintained. Generally, this includes all academic and administrative buildings on the main West Lafayette campus, excluding residence halls, housing units, intercollegiate athletic facilities, and all related structures. Most farm buildings are not maintained by Physical Facilities, other than those specifically identified on the Animal Science Research farms. Normal operation and maintenance means routine grounds, custodial, operations and maintenance activities for the building or facility to operate as it was originally intended.