Space Survey

The space utilization survey is the most critical part of the Facilities and Administrative (F&A) or indirect cost proposal. The results of the survey determine how most of the facility costs (depreciation, interest, and operations and maintenance expenses) in the F&A cost proposal will be allocated to university functions, such as instruction and organized research. Given the substantial influence of space on the F&A rate, it is crucial to accurately determine and assign the utilization of each room to the appropriate function(s).

What is the Space Utilization Survey & Functional Coding?

The space utilization survey is the process of assigning the actual functional use coding and percent of use to campus space. Put another way, the space utilization survey gathers data on the specific use of campus space. This differs from the space inventory in that the inventory determines and assigns codes on the general use of space (i.e., primary use). Functional use codes used for the space utilization survey are based on guidance from Uniform Guidance CFR 2, Part 200, Subpart E and defined in the University's Space Functional Use Definitions.

Base Year Survey 2024

The University-wide space survey for calculating the next F&A rate submission will utilize FY 24 as the base year. The Maximus WebSpace Survey Tool will serve as the space system of record for the UM F&A rate proposal. Information in WebSpace has been populated from the data in the University’s space management system. With this information current, departments will validate space assignments, primary use, and occupied space; confirm and designate occupants; identify recharge centers, clusters, and service-related rooms; functionalize each research-related room based on activities conducted. This process involves specifying funding sources for all designated occupants and indicating the percentage of time they spend in the research space. 

Space Survey Training

Training will be provided by Maximus, the WebSpace vendor and will be delivered remotely, via Zoom.  There will be 4 training sessions to choose from:

Session # 

Date/Time 

Recordings

1 

5/1/24 (Wednesday), 10:00am – 12:30pm

Video Recording

Passcode: Space2024%

2 

5/2/24 (Thursday), 1:00pm - 3:30pm

 Video Recording

Passcode: Space2024%

3 

5/15/24 (Wednesday), 10:00am – 12:30pm

 

4 

5/16/24 (Thursday), 1:00pm – 3:30pm

 

If you're unable to attend any of the scheduled sessions, recordings will be made available online for self-paced training through U-Learn. Please note that this training is mandatory as per federal regulations, and the deadline for completion the training is May 30, 2024. Please register the training through U-Learn. Key Word: Space 

Survey Role

Department or business managers are generally assigned to this role. They are individuals who manage the fiscal operations of the department and are familiar with department budgets, including their start and end dates. ​ Individuals in this role should be familiar enough with their department’s budget to:

  • Understand payroll and budgets charged for faculty and staff, which includes accessing payroll to confirm how employees are paid and other systems to validate Human Resource and other information.
  • Understand cost share and how to correctly reflect it. ​
  • Understand Uniform Guidance and how to apply definitions to reflect space usage. ​
  • Work with PIs/Lab Techs who are contributing to various projects to determine how much time they (and their staff) spend in a room​.

Department Data Reviews and Updates

Conduct quality assurance assessments on the space survey results to ascertain the necessity of any follow-up or additional updates. Meetings will be arranged by the ORA F&A Team and Maximus with departments to carry out these reviews.

Office Hours - Space Survey

We will provide office hours for the FY24 space survey. Please email faspacehelp@miami.edu with any questions or schedule a one-on-one meeting. 

System Links

WebSpace:  https://webspace.maximus.com/miami