Space Management Survey Instructions

The University is conducting a room by room inventory survey.  The survey's purpose is for two reasons.  The first is to give UTHHSC a base to negotiate the Indirect Cost Rate.  The second is to capture and maintain a file with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board of  the University's buildings.

Indirect Cost Recovery- The University of Texas receives a substantial portion of funds for its general operation from indirect costs earned on grants and contracts.  The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reviews our proposal for determining the indirect cost rate, including space inventory.  They require that we annually survey our departments to determine the percentage of  use.  Congress is requiring the OMB to be much more thorough in its review of indirect cost proposals in the wake of criticism of University practices.

Texas  Higher Education Coordinating Board- Requires all Universities in the State of Texas to keep a current inventory on a room-by-room basis.  This inventory is to include room numbers, room types, capacities, room usage and area (Sq.Ft.).  The Coordinating Board uses this inventory when evaluating the University's requests for approvals of major construction, new buildings and statistical history.

Detailed information on each room assigned to your department is provided.  You are requested to correct or add to this information in detail. 


  1. Make changes, to the Space Inventory survey in red.
  2. Confirm only the rooms that are assigned to your department.
  1. Check each entry to make sure the building, floor and room number is correct.  You can compare the room number against the building plans, which are provided with the inventory.
  2. Include Occupancy (# of people in a room) or Capacity for the following room types 110, 210, 220, 350, 410, 430, 610 and 680.
  3. Examine each room type.  Only one room type per room.
  4. Determine room use on a fractional basis.  Review the room use codes and determine room usage (All clinical trials with accounting fund 501 or 502 should use room use codes 31 or 32).  Each room must have at least one room use and a corresponding percentage.  The percentage is based on the amount of time spent for each use selection.  Up to three room use codes are allowed. The room use percentages must total 100%.  See Example 1-1 below:
Example 1-1:   If room 1A is being use 50% of the time for Organized Research (24) and 50% of the time for Instruction (11), it would look like this.
Room Use Code Percentage
Room Use #1 24 50%
Room Use #2 11 50%
Room Use #3 0 0%
100%
    If Organized Research is conducted in a room, provide the account number(s) of the research grant/contract which supports the activity.   See Example 1-2 below:
Example 1-2:
Room Use #1 Percentage Account #
24 50% 201-2-4567
507-3-9863
400-4-7564
  1. Fill in the principal investigator, when applicable (Names should be abbreviated).
  2. Fill in the primary occupant, when applicable.  Primary occupants should have only one location (Names should be abbreviated).
  3. If architectural changes have been made to your area but have not been captured on the drawings provided.  Please circle the affected area.
  4. Fill in the contacts name, telephone #, signature and date on the form provided.
  5. Return the entire packet to Bret Wandel or call for other arrangements.

If you have any questions or information concerning the University's Space Inventory, please contact:

Bret Wandel
7000 University Center Tower Suite 1800
Houston, TX  77030
Phone # 500-3408
Pager # 905-0056

Juan Jose Vargas
Last update: