Stanford University uses the iSpace system to track the occupancy and use of all the rooms in Stanford on campus buildings and in off campus buildings leased for use by Stanford organizations. In addition to tracking the academic campus, we upload all the student housing/dining buildings and the Stanford Hospitals and Clinics buildings (due to the overlapping occupancy by the School of Medicine).  

Every two years Stanford conducts an official Space Inventory to update the database for new space, renovated/re-purposed space, demolished space and department moves around the campus. The inventory is a full census of every room during which each department must review and update the information related to the occupancy and use of their space during the fiscal year. This process is known as “Updating and Certifying the Space Inventory”.

The data is of great importance to many groups on campus. Much of the analysis of space is for internal use.  For example, the School of Medicine (a formula school) uses the data in their annual budgeting process and in space planning. And, of course, EH&S, PMO, and many others depend on the accuracy of the data in accomplishing their work.

Perhaps, more importantly, the data supports negotiations with the Federal Government of the indirect Cost Rate that is applied to sponsored projects. A large portion of the indirect cost recovered by the University depends on the Space Inventory. The Cost and Management Analysis group (CMA) utilizes the room level functional use data in the allocation of building related costs that will impact the recovery of millions of dollars to Stanford University

As a department Space Coordinator, the information you provide during this inventory of campus space is an integral part of the process for understanding how our space is being used. Therefore, the accuracy of the coding, as updated by you, is of crucial importance.  Feel free to ask questions if anything in here is unclear.

This document describes the policies and procedures for coding individual room usage in the Space Inventory. In addition to department occupancy and type of room, we need to know how the room is being used and track usage with Function Codes. Although not all Function Codes are relevant to all users, everyone should understand which codes apply to your department. If you have any questions about which sections of the Space Inventory Instructions are relevant to your area, please contact CMA.

The Space Inventory has several steps to be completed by the Space Coordinator: 

1. Reviewing and updating the room data
2. Providing for documentation as needed
3. Certifying completion of the inventory

All space coding must be reviewed and updated as required. Changes may have occurred in your rooms that affect room coding in iSpace for the current inventory process.

CMA has increased its participation in space coding now and in the future to ensure the highest possible level of accuracy. This participation will differ depending on the type of your department: academic vs. administrative (including auxiliaries and non-Stanford entities).

Sufficient documentation to support the coding of your space must be maintained, primarily for space coded to Organized Research (OR). Documentation is important to support coding decisions in the event of audit by Internal Audit, external auditors, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), and/or sponsoring agencies. See Appendix C: Organized Research Documentation for detailed guidance on requirements.

A form has been designed to standardize the collection/reporting of the documentation required to support the coding of Organized Research space. Completion of this form for all space coded to OR will assist CMA in its review of each department’s space. In the event of a DCAA audit, this form will reduce the impact on a department’s faculty and staff by providing written documentation. See Appendix C: Organized Research Documentation for more information about the OR documentation form.

The certification is an acknowledgment by the department Space Coordinator that the Space Inventory was updated in accordance with the requirements set forth in these Space Inventory Instructions. Please be sure you understand these Instructions before updating your space inventory. Upon completion of your space inventory update, certify its completion (to the best of your knowledge) as follows:

1. Print a Certification Report from iSpace for your department.
2. Review the report to insure that all changes are reflected.
3. If all changes are not reflected, make the necessary changes and repeat step 1.
4. If all changes are reflected, review the changes with the Department Administrative/Financial Manager. (For SoM, Department Business Manager)
5. After the review, sign and date the report, managers may also sign. (For SoM, Department Finance Administrator (the DFA) will sign and date the report.)
6. You must retain the signed report in your file in the event of an audit.  This is the only evidence of certification accepted by Internal Audit and the Government.
7. Notify CMA via e-mail that your space inventory update is complete.  (For SoM, Department Business Manager will do notification and cc: to Medical School Office of Facilities and Planning Services, and to Department Chair)

Send notification of completion and certification by:
September 30 (30 days after fiscal year close)

Send notification of completion to:
For All Departments (incl. SoM): DIDA@STANFORD
For SoM: MEDSPACEINFO@LIST.STANFORD
For Stanford Health Center: MOLLINEDO_D@HOSP
 

Policy Changes

There are no major negotiated policy changes affecting space that have significantly changed these instructions from the prior issue in 2010.  However, as a result of the recent DCAA audit, accuracy and documentation is of utmost importance.  
Please review the following items to insure the accuracy of your space coding.

Academic Office Space Clarification

Clarification of exceptions to Academic department’s office space (Room Type Codes 300 to 399) coding to Departmental Administration, Function Code A. See page 20.

Desk Space in Labs

Use of desk space in research labs for various activities has been identified as an item of concern by the Government. Stanford has historically been coding many research labs acknowledging non-research activities (including desk use) where the activities are a measurable level of use. We are not changing the methodology for functional coding of the research labs in this Space Inventory. 

OIA Clarification

Clarification for space occupied by visiting scholars or emeritus faculty. See OIA on page 25.

University Tracking of Space

The primary purpose of the Space Inventory is to maintain accurate information about space owned or rented by the University. The data is of great importance to many groups on campus and is used for a variety of purposes (see Other Uses).

Predominant, is the calculation of the Indirect Cost Rate that is applied to sponsored project expenditures.  The Space Inventory provides a basis for the allocation of selected indirect costs, including building and equipment depreciation costs and some operation and maintenance (O&M) costs.

Recovery of Indirect Costs

The Federal Government requires accurate calculation of the University’s Indirect Cost Rate. The calculation is performed to determine the costs of accommodating sponsored projects at Stanford University. These overhead costs can be reimbursed to Stanford by the government and other sponsors.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21, "Cost Principles for Educational Institutions", provides the guiding principles and procedures for determining the costs applicable to work performed by colleges and universities under grants, contracts, and other agreements with the Federal Government and other sponsors.

Additional guidance for Space Inventory classifications is provided by the "Post-Secondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual, 2006" (the Manual) published by the National Center for Education Statistics. Topics addressed in the Manual include Assignable Square Footage and Room Type Codes and definitions. These items are discussed in greater detail later in these Instructions.

Thus, the allocation and reimbursement of building and equipment depreciation and O&M costs, a major portion of total indirect costs, is directly affected by how departments code their space. It is crucial that you be as accurate as possible in updating the space inventory so that Stanford complies with its obligations under the applicable Federal Regulations.

Other Uses and Users

The iSpace database contains information about buildings used for a variety of purposes, including:

• scheduling and assigning space
• facilities planning by the University/schools/departments
• departmental tracking of space use
• Energy Conservation Incentive Program
• University Space Charge Program
• School of Medicine (a formula school) annual budgeting and space planning

The user groups include the following:

• Capital Planning and Management
• University Property Administration
• Communications Services
• Environmental Health & Safety Office
• Facilities Project Management
• Federal agencies - FEMA/DOE/NSF
• School of Medicine Facilities
• Medical Center Accounting
• Network for Student Information
• Operations & Maintenance
• Public Safety
• Registrar's Office
• Risk Management
• Fire Protection Services

Given the wide range of use of iSpace data, some information requested as part of the Space Inventory is necessary to update the database but is not used in the calculation of the University’s Indirect Cost Rate. All iSpace data fields are discussed in the iSpace Reference Manual.

It is not expected that everyone will understand fully all aspects of the Space Inventory Instructions. Assistance is readily available, and we encourage you to use it.

Room Numbering, Room Measurements, Floor Plans:
University Departments: Dobie Howard (x3-3289) or EM: DOBIEH@BONAIR    
School of Medicine: Joslyn Gray (5-8922) or EM: JPGRAY@STANFORD
Stanford Health Service: David Mollinedo (x5-5958) or EM: MOLLINEDO_D@HOSP

iSpace Access:
University Departments: Dobie Howard (x3-3289) or EM: DOBIEH@BONAIR
School of Medicine: Joslyn Gray (5-8922) or EM: JPGRAY@STANFORD

Space Coding and Other Problems/Issues, call CMA:
Dave Ida, Senior Space Analyst (5-7565) or EM: DIDA@STANFORD
Tom Wong, Co-Director: (x3-9020) or EM: THOMAS.WONG@STANFORD

The Space Inventory process tracks the use of rooms by the occupying department and responsible individuals. The system, iSpace does NOT record “ownership” of rooms. iSpace records occupancy of rooms, even if loaned or borrowed from another department. Thus, department space coordinators should ensure that the final space inventory for the department shows only the rooms that were occupied/used during the fiscal year by the department. The departments are represented by an Oracle Department Code. It is assumed that Space Coordinators are already familiar with the Org Codes at Stanford.

In addition to the department, we track the person responsible for directing the activities (Functional Uses) within each room. This person is called the Primary Individual and is associated with each department occupying the room. There may be more than one individual per department recorded by their percentage share. The Primary Individual is one of the following:

• Faculty Member, especially Principal Investigators. These individuals are tracked by name to their offices and labs.
• Department Chair, Program Director, or School Dean. These individuals are responsible for the use of the ‘common departmental space’ and are tracked by position title, not by name.
• Administrative Department Senior Executive (Vice Provost, Director, etc.). These individuals are responsible for all space in a non-academic department and are tracked by position title, not by individual.

We are now tracking the Functional Use Codes to each person responsible for directing the activities within each room.  Each identified Primary Individual will have a segregate set of one or more Functional Use Codes recorded for the specific activities related to their occupancy of the room.

In the fiscal year when a full census of the space inventory is performed, department space coordinators should consider how the space was used over the entire 12-month fiscal year (September 1 through August 31) and not how the space is being used at the moment the space inventory is being updated.

Department space coordinators must consider space use over the 12 months of the fiscal year and should code rooms based on use over that period, rather than at any one point in time. Over the course of the year a single room may have been used by more than one department and/or for more the one purpose (as defined by a Room Type Code). 

Various coding options can be used to arrive at a composite picture of each room’s use over a full 12-month period.  For instance, space that is used for more than one function at a time (e.g., Organized Research and Instruction) or that is used by more than one function at different times during the year should be coded to portray the correct percentage of use of each function. 

In order to simplify the complex usage situations iSpace, can record more than one time period of use during the fiscal year. These multiple Time Period Allocations record start and stop date dates for how a room was used over time. Thus if a room has changed occupancy, Room Type or Functional Use, we can end date the current Time Period Allocation (showing the existing usage) and start a new allocation for the changed use. This eliminates the requirement for ‘room splits’ or calculating ‘actual average’ usage.

Within each Time Period Allocation, iSpace allows for shared usage of a room for: multiple Departments; multiple PIs within each department; and multiple Functional Use Codes for each PI. The shared usage is recorded at each level with the estimated percentage of use for each occupant, or functional use. Thus, both simple and very complex coding situations created by real life shared usage can be accommodated easily in the system without calculations to estimate annual average use.

Within each Time Period Allocation, iSpace allows for shared usage of a room for: multiple Departments; multiple Primary Individuals (PI’s) within each department; and multiple Functional Use Codes for each PI.  The shared usage is recorded at each level with the estimated percentage of use for each occupant, or functional use.  Thus, both simple and very complex coding situations created by real life shared usage can be accommodated easily in the system without calculations to estimate annual average use.

Report functional use  activity levels that are significant enough to be measurable and supportable.

The extent to which space is to be functional is dependent upon the extent it is accurate, material and supportable. Not all functional use can be directly measured; some estimating of percentage of use will be necessary. However, activities, which occur occasionally or only incidentally to the overall activities, duties, purposes, or functions of the people occupying the space, are not necessary to report. Examples include, a small portion of a sponsored project in a class lab, a student’s occasional use of laboratory space to do homework or fundraising phone calls done incidentally by faculty in their office. These Instructions attempt to define all recognized activities (in federal government terms), but you are not required to report minute nuances. The goal is supportable and material accuracy.

Instruction space is used for the teaching and training activities of an institution. Instruction includes all teaching and training activities whether they are offered for credits toward a degree or certificate or on a non-credit basis, and whether they are offered through regular academic departments or separate divisions (such as a summer program or extension program). In research labs, Instruction currently would include time spent by a graduate student working specifically on their dissertation, performing teaching assistant activities or doing home work at their desk space that is not part of a sponsored research activity. Instruction does not include research training that is done as a part of sponsored research.

Administrative time expended in support of Instruction responsibilities, such as grading papers, constitutes time spent on Instruction. The exception is when the activities occur in office space (Room Type Codes 300 – 399); office space in academic departments is coded to Departmental Administration.

Instruction also includes Sponsored Instruction and training activities and Other Sponsored Activities, which are externally sponsored (see below).

Instruction thus encompasses the following:

• General instruction
• Summer Session instruction
• Continuing Studies instruction (inc. SoM Continuing Medical Education)
• Residential Education Program
• Center for Professional Development
• Primary Care Associate Program (instructional activities)
• SoM Residency Programs oversight and administration
• Sponsored Instruction and training (see below)
• Other Sponsored Activities (see below)

Departmental Administration (DA) occurs in all academic office space (Room Type Codes 300 – 399) and some multiple-use rooms (e.g., stockrooms, shops, lounges) which service or provide support to academic school/department operations. This space is recognized as administrative or supporting service areas that benefit multiple departmental activities. DA activities support more than one functional activity in the department in proportions that cannot be readily approximated into separate functional activities.

Exceptions

• Because of their budgeting methodology, the School of Medicine will still continue to survey office space and code with the specific activities occurring during the year. (CMA will normalize this when calculating the IDC proposal.)
• Patient Care activities should be coded to function code ‘P’.
• Faculty effort expended in support of fund raising or consulting to non-government entities should be coded as Other Institutional Activities, Function Code ‘C’.
• Visiting scholars and emeritus faculty.

Also, if the space was Inactive or Temporarily Unassignable for any portion of the year, DA may not be the appropriate functional code.  See detailed instructions on coding Inactive or Temporarily Unassignable space.

In addition, department general service areas are normally coded in whole or in part to Departmental Administration. Examples include the following:

• mail room (except department student mailboxes coded to Instruction)
• general storage room
• lounge area
• merchandising space (e.g., vending machines)

Proposal writing is Departmental Administration if it is to acquire a grant or contract; proposal writing is OIA if it is to obtain a gift.

Organized Research (OR) space is used for research and development activity that is either Sponsored Research or University Research as defined in Stanford’s policy on “Categories of Sponsored Projects” (Research Policy Handbook 12.2).

Departmental research (DR) space is used for research, development and scholarly activities that are not in support of external Sponsored Research nor competitively awarded University Research (both reported as Organized Research). This research may be funded by unrestricted operating budget, gifts by donors or affiliate program funds (i.e., any funds except an externally-funded sponsored grant, contract or cooperative agreement, or internally-funded, University-sponsored project).

Departmental Research includes:

• on-going independent research unrelated to any Organized Research activities
• research activities on faculty start up funds and non-competitive “seed monies” provided by schools or departments to initiate research that might later become sponsored. (Note: these funds could alternatively be used in support of sponsored activities as well.)
• interim periods of research occurring between active sponsored projects or funded periods of performance

Departmental Research is not any of the following:

• Committed cost sharing which may be the same activity but differs from DR in that cost sharing occurs during the active sponsored funding period and is specifically committed on sponsored project budgets. (In contrast to cost sharing, DR includes support for a research/development/scholarly activity that does not have current sponsored funding.)
• Cost overdrafts funded by the University to cover expenditures of externally sponsored research and development projects after the end of a project performance period
• Voluntary Uncommitted Cost Sharing  - faculty donated effort or other direct costs above that agreed to as part a sponsored award constitutes non-binding additional time or materials

Cost sharing and cost overruns are University Research, a part of OR. Note that these are Oracle Awards that start with ‘W’ (Wxxxx). Voluntary uncommitted cost sharing activities support OR. Please see the discussion of Organized Research for further distinctions.

Other Institutional Activities (OIA) space is used for major activities of the University that the federal government will not allow to be charged directly or indirectly to contract and grants. OIA space includes the following:

• Fundraising and income enhancement activities (investments), which include the following central University departments: Office of Development, Office of Technology Licensing, Stanford Management Company, Real Estate Operations.
• School/department fundraising or proposal writing to solicit donations, gifts, or contributions (at a measurable level).
• Faculty consulting time to non-Stanford entities (at a measurable level).
• Visiting scholars on campus with their own funding and emeritus faculty on campus by courtesy.
• General public relations activities (inc. Govt & Community Relations)
• Alumni activities
• Student organization activities. Includes the space associated with student clubs, groups, and cultural/social organizations (e.g., intramural sports, student union, student publications). This category does not include student organization facilities when they are used for instructional purposes (e.g., the Law School Moot Court and the Law School Journal).
• Theaters and auditoriums (Stanford Events and Lively Arts) with the exception of those portions used for University purposes.
• Museums and art galleries
• Memorial Church and other chapels
• Staff and Faculty Housing Programs (administration and housing)
• Community outreach activities (SoM free clinics, etc.)
• New Service & University Communications (by CMA policy decision)

Below are examples of commonly occurring situations of OIA within an academic department.

Note: This function code is for use by the School of Medicine only.

Patient Care activities are those associated with the diagnosis and treatment of patients, which are not related to Instruction, Departmental Research or Organized Research.  Patient Care is clinical in nature and usually reimbursed from a health-care provider. Space used for these activities is coded to Function Code P.