The Executive Committee of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a measure that will temporarily provide the U of I System and its universities with greater flexibility on certain purchases related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is among a number of steps being taken across the U of I System to respond to the spread of the illness and its impact.
The committee also approved an increase in the budget for the renovation and expansion of the Civil Engineering Hydrosystems Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The temporary amendment of the procurement authorization process will allow the board comptroller to approve transactions of up to $5 million provided that the comptroller and U of I System President Tim Killeen agree the transaction is an emergency expense that supports system efforts to address challenges arising from COVID-19. The total of these expenditures cannot exceed $20 million unless approved by the board or the Executive Committee.
“This limited change in the procurement process will give the U of I System and our universities needed financial flexibility to address the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19,” Killeen said.
Normally, the Board of Trustees must approve any contract for professional services that costs more than $1 million per year; any purchase of supplies, equipment, or non-professional services that costs more than $1 million a year; any capital project with a budget of $5 million a year; or any construction contract requiring payment of more than $2.5 million.
The amended procurement authorization process will remain in effect until June 30.
The Executive Committee voted to increase the budget for the Civil Engineering Hydrosystems Laboratory project by $2.2 million to a total of $35,770,000.
The additional funding will pay for the replacement of a roof deck and assembly on an adjacent structure required for completion of the project.
As work on the project progressed in March, a construction worker discovered that the roof deck and assembly were deteriorating and needed to be replaced.
The Executive Committee meets when action is required before a regular board meeting, and it acts with full authority of the board. Thursday’s action will be reported to the full board at its next regularly scheduled meeting on May 21. Members of the Executive Committee are board Chairman Don Edwards and Trustees Patricia Brown Holmes and Ramón Cepeda.
