Capital Planning & Policy
Mission
The Department of Capital Planning & Policy’s goal is to provide safe, secure and accessible facilities through capital construction projects for all County departments and elected officials, in order that they may serve the public and perform their duties in an environment that fosters efficient, convenient and cost-effective delivery of public services.
Mandate
The State authorizes Cook County to create and maintain a department of construction, maintenance and operation and a department of central services to be assigned such powers, as the Board may deem necessary for the proper functioning of the County government. [Laws, 1943, Vol. I, p. 568] Current Authority: 55 ILCS 5/3-14003 and 5/3-14004
Key Activities
- Establish and implement County-wide energy efficiency programs
- Direct redevelopment projects at Corporate, Health & Hospital and Public Safety portfolios
- Lead Master Planning efforts and right sizing of real estate footprint
- Delivery of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
- Maintain building and regulatory compliance with codes, laws and ordinances
- Establish a countywide Americans with Disabilities Act program
- Identify and address critical system replacements and upgrades
- Prioritize capital improvements according to the County’s long-term objectives
- Modernize building life safety and emergency systems County-wide
For information on the Cook County Hospital Central Campus Redevelopment, visit their website.
Design and Construction
The Department contracts with design firms, construction managers, specialty service firms, and construction contractors in order to deliver projects in the annual CIP, which is typically in the range of $230-250 million. Vendors of such services are usually contracted for the Department through the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO), which posts current contract opportunities on its online Bonfire system. Registration at the OCPO site ensures that, when a given solicitation is downloaded, notice is then emailed to those individuals or firms when any addenda or other information related to that solicitation is published. This is the link that prospective vendors should check regularly:
Link to Office of the Chief Procurement Officer – Current Opportunities:
Green Buildings Program
The Green Buildings Program looks holistically at the design, space utilization, operations and life cycle impact of County owned properties to become a model for sustainable asset management that minimizes environmental impacts, improves the health and wellness of communities, and increases the value of County assets to optimize taxpayer dollars.
Development of the Capital Improvement Plan
The Department of Capital Planning & Policy (DCPP) develops the Capital Improvement Plan through a process of gathering analytical information from each Facility’s Condition Assessment (FCA) report and by completing a comprehensive review of user department’s individual business case requests.
Analysis of these resources enables DCPP to:
- Identify and address critical system replacements and upgrades.
- Calculate the estimated costs of recommended improvements and ensure optimal return on investment.
- Prioritize improvements according to the County’s long-term objectives.
- Run funding scenarios that demonstrate the impact of differing spend levels.
- Develop a capital plan and budget that will sustain County facilities and support their core function for the long term, while balancing economic and manageable debt levels.
Capital renewal and deferred maintenance assessment software is used by DCPP to retain current data that drives the development of Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) reports for each County-owned facility. The FCA reports provide a detailed, system-level inventory of the amenities and identify capital renewal and deferred maintenance deficiencies. Utilizing the FCAs, DCPP is able to establish prioritization, plan systematically and bundle similar projects for cost effective procurement.
Agency Head