Office Hours
Real Estate and Facilities hosts a one-hour Office Hour session for campus customers to share updates, provide guidance, and answer questions about maintenance and operations services. The presentation includes an overview of the Facilities team’s responsibilities and the TRIRIGA software system, highlighting how it supports work order requests, space management, and operational efficiency. Each session will conclude with an open Q&A, where customers receive clarification on processes, system use, and best practices to ensure smooth coordination with the Facilities team.
Office Hour Topics:
- Facilities Reimagined with Ken Jett: What’s Next for Your Building - Share progress since the launch of Facilities Reimagined, highlight key decisions and upcoming changes, and explain what they mean for building contacts.
- Utility Outage - Back by popular demand, review the protocols for planned and unplanned outages, communication procedures, and the role of building contacts.
- Custodial Services - Hear how Facilities manages custodial services across campus, from cleaning standards to scheduling, and share your input to help us serve you better.
- Status of My Work - Review the lifecycle of a work request in TRIRIGA, from submission to completion including customer notifications.
- Capital Projects & Renovation - Introduce the Capital Projects team and share updates on current and upcoming renovation efforts.
- All Things Facilities with Mario Carrera - Cover a wide range of facilities-related topics and provide an open forum for customers to ask questions directly to leadership.
- Events and Facilities Support - Review facilities services for campus events and coordination with the Campus Service Department.
- Understanding Billable vs Non-Billable Tasks - Clarify which tasks are billable to campus departments and which are not, with guidance at fiscal year end.
When?
The first session will be on Zoom on November 12 from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Then, they will recur on the second Wednesday of each month from 9:30 to 10:30 AM.
You can view each month's topic focus and access the Zoom link below. Please note that each month's Zoom link is unique.
November 12
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Facilities Reimagined with Ken Jett: What’s Next for Your Building
December 10
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Utility Outage
January 14
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Custodial Services
Zoom Lin
February 11
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Status of My Work Request
Zoom Link: https://riceuniversity.zoom.
March 11
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Capital Projects & Renovations
April 8
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: All Things Facilities with Mario Carrera
May 13
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Events and Facilities Support
June 10
9:30-10:30 AM
Topic: Understanding Billable vs Non-Billable Tasks
Previously Covered Topics & Answers
- Itemized Invoices
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Facilities is currently not able to provide itemized invoices prior to billing. We recommend that a not-to-exceed Estimate be requested for the cost of the work beforehand.
- Quarterly Billing Reports
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Quarterly reports for billing can be requested by sending an email to FSC@rice.edu. Customers will need to provide the individual department orgs for which the report is requested. In the future, we hope to make this report available within TRIRIGA.
- Hourly billable fees
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The hourly fees have been added to the Facilities page.
Go to: Facilities.rice.edu > Billing Information
Link is under TRIRIGA Billing Processes in the second paragraph. Click on the link which will direct you to Box for the current rates. - Pest Control
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Extermination is being done in-house at Rice as follows: See a pest, submit a request, treat a pest.
Requesters will generally not see the Rice pest technician as pest control is done when there are not many people in the building. The department is in the process of hiring a new Grounds Director. - Insufficient Lighting (Stairwells/Hallways) – Sewall Hall
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The preventive maintenance team will partner with the custodial team to ensure that lighting in stairwells is addressed and follows current standards. Customers are also encouraged to submit a service request in TRIRIGA if they see issues with the lighting.
- Building Representatives for Maintenance Issues
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The Custodial teams are encouraged to report minor building issues for maintenance. However, customers are encouraged to submit a service request in TRIRIGA for any building issues.
Building representatives typically deal with outages. - HVAC Issues - Herman Brown Hall
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There are current standards, but newer standards have been developed - ASHRAE 55 Standards – The thermal and environmental conditions for human occupancy. The Rice standards will be reviewed, updated and posted on the facilities website.
Should you have a hot/cold issue, submit a request in TRIRIGA specifying if it’s a hold / cold issue or specify if there is a problem that requires a physical review instead of a thermostat adjustment. - Unlocked Doors and Gates
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Generally, Rice workers are not leaving doors open, but this may accidently happen with contractors. This should be addressed by the Project Manager (PM) over the specific project.
If you have an ongoing project in the building, there will be an assigned PM who should be notified if the contractor is leaving doors open/unlocked. - Mechanical & Electrical Rooms
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Cleanliness of these rooms has been addressed by the Director of Maintenance with his staff.
Custodians are not responsible for cleaning mechanical and electrical rooms.
Contractors in buildings are managed by project managers and should follow Rice standards around safety and security. - Custodial Duties - Kitchens
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Custodians will sweep, mop floors, clean and wipe down counters and tables and empty trash. They DO NOT clean microwaves or refrigerators or any appliances unless a service request is submitted in TRIRIGA.
- TRIRIGA Notifications
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The Office Hours on May 14, 2025, will cover this topic.
For any additional questions, please email fsc@rice.edu.