Certifying Space Need

DEPARTMENT OF management sERVICES

Division of Real Estate Development and Management

CERTIFYING SPACE NEED

Section 255.25, Florida Statutes, outlines that approval is required by the Division of Real Estate Development and Management in order to build or lease space prior to construction or lease of any building or any portion thereof. It is mandatory for each agency contemplating leasing new space, renewing an existing lease or modifying square footage in an existing lease, to secure approval by submitting an Electronic Request for Prior Approval of Space Need (RSN), and a Space Allocation Worksheet (FM 4100) to the Department of Management Services.

REQUEST AND APPROVAL OF SPACE NEEDED

Prior approval to lease space is also required from the Department of Management Services before an Invitation to Negotiate may be solicited or a lease negotiated. An Electronic Request for Prior Approval of Space Need (RSN) must be submitted for all lease actions, except a Modification to Decrease Rental Rate, or a Cancellation of Lease. Any changes of information provided on this form will result in the need to submit a revised form.

Electronic Request for Space Need (RSN) Instructions

(1) LEASE NUMBER.: Enter lease number assigned by the Department of Management Services (existing leases). If this is a new lease, a lease number will be assigned.

(2) DEPARTMENT: Enter agency name.

(3) DIVISION: Enter the division name, region or district.

(4) CITY: Enter the name of the city in which the space is needed.

(5) COUNTY: Enter the name of the county in which the space is needed.

(6) NET SQUARE FEET: Enter the number of square feet requested.

(7) TYPE TRANSACTION: Enter appropriate selection.

(8) PROPOSED TERM: Enter the proposed starting and ending date of lease.

(9) RENEWAL OPTION: Enter the option(s), example, 2(two)-3(three) years, which is, two options for three years each.

(10) TYPE OF SOLICITATION: Select type of bid solicitation

(11) PROPOSED FACILITY: Enter appropriate selection. Non-existing facility is one that as not been built.

Electronic Request for Space Need (RSN) Instructions

(Continued)

(12) CONTACT: Enter the contact person(s) name, title, address and phone number.

(13) STATE-OWNED BUILDING: Enter yes or no. If yes provide a detailed explanation.

(14) NUMBER of FTE’S: Enter number of full time employees from Space Allocation Worksheet.

(15) TOTAL SQUARE FEET JUSTIFIED: Enter justified square feet from the Space Allocation Worksheet.

(16) ADMINISTRATIVE SQUARE FEET: Enter the total from the first page of the Space Allocation Worksheet.

(17) TOTAL SQUARE FEET PER FTE: Enter total square footage from the Space Allocation Worksheet.

(18) ADMINISTRATIVE SQUARE FEET PER FTE: Enter square footage calculation from the Space Allocation Worksheet.

(19) COMMENT BOX: Enter explanation, if total square foot per FTE exceeds acceptable range.

(20) CURRENT SQUARE FOOTAGE: Enter current amount of square footage presently being occupied.

(21) CURRENT RATE PER SQUARE FOOT: Enter current rate per square footage presently occupying.

(22) CURRENT LEASE NUMBER: Enter current lease number(s) from which the staff for this lease is being moved.

(23) MONTHLY RENT: Enter base rental rate of the current square footage presently being occupied.

(24) COMMENT BOX: Enter boundaries for new leases, and any additional comments.

(25) AGENCY HEAD: Enter signature of authorized person certifying adherence to space criteria standards for computing space requirements.

ELECTRONIC REQUEST FOR SPACE NEED

Guidelines / Request for Space Need Form
Forms / -- All * are required Field --
-- For New Lease, Please provide proposed boundaries in the Additional Comment field --
-- For Modification, Please describe modification type in the Additional Comment field --
Lease No: / (1) Broker being used:*
Department*: / (3) / Division*: / (4)
Location of Space: City*: / (5) / County: / (6)
NET square feet* : / (7) / Type of lease being Requested*: / (8)
Proposed term of lease: From*: / To: (MM/DD/YYYY) (9)
With an option to renew for*: / * -
* years (10) / Type of Solicitation*: / (11)
Proposed facility location space is an*: / (12)
Information about this lease location may be obtained from:
Contact Name:* / (13) / Title:
Email
Address* / Phone Number*
Are there any extenuating circumstances that would preclude the above referenced lease from occupying space in a State owned building? (13)
If yes, please explain:
Staffing Information:
Number of FTE's*: / (15)
Total square feet justified*: / (16) / Administrative square feet*: / (17)
Total square feet per FTE's: / (18) / Administrative square feet per FTE's: / (19)
If Total square feet per FTE exceeds acceptable range, please explain: / (20)
Current Sq.Ft.*: / (21) / Current Rate per Sq.Ft.*: / (22)
Current Lease No*: / (23) / Monthly Rent: / (24)
Additional Comment: / (25)
The undersigned hereby certifies that the space criteria standards published by the Department of Management Services as a part of the Facilities Management Program have been used to compute the space requirements necessitating this lease and that this request is no way provides excess space to this unit of State Government.
Agency Head*: / (26)
Title*:
Date*:

PREPARING FLOOR PLANS AND

SQUARE FOOTAGE CALCULATIONS

Floor plans verifying the net usable square footage must be submitted with new leases or modifications to increase or decrease square footage on leases 5,000 square feet or greater. This requirement may be met by using either a scaled line drawing or an architect's blueprint. The plans must contain all dimensions and calculations following the standard method of space measurement necessary to compute the net usable square footage. They should be signed by the person who physically measured the leased premises. The floor plans should be prepared and square footage calculations completed before lease documents are completed. The square footage on the floor plans and the lease document must agree. Drawings are to be clear with measurement lines showing which surface of the wall the measurement applies. Many times an architect's drawing will not indicate measurements to surfaces as required in the standard method of space measurements procedure. In such cases measurement lines and distances may be drawn on the floor plans to make them correct. Square footage calculations must be clear and easy to follow. For clarity areas of the facility may be designated with an alpha letter which is referenced to the calculations. Areas may be color coded if desired to make them easier to understand. Any subsequent lease actions which change the square footage must be accompanied by a new set of plans indicating the total new square footage.

CALCULATION OF SQUARE FOOTAGE

a. Calculate all measurements to three decimal places using the decimal equivalents provided as shown on the following page.

b. Do not round off any figures used in calculations until final square footage is obtained, then round off to nearest square foot to arrive at net rentable square footage for the facility.

DECIMAL EQUIVALENTS FOR SQUARE FOOTAGE CALCULATIONS

(To be used for ALL square foot calculations)

1/4" = .021 / 6" = .500
1/2" = .042 / 61/4" = .521
3/4" = .063 / 61/2" = .542
1" = .083 / 63/4" = .563
11/4" = .104 / 7" = .583
11/2" = .125 / 71/4" = .604
13/4" = .146 / 71/2" = .625
2" = .167 / 73/4" = .646
21/4" = .188 / 8" = .667
21/2" = .208 / 81/4" = .688
23/4" = .229 / 81/2" = .708
3" = .250 / 83/4" = .729
31/4" = .271 / 9" = .750
31/2" = .292 / 91/4" = .771
33/4" = .313 / 91/2" = .792
4" = .333 / 93/4" = .813
41/4" = .354 / 10" = .833
41/2" = .375 / 101/4" = .854
4/3/4" = .396 / 101/2" = .875
5" = .417 / 103/4" = .896
51/4" = .438 / 11" = .917
51/2" = .458 / 111/4" = .938
53/4" = .479 / 111/2" = .958
113/4" = .979

60H-2.003 Space Measurement.

The Department’s Standard Method of Space Measurement shall be used by agencies in measuring building space, state-owned or private sector leased space.

(1.) User agencies shall pay rent as lessees of Department-managed buildings or privately owned buildings only on usable space as defined below:

(a) Permit communication and computation on a clear and understandable basis.

(b) Allow comparison of values on the basis of an agreed upon unit and method of measurement.

(2) Method. The standard method of measuring office floor area shall be “usable square feet” and in accordance with the Standard Method for Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings, BOMA/ANSI Z65.1-1996, available online at www.boma.org, or at Publication Orders/BOMA International. P.O. Box 79330, Baltimore, MD 21279-0330, hereby incorporated by reference.

(3) Usable space is floor space that has usable value. It does not include outer building walls but includes space covered by interior walls. If an interior wall separates spaces occupied by two tenants, half of the wall is included in each tenant’s measurement. Usable space does not include bathrooms, stairs, exit stair passageways, public corridors, main entrances lobbies, elevator lobbies, elevator shafts, flues, furnaces, pipe shafts, vertical ducts, air conditioning rooms, fan rooms, janitor closets, electrical closets, and such other equipment and building support rooms not actually available to the tenant for furnishings and personnel and their enclosing walls. Usable space includes columns and projections necessary to the building. Any other corridors are usable, chargeable space and, if shared by agencies, shall be prorated.

(4) This method of space measurement applies to bids, proposals or other offers by prospective Lessors, public and private.

Specific Authority 255.249, 255.25, 272.04, 288.18 FS. Law Implemented 255.239(2)(c), 272.04, 288.18(2) FS. History-New 8-11-75, Amended 4-5-79, Formerly 13D-8.03, 13M-2.003, Amended 2-21-96, 4-27-04, 9-1-05.

STANDARD METHOD OF SPACE MEASUREMENT

Building Owners and Manager Association International (BOMA) Standard

The purpose of this standard is to permit communication and computation on a clear and understandable basis. This standard also allows comparison of values on the basis of a generally agreed upon unit of measurement (usable square footage).

It should also be noted that this standard can and should be used in measuring office space in old as well as new buildings and leased office space as well as state-owned space. It is applicable to any architectural design or type of construction because it is based on the premise that the area being measured is that which the agency may occupy and use for its furnishings and its people. This standard method of measuring office space measures only occupiable space, undistorted by variances in design from one building to another. It measures the area of office building that actually has usable (rental) value and, therefore, as a clear understanding of what is being measured. Area measurement in office buildings is based in all cases upon the typical floor plans, and barring structural changes which affect materially the typical floor, such measurements stand for the life of the building, regardless of readjustments incident to agency layouts.

All usable office space (private sector leased, state-owned, or other publicly-owned) shall be computed by the methods on the following page.

Source: Building Owners and Manager Association International (BOMA) Standard

wORKSPACE sTANDARDS

Workspace utilization standards are not new to state government. Under this initiative, the Department has updated existing rules to bring the State of Florida more in line with its private sector counterparts, and implement best practices currently used by the private sector.

The New Space Allocation Standards state: “To the extent possible without sacrificing critical public or client services, agencies are directed to obtain an average allocation of space, not to exceed 180 usable square feet per full-time employee (FTE).” In many cases, this goal can be obtained by simply utilizing existing common area space more efficiently. The entire Workspace Management Rule can be view at the following website: http://dms.myflorida.com/dms2/business_operations/real_estate_development_management/facilities_management__1/workspace_management_initiative/workspace_standards

DETERMINATION OF SQUARE FOOTAGE

To determine the amount of space required for a new lease, the Space Allocation Worksheet (SAW) is used. This form must be submitted anytime there is a change of staffing or square footage in a lease. If a lease is modified but there is no change in the Space Allocation Worksheet, the Space Allocation Worksheet currently on file with Department of Management Services can be referenced.

The total space indicated on the Space Allocation Worksheet form is relative to the amount of space generated for the functional needs of the user agency. If actual space leased varies from the total space justified by five percent (5%) or more, and/or the total support space exceeds the total justified space by more than thirty-five percent (35%), a detailed explanation must be provided.

PLEASE NOTE YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS AND SEND THEM TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES

CHAPTER 1

Lisa Lehman

Department of Management Services

Building 4050, Suite 315

4050 Esplanade Way

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950

Fax: 850-488-6687