LBNL Space Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC)

SPAC Charter

Reporting to the Laboratory COO, the SPAC will advise the Laboratory Director, Deputy Lab Director, COO, and Space Manager on management of space at LBNL. More specifically, the Committee will recommend:

Guidelines, policies, procedures and metrics for the allocation and utilization of space across the Laboratory
Resolution of space allocation conflicts that cannot be resolved by other means
Opportunities for increased efficiency and optimization based on space utilization survey data
Capital appropriations, purchases, and improvements as these impact space utilization
Actions to meet LBNL’s Strategic Space Management Plan and initiatives related to space

SPAC Membership

Chairperson—Scientist with a strong understanding of space management issues, institutional perspective, and well regarded by peers.
Membership —Chairperson; LBNL Space Manager; 3 members from Scientific Divisions; and 2 members from Operations; staff support will be provided by Facilities, OCFO, and others as required.
Term of Membership—Length of term 2 years; a member could serve a second term in the Chairperson role. Membership terms should be staggered to ensure continuity and strong knowledge of space issues. Initially, some members may serve 3 or 4 year terms to establish a staggered approach.
Appointment of the Chairperson and Committee members will be made by the Laboratory COO.
Level of Involvement—Time commitment for the first 6 months may be 8 hours per month inclusive of several meetings/month and effort outside of meetings. Once the Committee is established and in a steady state mode, time commitment may reduce to 4 hours/month plus some additional effort outside of meetings.

The SPAC will:

Meet at least once per month
Institute processes and procedures to ensure that members of the Laboratory community have opportunities for input into the Committee’s deliberations, those deliberations are performed in an open and transparent manner, and that the Committee’s recommendations are generally perceived as being logical and fair
Work with Division Point of Contacts (POCs) and appropriate staff to develop analyses of Division space requests
Review data regarding existing space allocation and utilization; space demand and supply forecasts; and requests for space from Division POCs to recommend optimal space usage in accordance with LBNL’s Strategic Space Management and Master plans
Give consideration to and plan for future space needs (including leases) with reference to LBNL’s Strategic Space Management and Master plans
Assist in the development of and periodic update to LBNL’s Strategic Space Management Plan
Charter two subcommittees (Office and Research), staffed by individuals external to the LSMC, to perform annual space utilization surveys to document usage of space. (These ongoing reviews would be similar to the Research Space Utilization Surveys that were recently completed.)
Review space utilization survey data and make recommendations for increased efficiency and optimization
Periodically report on space demand, metrics, and utilization
Publish meeting minutes to ensure transparency and communicate decisions