Purchasing

Lease of Space

Lease of off campus space should occur only once all options for reasonable on-campus space have been exhausted. To ascertain availabilty of on campus space prior to executing lease agreements with third-parties, PPS and USF Construction, Facilities and Real Estate have partnered to incorporate space planning and real estate expertise into the Step-by-Step Lease Process outlined below.

This process applies to all requests for USF funded space for all campuses and buildings, including USF Health. 

Any leasing of off campus office space or storage space must be in compliance with the USF System Regulation  USF Leasing-Regulation 4.012.

Please Note

Actions involved in assessing, negotiating and executing a lease of off campus space can take several weeks to months depending on the complexity and requirements for the space. Please allow adequate time for the process to be followed. Timeframe may be expedited only in the case of emergency circumstances such as natural disasters, structure damage, danger of life, etc.

The scope of this protocol is for real property only. All lease requests for temporary or long term storage units or equipment may be submitted directly to Procurement & Payment Services.

Step-By-Step Process

Submit Concept Proposal

 Department will identify a need for space and submit a Concept Proposal to USF Construction, Facilities and Real Estate. Departments should not begin negotiation with any landlord prior to submission of the Concept Proposal. 

Consultation 

 USF Real Estate experts for USF and USF Health will review the request and consult with Departments to understand the full scope of the need.  

Space Selection

The Real Estate team will identify space on campus if available.  If on campus space is found to be the most appropriate, the Concept Proposal will be converted to the Facilities team to handle any necessary renovation or remodel.

If it is determined that on campus space is not available, or the cost to renovate exceeds that which is reasonable, off campus space may be considered. The Real Estate team will work with the department to find and negotiate space, reviewing business terms of the lease, identifying any obligations or areas of financial risk. 

Competition: Lease of space less than 5000 sq.ft. when used to support the mission of USF are exempt from public compeition. The USF Lease Regulation requires that space at or above 5000 sq.ft. to be competitively bid through formal solicitation. 

Space Documentation & Inspection (off campus only)  

 The Real Estate team and Department will work collaboratively with the Landlord of the selected space to collect the following documentation: 

The landlord will have to meet inspection requirements before a lease can be approved.  

Final Lease Submission for Execution 

 Once business terms have been negotiated, all lease documents will be packaged and will be submitted by ASBC or USF Health Business offices on the Department's behalf to Procurement & Payment Services for legal review through the Bull Marketplace Contract Request Form. Leases are first reviewed by the Procurement Contract Team, and then by the Office of the General Counsel who will make revisions to the lease agreement as necessary to meet legal sufficiency and form.  The leasing document can only be signed by the CFO or Procurement employees who have delegated authority.

Lease renewal or extensions

Lease agreements may be extended for a single 6-month extension term without the requirement for a new Concept Proposal. Any lease extension considered for over a 6-month period must go through a Concept Proposal process to determine if continuation of the lease is still in the best interest of USF.