The Portfolio
Single campus, multiple building types, significant deferred maintenance
Central State University's campus sits on 638 acres in Wilberforce, Ohio — a rural area roughly 20 miles east of Dayton in Greene County. The portfolio includes approximately 40 buildings spanning four distinct facility types: residential halls, academic buildings, athletic facilities, and support structures.
The scope covers day-to-day operation, maintenance, and preventive maintenance for all building systems — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting, fire/life safety coordination, elevator oversight, and audio/video systems. Notably excluded from scope are security, janitorial, landscaping, window washing, refuse collection, elevator maintenance contracts, and fire suppression system maintenance.
The RFP does not provide an individual building inventory. The mandatory site visit covered approximately 25% of structures as a representative sample. A 2019 Thomas Porter Architects condition assessment documented $50 million in deferred maintenance needs. The contractor who inherited this portfolio was terminated for non-performance, and CSU is now under state fiscal watch with documented safety failures including inoperable fire alarms in a 341-student dormitory.
Complexity Flags
Top risk factors that shape the bid decision
⚠ Fiscal Watch & Payment Risk
CSU was placed under state fiscal watch in October 2024 after meeting five of eight triggering criteria, including inability to make vendor payments. The university has been unable to consistently pay its facilities vendor on schedule. The $1.9M/year contract will face intense budget scrutiny, and all renewals are contingent on Ohio General Assembly appropriations.
⚠ Deferred Maintenance & Infrastructure Crisis
A 2019 assessment identified $50M in deferred maintenance. Since then, conditions have worsened — fire alarms inoperable in a dormitory, water/sewer infrastructure disputes with the City of Xenia, and an HVAC system requiring $850K in emergency state funding. The incoming contractor inherits a backlog with no additional capital funding guaranteed.
⚠ Non-Standard Insurance Requirements
The RFP requires $3M per occurrence CGL coverage (standard is $2M) and $2M Professional Liability (E&O), which is unusual for a property management scope. Bidders should confirm coverage availability and premium impact with their broker before committing to the pricing ceiling.
Bottom Line
Bid recommendation and rationale
Conditional Bid
This contract is complex — 40 buildings, four facility types, a documented predecessor failure, and a university under state fiscal watch. The $1.9M/year ceiling is tight against $50M in deferred maintenance needs, but the Work Plan and Staffing Plan together control 55.2% of the technical score. A firm with multi-building university experience, transparent reporting systems, and a credible transition plan can score well in an open field with no meaningful incumbent advantage.
The conditions: the client must have attended the mandatory site visit on April 8, must be able to secure the non-standard insurance requirements, and must have realistic expectations about payment timing given CSU's fiscal watch status. If those boxes check, this is a winnable contract for the right firm.
