Maintenance and Cleaning on Campus

Creating a friendly and welcoming campus

Guided by University of Alberta’s Integrated Asset Management Strategy and Facilities Management organizations such as the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA), the team behind the university’s maintenance and operations help to create a safe, accessible, and welcoming environment on our campuses. They continuously work to support the essential learning, research, and development of our thriving campus community.

Navigating priorities for a multi-campus institution

With five campuses in multiple locations across Edmonton and Alberta, the U of A relies on its comprehensive evaluation and metric systems to plan, prioritize and delegate work—ensuring our maintenance and operations teams are maximizing their time and focusing on what is most important for the university.

Using key metrics and evaluating trends

By using key metrics and evaluating trends, operations and maintenance is better able to prioritize needs. Always focusing on emergent issues, the team then utilizes data to further minimize safety risks and costly impacts to the university community.

Did you know? U of A manages 1.8M sq. metres of infrastructure—that’s ~350 football fields full of buildings, roads, sidewalks, grounds and utilities!

Responding to maintenance requests

Requests that can result in injury or damage are prioritized higher than others. After higher priority requests are handled, we sometimes take care of lower priority requests that are nearby—driving efficiency and maximizing time.

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Less than 2 hours response time

Burst water pipes, fires, broken glass, or gas leaks are just some examples of a Priority 1 request. Completion time goal is 5 days (target 75%).

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Less than 1 day response time

A Priority 2 request could consist of a blocked stormwater drain, a broken door handle, or a system issue such as faulty air-conditioners. Completion time goal is 5 days (target 75%).

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Less than 3 working days response time

A flickering fluorescent light (open areas), minor roof leaks, or a broken toilet seat are some examples of a Priority 3 request. Completion time goal is 10 days (target 50%). 

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Less than two weeks response time

Internal and external painting or other non-essential issues are typically considered a Priority 4 request. Completion time goal is 10 days (target 50%).

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Response is scheduled

Priority 5 requests typically include ongoing cleaning work. Completion is scheduled and planned.

Response times are measured from when a maintenance fault is reported to when a worker attends the site to inspect, make initial repairs, isolate services, and minimize hazards as required.

If you submitted a maintenance request, you can check the status of your request using the Process tab (top left).

Keeping our campuses clean

U of A’s cleaning staff and contractors follow a set of cleaning standards, in accordance with the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA), to ensure the quality of cleanliness on campus. A complex system of metrics is used to assess and evaluate ongoing custodial needs to meet targets within a set budget.

Our shared responsibility—working together to maintain our campus

By working together we can ensure that our campuses continue to be friendly and welcoming for our whole community. Please do your part to keep our campus usable and clean.

Requesting Additional Cleaning Services

To request additional services including increased cleaning, please submit to the proposed project intake form.