(A) The authority shall establish formally each permanent improvement project before actions of any sort which implement the project in any way may be undertaken and no expenditure of any funds for any services or for any other project purpose contracted for, delivered, or otherwise provided prior to the date of the formal action of the authority to establish the project shall be approved. State agencies and institutions may advertise and interview for project architectural and engineering services for a pending project so long as the architectural and engineering contract is not awarded until after a state project number is assigned. After the committee has reviewed the form to be used to request the establishment of permanent improvement projects and has reviewed the time schedule for considering such requests as proposed by the authority, requests to establish permanent improvement projects shall be made in such form and at such times as the authority may require.

(B) Any proposal to finance all or any part of any project using any funds not previously authorized specifically for the project by the General Assembly or using any funds not previously approved for the project by the authority and reviewed by the committee shall be referred to the committee for review prior to approval by the authority.

(C) Any proposed revision of the scope or of the budget of an established permanent improvement project deemed by the authority to be substantial shall be referred to the committee for its review prior to any final action by the authority. In making their determinations regarding changes in project scope, the authority, and the committee shall utilize the permanent improvement project proposal and justification statements, together with any supporting documentation, considered at the time the project was authorized or established originally. Any proposal to increase the budget of a previously approved project using any funds not previously approved for the project by the authority and reviewed by the committee shall in all cases be deemed to be a substantial revision of a project budget which shall be referred to the committee for review. The committee shall be advised promptly of all actions taken by the authority which approve revisions in the scope of or the budget of any previously established permanent improvement project not deemed substantial by the authority.

(D) For purposes of this chapter, with regard to all institutions of higher learning, permanent improvement project is defined as:

(1) acquisition of land, regardless of cost, with staff level review of the committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars;

(2) acquisition, as opposed to the construction, of buildings or other structures, regardless of cost, with staff level review of the committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars;

(3) work on existing facilities for any given project including their renovation, repair, maintenance, alteration, or demolition in those instances in which the total cost of all work involved is one million dollars or more;

(4) architectural and engineering and other types of planning and design work, regardless of cost, which is intended to result in a permanent improvement project. Master plans and feasibility studies are not permanent improvement projects and are not to be included;

(5) capital lease purchase of a facility acquisition or construction in which the total cost is one million dollars or more;

(6) equipment that either becomes a permanent fixture of a facility or does not become permanent but is included in the construction contract shall be included as a part of a project in which the total cost is one million dollars or more; and

(7) new construction of a facility that exceeds a total cost of five hundred thousand dollars.

(E) Any permanent improvement project that meets the above definition must become a project, regardless of the source of funds. However, an institution of higher learning that has been authorized or appropriated capital improvement bond funds, capital reserve funds or state appropriated funds, or state infrastructure bond funds by the General Assembly for capital improvements shall process a permanent improvement project, regardless of the amount.

(F) For purposes of establishing permanent improvement projects, Clemson University Public Service Activities (Clemson-PSA) and South Carolina State University Public Service Activities (SC State-PSA) are subject to the provisions of this chapter.