The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

1. (1) Agency Employee--The full-time equivalent (FTE) of a person performing services on site under the direction of a state agency, including hours worked by full-time employees, part-time employees, and consultant and contract individuals as defined by the state auditor; including employees paid from funds maintained outside the treasury and hours worked by volunteers performing necessary services. Requests must include all contract and volunteer employees' work-hours and functions.
2. (2) Agency Head--The highest-ranking executive officer with full-time responsibility for the operations of the agency.
3. (3) Agency Site--A building or building complex on a single site or under a single lease contract, where agency business is transacted or services are provided.
4. (4) Commission--The Texas Building and Procurement Commission.

5. (5) Agency Space Allocation--The area assigned to an agency, not to exceed 135 square feet per FTE, calculated on the basis of Gross Area less the following exceptions:

   1. (A) Space designated and regularly used for public activities, including ancillary space such as lobbies, corridors, toilet rooms and refreshment areas associated with the public space. This does not include lobbies and other space ancillary to space primarily intended for internal use by FTE's in the course of interfacing with clients, or to accommodate occasional visits by members of the public;
   2. (B) Vertical shafts or chases used for circulation (elevators or stairs) or mechanical, electrical, telecommunication, or data cabling distributions;
   3. (C) Mechanical, electrical, telecommunication, and data cabling rooms which house equipment serving more than a single tenant; and
   4. (D) Other areas to be determined by the Commission.
6. (6) Gross Area--Gross Floor Areas shall be the area within the inside perimeter of the outside walls of the building with no deduction for hallways, stairs, closets, interior wall thickness, columns, or other features. When floors open to an atrium, the inside finished surface of the walls enclosing the atrium shall be used in lieu of an outer building wall.
7. (7) Space Allocation Ratio--The mathematical result of dividing the occupying agency's Space Allocation by the total number of agency employees per site.
8. (8) Space Use Study--A study conducted by the commission to determine space requirements for state agencies.
9. (9) State Agency--A board, commission, department, or other authorized agency of the state.
10. (10) Usable Office Space--That area of space as defined in paragraph (5) of this section, computed by measuring from the finished surface of the office side of a corridor and/or permanent wall, to the center of partitions that separate interior spaces from adjoining Usable Areas, and the inside finished surface of the dominant portion of the permanent outer building walls.
11. (11) Variance--A request for an Agency Space Allocation of more than 135 square feet per agency employee at a particular site.

Source Note:The provisions of this §122.1 adopted to be effective November 21, 1999, 24 TexReg 10040; amended to be effective March 14, 2004, 29 TexReg 2295.