Live Client Projects Policy

Internal Requests for Live Client Projects 

The clientele served in providing experiences for students by carrying on live client projects shall normally be limited to Carteret Community College Board of Trustee members, Carteret Community College Foundation Board members, employees of the College, and currently enrolled students (either full-time or part-time) in the curriculum where the live client project is being done.  Board members, currently enrolled students, and employees of the College will normally have priority in the approval of live projects.

• College Trustees, Foundation Board members, employees, or students who want a class to do a live client project (other than in cosmetology, esthetics, or therapeutic massage, which have separate procedures) must submit the completed Live Client Project Request form to the appropriate Program Chair or Corporate and Community Education Coordinator.  Projects will be taken on a first-come/first-serve basis according to the section above.
• College personnel who want live client projects done for College equipment or buildings must discuss with and get approval of the Vice President of Plant Operations and the appropriate Division Dean and Vice President.  Division Dean or the Vice President will only approve such projects after discussion with the Chair, and the instructor ensures that students will be able to conduct the live client project to the necessary level and within the necessary time frame.  The Live Client Project Request form found on the College intranet page should be completed and filed with Chair.  

External Requests for Live Client Projects 

Non-Profit Organization:  Requests for live client projects will also be considered from public nonprofit agencies.  Agents of public nonprofit institutions must contact the President of the College or one of the Vice Presidents.  The Vice President will discuss the proposed project with the appropriate Chair or Coordinator.  If the project is deemed feasible, the Chair or Coordinator will help the client complete a Live Client Project Request form.  Approval will depend on the criteria listed in the Live Client Projects Policy and on the discretion of the President, Vice President, and Chair/Coordinator.

Profit-Making Organization:  Requests from for-profit groups will only be considered when projects from internal or nonprofit clients are inadequate for student learning.  These requests will be taken only for those programs soliciting projects from for-profit organizations, and such requests will be processed as those in the section above.

Payment for Live Client Projects 

Categories:  Live client projects involve completing services for two categories of projects.  

• The first category involves services the end result of which either increases the utility of an item the client already owns or generates an end product that, by contract, becomes the property of the client.  (Examples: drawing blueprints, fixing an engine, doing a survey, or growing plants for a third party.)
• The second category involves services that neither generate a tangible product nor improve upon a tangible product.  (Examples: mowing grass or catering a meal.)

Expenses:  Clients requesting a category one or two project shall pay for all materials, supplies, and attendant travel involved in completing the project.  The College shall not charge for services rendered, but only for the cost of the materials utilized.  The ownership of the interim product shall be solely that of the client.  If the producer (student) opts to save a duplicate product (such as a copy of a blueprint), the student will pay for the duplicate.

General Expenses:  As a part of the paperwork that must be completed before a project starts, the Live Client Project Request form also includes a section on expenses necessary to complete the project.  Normally, all expenses must be paid to the College before the project is started if those costs are known.  If those costs are not completely known, the instructor will determine complete costs at the end of the project.  All costs must be paid to the Business Office before the project is released.  Curriculum supplies used solely as a teaching aid will not be subject to billing provided they remain the property of the College or are expendable.  The Business Office will issue a validated receipt after payment, which can be presented to the appropriate instructor as a basis for starting and/or releasing the project.  If there are no such expenses, the individual returns the Live Client Project Request Form directly to the instructor in charge of the curriculum prior to the initiation of the work on the individual's project.  For Board members, employees, and students, the instructor may, at the instructor’s sole discretion, order necessary supplies directly from the supplier as long as those costs involved are repaid prior to the release of the project.  Personal checks from students shall not be accepted in payment for material ordered by the College directly from suppliers.

Travel Expense:  Projects requiring travel to and from an off-campus location in a private vehicle by an employee will require payment by the project owner to the Business Office for the mileage involved at the current state rate for private vehicles.  Instructors will file the standard Reimbursement for Expense Form through the Business Office the day the project is completed.  If students need to travel to an off-campus location to work on a project, in most circumstances, the instructor will use a College vehicle to transport students.

Emergency Live Client Projects

Live client projects, which are determined to be emergencies, revolve around incidents in which functions or components of a home or vehicle become inoperable or nonfunctional and commercial help is not available for such a time period as to create a severe hardship on the party affected.  Emergency Live Client Project Requests will be channeled through the appropriate Vice President.

Data and Reports

A summary of live client projects done should go into the Program Review completed by each Chair.