Disposal of Equipment

 Types of Equipment Disposal 
 

• Sale of Surplus Equipment by Sealed Bid 
• Cannibalization of Equipment 
• Missing/Stolen Equipment 
• Trade-in of Existing Equipment 
• Transfer of Surplus Equipment to State-Funded Agencies 

   

SALE OF PROPERTY

Furniture or equipment may be sold after written approval has been received from the office of Purchasing and Travel.  Property to be sold should be reported to Property Accounting and cleared by the proper governing agency, with description, serial number, inventory number, and condition.  Property Accounting will verify the items to be sold and will submit this list to the Purchasing Department to advertise the property for sale and to obtain the necessary bids and approvals.  See “Purchasing Policies and Procedures”.  For government-owned property, contact the Office of Research Administration (ORA).  Property Accounting will receive notification from the Purchasing Department that the property has been sold and will delete the property from the inventory records.

 

DISPOSITION OF GOVERNMENT-OWNED PROPERTY

When a contract or grant expires, a written request for disposal instructions is submitted to the government agency that furnished the equipment.  This request is submitted by the Office of Research Administration (ORA).  Upon receipt of requested instructions, the equipment will be disposed of in accordance thereof.  Should the agency require that the equipment be returned, the item will be removed from the inventory listing and returned to the agency.  The agency will in turn furnish written acknowledgment of their receipt of the property.  Property forms confirming the disposal are then submitted to the agency by the Office of Research Administration.

 

WORN-OUT, BROKEN, OR JUNK PROPERTY

Worn-out, broken, or junk property with no cash value will be reported to Property Accounting with description, serial number, inventory number, and condition.  Property Accounting should inspect all worn-out or obsolete property before it is removed from the department.  Delegated authority has been given to the Physical Plant Transportation Department to remove these type items from your area.  

NOTE: STATE AND FEDERAL LAW LIMITS THE MEANS BY WHICH WORN-OUT, SURPLUS, OR OBSOLETE ITEMS CAN BE DISPOSED OF, REGARDLESS OF THE DOLLAR VALUE.  Furniture and equipment cannot be destroyed, cannibalized, or discarded without coordinating with Property Accounting and the University Salvage Committee.

Sale of Surplus Equipment by Sealed Bid

Equipment may be sold through sealed bid by sending an email to Donnie Robbins (Donnie.RobbinsFREEMississippi) detailing what item(s) you want to sell.  The email needs to include the condition of the item(s), serial number, and inventory number.  An email will then be sent back to you detailing the next step in the process (a written request to Procurement & Contracts).  University employees are strictly prohibited from bidding on state-owned equipment (Section 25-4-103(3)(b), Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated).

Once a bid is awarded and the transaction has been completed, the department must attach a cash receipt statement to the Inventory Deletion Form indicating the sale amount being credited to a University account.

CANNIBALIZATION

Property should not be cannibalized unless it has no reasonable prospect for sale or use as serviceable property without major repair or alterations, but it has some value in excess of its scrap value. Cannibalized property must be deleted from the University's Master listing when it loses its identity.  If the remainder of the property has no recovery value, it may then be discarded.  (Property to be deleted must be cleared through the Property Manager before action will be taken to remove it from the master inventory file.) 

 

STOLEN OR MISSING PROPERTY 

Furniture or equipment that is missing, stolen, or has mysteriously disappeared shall be reported to the Property Accounting Department, proper Government agency, Department of Public Safety, University Police Department, or any law enforcement agency as soon as possible.  The description, serial number, inventory number, and other information about the lost or stolen item should be included in the report. To delete the property from the inventory, a notarized affidavit must accompany the deletion report.  A detailed explanation of the loss showing the law enforcement agency (UPD) to which this loss was reported, as well as the report/case number filed on this loss is required.  A copy of the law enforcement agency's (UPD) report shall also be attached.  The affidavit must be signed by the executive head of the agency, the person in charge of property records, and the employee directly responsible for the property which was stolen, lost, or mysteriously disappeared. The Affidavit form is available from Property Accounting.  Property Accounting will then delete the property from the inventory record and send a report to the State department of Audit. 

 

TRADE-IN OF PROPERTY 

Furniture or equipment may be used as a trade-in provided Purchasing has received written approval from the Office of Purchasing and Travel.  When submitting a requisition for a purchase where an allowance is given for an inventory item being traded in, the description, serial number, and inventory number of that item should be listed on the requisition.  This will assist the Purchasing Department in completing the forms for processing the trade-in request.

See “Purchasing Policies and Procedures.”  For government-owned property, contact the Office of Research Administration (ORA).  Property Accounting will receive notification from the Purchasing Department that the property has been traded in and the property will be deleted from the inventory records.

TRANSFER OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT TO STATE-FUNDED AGENCIES

It is the intent of Property Accounting & Receiving to offer all surplus equipment to any University departments in need of equipment.  If a University department does not claim the surplus equipment, it can be transferred to any state-funded agency (public school, police department, fire department, etc.) at no cost.  Departments wishing to transfer surplus equipment to a state-funded agency should contact Property Accounting & Receiving.  Transfer of equipment to another state-funded agency without prior approval is strictly prohibited.

 

UNIVERSITY POLICY CONCERNING DELETIONS

No deletions for junked, salvaged, lost, or missing items will be made on the inventory property listing until all paperwork and approvals have been obtained.  Property Accounting will verify all paperwork, view items, and approve all deletions to assure proper disposal procedures were followed.  All paperwork must include the signatures of the appropriate parties and verification that the proper government agency has been informed should government-owned property be involved.  The Internal Auditor will spot-check inventory listings on a random basis to verify accuracy in procedure.