(Approved by the Senior Vice President of Finance and Facilities by authority of Executive Order No. 5)
| a. | Acquisition University equipment and supplies are usually acquired by using the PAS online requisition entry system. Procedures for acquiring specific property are discussed in Sections 2 through 4 of this policy statement and in Administrative Policy Statement 61.6, Sections 3, 4, and 5. Computer acquisitions on purchase requisitions over $2,000 must be approved by the Office of UW Technology (see Administrative Policy Statement 55.3). Use of the proper expenditure codes is explained in Administrative Policy Statement 61.2. Details about the agency contract and budget authorization should be included to expedite handling. |
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| b. | Receiving Equipment acquired by purchase, gift, or transfer must be tagged upon receipt. Designated individuals in each department are to be authorized to check the condition of the equipment, sign for delivery, tag equipment, and enter the information on the Asset Entry/Inquiry Screen of Web OASIS, or submit the Equipment Information Card(s). An authorized signature on a receiving report or transfer document is evidence of receipt. Departments should maintain receipts on purchased items under $10,000 which are processed through the Accounts Payable "RIP" system. The department's copy of the receiving and shipping documents, signed upon delivery, should be retained for a minimum of four, and preferably six, years for audit and research purposes (see the General Records Retention Schedule). Payables Administration will forward an invoice/receiving report to obtain departmental approval for payment of invoices of $10,000 or more. |
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| c. | Receiving Federal Property Equipment furnished or loaned to the University for at least six months from federal agencies and costing $2,000 or more must be tagged by the receiving department upon receipt and inventoried in Web OASIS via the Asset Entry/Inquiry Screen or submission of Equipment Information Card(s). Items received from federal agencies costing less than $2,000 must be monitored and accounted for separately by the receiving department. Official government transfer documents must accompany equipment upon arrival. The Equipment Inventory Office's Federal Program Coordinator should be contacted to ensure proper processing of all transfer documents regardless of cost. |
| a. | Preacquisition Approval Procedures |
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| 1) | Purchase Requisition Notation—If
specifically included in the grant/contract approved
award budget, annotate this by noting
"Named in Grant" on the purchase requisition. |
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| 2) | Items Requiring Prior Approval—Some
grant and contract sponsors require written
approval prior to any equipment purchase.
Most contracts require prior agency approval
for items costing more than $5,000. Carefully
review the grant/contract award document and
specific sponsor regulations/guidelines for
details concerning acquiring, transferring,
and surplusing equipment. |
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| 3) | University Office Requiring Notification—All
requests for approval submitted to sponsoring
agencies must have the written concurrence
of the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Exceptions to this policy are requests under
certain Department of Defense (DOD), National
Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA),
and Department of Energy (DOE) contracts administered
by the Office of Naval Research. For these
exceptions, verification of prior approval
for items costing more than $5,000 is required
when not specified in the grant/contract. |
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| b. | Expenditure Restrictions Some federal agencies have established screening requirements for specific kinds of equipment acquired under contracts. Screening approval must be obtained in these situations whether or not the item was part of the approved budget. These agency screening requirements do not generally pertain to grants. The following are significant examples in which these procedures apply: |
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| 1) | NASA Contracts—All equipment items
costing more than $1,000 must be screened
through the NASA Equipment Visibility
System (EVS) by using the DD Form 1419.
Contact the Equipment
Inventory Office's Federal Program Coordinator for
the form and instructions. |
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2) |
Department of Defense Contracts—All automatic
data processing equipment (ADPE) items which
cost over $25,000 must be screened through
the Defense Automation Resources Information
Center (DARIC), Cameron Station, Alexandria,
Virginia; a DD Form 1851 (Automation
Equipment Requirement form) is used. All items classified as industrial plant equipment having an acquisition cost of at least $15,000 must be screened through the Defense Industrial Plant Equipment Center, Memphis, Tennessee; a DD Form 1419 is used to accomplish this. Most DOD contracts require prior approval to purchase items of equipment over $5,000. When required, the purchase must also be approved by the contracting officer. When approval has been granted, the Equipment Inventory Office will notify the requesting department and release holds pending on the purchase requisition. Reasonable time must be allowed for agency approval. |
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To ensure the best use of University equipment, departments are given the opportunity to receive or purchase usable excess items from the University's Surplus Property Office. The Surplus Property Office is a separate University department located at 1137 N.E. Boat Street. Departments needing specific items should contact the Surplus Property Office to see if the desired equipment is available. In addition, a notice of available University surplus property is published periodically in University Week and individual departments are encouraged to list excess equipment.
Equipment purchased from the Surplus Property Office Warehouse is viewed as being acquired from an outside vendor. This equipment must meet the equipment definition and is only added back into Web OASIS if the price of the surplus property currently meets the equipment dollar threshold (see Administrative Policy Statement 61.2, Section 1).
| a. | Federal or State Transfers Transferred items received from the federal or state government or other institutions are treated as equipment if they meet the equipment definition. Property transferring into the University must be accompanied by signed paperwork from the transferring agency. For federally-owned equipment, cost is defined as the original acquisition cost that appears on the transfer document. For University-owned equipment, cost is defined as the fair market value at the time of receipt. Upon receipt of the transferred equipment, send a copy of the agency transfer document referencing the associated equipment tag number(s) and add the asset(s) on the Asset Entry/Inquiry Screen in Web OASIS—or forward the completed Equipment Inventory Card(s), along with the document, to the Equipment Inventory Office. |
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| b. | Departmental/Budget Transfers If equipment is being moved from one department to another, the department which has custody of the equipment (the item is listed on the departmental Physical Inventory Listing) must complete a Property Activity Request form. This form must include the new department's budget or organizational code and the original is sent to the Equipment Inventory Office. (For major department moves, see Administrative Policy Statement 56.5.) If the item has been reassigned and the funding budget is to be reimbursed, a copy of the Property Activity Request with the new department's name, the inventory contact's name and phone number, and supplementary information should be sent to the Accounting Operations Office (for state budgets) and/or the Grant and Contract Accounting Office (for grant and contract budgets). These offices will then prepare a JV to transfer the negotiated amount. Note: The equipment tag number(s) must be entered on the JV request. |
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| c. | Federally Funded Property Transfers to
Nonprofit Institutions Principal investigators transferring to other nonprofit institutions within the United States may be able to retain the use of equipment acquired under their federally funded grants or contracts by obtaining the concurrence of their department chair, dean, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and the Equipment Inventory Office. To accomplish a valid transfer, complete Section D of the Property Activity Request form and obtain the necessary signatures for agency approval, if required, and all concurrences. The completed form should be sent to the Office of Sponsored Programs, Box 355754. It will then be forwarded to the Equipment Inventory Office, where the title will be transferred to the receiving institution. Note: University-owned property not acquired from federal grants and contracts must not be transferred with the principal investigator, regardless of whether they have the approval of the chair, dean, or Office of Sponsored Programs. Contact the Equipment Inventory Office prior to obtaining departmental approvals in order to avoid potential problems and delays in transferring departmental assets. |
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| d. | Federally-Owned Equipment Transfers Federally-owned equipment transfers require special processing by the Equipment Inventory Office. Federally-owned equipment may not be transferred, disposed, cannibalized, or removed from campus without prior written approval from the funding agency. (This paragraph also applies to equipment that is agency-owned.) |
For further information contact the Equipment Inventory Office:
December 1999; May 5, 2008.