205.3 - Personal Property Management

2/5/02

OPR: Office of Administrative Policy and Services/Management Services

1. Purpose. This chapter redelegates the Director's authorities necessary to carry out specific personal property management functions. See Survey Manual (SM) chapter 200.1 for general provisions regarding policy and limitations on Delegations and SM 200.2 for general provisions regarding policy and guidelines on Redelegations.

2. Management of Personal Property. The authority to promulgate policies and procedures with respect to acquisition, utilization, transfer and disposition of personal property in support of U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) requirements is delegated through the Chief, Office of Administrative Policy and Services to the Chief, Office of Management Services and redelegated to the Chief, Branch of Property Management, who is the bureau's Personal Property Management Officer.

3. Disposition of Personal Property.

A. Excess or Exchange/Sale. The authority to dispose of personal property (including furniture) that qualifies for exchange/sale or as excess to the USGS is delegated to the Chiefs, Regional Property Management Sections, and to the Chief, Branch of Property Management.

B. Uneconomically-repairable Accountable Personal Property. The authority to approve disposition of any accountable personal property and furniture that is uneconomically repairable or salvaged for parts in accordance with applicable Federal, departmental and bureau regulations is delegated to the Chiefs, Regional Property Management Sections and to the Chief, Branch of Property Management.

C. Unserviceable Nonaccountable Personal Property. The authority to approve disposition of unserviceable nonaccountable personal property is delegated to the supervisor responsible for such property, unless that property is unserviceable due to a property irregularity.

D. Donable Property. The USGS does not have authority to donate Government-owned personal property without first reporting that property to the General Services Administration (GSA), except for donations pursuant to the American Technology Preeminence Act (Stevenson/Wydler), as amended, and for donations to public entities of property previously-approved for abandonment/destruction.

(1) Donating property to nonprofit organizations for scientific or technological research and training. Pursuant to the American Technology Preeminence Act (Stevenson/Wydler), as amended, the authority to donate property to a nonprofit organization for scientific or technological research and training is delegated to the Chiefs, Regional Property Management Sections and to the Chief, Branch of Property Management.

(2) Donating property that has been approved by GSA for disposition by USGS. The authority to donate property that has been reported to and approved by the GSA for disposition by the USGS in accordance with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, and pertinent regulations issued by GSA and the Department, is delegated to the Chiefs, Regional Property Management Sections and the Chief, Branch of Property Management.

(3) Donating to a public entity property that has been approved for abandonment or destruction. The authority to donate to a public entity property that has been previously approved, either on a Certificate of Unserviceability (Form DI-103a) or on a Report of Property Survey (Form DI-103) for abandonment/destruction, is delegated to the Chiefs, Regional Property Management Sections and to the Chief, Branch of Property Management.

4. Missing or Damaged Personal Property. Authority to determine employee liability for missing and damaged USGS property and the amount, if any, to be paid by the employee is delegated to the Regional Property Survey Boards.

5. Property in Possession of Contractors and Recipients of Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Title to personal property acquired with funds provided under contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements may be vested in a nonprofit institution of higher education or in a nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is conducting scientific research, pursuant to Public Law 97-258, September 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1004, Revised Title 31 U.S.C. 6306. The authority to decide that such vesting furthers the objectives of the USGS and to establish appropriate conditions for vesting title under awards of the USGS is delegated to the contracting officer.

6. Loaning Government Property to Non-USGS Entities. Property may be loaned to non-USGS domestic entities with which the USGS is collaborating on general research projects of interest and benefit to the USGS. Authority to loan property to these entities is delegated to Accountable Property Officers (APO's). Such a loan is considered a simplified grant and is authorized and documented on the Loan of Property Grant, Form 9-3052. This form can be obtained through the normal forms acquisition process. This is the only instrument, other than those negotiated by USGS contracting officers, authorized for loans of property to non-USGS entities. These grants do not involve obligation of funds or in-kind services and will not be administered by our procurement offices. Contact the servicing Regional Property Office for information on processing, awarding, administering, and reporting on Loan of Property Grants. Government property cannot be transferred to a foreign government unless it has been authorized within the written terms and conditions of a legally executed contract, or other formal agreement that such equipment is being purchased with funds provided by the foreign government or the Agency for International Development specifically for that purpose.

7. Use of Motor Vehicle Between Domicile and Place of Employment. In accordance with 31 U.S.C. Section 1344, all requests for what is termed "Home-to-Work Vehicle Use" must be approved by the Secretary, with very few exceptions. The law also specifically states that this approval authority cannot be delegated. The only exception that would typically apply to USGS employees involves those employees who are traveling under an approved travel authorization, when that authorization states that the traveler is authorized to use a Government-owned vehicle.