408.4 - Acquisition of Excess Personal Property

5/24/93

OPR: Admin/Facilities and Management Services

1. Purpose. This chapter establishes policies and responsibilities for the acquisition of available and excess personal property.

2. Definitions. In the context of this chapter:

A. ADPE. Automatic data processing (computer) hardware.

B. Available Property. Materials and equipment not required by the Department of the Interior (DOI) bureau or office which has custody and is then available to other Departmental bureaus and offices. If available property cannot be used within the DOI, it then becomes excess.

C. Excess Personal Property. Materials and equipment not required by the agency having custody. If excess property cannot be used by any Government agency, it them becomes surplus.

D. Reportable Property. Property which must be reported to General Services Administration (GSA) for reutilization and donation screening in accordance with Federal Property Management Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, CFR Title 41, Chapter 101, FPMR 101-43.304. Reportable property includes items that are not controlled.

E. Nonreportable Property. Excess personal property which is not required to be formally reported to GSA in accordance with CFR Title 41, Chapter 101, FPMR 101-43.304. Nonreportable property includes both items that are and are not controlled. It also includes ADPE which must be reported to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS's) Information System Division (ISD) and to DOI's Office of Information Resource Management (IRM). Nonreportable property is a valuable source of supply for other agencies and may be reported to GSA.

3. Policy.

A. It is USGS policy to use Bureau personal property to the fullest extent possible. Personal property shall be evaluated continuously to assure its maximum use and reassignment within the Bureau.

B. It is Departmental policy to use available property of other DOI bureaus and offices to the fullest extent possible.

C. Available property which is eligible for exchange/sale may be acquired from other DOI activities expressly for use as exchange/sale or trade in. Excess property may not be acquired deliberately for such use and must be held for a full year from its acquisition before it can be traded in or sold as exchange/sale.

D. Both available and excess property may be acquired expressly for cannibalization for needed parts.

E. Federal regulations mandate that excess personal property of other Federal Agencies must be the first source of supply. USGS officials must determine the suitability of excess property to fill their needs before items are purchased from other sources.

F. The Federal Property Management Regulations, FPMR 101-43.309-5, allow for the direct transfer of reportable excess property with a total acquisition cost of not more than $5,000 and of nonreportable excess property with a total acquisition cost of not more than $25,000 to be accomplished without advance approval or processing by GSA providing that the item(s) had not been reported to GSA by the owning agency. Direct transfers are arranged through your servicing Regional Supply Management Officer (RSMO) or the headquarters Chief, Branch of Property Management.

G. Handling and transportation costs are born by the USGS activity that is acquiring the available/excess property.

H. Regulations concerning the use of excess personal property on cost-reimbursement contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants are contained in FPMR 101-43.001, In accordance with FPMR 101-43.001, excess property may be furnished to grantees and cooperators for the tasks/programs specified in a grant/ agreement document provided that furnishing such property is not the principal intent of the relationship. Excess property may be acquired from other agencies specifically for this purpose.

4. Responsibilities.

A. The Chief, Office of Facilities and Management Services (OFMS) is responsible for issuing policies and procedures for acquisition, utilization, and disposition of property within the USGS.

B. The Chief, Branch of Property Management, OFMS, and/or the Regional Supply Management Officers (RSMO's) are responsible for:

(1) Processing requests for available/excess property.

(2) Appropriate adjustments to the Bureau's and to the accountable officer's property records resulting from available/excess property acquisitions.

(3) Interfacing with the Office of Financial Management adjustments to the general ledger resulting from available/excess property acquisitions of capitalized equipment.

C. The Information System Division (ISD) is responsible for approving transfer orders for available and excess ADPE with a component cost equal to or above $10,000, and for transmitting approved orders to the Chief, Branch of Property Management, OFMS, or the RSMO's.

D. Divisions and offices are responsible for ascertaining the availability of available and excess property to satisfy specific requirements and assessing its suitability and condition for intended utilization.

5. Sources of Excess and Available Property. The Chief, Branch of Property Management, OFMS and the RSMO's receive copies of lists of available property from other Departmental bureaus and offices. Reportable excess property is listed by GSA in their Multi-Use File for Interagency News (MUFFIN) which is available to any office that has a FEDSTRIP address code and a micro computer with asynchronous communications capability.

Requirements for both reportable and nonreportable excess property can be submitted to GSA Regional Offices by telephone request and by submitting GSA Form 1539. GSA will then screen current reports for those requirements. Some GSA regions publish catalogs of excess property as well. USGS activities can be placed on the mailing list for these catalogs by contacting those GSA regions that publish them.

It is also possible to learn of excess property through formal and informal contacts with activities of other Federal agencies.

6. Procedures. Detailed procedures for acquisition of available and excess personal property are provided in the Property Management Handbook, 408-2-H, Chapter 2.