Ownership of all university equipment is vested in the UO, and not in any specific unit, department, or grant recipient regardless of whether the equipment was purchased with university funds, grants funds, UO Foundation funds, transferred from outside institutions, or gifted. Individual departments or other units of the university are charged with the stewardship of equipment under their control. Property Control will create, manage, and publish procedures in support of this policy.

Capital Assets

Capital assets are equipment having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which meets or exceeds the capitalization threshold. These assets are assigned unique identifiers and added to UO property records upon acquisition, and are inventoried on a biennial basis by Property Control until disposed. Depreciable property is depreciated on a monthly basis for the course of its assigned useful life. Property accessioned in art, museum, or library collections is generally exempt from Property Control inventory procedures.

Equipment Use

University equipment is intended only for university-related business and activities. UO personnel may loan, rent, or permanently transfer equipment under their stewardship to other units of the UO for university purposes upon the agreement of both unit directors and in compliance with university Property Control procedures. University equipment may be rented or loaned to an entity for non-UO purposes only with the prior written approval of the department head and upon completion of the appropriate contract. Equipment acquired with sponsored funds must be used for the authorized purposes of the project during the period of performance, or until the property is no longer needed for the purposes of the project. In all cases, computer and IT equipment must adhere to university minimum information security controls.

Disposal

1. General: Surplus property is all UO personal property, including lost, mislaid, or abandoned property, vehicles, and titled equipment that is worn-out, obsolete or excess to the university’s needs, or otherwise unsuitable for intended use. When any UO equipment is judged to be surplus, usable items are to be offered to other UO departments before external disposal. All disposals of capital assets, and all sales or donations of any equipment to outside entities, must be coordinated with Property Control. The UO may, in accordance with this policy, dispose of any surplus property except as restricted by sponsored project or gift provisions.
2. Methods of Disposal: Disposal of surplus property will be accomplished in accordance with all federal, state, and local regulations regarding environmental health and recycling. If ownership of surplus property is transferred to another party, the acquiring party assumes environmental responsibility when title transfers. The UO shall strive to partner with entities that hold themselves to high environmental standards. Disposal methods include, but are not limited to, donations, exchanges, trade-ins, auctions, sealed bid sales, scrapping, e-waste, fixed price retail sales, and web-based auctions or sales. Those making equipment disposals should consider the most safe, expedient, environmentally conscious, and cost-effective manner available. Please consider also:
   • (a) Exchange or Trade-in: The university may exchange or trade-in equipment when such method is in the best interest of the university. Records will be kept regarding the valuation methodology used in evaluating the benefits of the available methods.
   • (b) Transfer or Donation: University equipment may be transferred to a government or approved non-profit entity only with the prior written approval of the department head and Property Control.
   • (c) Sale: The sale of any university property to an outside entity or person must be approved by the department head and Property Control, or otherwise approved under a department surplus sale plan.
3. Sponsored or Gifted Property: Disposition of property acquired by a sponsored project will be disposed of in accordance with the applicable agency or grant terms, if any. Disposition of property acquired by gift will be done in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code and any restrictions applicable to the property. Otherwise, such property will be disposed of in accordance with UO policy.
4. Computer and Other Electronic Storage Devices and Media (E-waste): Prior to the disposal of any computer, computer peripheral, computer software, or electronic storage device containing medium or high-risk data, the designated personnel shall follow Information Services’ Storage Sanitization Procedure.
5. Conditions and Eligibility: No current or former employee or agent for such will be granted any benefit or opportunity not granted the general public in acquisition of items through the disposal process. 

No employee whether full-time, part-time, temporary or unpaid volunteer, member of the employee's household, the employee's immediate family, or any person or business acting on the employee's behalf may acquire surplus if the employee has had any role in declaring the item surplus, processing the item or related paperwork, or offering it for sale. All property is conveyed "AS-IS, WHERE-IS" with no warranty, express or implied, of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or any other warranties or guarantees. A purchaser or disappointed bidder will have no recourse against the State of Oregon, UO, or any of its officers, employees, or agents. All sales will be final.

Title to surplus property is transferred to the purchaser when the university makes the item available to the purchaser either by the purchaser, purchaser's agent, or purchaser's designated shipper taking possession of the item. Surplus property must be paid for in full before the university will make it available to the purchaser. Purchaser assumes all responsibility, including risk of loss or damage, for the item when title is transferred. Surplus property paid for, but not claimed with the time specified in the sales terms and conditions will be conclusively considered the property of the UO.

Records Management: All equipment purchases, disposals, leases, loans, and maintenance must be documented, and related records must be retained in accordance with the University of Oregon Record Retention Schedule. Disposal records for assets, whether or not capitalized, will include a description of property, reason, date, method of disposal, and, if capitalized, asset number.