Disposal or Sale of Equipment & Material

Approved Date
11/08/2012
Policy Elaboration

1.0 PURPOSE and SCOPE

It is the policy of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury (the College) to establish guidelines for use by College personnel in the disposal or sale of equipment (including furniture and fixtures) and non-hazardous material. 

2.0 RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 Employees are not to make arrangements for disposal or sale of equipment, furniture or fixtures except through the College’s Property Control Manager. If an employee becomes aware of items requiring removal, he or she should report such items to the Departmental Inventory Coordinator.

2.2 The Departmental Inventory Coordinator is responsible for working with the Property Control Manager to remove equipment and material in accordance with procedures established in SUNY College at Old Westbury Procedure No. F-01: Inventory Control Over Property.

2.3 The Property Control Manager (PCM), under the direction of the Senior Facilities Officer, is responsible for determining if an item has continued use and value to the College or for declaring the item as scrap. The PCM is also responsible for directing the transfer, storage or removal of the item. If the item is deemed to have little or no value (i.e., scrap) the PCM will direct the disposal or sale of the item according to the procedure below (section 3.0).

2.4 The Senior Facilities Officer (currently the Assistant to the President for Administration) has overall responsibility for the implementation of this procedure.

2.5 The Division of Business & Finance (Business Office) is responsible for depositing receipts (cash and checks) from the sale of scrap items and recording the transactions in the proper College accounts. 

3.0 PROCEDURE

3.1 DISPOSITION OF AN ITEM

a. The PCM is notified by the Departmental Inventory Coordinator that there is equipment or material that needs to be removed. The PCM reviews both the SUNY Property Control System and the College’s Supplemental Inventory System for the item and disposes of the item as follows:

  1. If the item is found in either system and has future utility to the College, the item is placed into storage or moved to another location within the College. 
  2. If the item is found in either system and has no future utility to the College, the item is classified as surplus and can be auctioned according to State guidelines or disposed of (discarded or sold as scrap).
  3. If the item is not found in either system and has no future utility to the College, the item can be disposed of (discarded or sold as scrap).
  4. The PCM then adjusts the book value (and location if necessary) of the item in the respective inventory system to reflect the action taken. 

3.2 SELLING AN ITEM AS SCRAP

a. The PCM contacts vendors and receives quotes for scrap material. If the highest quote for the item(s) to be scrapped exceeds $2,500, the PCM must obtain written approval from the College’s Senior Facilities Officer and concurrence by the Chief Financial Officer.

b. The PCM notifies the vendor with the best value for the College of the decision to sell the scrap items and informs the vendor that payment is to be made preferably by check, to SUNY College at Old Westbury and sent directly to the Bursar’s Office of the Division of Business and Finance.

c. The PCM must document that the College received the best value for the items sold. A log must be maintained (along with supporting documentation) containing the following information:

  1. The item(s) including model and serial numbers, if applicable.
  2. Building and room where item(s) were located.
  3. Name of person requesting disposal.
  4. Copy of receipt from the buyer stating item(s) received and price of goods (either quoted as separate units or as a whole lot).
  5. Copy of weight tickets before and after to show weight of load, if applicable.
  6. Copy of the check (payment received). 

3.3 ACCOUNTING FOR THE SALE OF SCRAP

All original transaction receipts mentioned in the preceding section along with cash receipts (including checks) from the sale of scrap equipment and material should be forwarded to the Bursar’s Office for deposit into the College’s bank account. An Income Fund Reimbursable (IFR) account will be established by the Business Office for accounting purposes. Monies in the IFR will be used to pay for supplies and materials related to the IFR's operation and for miscellaneous College expenses. 

4.0 REFERENCES

The following authoritative documents were used in the preparation of this policy:

  1. SUNY Item 300 - Purchasing and Contracting Procedures
  2. New York State Accountability, Audit and Internal Control Act
  3. College at Old Westbury Procedure F-01 - Inventory Control Over Property

5.0 APPROVALS

This policy was reviewed by the College’s Property Control Manager, the Chief Financial Officer, the Assistant to the President for Administration and the Executive Assistant to the President prior to approval by the President. 

Policy Contacts