Equipment Acquisitions

 

A purchase requisition submitted to the Purchasing Department will be assigned a 78XXX object code for all items classified as equipment. Please refer to Equipment Classification for the guidelines to be used for determining if an item would be classified as equipment. 

 

All equipment acquired through the Purchasing Department from any source of funds, must be received through the Central Receiving Department. Receiving must be notified in writing of receipt of all equipment delivered directly to the requisitioning department. Equipment purchased by the university must be assigned an inventory number and tagged accordingly after the department has received the item. See Recording the Cost of an Equipment Item for procedures on receipt and tagging of equipment.

 

Equipment items that are donated to the university will be properly accounted for, assigned an inventory number, and added to the inventory.

 

 

None

 

 

The procedures for the physical receipt and placement of purchased equipment are as follows:

·        The Receiving Department will deliver purchased equipment to the requesting department.

·        The delivery personnel will place the equipment in a nearby location at the time of delivery and remove the packaging only if requested by the department. If delivery personnel are not requested to remove the packaging at the time of delivery the department will be responsible for the removal of the packaging unless:

o       The removal of the packaging requires special tools or handling in which case the Physical Plant should be notified for the removal.

o       The responsibility for the removal was specified in the Purchase Order as the duty of the vendor and/or the equipment is defined as scientific and/or sensitive and requires special handling and installation.

 

Note:    The Risk Management Division of Human Resources should be notified prior to the handling of hazardous equipment and materials.

 

Equipment acquired or purchased from Mississippi Surplus Property or other state agency must be reported to the Property Control Office. Equipment purchased from Mississippi Surplus Property will be tagged and recorded at cost. A transfer of equipment from a state agency will require approvals by the Office of State Auditor and the item will be tagged and recorded at historical cost.

 

Equipment offered through gift or donation must be submitted for approval on the Property Donation Transmittal form. The department receiving the equipment must complete a Property Donation Transmittal Form for each equipment item. The donor’s written offer and documentation supporting the actual cost or fair market value of the equipment item must be attached to the donation form. An item with a claimed value exceeding $5000 must have an independent qualified appraisal. The completed form is to be sent to Property Control for review. The Property Control Office will tag the equipment and assign the inventory number.

 

The donation form is routed for approvals before the institution will accept the item. The guidelines for the determination of institutional acceptance include usefulness, condition, cost of maintaining the item, appropriateness to its surroundings, and the enhancement to the institution. Upon final acceptance the item will be added to the equipment inventory. The Property Control Office and the department receiving the equipment must keep a copy of the donation form on file.

 

Equipment manufactured in a department or Physical Facilities should be reported in writing to the Property Control Office. A complete description of the item, date manufactured, and cost or value should be included in this report.

 

Any person electing to use privately owned equipment in his/her respective department must have prior approval from the department head. If approval is granted, some type of “Personal Property” tag must be on the equipment. All personal property must be identified.

 

Each equipment item acquired through a lease-purchase will be assigned an equipment inventory number. The equipment item will be added to the equipment inventory as a lease-purchase item. The equipment inventory for lease purchase equipment will be maintained separately from equipment acquisitioned by other methods. All information available on purchased equipment will be available on lease-purchase equipment.

 

Any equipment item under the classification of lease-purchase must follow all equipment policy and procedures regarding the removal of equipment from DSU premises, exchange of equipment by the vendors, return of equipment for repair, location changes, and reporting of lost or stolen equipment. An internal audit of lease-purchase equipment will be performed at the time of the departmental internal equipment audit.

 

Review donated equipment policy for procedures on equipment acquired through a grant transfer. If the grant transfer of equipment does not involve incoming faculty, the same procedures for the receipt, inventorying, and acceptance of the equipment should be followed.

 

Any equipment item acquired as a promotional item or gift must be documented on a Property Donation Transmittal Form. Promotional equipment items will be tagged with an equipment inventory numbers and assigned a fair market value cost.

 

A department with an equipment item furnished by a vendor and utilized by the department must maintain a copy of the contract with the vendor disclosing the description of the equipment, the period of time the equipment is to be used, and the party responsible for the maintenance of the equipment

 

The department should distinguish the equipment item by placing a label or tag identifying the vendor.