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Operations Manual . Reimbursement policy . Surplus or landfill . Safety . Security . Forms
Information to provide . Item removal . Sales venue . Selling price

1. University Operations Manual
University property designated as surplus must be transferred to the Surplus Department for appropriate disposition. (Operations Manual, V.12.5b). Surplus helps ensure that items are sold through competitive, fair, nonrestrictive methods that include both on-site and online auctions and stores.

2. Reimbursement policy
Departments may be reimbursed for items that sell for more than $100 by University Surplus. Advertising and other expenses, such as online auction and sales fees, on-site auctioneers, crating, and shipping are deducted from the selling price before reimbursement is made. The following table lists the reimbursement rates:

Selling price % reimbursement % retained by Surplus
More than $100 50 50
More than $500 80 20
More than $1,000 90 10

Reimbursement funds are transferred at the end of the month in which the item has sold. Contact the Associate Director of Business Services for answers to questions about reimbursement.

3. Surplus or landfill
Send to Surplus items that are resaleable or recyclable. Resaleable items should be intact and in working condition. Such items include furniture, electronics, labware, office supplies, shredders, copiers, food service supplies, lamps, musical instruments, toys, appliances, tools, scales, file cabinets, shelving, room dividers, chalkboards, cribs, exam tables, projectors, microscopes, cabinets, and lockers.

Recyclable items are those that may be broken or unuseable but contain materials such as glass, metals, plastics, wood, or paper. Scrap dealers pick up these items for recycling. Sometimes they also recycle pallets.

Send to the landfill items that are unrepairable, unsaleable, and unrecyclable: broken furniture, especially if made from particulate material; cushions; and broken glassware and wood. Facilities Management will pick up this material and deliver it to the landfill. A requisition is required; contact the FM Work Control Center to make arrangements.

Do not send items containing hazardous materials to the landfill. The Health Protection Office publishes a list of hazardous materials and provides extensive information about hazardous waste disposal. Contact Surplus if you have further questions about whether the landfill is a safe or environmentally appropriate method of disposition.

4. Safety
Safety is paramount when disposing of items containing hazardous materials. This includes air conditioners, dehumidifiers, appliances, computers, monitors, televisions, and other electronics. Surplus does handle these items by either reselling them for further use, recycling the parts, or disposing of them in an environmentally appropriate manner.
Hazardous materials list

Surplus does not handle equipment that contains biologically contaminated, chemical, or radioactive waste. Examples are adhesives, batteries, biohazards, blood pressure cuffs, chemicals, film, oils, paint, solvents, thermometers, thermostats, and x-ray equipment. The Health Protection Office works with Facilities Management to remove such items.
Hazardous waste procedures and guidelines

5. Security
Departments must remove all confidential and/or sensitive information - student records, medical records, and social security numbers, for example - from file cabinets, desks, and electronic media. Clear data not only from internal and external computer disk drives, but also from CD-ROMs, Zip disks, diskettes, USB Flash drives, memory cards, tapes, copiers, scanners, and cameras. State and federal laws (such as FERPA and HIPAA) and University policy require that such information be kept confidential. Contact the Office of General Counsel or the Information Technology Security Officer if you aren't sure whether your documents require confidentiality.

The University has a contract with a document destruction company. Any department may work with the company if the nature and/or volume of its material make it difficult to process. Contact Purchasing or the Associate Director of Business Services for more information about working with the company.

Certain medical and scientific equipment may only be sold to licensed handlers, degreed doctors, and certified resellers. University Surplus will ask for documentation of eligibility for such sales. All items should be stored in a secure location while awaiting pick-up by Surplus, not a hallway or open storage area, to protect them from damage or theft.

INFORMATION SECURITY RESOURCES
Operations Manual V.17.3n
Information Technology Services
    Data Handling policy and requirements
    Computer Data and Media Disposal Policy
    Secure Removal of Data
    Certification for Computer Data and Media Disposal
Office of Financial Management and Budget destruction of records
Office of General Counsel practice areas
Purchasing document destruction contract

6. Removal forms
Non-hospital departments: Property Management documents the transfer of items from departments to University Surplus through a Surplus Removal Form. The completed form must be sent to Property Management, 618 JB. Property Management will process and send it to University Surplus. Surplus must receive the completed, processed form from Property Management in order to remove items from departments.

Hospital departments: To dispose of non-computer items, complete a Surplus Request Form and contact Housekeeping for removal. To dispose of non-computer electronic equipment, complete an Electronic Equipment Disposal Form and contact Facilities Services Housekeeping Department for removal. To dispose of computers, complete a Computer/Peripheral Disposal Form and contact Health Care Information Systems for removal.

The required forms and instructions are available on the eforms website under Surplus.

7. Information to provide
The Surplus Removal Form must contain the following:

Contacts and authorization: Your department name and number; contact person and phone number; back-up contact if possible; minimum of two authorized signatures.

Item description: UI tag number; serial number if available; whether the maintenance contract has been cancelled if applicable; whether photos item are available. Tell us what the item is and include performance specifications and features that may not be apparent. Use a second sheet if necessary. The more complete and accurate the description, the higher the selling price.

Item condition: Indicate whether or not it is in good working order; include all cables, cords, manuals, service records, and software; include warranties or guarantees that may be in effect; acknowledge whether or not all parts are included. Items in less than optimal condition may be tagged "Sold as is." Any item that does not work when plugged in will not be listed online.

Location: Write building name, room number, and description of where Surplus can pick up the item. Mark the item or have someone available to point it out.

Security: Confirm whether or not all data has been removed from electronic equipment by marking the appropriate box. Information Technology Services can provide information about how to securely remove data. If your department does not have an IT staff, ITS provides a list of certified units that can do it for you.

Buyers: Provide information about potential buyers if you know of any. It is important that Surplus be the only point for communication with them, to reduce the risk of misunderstanding about pricing, policies, procedures, and legal ramifications.

Shipping: Indicate if the item needs to be packed in a crate or secured on a pallet for shipping and whether you can provide a plastic, mold-resistant pallet if needed. Surplus prepares all items for shipping and may wish to consult with your department about materials, special handling, or other requirements.

Reimbursement: Mark the reimbursement box if you think the item will sell for more than $100 and want to be reimbursed; provide your department name and address and a valid MFK number. Check your MFK number with this validation tool.

8. Item removal
A Surplus employee will call to make arrangements for pick-up. Surplus removes items as soon as possible. However, some large items may need to remain at the department until they are sold. If your department plans to deliver an item to Surplus, you must make prior arrangements. Items sent to Surplus are nonreturnable.

All items are picked up free of charge, except those that are taken directly to the landfill. Departments are charged for the disposal cost of such items.

9. Sales venue
Surplus staff will determine the appropriate venue in which to sell the item, but, if you have a preference, please let them know. Options to sell reimbursable items include eBay, LabX, direct sales at the Surplus store, auction at the Surplus location, and auction at the site of the equipment. Items listed online typically are limited to medical, scientific, and high-end electronic equipment. Nonreimbursable items are nearly always sold at the Surplus store on regular sale days.

10. Selling price
A minimum price may be set for some items, particularly those listed online. Let Surplus know if you have a minimum selling price in mind. However, for in-store items this can discourage potential buyers. Sales tax will be added to the selling price if the item is sold to an in-state buyer.



University of Iowa Surplus, 1225 S. Gilbert Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
General information: 319-335-5001 . Computers: 319-353-2961 . Fax: 319-335-5482

www.uiowa.edu/~fusmm/surplus/gen/detail.html
Finance and Operations | Business Services | Materials Management

Contact the associate director of Business Services with questions.
Updated January 29, 2008, by the web administrator.
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