19.054:  Equipment Inventory Control

The responsibility for equipment accountability is assigned to the appropriate administrator(in academic areas, typically the department chair; school, center or institute director; or dean). In the rest of this policy, "department" and "department head" will be used generically to refer to the administrative or academic area of accountability and its responsible leader.

I.  Receipt of New Equipment

1. When received directly in the using department from the supplier, the Equipment Inventory Office will locate and tag the equipment.

2. When equipment is ordered on a p-card, a copy of the transaction receipt must be sent to the Equipment Inventory Office within 5 business days of receiving the item, with transaction number noted on the receipt. The following information must be put into the PARIS notes screen:
   • Manufacturer's name
   • Serial number
   • Model number
   • Date received
   • Location
   • Unit acquisition cost (if not already clearly identified)
   • Name of department taking ownership
   • Name of person to whom the equipment has been assigned.

   See Policy and Procedure 55.074, "Purchasing Card," for more details.

3. Equipment received as gifts through the Ohio University Foundation (OUF) are to be tagged with the assistance of the recipient's department head. The necessary information required for the inventory records will be determined by OUF and the department.

II.  Equipment Records Maintained by the Finance Division

1. The tag number assigned to a piece of equipment serves as the central mechanism for establishing a unit record in the inventory control system.

2. Each record will contain information on the item including:
   • Description
   • Serial or manufacturer identification number
   • Original cost
   • Purchase order number (if applicable)
   • Acquisition date
   • Disposition date
   • Category
   • Department to which equipment is assigned
   • Person to whom the equipment is assigned
   • Location: Building and room.

3. At least four times each year equipment inventory reports will be sent to all department heads for verification (see subsection IV, below). These reports will be in tag number sequence by person and then by department. Other special equipment inventory reports are available for review in the Equipment Inventory Office.

III.  Departments Reporting Changes in Status of Equipment

1. All equipment that is transferred, stolen, scrapped, traded in, etc., must be reported to the Equipment Inventory Office by the department that was accountable for the equipment. Form EI-8 (Equipment Status Change) is to be used for this purpose and is available in the Equipment Inventory Office, or online. Status changes are to be reported as they occur.

2. All equipment that is disposed of is to be sent to the Moving and Surplus Department (a division of Campus Services in the Facilities Management area), unless it is scrap, in which case it is to go to the Recycling and Refuse Department (a division of Facilities Management). An EI-8 form is to be filled out by the department accountable for the inventory, and this form must be sent to the Equipment Inventory Office to allow the disposed-of items to be removed from the inventory listing.

3. Equipment owned by the University may be removed from campus only with the permission of the department head. Equipment taken off campus must be under the supervision of an employee of the University. Form EI-9 (Request to Take Equipment Off Campus) must be filled out and a copy sent to the Equipment Inventory Office prior to taking equipment off campus, and again when the equipment is returned.

IV.  Annual Inventory Conducted by Departments

Each year, the Equipment Inventory Office will furnish each area of accountability with a detailed listing of equipment assigned to that area, as soon as possible after March 31. The list should be verified by the department and all corrections reported to the Equipment Inventory Office on Form EI-8. The Certification accompanying the list must be signed by the department head and returned with the list.

Instructions detailing updated inventory procedures will be issued by the Equipment Inventory Office with the annual inventory listing.

V.  Audits

Equipment inventories will be periodically audited by both State auditors and University accounting personnel. Therefore, it is imperative that all transactions affecting movable equipment be properly recorded.

1. President

2. Executive Vice President and Provost

3. Executive Staff

4. Grants, Contracts, and Plant Accounting Manager

5. Senior Associate Vice President for Finance

6. Heads of academic and administrative units responsible for equipment covered by this policy

7. Policy and Procedure Review Committee

1. Form EI-8, Equipment Status Change, is available in the Equipment Inventory Section Office, or online at http://www.ohio.edu/finance/equipmentinventory/EIFORMS.cfm.

2. Form EI-9, Request to Take Equipment Off Campus, is available in the Equipment Inventory Section Office, or online at http://www.ohio.edu/finance/equipmentinventory/EIFORMS.cfm.