Property Accounting Office
Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifies an item as equipment?

Equipment for inventory purposes is defined by the state as "tangible property with a unit cost of $2,500 or more and a normal usage life of two (2) years or more, with the exception of land or buildings."

How does the University treat groupings of items that make up an equipment item, such as modular furniture or computer equipment?

Modular furniture and computers present a challenge when determining what should be tagged and what should not be tagged. It is our practice, however, to tag and therefore account for as much as possible.

• Some modular furniture groupings can naturally be considered a piece of equipment, such as a desk, credenza, or hutch. In those cases, we will group those items together and tag them as one item.
• Individual modular workstations are designed to fit the specific area in which they will reside, therefore we feel that it is not likely for the items to be disassembled and moved to another location unless they are being sent off as a surplus.
• Free standing matching pieces, such as file cabinets, will be tagged individually if they meet the above definition of equipment.
• For most purchases of desktop computers, we will group all of the items together and tag them as a system.
• In cases where a larger more expensive monitor costing at least $2,500 is purchased, the monitor will be tagged separately.
• Other peripheral items such as printers and scanners will be tagged individually if they meet the definition of equipment.
• Software included with the computer purchase, such as the operating system and other pre-loaded applications, are generally included in the purchase cost of the computer itself. Software purchased at a later date and loaded onto a computer is not capitalized.

May University owned equipment be kept at employee's houses, or other off-campus sites?

There are times when a department may deem it necessary for certain of its employees to be able to keep University owned equipment, such as computers, at an off-campus site in order for them to better accomplish tasks connected with their jobs. The University allows this practice, but a special Off-Campus Form must be completed and signed by the department head. Upon completion of the form, make a copy for your records and send the original to the Property Accounting Office. Click here to download the Off-Campus Form.

Please read Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 406.0 for important information regarding Personal Use of University Equipment/Services.

How do the equipment inventory scanners work?

Instructions and guidelines to operate the inventory scanners are available on the Property Accounting website. Click here to see the scanner instructions.

How is access given to ScanVentory system?

Access to the ScanVentory system is given to University employees when it is deemed necessary in order for those employees to do their jobs. Various levels of access are available depending on the needs of the employee. The department should send an email request to janiceh@uark.edu requesting access for a particular employee in that department. Please include a justification and the electronic desk name that has been assigned to the employee. The department will receive notification once the request has been received and the access given.

Can the data warehouse be used to find answers to specific questions immediately without having to wait for the Property Accounting Office to run reports?

The data warehouse is a valuable tool that users have at their disposal. Almost any information a department might need regarding its equipment is available on the data warehouse. We will be happy to assist the users in developing the Access or Brio queries to get the information they need.

What are the procedures for disposing of or cannibalizing University equipment?

Regardless of the dollar value, property may not be traded, sold, salvaged, destroyed, transferred to other state agencies or cannibalized until the Surplus Manager and Marketing and Redistribution (M&R) have given prior approval.

A written request must be submitted to the Surplus Manager for each item to be traded, sold, salvaged, destroyed, transferred to other state agencies or cannibalized. Include the manufacturer, model, description, serial number, and University of Arkansas Tag Number (if available.)

For more information, visit the Surplus Property web site.