(Updated Aug. 1, 2023)
Contracting, Granting, and University agency regulations require campus departments to conduct a regular physical inventory of assigned equipment and update equipment records at least every two years.
To fulfill this requirement, Equipment Management provides each department with a Departmental Equipment Registry (EQ920) along with guidelines for conducting the inventory. The verified and annotated EQ920, signed by the Department Chair/Director, must be returned to Equipment Management by the designated date. Departments are advised to keep a copy of the annotated EQ920 for their records.
Note: Inventories are due the second week of October.
UC Merced's Equipment Management provides a comprehensive inventory report of equipment owned by or under the custody of the university. This information is categorized by custody code and sorted by Property Number, granting access to the respective campus units responsible for the equipment.
Custodians of equipment are responsible for reviewing, updating, and signing off on each item under their care before the designated deadline. Following the review by the Equipment Manager, custodians will receive an EQ920 form for completion. The certification section of the form must be signed by the custodian and approved by the respective department head, such as the Dean or Vice Chancellor.
Department is divided into two inventory rotations:
| Even-Number Years | Animal Research | CEP | DT | Facilities | Fleet | Grad Division | Library | OIT | SCIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odd-Number Years | Administration | PD | POPD | Research Administration | SNRI | SNS | SSHA | Student Services |
Physically locate each item and verify the recorded information.
- Description:
- Please provide the correct description of the item
- Manufacturer, Model, and Serial Number:
- Please provide the information, if missing.
- If incomplete, your inventory will be returned to you.
- If the information is not available, please explain why.
- EX: "Serial number cannot be found" or "No Model Number"
- Please provide the information, if missing.
- Building & Room Information:
- Please provide the building number for correct building identification
- Note: The building name does not need to be included
- User:
- Please provide the current user
- If non-UCM affiliates are listed as users, your inventory will be returned to you.
- Please provide the current user
- Condition Code:
- UCOP Policy requires a two-digit condition code. Use the legend below to determine the current condition of the asset.
| First Character (alpha) | Second Character (numeric) |
|---|---|
| N = New | 1 = Excellent |
| E = Used, Reconditioned | 2 = Good |
| O = Used, Not Reconditioned | 3 = Fair |
| R = Repairs Needed | 4 = Poor |
Equipment Code Guidelines:
- The majority of equipment should be coded N1, N2, or N3, as most university equipment is purchased new from vendors
- Alpha characters E & O should only be used in specific cases where the equipment was used at the time of acquisition.
- For example, if a 2005 pickup truck was purchased in 2010, the code E or O can be used to indicate its used status.
Make sure every piece of equipment has a University of California property tag.
If transferred from another UC campus, a property tag from that campus might still exist. That is OK as long as the tag number matches the inventory record. Here are some examples of property tags.
If the property tag is missing, incorrect, unreadable, or lacks a scannable barcode, please notify Equipment Management to request a replacement tag.
Off-Campus Equipment:
During the physical inventory process:
- There may be inventorial equipment that cannot be physically verified by the Department Equipment Custodian due to its location, such as equipment situated at another UC campus or field stations.
- It is important to account for all equipment, including those located off-campus.
Responsible party:
Refers to the person who is currently using the equipment off-campus.
To verify off-campus equipment:
1. Download the Off-Campus Equipment Verification Worksheet (OCEV).
- Format the document as landscape and set the margins to narrow.
- Fill in the green shaded areas. If you are missing any of the information in the green shaded areas, make sure the responsible party provides it.
2. Forward the OCEV to the responsible party for verification.
- The responsible party shall fill in the yellow shaded areas, provide a signature and return the completed OCEV to the Department Equipment Custodian.
3. Attach the OCEV to the final Inventory Report (EQ920).
If any equipment has been transferred to another unit or department, but still shows up on your inventory:
- Reference the EIMR number in the comments section
- If an EIMR was not provided, write “transfer” and the new custody code in the comments section. Then fill out an EIMR and upload it to the EQ Database. (Remember to update building/room #'s if equipment is physically relocated).
If any equipment on your listing has been reported stolen:
- Write “Stolen” and the police report number in the comments section.
- Upload a copy of the police report to the EQ Database.
Any equipment on your listing that cannot be physically located by the Inventory Due Date and is assumed lost should be marked as "Lost" in the comments section.
Note: Unless a formal disposal request (EIMR) has been submitted, the equipment will not be officially removed from the inventory.
- We will maintain the record for at least one full cycle in case the item is found in the future.
Submission instructions for the final inventory verification will be provided.