Biennial Inventory

University and contracting/granting agencies’ regulations require campus departments to conduct periodic physical inventories of assigned equipment and to verify and update departmental inventorial equipment records at least once every two years.

To satisfy this requirement, Equipment Management provides a Physical Inventory – the Departmental Equipment Registry (EQ920) – to each department, with instructions for conducting the inventory. A verified and annotated EQ920 signed by the Department Chair/Director must be returned to Equipment Management by the designated date. Departments are advised to retain a copy of the annotated EQ920 for their own records.

Inventories are due upon completion of physical inventory audit performed by the department.

Equipment Management provides an accounting of inventory equipment owned by or in the custody of UC Merced. The information is divided by custody code and sorted by Property Number. Access to this data is provided to the responsible campus unit.

Equipment custodians are required to review, update and sign off on each piece of equipment under their custody on or before the due date. After the information is reviewed by the Equipment Manager, an EQ920 will be forwarded to the custodian. This certification needs to be signed by the custodian and approved by the department head (Dean or Vice Chancellor).

Equipment custodians should retain a copy of the completed reports.

The Process

Locate, Verify, Update and Photograph

Physically locate each item and verify the recorded information.

• Description. If the item description is incorrect, provide the correct description.
• Manufacturer, model, and serial number. If any of this information is missing, please fill it in. Your inventory will be returned to you if it is incomplete. If the information is not available, please explain why. For example, “serial number cannot be found” or “no model number.”
• Building and room information. Please use the building number to correctly identify the building. (You do not need to write the building name.)
• User. Enter the current user. Your inventory will be returned if there are non-UCM affiliates listed as users.
• Condition code. UCOP Policy requires a two-digit condition code. Use the legend below to determine the current condition of the asset.
  • Most equipment should be coded N1, N2, or N3, as most university equipment is purchased new from vendors. Alpha characters E and O should be used only in cases where equipment was used at the time of acquisition (for example, a 2005 pickup truck purchased in 2010).

Ensure Every Piece of Equipment has a Property Tag

Make sure every piece of equipment has a University of California property tag. If the equipment was transferred from another UC campus, the equipment might have a property tag from that campus. That is OK as long as the tag number matches the inventory record.

Our current property tag.

Here are some examples of previous property tags.

Note: If the property tag is missing, incorrect, unreadable or if it does not have a scannable barcode, notify Equipment to receive a replacement tag.

Verify Off-Campus Equipment

Off-campus equipment refers to inventorial equipment that cannot be physically verified by the Department Equipment Custodian due to its location. For example, equipment located at another UC or at field stations. Any equipment located off-campus must be accounted for during the physical inventory process.

Responsible party refers to the person who is currently using the equipment off-campus.

To verify off-campus equipment:

1. The department equipment custodian is responsible for confirming the existence and condition of the asset. The department equipment custodian requests photos of the asset, including date & time stamps and ensures the asset tag is visible, from the PI or other UC Merced staff/faculty who is onsite with the equipment. 

Transferred Equipment

If equipment that has been transferred to another unit or department shows up on your inventory, reference the EIMR number in the comments section. If an EIMR was not initiated, write “transfer” and the new custody code in the comments section. Then fill out an EIMR and upload it to the FileMaker Database. Remember to update the building and room numbers if equipment is physically relocated.

Stolen Equipment

If any equipment on your listing has been reported stolen, please write “stolen” and the police report number in the comments section. A copy of the police report should be uploaded to the FileMaker Database.

Lost Equipment

Any equipment on your listing that cannot be physically located by the Inventory Due Date and is presumed lost should be notated by entering “Lost” in the comments section.

(NOTE: This equipment will not be officially removed from the inventory unless a formal disposal request (EIMR) is submitted. We will maintain the record for at least one full inventory cycle in case the item is found in the future

Found Equipment

As you are doing your verification, view the work areas for any equipment being used by your department that is not listed in the FileMaker Database. If you find equipment that is not in the Database, notify Equipment Management via e-mail. Provide as much information as possible, including:

• Property Tag Number
• Description
• Photos/Pictures capturing all sides and overall condition
• Make
• Model
• Serial Number
• User(s)
• Location (Building & Room Number)

Surplus/Equipment Use

If equipment is idle and excess to your needs, investigate whether it will be used within your unit or division. If no further need is found, the equipment should be declared surplus and submitted to the surplus operation. Write “Surplus Requested” in the comments field for that item.

If any equipment has been submitted to surplus but is still in the FileMaker Database, reference the Surplus Request number in the comments section.

Submit the Report

Instructions for submitting the final inventory verification will be provided.