Equipment

1. Is the equipment purchase grant funded?

Yes → Go to question 2.

No → Use the regular equipment rule:

• Over $10,000? → Tag / Capital asset
• $10,000 or less? → No tag / Non-capital asset

2. Is it a federal grant?

Yes → Use the federal grant rule:

• Over $5,000? → Tag
• $5,000 or less? → No tag

No → Use the non-federal grant rule:

• Over $5,000? → Tag
• $5,000 or less? → No tag

There are several important factors to consider when purchasing a fixed asset. Here are some tips to keep in mind that will help you accurately acquire and record your assets.

• Consider the ENTIRE cost of the item when assigning your account code. The cost of the asset in addition to delivery fees, legal fees, and installation charges may be combined to determine if the total cost is $10,000 or more.
• Use EA for 'Each' as the unit of measure in uSHOP when purchasing assets with a Quantity Unit Price.
• If all line items on your uSHOP order create ONE asset, use the same fixed asset expenditure account for each line.
• Any item purchased which is to be permanently added to, attached to, or installed onto a previously purchased asset, must be coded using the same expenditure account code as the item you are affixing it to.
• When purchasing fixed assets using grant funding, please refer to the Office of Sponsored Programs Policy for Equipment Purchases on Contracts and Grants.
• Do not include maintenance agreements, service contracts, or extended warranties in your assets. These purchases require separate account codes.

Make sure your maintenance contract type matches the equipment type:

• 924420: Maint Contracts - Office Equip
• 924430: Maint Contracts - Mainframe
• 924431: Maint Contracts - PC & Printers
• 924432: Maint Contracts - Video Equip
• 924433: Maint Contracts - LAN Equip
• 924434: Maint Contracts - WAN Equip
• 924435: Maint Contracts - Servers
• 924436: Maint Contracts - Other EDP
• 924440: Maint Contracts - Other Equip
• 924450: Maint Contracts - Other Software
• 924451: Maint Contracts - PC Software
• 924452: Maint Contracts - Server Software
• 924453: Maint Contracts - WAN Software
• 924454: Maint Contracts - Mainframe Soft
• 924490: Maint Contracts - Misc Other
• 953990: Use for Computrace

uShop Tips for Entering Requisitions

When entering requisitions into uSHOP, here are some important aspects to check in order to avoid having your requisitions returned.

• Invalid Account Codes.
• Improper description.
• Invalid quantity or quantity type.
• Quote is not attached.
• Lack of information in internal notes.

Barcode tags are required to be attached to new assets with a total cost of $10,000 or more for tracking. Asset tags are easily identifiable as blue or silver stickers approximately 2" x 3/4" with "UNC Wilmington" and "FAS 00XXXXX" on the tag.

Note that some items may still have tags that are no longer in Banner due to the threshold change. It is NEVER appropriate to remove a fixed assets tag. Only Fixed Assets staff are authorized to apply or remove tags. Please contact Fixed Assets if the tag becomes dislodged or loose.

Equipment Categories

• Office Furniture & Equipment
• Electronic Data Processing Equipment
• Educational, Scientific and Research Equipment
• Motor Vehicles (Licensed and Non-Licensed)
• Other Equipment (Grounds & Landscaping, etc.)
• Computers
• Software

Tracking Grant Equipment

Most grant purchases meeting the cost threshold of $5,000 are required to be barcode tagged as UNCW equipment, added to the fixed asset system, and included in the annual inventory process. These assets must be purchased with the appropriate grant equipment account codes. 

Much of the property acquired on research and training awards will become university (state) property upon acquisition or by subsequent vesting of title.

In order to help Fixed Assets with the tracking of grant equipment please do the following:

• Keep inventory records up to date.
• Notify Fixed Assets when a grant expires relating to inventorial equipment.
• Departments may NOT transfer grant property without written approval from the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance.

Please note, federal equipment transfers back to the sponsoring federal agency at the end of the grant.

Fixed Assets must record the acquisition, transfer/relocation, and disposal of equipment assets of the university in accordance with university policies and applicable state regulations.

It is our goal to help maintain departmental inventories in the most current condition.

Annual Inventory

Equipment inventories are conducted on an annual basis. Discrepancies in location or custodian/reporting of lost or missing items and asset condition are noted on the inventory and returned to the Fixed Assets Department with the required supporting documentation. Complete instructions are sent to each department with the inventory.

See Policies section above for further instructions for Lost or Stolen Equipment.

Inventory Custodian Duties

• Physically locate each asset on inventory list.
• Update list with additions, items not located/missing, and relocated assets.
• Identify condition of asset.
• Use location list and codes delivered with inventory list.
• Return updated list and any applicable forms to Fixed Assets
• All inventories MUST be signed by the Department Head.

Inventory Anytime

Print your own up-to-date inventory report.

• Use SSRS reporting tool.
• SSRS>Financial Reports>Campus Reports>Miscellaneous Reports>Inventory by Department.
• Select your department from the drop down and then select the fiscal year value for the report header.
• Select “View Report” button on the top right corner of the page to execute your selection.

Spot Checks

UNC Business Process Standards issued by the UNC Business Process Compliance Office requires an annual spot check of assets to ensure that they are properly accounted for. Spot check lists are compiled at random from the current capital equipment assets list. Lists are generated after the return and processing of annual departmental inventories no later than November and thus passed along for completion to the randomly selected departments.