Acquisition of Personal Property

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

2.1 What is the purpose of this chapter? This chapter describes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) requirements and policies for classification, acquisition, receipt, and identification (marking) of personal property.

2.2 What is the scope of this chapter? This chapter applies to all employees involved in the acquisition, receipt, and management of personal property that the Service owns, leases, or rents.

2.3 What are the authorities for this chapter?

A. See 310 FW 1 for a list of authorities for all the chapters in Part 310.

B. For Department of the Interior (Department) policy specific to this chapter, read Interior Property Management Directives (IPMD), 410 – Subpart 114-60.4, Classification of Property; 114-60.5, Receipt of Property and Services; 114-60.6, Identification of Personal Property; and Department of the Interior Property Policy Release (DIPPR) 2014-01 Designation of Radio Communication Equipment as System-Controlled Property.

CLASSIFICATION OF PROPERTY

2.4 What are the classifications of property? Within the Federal Government, property is classified as either real property or personal property.

A. Real property is land and improvements to land, such as structures and fixtures. (Government-owned mobile homes and Recreational Vehicles (RV) are managed as quarters, so they are real property assets.)

B. Personal property is all property other than real property. It includes all equipment, vehicles, communications equipment, computers, firearms, aircraft, software, materials and supplies, and museum property. It does not include property that is incorporated in, or permanently affixed to, real property.

C. Personal property is further classified as expendable or non-expendable. Then we also categorize it according to use, cost, consumption, service life, Federal Supply Class (FSC), and sensitivity. See 310 FW 1 for definitions and Table 2-1 for examples.

Table 2-1: Personal Property Categories

            *FBMS = Financial and Business Management System

2.5 What are Universal Product Codes (UPC) and why are they important? UPCs are eight-digit codes entered on Purchase Requests (PR) that determine several identifying pieces of information regarding purchases.

A. The UPC:

(1) Derives the Federal Supply Code (FSC), which is the first four characters of the UPC;

(2) Derives the account assignment category, i.e., K (cost center), L (accountable property), A (capitalized asset);

(3) Derives the Budget Object Class (BOC);

(4) Derives the General Ledger (GL) account, which:

     (a) Tracks expenses,

     (b) Is used to complete the Annual Financial Report, and

     (c) Demonstrates that Service money is spent responsibly;

(5) Derives the release strategy (required approvals) for the PR in FBMS; and

(6) Determines if FBMS needs to create an asset shell based on the account assignment category.

B. It is critical that employees select the correct UPC to avoid unnecessary PR changes and other downstream issues. An incorrect UPC selection could:

(1) Result in FBMS creating an incorrect asset shell;

(2) Result in bypassing a required approval level prior to asset shells being created (e.g., the Information Resources and Technology Management (IRTM) Radio Coordinators must approve some types of radio equipment); and

(3) Delay the procurement process.

C. The Department and the Service have created several resources to help those making requisitions to select the correct UPC, including FBMS Technical Bulletin ACQ-02: User Product Codes, FBMS Technical Bulletin ACQ-10: UPC Overrides, and the UPC Search Tool in FBMS, all of which can be found on the Service’s intranet site under the Financial Systems Guidance Library - Acquisitions.

ACQUISITION

2.6 How do employees purchase personal property? Two general methods apply to purchasing new assets—contracting and the Government purchase card:

A. Contracting. Follow the process and procedures for purchase of new assets through the Acquisition and Property Operations Team.

(1) The Federal Management Regulation (FMR), Subchapter B - Personal Property, 41 CFR  Part 102-36, requires executive agencies, to the maximum extent practicable, to fill requirements for personal property by using existing agency property or by obtaining excess property from other Federal agencies in lieu of a new procurement.

(2) You must use excess personal property unless it would cause serious hardship, be impractical, or impair your operations.

(3) Before purchasing new property, contact the Personal Property Team for any excess personal property that may be available and suitable.

B. Government purchase card. Employees who have a Government purchase card may use them to purchase goods in accordance with this policy, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and Departmental Directives and within the limits of the purchase card single limit threshold (see DOI Purchase Card Program Policy for more information).

2.7 What can employees purchase using a Government purchase card? Employees may use a Government purchase card to buy:

A. Expendable and bureau-managed property that costs less than $300 (see Table 2-1).

B. Stores property (see Table 2-1).

C. Bureau-managed property that costs between the $300 - $5,000.

D. System-controlled property (excluding sensitive property) that costs from $5,000 to $10,000 (see DOI Purchase Card Program Policy for more information).

2.8 What are employees prohibited from purchasing using a Government purchase card?

A. Employees must not buy items over the micro-purchase threshold ($10,000) using a Government purchase card.

(1) Cardholders must not split purchases to circumvent the micro-purchasing limits.

(2) Cardholders must not use trade-ins to lower the purchase price to circumvent the micro-purchasing limits. The micro-purchase threshold is determined by the price of the item(s) prior to negotiation of trade-in value or exchange for partial payment. For example, a cardholder cannot use a Government purchase card to buy a trailer or an ORUV originally priced at $12,500 even if a trade-in reduces the price to below $10,000.

B. Employees may only buy sensitive property through a Contracting Officer (see Table 2-1 for sensitive property).

C. Employees must not buy less lethal weapons with a Government purchase card (see 310 FW 1 for definition of less lethal weapons).

D. To buy ammunition, explosives, and gunpowder, send in a Joint Administrative Operations (JAO) consultation request through mySupport (see DOI Purchase Card Program Policy for more information).

2.9 Can employees purchase tablets with Government purchase cards? Employees must buy tablets as a micro-purchase through national cellular service contracts. To begin the process, employees should complete the request forms on the Mobile Device Management intranet site.

2.10 What else should employees know about using the Government purchase card? System-controlled property has a different, lower cost threshold than other property as it relates to micro-purchases. The National Defense Authorization Act (2018) increased the micro-purchase threshold to $10,000 for supplies. However, the micro-purchase limit on system-controlled property has not increased. It is still $5,000, and it continues to require that employees track it (at or above that cost threshold) in FBMS (see DOI Purchase Card Program Policy for more information).

A. Accountable or Custodial Property Officers must coordinate with the Personal Property Team to initiate an Acquisition and Automated Offsetting Entry (ABZON) request to ensure that Government purchase card purchases are accounted for appropriately and that the asset record is created in FBMS.

B. Accountable or Custodial Property Officers must send the Department’s Form DI-102, Receiving Report, and supporting documentation (i.e., purchase receipts) to the Personal Property Team.

C. Accountable Property Officers (APO) must not buy system-controlled property as a cardholder and cannot be the approving official for their own transactions.

RECEIPT OF PROPERTY

2.11 Who is responsible for receiving personal property? Accountable and Custodial Property Officers are responsible for receiving personal property for their respective cost centers and must ensure that either they or other staff:

A. Inspect all incoming shipments for defects or damage and physically count them to make sure the quantity ordered was delivered and that articles received adhere to the specifications.

B. Note all apparent defects or damages to the property on Form DI-102 at the time of inspection.

C. Properly care for and safeguard property received.

D. Provide required documentation to the Personal Property Team for system-controlled property to ensure the item received can be appropriately identified, marked, and immediately placed on the property accountability records of the Accountable and Custodial Property Officers.

2.12 What are the documentation requirements for system-controlled personal property?

A. Accountable or Custodial Property Officers must:

(1) Complete a Form DI-102 and attach the receiving documentation (i.e., purchase order, invoice, acquisition request, or vouchers) used to acquire the property item. The Form DI-102 provides:

     (a) Record of receipt,

     (b) A document of entry to the records and accounts, and

     (c) An audit trail.

(2) The Form DI-102 must include the following information:

     (a) Responsible cost center and station name, including physical and mailing address;

     (b) Contract number (if purchased using a Government purchase card, include Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and fund code);

     (c) Description of the property item (e.g., boat, trailer, ORUV):

     (i) Make/manufacturer,

     (ii) Model number and model year, and

     (iii) Serial or VIN number (where appropriate);

     (d) Original cost; and

     (e) Trade-in information, if applicable:

     (i) Description of the property item,

     (ii) Serial or VIN number (where appropriate), and

     (iii) Original cost.

B. Regardless of the method or source of acquisition of system-controlled property, a Form DI-102 must be completed. Examples of acquisition sources include:

(1) Commercial sources;

(2) Fabricated in Government shops;

(3) Donated (received as a gift);

(4) Forfeited, seized, voluntarily abandoned, or unclaimed; or

(5) Obtained by transfer from another Government agency.

2.13 How long does the Service have to process documentation for receiving system-controlled personal property?

A. Accountable or Custodial Property Officers must:

(1) Complete the Form DI-102 immediately upon receipt of the property, but no later than 15 calendar days after receipt; and

(2) Send the Form DI-102 and receiving documentation (i.e., purchase order, invoice, acquisition request, or vouchers) to the Personal Property Team.

B. The Personal Property Team:

(1) Assigns and issues a Service property number and completes the asset shell in FBMS within 10 calendar days of receiving the Form DI-102, and

(2) Notifies the Accountable or Custodial Property Officer that the asset has been added to their inventory and sends the property sticker and copy of the completed Form DI-102 to them.

2.14 How are personal property transfers, donations, and loans processed? See 310 FW 4, Disposition of Personal Property.

MARKING PERSONAL PROPERTY

2.15 How is personal property marked?

A. All Government property that is non-expendable, non-sensitive, and non-capitalized, except that which is exempt by IPMD 410 DM 114-60.601, must be marked to identify it as Government-owned property. Markings must consist of the name or initials of the Service (e.g., USFWS).

B. Very small or delicate items that cannot be marked without damage to the property are exempt from marking or numbering. For such property that is system-controlled, it still must be assigned a number that is recorded on the property accountability records.

C. Because permanent marking of museum property is potentially damaging, items in museum collections are exempt from the marking requirements in this section.

2.16 How is system-controlled personal property marked?

A. In addition to the requirements in IPMD 410 DM Subpart 114-60.600  and 114-60.602, each item of system-controlled property must be marked with a U.S. Government label and an identifying property number. Very small or delicate items that cannot be marked without damaging them are exempt from this requirement, but they still must be assigned numbers that are recorded on the property accountability records.

B. Property numbers must be unique to each system-controlled asset and are managed at the Headquarters level.

C. The following types of property must display special identification:

(1) Livestock must be marked through branding, tagging, or tattooing, to indicate Government ownership.

     (a) Records must be maintained to fully identify individual animals.

     (b) Records must include the property number, pictures (front, side, and rear), and a written description of the animal that includes markings, scars, etc.

(2) Canines should be tagged or marked to indicate Government ownership.

     (a) There are various ways to mark or tag a canine: collar, identification tag, microchipping, iris scans, and photos. The Service prefers microchipping.

     (b) Records must be maintained to fully identify individual animals and must include the property number, pictures (front, side, and rear), and a written description of the animal that includes markings, scars, etc.

(3) Watercraft must be marked in accordance with the requirements in IPMD 410 DM Subpart 114-60.600 or IPMD 114-60.602. We may choose not to mark watercraft that officers use in law enforcement work if it benefits the mission.

(4) We do not typically put property number stickers on firearms, but the Accountable Property Officer must attach the property number sticker to the Form DI-102 and ensure it includes the serial number and model. See 442 FW 1 for more information about firearms.