The Cal Overstock & Surplus Den of Property Management is responsible for the disposal of excess equipment and/or supplies. They also run the Salvage Store and conduct periodic auctions to sell lost and found items.
Excess material is defined as material that is of no immediate use within the University system. Disposal of excess material is subject to the same control process as the acquisition of material. Excess material may be disposed of in one of the following ways, whichever is considered to bring the highest net return or benefit to the University:
- Trade-in on new equipment;
- Public sale to the highest bidder;
- Sale on a "first come, first served" basis if a fair market value has been established by the Materiel Manager and the availability and the price of the item(s) are made known to the general public through newspaper advertising and/or other announcements;
- Private sale to an individual when the cost and effort involved in arranging for a sale by any of the three methods listed above would be disproportionate to the return expected, and the Materiel Manager has determined that the sale price is reasonable; or
- Donation to an organization outside the University, such as educational institutions, other governmental bodies, or non-profit organizations.
Special provisions for transfers of University-owned material acquired with federal contract and grant funds can be found in Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-38, "Disposal of Excess Material and Transfer of Federally-Funded University-Owned Material".
Property Management Department employees, or a near relative (husband, wife, mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother, and step-relatives and in-laws in the same relationships) of such employee, may not buy excess material directly from the University. No one employed in a department originating excess material, or a near relative of such employee, may buy any excess material originating in that department directly from the University. The principal driver of a University-owned motor vehicle, or a near relative of such employee, may not buy such motor vehicle directly from the University.
Equipment that has been junked or cannibalized by a department is removed from inventory when an Equipment Inventory Modification Request has been received by Property Management.