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The Equipment Transactions section brings together all of the different transactions which are performed on University equipment by the Fixed Asset Accounting area. Included in this area are acquisitions, deletions, inventory, loans, and transfers of equipment. Also included are the forms needed to complete these transactions and other resources to help you better handle University equipment.
Property belonging to Southern Illinois University Carbondale, regardless of value, is controlled under the provisions of the State of Illinois Property Control Act, and is subject to the regulations of the Department of Central Management Services as "state-owned property." The chancellor of the university is accountable for supervision, control, and inventory of all state-owned property in the custody of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. These custodianship duties and responsibilities, for property purchased by or assigned to a unit, have been delegated to the unit officer of that unit.
Tagging is done to help track items that are considered equipment, which is defined by the following. All items having a unit value exceeding $100, for the acquisition, replacement, or increase of visible tangible personal property of a non-consumable nature, including livestock, whether by purchase, lease-purchase, or installment purchase contract. Generally, items valued at $500 or greater will receive a silver barcoded tag, and those under $500 will receive a blue tag. The exceptions are those items under $500 that are most subject to theft such as cameras, iPads, and calculators. These items will receive silver tags as well.
For more details outlining policies and procedures regarding SIUC property, go to the SIUC Policies page.
New Purchases Of Equipment
New equipment for the University is usually purchased by using either a Purchase Requisition or a Procurement Card.
Purchase Requisition:
When equipment is purchased using a Purchase Requisition form, the buyer from Procurement Services forwards a copy of the Purchase Order to Fixed Assets Accounting. At the end of each month, Fixed Assets runs a report that lists all equipment purchase orders that have been paid during that month. The corresponding Purchase Orders are pulled and inventory tags are assigned as needed. The new equipment is then added to the inventory records of the designated Unit.
The inventory account to which the new equipment is added is determined by the Budget Purpose and Unit Number used to pay for the equipment. If a different Unit is to receive the new equipment, the wording on the Purchase Requisition should include “Please Capitalize to 99999”, where “99999” is the desired Inventory account. This designation should also be entered into the “Capitalize To” field in AIS.
If a department would like the new equipment to be tagged as soon as it is received, please fill out an “Equipment Tagging Request” form. Fixed Assets can pre-assign the inventory tags and have the equipment physically tagged at a designated time.
Procurement Card:
When equipment is purchased with a Procurement Card, the department must submit an “Equipment Tagging Request” form, along with a copy of the receipt or invoice, to Fixed Assets Accounting. The Equipment Transaction forms are checked against information in the P-Card System to determine when the purchases are paid and reconciled. Inventory tags are then assigned as needed and the new equipment is added to the inventory records for the designated department.
The inventory account to which the new equipment is added is determined by the Budget Purpose and Unit Number used to pay for the equipment. If the equipment should be placed on a different inventory account, please state this on the Equipment Transaction form as “Capitalize to 99999”, where “99999” is the desired inventory account. This information should also be entered into the “Comments” field in the P-Card System.
If a department would like the new equipment to be tagged as soon as it is received, please fill out an “Equipment Tagging Request” form. Fixed Assets can pre-assign the inventory tags and have the equipment physically tagged at a designated time.
Gifts Received
All gifts of equipment received by the University must be recorded in the Fixed Assets records, regardless of the method of receipt.
Equipment Received Directly by the Department:
When a department receives a gift of equipment directly from the Donor, that receipt should be reported in writing to Fixed Assets Accounting. The written notice should include a complete description of the equipment, the fair market value assigned to the equipment, and the date the equipment was received.
Fixed Assets Accounting personnel will assign equipment tags based on the information provided in the letter. The equipment will then be tagged and added to the inventory records of the receiving Department.
Equipment Received Via SIU Foundation:
Please refer to the procedures found on the web site for SIU Foundation for proper notification and reporting of equipment received.
Equipment Received By Transfer Of Title:
Any equipment that is received by the Department through a transfer of title or ownership should be reported in writing to Fixed Assets Accounting. The written notice should include a complete description of the equipment, the fair market value assigned to the equipment, and the date the equipment was received. Additional information to assist in identifying the original acquisition of the equipment (such as by lease, rental agreement, or grant) is also needed. Please include the names of fiscal officers or researchers that may be helpful in obtaining the required information.
Examples Include:
- An expiration of a lease or rental agreement in which equipment that should have been returned to the vendor is abandoned on SIU property
- A granting agency opts to surrender the equipment being used by a researcher to SIU
- A researcher brings equipment from another university to SIU
Constructed Equipment
Equipment that is built by employees for departmental use should be reported to Fixed Assets Accounting upon its completion. Notification should include a detailed description of the equipment, an estimated fair market value, the current location – building and room number, and the inventory account to which the equipment will be assigned.
Fixed Assets Accounting personnel will assign equipment tags based on the information provided. The equipment will then be tagged and added to the inventory records of the department constructing the asset.
Examples Include:
- SIU-Built Computers
- Laboratory Instruments
- Cabinets and Casework
- Racing Cars
- Robots
Guidelines For Blue Tags
All equipment regardless of value must be clearly marked to indicate that it is the property of the State of Illinois. Equipment items that do not receive a barcode tag because of their value must be identified as “Property of Southern Illinois University” through the use of a blue tag or marker.
- Select a clean, dry surface on which to place the blue tag.
- The preferred placement for the tag is the upper right hand corner of the equipment, so that the tag is easily visible for identification purposes.
- If the item is too small for a blue tag or the surface is unable to be tagged, please mark the item with a permanent marker.
- Place the blue tag on the item of equipment by removing the backing and sticking it on the equipment.
- If a tag cannot be affixed, use a permanent marker to write “SIU” on the back or bottom of the item of equipment.
Property belonging to Southern Illinois University Carbondale is controlled under the provisions of the State of Illinois Property Control Act (30 ILCS 605). Unit officers have been delegated the responsibility of maintaining proper accountability and control of the equipment within their unit.
Lost Or Stolen Equipment
Equipment that is determined to be Lost or Stolen must be reported to Fixed Assets Accounting immediately.
Lost Equipment:
If equipment is determined to be lost, an “Equipment Deletion Request” form must be filled out and submitted to Fixed Assets. Before requesting approval to remove the equipment from inventory, Fixed Assets will call the department and verify that the equipment is still missing. Once the verification is complete, Fixed Assets will prepare the necessary forms and submit the paperwork to the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) for approval to delete the equipment from inventory. The lost equipment will be removed from the department’s inventory after approval is received from CMS.
Stolen Equipment:
If equipment has been stolen, please notify Department of Public Safety immediately. All stolen equipment, regardless of the value, should be reported.
An “Equipment Deletion Request” form must be filled out and submitted to Fixed Assets. Please include a copy of the police report received from the Department of Public Safety.
Fixed Assets will prepare the necessary forms and submit the paperwork to the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) for approval to delete the equipment from inventory. The stolen equipment will be removed from the department’s inventory after approval is received from CMS.
Cannibalization Of Equipment
Cannibalization refers to the removal of parts from one piece of equipment to be used to repair or facilitate another piece of equipment. Approval must be obtained from the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) BEFORE a piece of equipment is cannibalized. Computers and other devices that have memory may no longer be cannibalized.
In order to obtain permission to cannibalize non-EDP equipment, the department must fill out an “Equipment Deletion Request” form and indicate “Cannibalization”. This form is submitted to Fixed Assets Accounting. Fixed Assets will prepare the necessary paperwork and submit the forms to CMS for approval. Once approval is granted and the paperwork is received back from CMS, a copy of the approval will be sent to the department requesting cannibalization. The cannibalized equipment is then removed from the department’s inventory records.
*** If you have any questions, please call Jani Bryant at 536-2655 for assistance. ***
Equipment To Scrap On Site
This procedure is reserved for special circumstances only and is not to be used without obtaining approval from Fixed Assets Accounting.
Equipment Trade-In
When a department wishes to trade-in current equipment for the purchase of new equipment, permission must first be obtained from the Department of Central Management Services (CMS). The Fixed Assets Accounting department is responsible for obtaining permission prior to the purchase being made.
The first step of this process is to submit an “Equipment Deletion Request” form to Fixed Assets Accounting. The equipment to be traded-in is listed on this form. A copy of this form is also submitted to Procurement Services along with the purchase requisition. After a vendor is selected and the trade-in value is known, Procurement Services forwards a copy of the Purchase Order to Fixed Assets Accounting.
Fixed Assets prepares the necessary paperwork and sends the information to CMS for approval. Once approval is granted and the paperwork is received from CMS, a copy of the approval is forwarded to Procurement Services and to the department buying the new equipment. The old equipment is removed from your inventory records when the purchase order for the new equipment, showing the trade-in information, has been paid.
In some instances, vendors who extend a trade-in allowance on the purchase of new equipment fail to pick up and remove the old equipment. In such cases, an “Equipment Transfer to Surplus Property” form is necessary to have the old equipment physically removed from your area.
Miscellaneous Deletions
Replacement By Vendor
Sometimes a vendor will replace a defective unit instead of repairing it. If SIU tagged equipment is replaced by the vendor, please notify Jani Bryant at Fixed Assets at 536-2655. She will issue a new tag number for the replacement item. A member of our tagging staff will come to your department to affix the tag to the new equipment and record model numbers, serial numbers, and the location of the equipment. The original item will be removed from your inventory listing.
Sale Of Equipment
All equipment owned by SIU is property of the State of Illinois. Central Management Services (CMS), a department of the State of Illinois, must approve the sale of any state property. All proceeds from sales of state property are required to be deposited to State Surplus Property Revolving Fund except under special circumstances in which CMS may grant an exemption.
Transfer Of Sponsored Project Equipment With Researcher
The University must have written approval from Central Management Services (CMS), a department of the State of Illinois, before any equipment may be removed from SIU. Contact Jani Bryant at Fixed Assets (jani@siu.edu) to obtain a “Request to Permanently Transfer Sponsored Project Equipment with Researcher” form. Return the completed form to:
Jani Bryant
Fixed Assets
Accounting Services
Mail Code: 6812
The equipment may not be transferred until written approval is received from CMS. Transfer of equipment without this approval is a violation of state regulations.
Equipment On Loan
SIUC's Policies and Procedures states that, "University property may be temporarily removed from university premises when it is determined by the fiscal officer and dean or director that such removal will advance the university programs or activities of that unit." Even though the equipment is located off-campus, it should still be used exclusively for university-related business or activities. The department should keep a record of short-term removals in a log maintained in the department. Removals of a longer duration should be documented with a properly completed "Equipment Loan Form". Loans will expire at the end of each fiscal year and must be renewed annually.
Transferred Equipment
Equipment is usually added to the inventory of the account that provides the money for the purchase. When that department no longer needs the equipment, it may be transferred to another department.
As a general rule, a department may not transfer equipment that is not on their inventory listing. If that item has a numeric barcode tag, it probably belongs to another department and will be on their inventory listing. The exception is an item with a blue tag or a non-risk item that is no longer active on inventory. If you are unsure as to whether you may transfer the item, please call Bonnie Stoffel at 536-2653. She will check and let you know.
To Surplus Property
Surplus Property, a division of Procurement Services, has been established as the University's clearing department for equipment that is no longer usable by its current department, and also redistributes this used equipment to any department on campus. In order to transfer equipment to Surplus Property, all items, including blue tags and non-risk items should be listed on an "Equipment Transfer to Surplus Property" form and forwarded to Surplus Property. (Listing blue tags and non-risk items helps Surplus Property to schedule the trucks and laborers that will be needed to transport the items.)
After the information has been verified and assigned a log number, Surplus Property will e-mail a copy of the form with the log number back to the originating department’s contact person. Additional items may not be added to the form after it has been assigned a log number. Surplus Property will make arrangements to pick-up the equipment.
Special consideration must be taken when sending computer hardware and any other magnetic media to Surplus Property. These items must be cleared of all institutional data and software and have the “Scrub Tag” applied before they can leave your department. Please refer to the policy, procedures, and frequently asked questions relating to the Data Security on State Computers Act as amended by Public Act 97-0390.
If you have special instructions regarding the pick-up of this equipment, please call at Surplus Property, 453-2590.
The equipment will remain active on your inventory account until Fixed Assets received verification that Surplus Property has received it.
Inter-Departmental (From One University Account To Another)
Transfers of equipment items to departments other than Surplus Property may be permitted. To accomplish this, an "Equipment Transfer Request" form must be prepared, approved, and signed by the unit officers of both the transferring and receiving departments. The completed form should be forwarded to Fixed Assets for processing.
To/From Another State Agency (Outside The University)
If a unit officer wishes to transfer equipment to/from another State agency, an "Equipment Transfer Request" should be completed. (Note: The other agency’s form may be used to transfer items to SIU as long as it contains all of the required information and signatures. Required information includes the other agency’s name and agency code, tag number, description, cost, and acquisition date.) The completed form should be forwarded to Fixed Assets for processing. Fixed Asset staff will review the paperwork and assign SIU tag number(s) and the equipment will be added to the receiving department’s inventory.
e-Forms
SIU Carbondale has a Web page called the Central Electronic Forms Library which was created to consolidate electronic forms on campus under a single format. The format used is Adobe Acrobat's portable document format (PDF) which has become the standard in electronic forms today. On this Web page you will find an index of forms along with a search utility to help you find the form you need. Detailed instructions describing how to create and publish a form as well as links to the software required to fill out a form. There is also a section with detailed information on using digital signatures.
Forms that are specific to the Fixed Asset area of the Accounting Services Department are listed as links below along with a short description of each.
- Equipment Transfer to Surplus Property Request (Used to provide documentation of equipment transfers to surplus property.)
- Equipment Deletion Request (Used to provide documentation of deleted equipment.)
- Equipment Loan Request (Used to provide documentation of equipment loans.)
- Equipment Transfer Request (Used to provide documentation of equipment transfers.)
- Equipment Transaction Form (Used to alert Fixed Assets that equipment was purchased with a P-Card.)
- Equipment Tagging Request Form (Used to request Fixed Assets to tag newly purchased equipment.)
Fixed Asset Forms
The following information was compiled to help you better manage your Unit’s fixed assets.
Annual Inventory And Location Certification
The Annual Inventory And Location Certification form was sent to each Unit with their annual inventory. If you did not receive this information please use the following link to download a new copy.
Annual Inventory And Location Certification
SIUC Unit Numbers
This SIUC Unit Number listing can be used to identify Unit's and their description.
SIU Building Numbers
Campus Mail Service maintains a list of university building names along with their building number and address. This list can be found on the Campus Mail Service Web page.
Equipment Location Change
If a piece of equipment has been moved to another location within the same department, you should submit the updated location on and "Equipment Transfer Request" form. You may also submit location changes when you return your annual inventory verification listings.
Expense Account
The expense account is part of an asset’s assignment in AIS. It is the account to which Depreciation Expense would be charged (debited) for a particular asset. Within a book (FA_Carbondale, FA_Univ_Wide, FA_President), the only thing that changes for an expense account is the unit segment (segment 2). The unit identifies the department which is responsible for the asset. You may query AIS to find the assets assigned to an expense account by using your FA Managerial Inquiry Responsibility. Choose Inquiry, then Financial Information. A “Find Assets” window will open. In the box that allows you to choose different alternate regions, choose “Find by Assignments”. You will need to enter a book and then the expense account. All segments of the expense account are required and can be found below.
| FA_CARBONDALE | FA_PRESIDENT | FA_UNIV_WIDE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund |
2861805 | 0869004 | 1869004 | |||
Unit |
Enter Your Unit | Enter Your Unit | Enter Your Unit | |||
Budget Purpose |
281805 | 059004 | 159004 | |||
Dept Act 1 |
00000 | 00000 | 00000 | |||
Dept Act 2 |
00000 | 00000 | 00000 | |||
Function |
00 | 00 | 00 | |||
Natural Account |
50000 | 50000 | 50000 | |||
Object |
8298 | 8298 | 8298 | |||
SOF |
00 | 00 | 00 | |||
FFY |
YY | YY | YY | |||
Institutional Activity |
00 | 00 | 00 | |||
Future Use |
0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
Retirement Type Codes
Retirement Type Codes tell us the reason that an asset was retired in the system. If you “View Details” of the “Transaction History” for an asset that is retired, you will see a field for Retirement Type. It is a numeric field and you can use this cross reference table to tell you what those numeric codes mean.
| Retirement Type Code | Description |
|
|---|---|---|
| 8205 | Adjustment - Deletions | |
| 8215 | Cannibalized for Parts | |
| 8220 | Demolition of Building | |
| 8247 | Lost Asset | |
| 8280 | Scrapped | |
| 8282 | Sale of Asset | |
| 8284 | Stolen Asset | |
| 8287 | Traded In | |
| 8289 | Transfers of Assets to Carbondale/Springfield | |
| 8291 | Transfers of Assets to Edwardsville | |
| 8293 | Transfers of Assets to
Other State Agency (CMS State Surplus Property) |
Fixed Asset Terms
Asset Key Flexfield - This flexfield stores historical buying account information. It consists of 10 segments.
- Segments 1-7 - These segments store AIS buying account information, such as the fund, unit, or budget purpose.
- Segment 8 - This segment stores a state transaction code that is used in recording journal entries into the General Ledger.
- Segment 9 - This segment stores the FAS buying account information for assets converted from the legacy system, or which are not currently purchased through AIS, such as grant or P-card purchases.
- Segment 10 - This segment is not used in Carbondale.
Asset Number - Unique identifying number assigned to an asset by the AIS system. It appears on reports, but is not physically located on the equipment. This number is often used as a reference column to link Fixed Asset Tables.
Asset Type - The AIS system considers an asset to be either “Capitalized” or “Expensed”.
Assignments - This is one of the Fixed Asset alternate regions. The 2 primary sources of information are the Expense Account and the Location Flexfield.
Cannibalize - To use a part(s) from one piece of equipment to repair another piece(s) of equipment. If you mark the box to cannibalize equipment, the Equipment Deletion Request form is NOT forwarded to Surplus Property for equipment pick-up.
Capitalized - Equipment that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more is recorded as equipment in the University financial statements. Depreciation will be calculated and recorded in the financial statements as well.
- Note: An asset is not dropped from inventory once it is fully depreciated. The Illinois Department of Central Management Services requires us to report based on the historic cost of an asset, not its current book value.
Category Descriptive Flexfield - A descriptive flexfield is an optional field in which to store information. It consists of 5 segments.
- Segment 1 - Stores the old tag number if an asset has been retagged.
- Segment 2 - Stores the tagging certification date for Springfield. It’s not currently being used in Carbondale.
- Segment 3 - Set up to store the tagger’s initials. It’s not currently being used in Carbondale.
- Segment 4 - Stores the last date the item was verified by Fixed Asset (formerly Property Control staff). It’s not being widely used yet, but in the future we hope to incorporate this with a bar code inventory interface.
- Segment 5 - Stores comments. It’s not widely used yet, but we can record additional information such as “looks like…” or “stored in ….”
Category Flexfield - The asset category provides more descriptive information about the asset. It consists of 4 segments.
- Segment 1 - Provides ownership (leased vs. owned) & asset type (capitalized vs. expensed) information, as well as information about the type (land, building, equipment, etc.) of asset.
- Segment 2 - Provides the SAMS (CUSAS) code.
- Segment 3 - Provides a brief verbal description of the SAMS code.
- Segment 4 - It may break down the SAMS classification into smaller groupings. However, it’s not used for every SAMS code.
Expense Account - This is the account to which depreciation expense would be charged if an asset is depreciated. It is a required field even if the asset is expensed. The Unit Segment (Segment 2) identifies the department that is responsible for a particular asset. The entire flexfield drives many of the fixed asset reports and journal entries into the General Ledger.
Location Flexfield - Segments of the location flexfield store the building and room to which an asset has been assigned.
Tag Number - Identifying number physically placed on equipment for inventory purposes. In most cases, the number is on a numeric bar code decal. However, older equipment may have the tag number on a metal tag. The tag number is also usually written on the equipment item by the tagger.
Unit Officer - As a general rule, this will be the department head. This is the person who should sign Fixed Asset forms, such as the Change of Status or Inventory Verification.