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CSUSB Storage of Surplus Items Policy

CSUSB Storage of Surplus Items Policy

Reviewed By: Administrative Council on
Approved By: President Karnig on
Reviewed By: Administrative Council on
Approved By: President Karnig on

For Interpretation of this policy, Please Contact:
Senior Director for Facilities Services, 909/537-5166, or 
Director for Procurement and Support Services, 909/537-5142

Building space is a valuable resource at CSUSB and should be utilized in a manner that best supports the university's mission. Therefore, the storage of surplus items (furniture, computers, equipment, documents) should be kept to an absolute minimum. Surplus furniture, computers, and equipment, are only to be stored in the Facilities Services Storage Facility (Building #004E) located to the south of Administrative Services – on an interim basis (typically, not more than four weeks) until they can be repurposed, recycled, or disposed of.

Archived documents that are required by policy or regulation to be kept for set periods of time may be stored in the Facilities Services Storage Facility until they can be disposed of in compliance with the published retention schedule. The Facilities Services Storage Facility is primarily to be used by state programs. Use of space in this storage facility by non-state programs may be authorized by the Senior Director of Facilities Services if space is available. Non-state programs may have to vacate space if such space is needed to support the needs of state programs

The purpose of this policy is to set forth standards and guidelines designed to control storage of university surplus items and retention of documents while best supporting the university’s mission.

Responsibility

Primary responsibility for storage inside the Facilities Services Storage Facility (Building #004E) rests with the Facilities Services' Recycling Coordinator and the maintenance and security for this area are within Facilities Services' purview. Campus departments must ensure that all university property is disposed or relocated in accordance with policies and procedures set forth in the CSUSB Property Management Handbook. The transfer of property for reuse, disposal, or recycling is coordinated between the Property Coordinator and the Recycling Coordinator.

The Storage of Surplus Items (Equipment or Non-Equipment)

Definitions: Equipment is defined by the State as a movable article of property which has all of the following characteristics: 1) a normal useful life of two years or more, 2) an identity which does not change with use, 3) a nature which makes formal property accountability practical, and 4) a unit cost of $500.00 or more including tax and shipping. Typical examples of equipment items include computers, printers, copiers, vehicles, scientific equipment, and audio-visual equipment. Typical examples of non-equipment items include all office and classroom furniture such as chairs, desks, file cabinets, etc.; and less expensive electronic devices such as printers, monitors and calculators.

The Facilities Services Storage Facility (Building #004E) will be utilized as a temporary holding facility only, pending the final disposition of designated items. Departments may request surplus equipment items to be moved to this storage area for reuse, disposal, or recycling through the Property Coordinator. The procedures and forms for such requests are detailed in the CSUSB Property Management Handbook.

The Property Coordinator will complete the required paperwork to remove equipment items from CSUSB inventory records and will coordinate the move of the items with Custodial Services.

To arrange for the removal of non-equipment items, departments shall contact Custodial Services to arrange for the items to be moved to the Facilities Services Storage Facility. No paperwork needs to be completed for the disposal of non-equipment items. Because such items are those that, because of their lesser dollar value (under $500), are not tagged or inventoried.

As moving services are not considered to be a maintenance function, such services will be performed on a chargeback basis by Facilities Services’ Custodial Services, based on the actual costs of in-house labor or contractor pricing (per Executive Order 847).

The Recycling Coordinator and Property Coordinator will determine the appropriate final disposition of surplus items moved to the storage facility by coordinating any of the following options:

  • Offered to campus departments
  • Sold at auction or through sealed bid sale
  • Transferred to another State agency
  • Donated to a non-profit organization or a state public school
  • Redeemed for scrap value
  • Discarded properly, if item has no residual value

Departmental personnel do not have the authority to dispose of state-owned surplus items. The Recycling Coordinator and Property Coordinator must manage such disposal.

Storage of Hazardous Material

No hazardous substances, wastes, liquids, or materials are to be stored in the Facilities Services Storage Facility. Such hazardous items must be stored in compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Specific information on storage of these materials can be obtained by contacting the Environmental Health and Safety Department.

Prohibited Storage

Surplus items may not be stored in hallways, stairwells or any other non-designated storage areas of campus buildings – particularly those with public access. Items stored in hallways and stairwells violate safety exit requirements and will be removed for disposal. Storage which hampers access or is combustible can create a potential fire and safety hazard, and it shall be the responsibility of the administrator to whom the space is assigned to ensure such prohibited storage does not occur.

Storage of Documents

As much as practicable, records should be archived electronically and kept on a secured electronic storage device. Any sensitive paper documents should then be shredded.

Departments may store documents in the Facilities Services’ Storage Facility. All documents must be in boxes and neatly labeled with the department’s name, storage date and destruction date in compliance with the published retention schedule. Because space is limited, documents will only be kept for mandated time periods. The Recycling Coordinator will review all stored items monthly and coordinate with the applicable department disposal of out of date documents.

Although Facilities Services tries to maintain this building as clean as possible, it should be noted that the Facilities Services Storage Facility is subject to dust, dirt, and vermin due to its location and construction. 

Security Access to the Facilities Services Storage Policy

In order to maintain the security of this storage area, keys for this facility will be issued on an as needed basis at the Facilities Services front desk in the Facilities Management Building (FM). It will be the responsibility of all key holders to lock the facility and to return the keys to Facilities Services after use. Access to the facility will only be approved to facilitate the retrieval or authorized storage of documents.

Storage of sensitive documents shall be secured within an enclosed, locked cage funded by the requesting department. Storage of any other items must be approved and coordinated through Facilities Services’ Recycling Coordinator. It is essential that storage of any items be carefully managed by Facilities Services.

No unauthorized storage of excess materials is allowed.

Departmental Storage

Departments may have their own storage facilities on campus for instructional equipment or other items of value. These storage areas are not affected by this policy. However, all departments are urged to minimize the utilization of any space for storage purposes. Administrators are urged to periodically review items being stored and to remove items no longer needed. All storage must comply with all fire life safety codes.

Additional Storage

To purchase additional storage space on campus, such as a cargo van or storage building, the campus must obtain Chancellor's Office approval. Departments should consult with the CSUSB Capital Planning, Design and Construction Department to provide a justification for additional storage and funding will need to be identified.

Storage Off Campus

Departments may store items off campus at commercial sites at their expense. The Purchasing Office must review and sign all contracts for the lease of space using state funds in order to ensure that the contract language meets university requirements.