Personal Property Definitions and Acronyms

Definitions

The definition of personal property includes but it not limited to the following:

Accountability - A property management function that involves maintaining an account or record of personal property and personal property transactions from receipt to final disposition.

Accountable Personal Property - any property item having an original unit acquisition cost of $10,000 or more, or meeting the sensitive property/High Risk Personal Property (HRPP) definitions, or precious metals. Accountable property records must be managed and maintained current in a property management system of record from inception to formal disposition and removal from DOE inventory.

Accountable Property Representative (APR) - A DOE employee with responsibility for managing assets within their steward organizations; also works to ensure information about the DOE HQ Office of Property Management is transmitted to their respective Program Office.

Acquisition - Obtaining personal property through purchase, lease, or transfer (from another DOE steward organization, Program Element, or another federal agency).

Administratively Controlled Property - Personal Property controlled at the discretion of individual DOE offices, but for which there is no DOE requirement to maintain formal records.

Barcode Decals - A label marking property as property of U.S. DOE that is attached to each personal property item.

Board of Survey - A decision-making committee, comprised of three to five members serving three-year terms with representation from the various Program Elements responsible for reviewing RWOs.

Capitalized Personal Property - The capitalization threshold for items acquired prior to October 1, 2011 is $50,000. For items acquired on or after October 1, 2011, the threshold is $500,000. Capital equipment is to be managed in accordance with DOE Financial Management Handbook.

Centralized Receiving - Occurs when an item arrives to either the warehouse or loading dock for processing by the Office of Property Management.

Cannibalization - The removal of parts of an unusable piece of property to be used to repair a like item.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - An individual designated by a Contracting Officer to provide technical assistance in the administration of a contract within the limits of the authority delegated by the Contracting Officer.

Custodial Officer - A DOE employee charged with ensuring accountability for personal property within his/her assigned Program Element.

Decentralized Receiving - When personal property is directly delivered to the end user, the requisitioner is responsible for providing the purchasing documentation to the APR within 72 hours of receipt, so that the item can be inspected, tagged and recorded in Sunflower.

The Energy Asset Disposal System (EADS) - A DOE HQ system for screening reportable excess DOE personal property.

Equipment - Any item of personal property having a unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more and having the potential for maintaining its integrity (i.e. not expendable due to use) as an item.

Exchange/Trade-In - Occurs when the vendor applies the value of the replaced item toward the purchase price of the new similar item.

Excess Personal Property - Personal property under the control of any federal agency that is not required for that agency’s needs, as determined by the head of the agency or designee.

Expendable Personal Property - Personal property, regardless of cost or dollar value, that is consumed, loses its identity, or becomes an integral part of other property.

Federal Agency - Any executive agency or any establishment in the legislative or judicial branch of the Government (except the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Architect of the Capitol and any activities under his/her direction).

Grant - A type of assistance award and a legal instrument that permits a federal agency to transfer money, property, services, or other things of value to a grantee when no substantial involvement is anticipated between the agency and the recipient during the performance of the contemplated activity. The term “grant,” as used in the Handbook, refers to both a grant and a cooperative agreement, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Government Personal Property - Government-owned or Government-leased (from commercial sources) items of any kind (except real property or property related to real property) that are in the custody of DOE personnel or DOE contractors.

GSA Screening Process - A process administered by the General Services Administration that allows other federal agencies to claim excess property offered for reutilization.

HQ Personal Property Management Council (PPMC) - The HQ PPMC was established to enhance the stewardship and accountability of the personal property program at the DOE HQ.

Information Technology - Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission or reception of data or information by the executive agency. The term "information technology" includes computers, ancillary equipment, and software.

Intra-Agency Screening Period - The 15-day period in which Program Elements can claim excess personal property offered by another Program Element before the personal property is reported to the General Services Administration as excess for DOE.

Loaned Property - Loaned property is given from a DOE Program Element to an extended organization for a specified amount of time. At the end of the time period, the property is then returned to the entity from where it originated.

Lost, Damaged, or Destroyed Property - Property that is known to have been stolen, lost, or damaged and an extensive search has failed to result in recovery.

Nonexpendable Personal Property - Personal property, that, regardless of cost or dollar value, has a normal life expectancy of more than one year, has continuing use as a self-contained unit, is not consumed in use, does not lose its identity when put to use, or does not ordinarily become a non-severable component of other personal property.

Office Furnishings - Articles that supplement office furniture and augment the utility of the space assigned. These articles include lamps, desk trays, waste receptacles, draperies, carpets, and rugs.

Office Furniture - Items normally associated with the occupancy or use in such areas as offices, conference and reception rooms, institutional waiting rooms, lobbies, and libraries. Such items include computer furniture, desks, tables, credenzas, bookcases, coat racks, telephone cabinets, filing sections and cabinets, security containers, chairs, and sofas.

Other Accountable Property - Accountable property records may also be established for items that do not otherwise meet the accountable property threshold or sensitive/high risk definitions or precious metals, when the OPMO has determined that, notwithstanding its acquisition cost, an item must be controlled and managed to protect against unauthorized use, disclosure, or loss; or whenever required by law, policy, regulation, or agency direction. Examples of such property considerations include:

(a) Property containing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), as determined by the site’s cyber security Risk Management Approach or appropriate program management;

(b) Pilferable items, i.e., designated by each organizational entity, as especially subject to loss, and if unaccounted for, presents a significant concern for disruption to mission operations.

Organizational Property Management Officer - The DOE employee appointed to have responsibility, authority, and accountability required to effectively control the acquisition, use, and disposal of personal property.

Personal Property - Includes all equipment, material, and supplies not classified as real property (Refer to 41 CFR Chapter 102-71). The term excludes records of the Federal Government and naval vessels of the following categories: battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines.

Physical Inventory - The verification of the existence, location, and quantity of property items.

Pilferable Items - Property that has a ready resale value or application to personal possession and that are, therefore, especially subject to theft.

Property Accountable Officer - A DOE employee who ensures the effective administration and maintenance of a personal property control and accountability system within his/her Program Element.

Property Administrators - Authorized representatives of the contracting officer and are responsible for performing delegated contract administration functions, developing and applying an oversight program, and advising Contracting Officers and the OPMO of any contractor noncompliance.

Property Transfer - The transfer of personal property from one Program Element to another and the responsibility for the accountability for that personal property.

Property Utilization Officer - A DOE employee responsible for promoting the acquisition and profitable use of available excess personal property ensuring that DOE personal property is properly utilized and disposed.

Real Property - Land, together with the improvements, structures, and fixtures located thereon.

Receipt - Includes the delivery and acceptance of personal property assets in the DOE HQ inventory and the creation of its records in Sunflower.

Reconciliation - The process of comparing tagged and un-tagged property located during an inventory against those shown on the list in Sunflower. Actions to account for the ownership of items discovered during the course of inventory and to correct counts, locations, or other types of record adjustments are made to make the record whole and as accurate as possible.

Sensitive Property - Property potentially dangerous to the public safety or security if stolen, lost, or misplaced, or that shall be subject to exceptional physical security protection, control, and accountability. Examples include weapons, ammunition, explosives, controlled substances, radioactive materials, hazardous materials or wastes, or precious metals (48 CFR Subpart 45.101).

Sunflower - The official property management system for DOE. All HQ Program Elements are required to use Sunflower to maintain property accountability.

Surplus Personal Property - Excess personal property no longer required by the federal agencies, as determined by the General Services Administration.

Utilization - Begins when an item is placed in service or deployed for use by the intended recipient.

Acronym List

AO - Administrative Officer
APR - Accountable Property Representative
BOS - Board of Survey
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
CO - Custodial Officer
COP – Certificate of Property
CSC - Consolidated Services Center
DOE - United States Department of Energy
DOECOE - Department of Energy Common Operating Environment
DRMS - Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service
EADS - Energy Asset Disposal System
FAR - Federal Acquisition Regulation
FERC - Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FMR - Federal Management Regulation
HSO - Headquarters Security Officer
GFE - Government Furnished Equipment
GSA - General Services Administration
HQ - Headquarters
LDD - Loss, Damage, and Destruction
MA - Office of Management
NNSA - National Nuclear Security Administration
OCFO - Office of the Chief Financial Officer
OCIO - Office of the Chief Information Officer
OGC - Office of the General Council
OMB - Office of Management and Budget
OPAM - Office of Procurement and Assistance Management
OPMO - Organizational Property Management Officer
PA - Property Administrator
PAO - Property Accountable Officer
PF - Protective Force
POC - Point of Contact
PPMC - Personal Property Management Council
PRA - Property Removal Authorization
PUO - Property Utilization Officer
RWO - Retirement Work Order
SC - Office of Science
TP - Property Transfer or Turn-In

MAAdm updated 04/19/2018 - New Format