Employee Property Responsibilities by Role

Director, Office of Administration
The Director, Office of Administration, has the following responsibilities:

  • Establish a personal property management program for DOE Headquarters, except for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC);
  • Appoint an Organizational Property Management Officer (OPMO) who is responsible for the Headquarters personal property management program; and
  • Approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove contractor property management systems for all DOE direct operations at Headquarters except for the FERC.

Organizational Property Management Officer (OPMO)
The OPMO has the following primary responsibilities:

  • Manage the control, management, and disposal of personal property in the custody of DOE HQ offices;
  • Educate DOE employees to ensure awareness of their responsibilities for the protection of government property in their possession;
  • Conduct continuous oversight and periodic management reviews of DOE Headquarters personal property management activities to ensure personal property management programs expectations are met, and applicable policies, procedures, practices, and standards are followed;
  • Convene the Board of Survey to investigate cases of loss, damage, and destruction (LDD);
  • Ensure that personal property policies and procedures are compliant with federal and Departmental regulations, and are up-to-date;
  • Ensure that Office of Property Management staff are trained to perform their job functions;
  • Review performance measures and develop and monitor a corrective action plan to ensure that metrics are met;
  • Oversee inventories, utilization, and declarations of excess government personal property;
  • Distribute information regarding government personal property to all Headquarters elements;
  • Represent DOE Headquarters on inter-Agency committees regarding government personal property issues;
  • Participate as a member of the OPMO Working Group;
  • Designate, in writing, the Property Accountable Officers and Property Utilization Officer;
  • Provide leadership and guidance in the use, care, rehabilitation and disposal of property;
  • Direct the preparation of documents reflecting acquisition, transfers and disposal, require receipt of all transactions; and
  • Certify inventory and other property status reports.

Property Accountable Officer (PAO)
The PAO has the following primary responsibilities:

  • Investigate matters which require Board of Survey action;
  • Oversee the identification of all accountable property items delivered from vendors to ordering offices;
  • Ensure that APRs are prepared to conduct the annual physical inventory;
  • Ensure that personal property stored at the warehouse is safeguarded from damage or misuse;
  • Ensure that all DOE accountable property is tagged; and
  • Ensure that Sunflower records are updated in a timely manner after a transaction occurs.

Property Utilization Officer (PUO)
The PUO’s responsibilities include the following:

  • Ensure that excess personal property is used to the maximum extent possible throughout DOE Headquarters;
  • Report DOE’s excess personal property to GSA;
  • Ensure that Sunflower is updated after final disposition of excess personal property;
  • Survey storage areas and consult with the OPMO on transfer of non-required property;
  • Maintain liaison with other local utilization officers and the GSA regional utilization officers to obtain needed items that have been or may be declared excess government personal property;
  • Identify and claim excess personal property from other federal agencies as part of GSA’s screening process to fill current or future authorized requirements in lieu of new procurement;
  • Dispose of property in strict accordance with the property procedures and ensure the property account is up-to date; and
  • Work closely with the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to ensure equipment with memory capability is sanitized before disposition.

Accountable Property Representatives (APR)
The APR has the following primary responsibilities:

  • Validate the accuracy of personal property in their steward organizations;
  • Promptly report any property loss, misuse of property, or any conditions which require repair or create a hazardous working or living environment;
  • Notify the PUO when property is no longer required;
  • Review the property listing for accuracy on a semiannual and annual basis;
  • Assist the Office of Property Management in conducting the annual physical inventory;
  • Advise the organization on administrative actions, directives, and instructions regarding the management of personal property;
  • Maintain accountability for all property in the organization until relieved by a formal transfer of accountability;
  • Answer to the OPMO and PAO on all property matters;
  • Advise COs and staff on property directives, inventory procedures, and other related property matters;
  • Use Sunflower to perform property management functions and to monitor accountable assets in their organization;
  • Ensure that government personal property is properly accounted for, controlled, protected, and used;
  • Receive all reports of government personal property loss, theft, damage, or destruction; handle such situations and assist reporting employees in completing the HQ F 1400.20, “Retirement Work Order”;
  • Participate in inventories of government personal property as scheduled by the PAO and reconcile all inventory discrepancies;
  • Monitor movement and hand receipts on sensitive items of government personal property;
  • Conduct a physical inventory of all government personal property in the employee’s custody upon the transfer or separation of the employee;
  • Ensure property accounts for their respective organizations are current and accurate;
  • Present all acquisitions of accountable property for headquarters accountability to the Office of Property Management for identification and accountability regardless of the procurement method (e.g., purchase card, DOE/C-Web, Headquarters vs. field office);
  • Manage the movement of property within their respective organizations;
  • Conduct periodic walk-through of steward organization; and
  • Coordinate with purchase card holder(s) to ensure that accountable property purchased with a Government Purchase Card has been tagged appropriately and is captured in the asset management system.

Custodial Officer (CO)
The CO’s responsibilities include the following:

  • Perform periodic walk-through of their custodial area and notify the APR if any untagged property is located so that it can be recorded and tagged;
  • Report immediately to the appropriate security office and APR any incident when property is declared lost, damaged, or destroyed (LDD);
  • Submit a description of the circumstances surrounding the LDD to the APR documenting the circumstances and notifying their supervisor of the action taken;
  • Conduct and verify the results of physical inventories of the personal property within their custodial area(s) as directed by the APR or PAO;
  • Assist the APR with the reconciliation of discrepancies discovered during inventories;
  • Verify the return of all property assigned to employees leaving DOE and advise the APR to sign the personal property section of the “Employee Final Separation Clearance” (HQ F 3293.1); and
  • Issue “Property Removal Authorization” (PRA) or “Certificate of Property Receipt” to employees.

Board of Survey (BOS)
The Board of Survey is composed of three to five members serving three-year terms with representation from the various Program Elements. Neither OPMOs, PAOs, PUO, nor APRs are eligible to serve on the BOS but may act in an advisory capacity if requested. The BOS serves as a fact-finding body charged with determining the circumstances and conditions of each case in which DOE property is declared LDD. BOS members are appointed by the Director, Office of Logistics, and Facilities Management. BOS members must remove themselves and request a substitute for any case involving their Program Element, The BOS’s responsibilities include:

  • Conducting thorough investigations and examining all presented evidence;
  • Reviewing Retirement Work Orders;
  • Listing all relevant property information; and
  • Determining whether the employee(s) involved are at fault for the LDD property.

DOE Employees and Contractors
At all times, DOE employees and contractors are responsible for the following:

  • Protect all government personal property;
  • Maintain government personal property in the same condition as received, allowing for normal wear and tear;
  • Notify the organization’s APR before any government personal property transaction occurs, such as transfer or removal of government personal property from the premises;
  • Obtain a “Property Removal Authorization” form, signed by an authorized issuing officer, before removing government personal property from the premises;
  • Sign for a “Certification of Property Receipt of all personally assigned property (e.g. PDAs, cell phones);
  • Return all property to the APR or Custodial Officer upon leaving the organization or Department and complete an HQ F 3293.1, “Employee Final Separation Clearance”;
  • Notify the organization’s APR of loss or theft of government personal property within 24 hours from the time of discovery; and
  • Make property available during the annual physical inventory or upon request from a member of the Office of Property Management.

Property Lifecycle Components

Personal property management requires a lifecycle approach to be effective.  There are four major phases in the personal property lifecycle: acquisition, receipt, utilization, and disposal. Each phase has distinct processes and procedures associated with it to maintain proper stewardship of the Department’s assets.  If the processes and procedures in one phase are not followed, it makes it difficult to establish and maintain accountability in the subsequent phase.

Acquisition ⇒ Receipt ⇒Utilization ⇒ Disposition

Office and
Function
AcquisitionReceiptUtilizationDisposal
Property Roles and Responsibilities by Office and Function
APRIdentifies property available from excess to fulfill an acquisition requestRecords end user and location information

Collects "Certificates of Property Receipt" and "Property Removal Authorizations" from end users

Accepts transfers into their inventory in a timely manner

Prepares steward organization for inventory

Processes property transfers and loans

Identifies idle property for reutilization

Updates Certificates, PRAs, and employee separation documentation

Updates Sunflower property records as events occur

APR-Initiates disposal actions

Assists in investigating loss, stolen, or damaged property

CIOPurchases IT equipmentNotifies warehouse of large shipmentsUpdates property records after refreshes or other transactionsSanitizes IT equipment
Employees and ContractorsSubmits property documentation to APRs for Purchase Card transactions Prepares for annual inventory and walk-throughsSupports investigation of LDD property

Completes Employee Final Clearance Separation

Office of Property ManagementMaintains inventory of excess property for reutilization

Provide oversight of receiving and tagging process

Records asset information into Sunflower

Conducts annual inventory campaign

Conducts annual training sessions

Maintains Sunflower records

Identifies and stores property for reutilization

Supports Board of Survey process

Updates property records at disposition

OPAMIssues policy guidance Consolidates annual inventory reportsServes as National Utilization Officer to coordinate access to GSA disposal programs

Submits annual property reports to GSA

Program ElementsUses excess property as the first source of supply for property needsEnsures that APRs receive regular training

Ensures that end users comply with property regulations

Notifies APRs of idle equipment for reutilizationEnsures that all excess is properly sanitized prior to disposal
WarehouseReceives purchase requisitions to prepare for shipment receiptReceives and tags propertyRepairs property

Moves/ships property

Prepares property for reutilization or disposal

MAAdm updated 03/30/2018 - New Format