Certain categories of acquisitions (primarily those not involving purchases) are processed on an Equipment Inventory Modification Request (EIMR). The most common (more or less in descending order of frequency) of these categories are:

1. Fabrications
2. Equipment Brought to UCSB by a New Faculty Member
3. Equipment on Loan to UCSB
4. Recovered Equipment
5. Found Equipment

In order to report these acquisitions, a department must prepare a hard copy EIMR (the PDF form is available at http://www.busserv.ucsb.edu/Forms/EIMR.pdf), obtain the necessary signatures and send the EIMR to Equipment Management.

Departments cannot process on-line EIMRs to record acquisitions or re-acquisitions: only Equipment Management can create, assign or reactivate property numbers and therefore only Equipment Management can initiate the on-line process.

FABRICATIONS

Equipment Management initiates most EIMRs related to fabrications, at the point when the value of a fabrication (usually via low value or shop charges) crosses the $5,000 inventorial equipment threshold. Once the property number is assigned, Equipment Management sends a copy of the EIMR, with the property tag attached, to the department for its information and tagging of the fabrication. Occasionally, however, departments may need to prepare an EIMR related to a fabrication, usually when recording its completion.

1. When preparing the EIMR, complete the header information: Department Name, Inventorial Custody Code to which the fabrication is to be assigned, Contact and Contact Phone.

2. Under the Type of Transaction, check the “Fabrication” box.

3. Under Remarks, enter a description of the transaction. It is helpful to include the location (building and room) and user information for the fabrication, so this information can be entered into the CATS record (if not already on file).

4. If there are any inventorial components to the fabrication (pieces of equipment that received their own property numbers), enter this information in the Equipment Identification section of the EIMR. Attachments may be used.

5. Under Department Fabrication, enter the fabrication’s values, divided as necessary between Labor Costs (machine, etc. shop charges), Materials & Supplies (generally purchased on a low value number but also via purchase order), Equipment Components (the total of the items listed in the Equipment Identification section) and the TOTAL Cost of the Fabrication. Attachments may be used to provide a complete list of expenses.

More detailed information on fabrications will be provided, at a later date, elsewhere on the Equipment Management website.

EQUIPMENT BROUGHT TO UCSB BY A NEW FACULTY MEMBER

Occasionally, new faculty members bring equipment to UCSB which was acquired at their former institution. The process for adding these assets into CATS is slightly different, depending upon whether the new faculty member is arriving from another UC campus or a non-UC institution.

When the faculty member transfers from another UC, the EIMR is generally initiated at the original UC campus and sent to UCSB Equipment Management by the Equipment Management department at that campus. The two Equipment Management departments coordinate the intercampus transfer. Since the asset already has a UC property number (issued at the original campus), all equipment information is entered into CATS using that existing property number.

Sometimes, however, equipment may have been removed from the original campus without the knowledge of the local Equipment Management department and therefore remains on inventory at the original campus. In order to avoid this kind of situation, the UCSB department should always ask the in-coming faculty member if he or she is bringing any equipment to UCSB from his or her original UC campus. If yes, verify that an EIMR was prepared at the original campus and is in route to UCSB. If an EIMR was not prepared, call Equipment Management: we will ask for the property numbers and contact Equipment Management at the original UC campus to process the necessary transactions.

An intercampus transfer EIMR is prepared whether the transfer is “no cost” or the UCSB department pays for the equipment via an intercampus recharge.

When the transfer is from a non-UC institution, the EIMR to record the acquisition of the new equipment is prepared by the UCSB department.

1. When a new faculty member arrives from a non-UC institution, ask if he or she is bringing any equipment to UCSB. (Sometimes UCSB purchases equipment from the former institution – in that case, property numbers will be assigned from the purchase order; EIMRs are only used to process no-cost transfers.)

2. If the answer is yes, get a complete list of any equipment with a current estimated value equal to or greater than the $5,000 inventorial equipment threshold. Since the list needs to be fairly detailed, it is best to provide it as an attachment to the EIMR and not attempt to enter the information onto the Equipment Identification section.

3. For each piece of equipment, provide the following information:

   Description (microcomputer, spectrometer, etc.) Manufacturer Model Number Serial Number Estimated Value Location (Building, Room) User Code Condition (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor)

4. When preparing the EIMR, complete the header information: Department Name, Inventorial Custody Code to which the equipment is to be assigned, Contact and Contact Phone.

5. Under the Type of Transaction, check the “Other” box.

6. Under Remarks, enter a description of the transaction, generally a brief one providing the faculty member’s name, former institution and the fact that a complete list of equipment is attached.
   
   No further sections of the EIMR need be completed (the Transfer section is reserved for transactions in which both sides are UC entities – the originating and the receiving departments and/or campuses).

EQUIPMENT ON LOAN TO UCSB

Equipment may be loaned to UCSB by an individual (sometimes a faculty or staff member), an external agency or institution, or a department at another UC campus.

When the loan is from another UC, the EIMR is generally initiated at the original UC campus and sent to UCSB Equipment Management by the Equipment Management department at that campus. Since the asset already has a UC property number, all equipment information is entered into CATS using that existing property number.

Sometimes, the equipment may have been loaned to UCSB without the knowledge of the Equipment Management department at the original campus. If your department becomes aware of an intercampus loan, verify that an EIMR was prepared at the original campus and is in route to UCSB. If an EIMR was not prepared, call UCSB Equipment Management: we will ask for the property numbers and contact Equipment Management at the original UC campus to process the necessary transactions.

When the loan is from a non-UC institution (usually as part of an extramural award, where the granting agency loans UCSB equipment as part of the project), the EIMR to record the loan is prepared by the UCSB department.

It is especially important to inform UCSB Equipment Management of loaned items of equipment from non-UC sources because TITLE TO THE EQUIPMENT DOES NOT VEST WITH THE UNIVERSITY – IT CONTINUES TO VEST WITH THE EXTERNAL INDIVIDUAL OR AGENCY. Equipment Management has been embarrassed, several times, when its final equipment report for a Federal contract was rejected because it did not include a piece of equipment that was loaned by the government to UCSB and this loan had never been reported to Equipment Management by the UCSB department.

1. When preparing the EIMR, complete the header information: Department Name, Inventorial Custody Code to which the loaned equipment is to be assigned, Contact and Contact Phone.

2. Under the Type of Transaction, check the “Other” box.

3. Under Remarks, enter a description of the transaction, generally a brief one providing the name of the piece of equipment, the individual or agency from which it has been borrowed, and the title/number of the loan document.

4. A copy of the loan agreement and/or shipping document (frequently provided in the case of government loans) should be attached to the EIMR before it is sent to Equipment Management. This document should include a full description of the item(s) of loaned equipment, including manufacturer, model number, serial number and value. Please provide the location of the equipment at UCSB.
   
   No further sections of the EIMR need be completed (the Loaned/Borrowed section is reserved for transactions in which both sides are UC entities – the loaning and borrowing departments and/or campuses).

NOTE: Some UCSB departments obtain excess or surplus equipment via the Federal Surplus Program. Since the government retains the right to recall these items in times of emergency, UCSB must record them as “Loans of Federal Equipment” and not as outright acquisitions: title continues to vest with the Federal government.

RECOVERED EQUIPMENT

Recovered equipment is equipment with a UC property number which was previously reported as being either lost or stolen and removed from inventory via a Disposal EIMR. In a small number of cases, the equipment is discovered during a subsequent physical inventory (therefore, it was never actually lost) or is recovered as part of a police investigation of the theft.

Recovered equipment has an existing UC property number (distinguishing it from found equipment: see below).

1. When preparing the EIMR, complete the header information: Department Name, Inventorial Custody Code of the recovered equipment, Contact and Contact Phone.

2. Under the Type of Transaction, check the “Other” box.

3. Under Remarks, enter a description of the transaction, generally a brief one describing the circumstances surrounding the recovery and a reference to the disposal (lost/stolen) EIMR number.

4. In the Equipment Identification section, provide the property number of the recovered asset(s), the description (for cross-referencing) and value. Manufacturer, model number and serial number are not required, since the record remains in CATS and the asset only needs to be returned to active status: technically, the transaction is a re-acquisition, not a new acquisition.

FOUND EQUIPMENT

Found equipment differs from recovered equipment in that it is equipment which never had a UC property number (to the best of anyone’s knowledge).

In very rare circumstances, a department discovers a piece of equipment while conducting a physical inventory, an item whose origins are a mystery. If the estimated value of the piece of equipment is greater than the $5,000 inventorial equipment threshold, a UC property number needs to be assigned.

1. For each piece of equipment, provide the following information:

   Description (microcomputer, spectrometer, etc.) Manufacturer Model Number Serial Number Location (Building, Room) User Code Condition (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor) Estimated Current Value

2. When preparing the EIMR, complete the header information: Department Name, Inventorial Custody Code of the found equipment, Contact and Contact Phone.

3. Under the Type of Transaction, check the “Other” box.

4. Under Remarks, a description of the transaction, generally a brief one describing the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the item, including a mention of the fact that full asset information is provided on an attachment.

The Equipment Identification section does not need to be completed, if an attachment is provided.

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