Personal Property Fact Sheet

Who is Responsible for what?

Department Employees

Department of Commerce Personal Property Management Manual (PPMM)

Chapter 1.206

Each employee of the Department who uses, supervises the use of, or has control over Government property, is responsible for that property. This responsibility may take either or both of the following forms:

a. Supervisory responsibility obligates a supervisor to establish and enforce administrative and security measures necessary to ensure proper protection and use of all Government property under their jurisdiction. Supervisors are also responsible for:

(1) Ensuring that accountability methods are in place for personal property that falls under the $5,000 accountability threshold;

(2) Notifying the PC when personal property becomes excess;

(3) Notifying the PC when personal property is lost or missing;

(4) Assigning staff to assist the PAO in conducting physical inventories; and

(5) Ensuring that personal property, including property scheduled for abandonment or destruction, is only acquired for official Government use and not for personal use.

b. Employee responsibility obligates each employee of the Department to properly care for, handle, use and protect Government property issued to or assigned for employee use at or away from the office or station. Responsibilities include:

(1) Ensuring the proper use, care, and protection of all personal property in their possession, custody, or control;

(2) Ensuring that personal property in their possession, custody, or control is used only for Government purposes and not for personal or private use; and

(3) Reporting immediately to superiors any personal property that is lost, missing, damaged, or destroyed.

Grade Level Recommendations for Property Management Officials

Department of Commerce Personal Property Management Manual

Chapter 1.104

a. The grade level determination of these positions should be established based on the responsibility level that an employee holds and the complexity and value of the personal property in which they are assigned. Property Officials may serve in full-time or part-time capacity; however, due to the size and complexity of personal property within some of the larger Bureaus, serving in a full-time capacity may be necessary to adequately provide management, oversight, and direction to that Bureau's property management network.

b. For the purposes of these recommendations, listed below are Bureau size considerations and grade suggestions for Department of Commerce Bureaus:

(1) Large Bureaus: (NOAA, PTO, NIST, ITA, Census, and OS)

o PMO - GS-15 or equivalent pay band

o PAOs - GS-13/14 or equivalent pay band

o PCs - GS-9/12 or equivalent pay band

Line Office Property Manager

As part of the corrective action plan in response to FY2004 Management Letter Comment #7, each Line and Staff Office is required to appoint a property manager (PM) and an alternate. The Line and Staff Offices are required to name the person formally (in writing). This person will be responsible for the coordination of all property management efforts for their Line and Staff Office. An individual appointed by the Line Office to serve as the nation-wide central point of contact for all matters related to the management of personal property for the Line Office.

http://www.pps.noaa.gov/New_menu/PM.html

Property Accountability Officer (PAO)
Department of Commerce Personal Property Management Manual
Chapter 1.204

The PAOs are responsible for:

a. Ensuring effective administration and maintenance of a property accountability and control system within the accountable area for which they have been designated;

b. Determining that the definition of custodial areas within the accountable area; recommending the designation, of a Property Custodial Officer for each custodial area; ensuring that Property Custodial Officers have current records of the property for which they are responsible; that physical inventories are taken; that property is protected and maintained; and that survey reports for lost, damaged, or destroyed property are promptly prepared and processed.;

c. Physically signing personal property down to property custodians on hand receipts and ensuring PCs have current records for assigned accountable property (see 3.805 for clarification);

d. Conducting physical inventories, reconciling records, and ensuring discrepancies are investigated and/or resolved;

e. Ensuring that survey reports, CD-52s "Report of Review of Property" for lost, damaged, or destroyed personal property, are promptly and accurately prepared and processed;

f. Ensuring that property is fully utilized, safeguarded from misuse or theft, and that unneeded personal property is promptly reported for reutilization, redistribution, or disposal;

g. Coordinating actions required by Property Boards of Review;

h. Ensuring that bar code labels are affixed on accountable property;

i. Ensuring that additions, transfers and deletions are entered into the PPMS in a timely manner (PCs should not be given this function); and

j. Coordinating with the appropriate authority on criteria for replacing or upgrading over-age equipment and collecting the following electronic personal property information from PCs and transmitting it to Operating Unit PMO for annual reporting purposes:

(1) The efforts taken in the fiscal year to promote the growth of the market and infrastructure for the reuse, donation, transfer, sale, de-manufacturing, and recycling of obsolete accountable electronic personal property;

(2) The efforts taken in the fiscal year to extend the useful life of electronic personal property to 4 years or more;

(3) The average age, in years, of electronic personal property;

(4) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year;

(5) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year that is Energy Star;

(6) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year that is EPEAT registered;

(7) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year that is EPEAT registered at the Silver ranking; and

(8) Other information as determined by the Department Environmental Manager.

Property Official Certification - Training

Initial training is good for 2 years. Existing training requires annual refresher training each year.

http://www.pps.noaa.gov/Property_Official_Certification_Program_Manual.pdf

Required Personal Property Critical Elements

http://www.pps.noaa.gov/Training.htm

Property Custodian Appointment

The Property Accountability Officer delegates Property Custodians by signing the Property Custodian Certification:

http://www.pps.noaa.gov/PROPERTY%20CUSTODIAN%20CERTIFICATION-editable.pdf

All training certifications are to be provided to the Personal Property Management Branch along with training certifications and proof that the Property Official Critical Element is contained in their annual performance plan AFTER they have been provided to the Line/Staff/Corporate Property Managers. For a list of Property Managers, visit this link: http://www.pps.noaa.gov/New_menu/PM.html

Property Custodians (PC)
Department of Commerce Personal Property Management Manual
Chapter 1.205

The PC for a respective PAO is responsible for the immediate physical custody of all personal property under their control. The appointment of a PC may or may not correspond to the individual's official job title. The PC is responsible for:

a. Maintaining current custodial records for all accountable personal property within their custodial area to include physically signing property down to the user level through the use of hand receipts (see 3.805 for clarification);

b. Initiating or processing documents affecting the accountability or custody of personal property;

c. Ensuring personal property has proper maintenance and protection, and is used only for official purposes;

d. Identifying and reporting to the PAO any property excess to the needs of the accountable area;

e. Promptly submitting survey reports, CD-52s, for lost, damaged, or destroyed property;

f. Affixing bar code labels on accountable property;

g. Assisting, when necessary, with conducting physical inventories and reconciling inventory records; and

h. Assisting with exit clearance procedures to ensure accountability for all assigned property.

i. Establishing a list of all electronic personal property that includes identification of electronic personal property as Energy Star, Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered and EPEAT Silver rated products; and

k. Collecting the following electronic personal property information and transmits it to Operating Unit PAO for annual reporting purposes:

(2) The efforts taken in the fiscal year to extend the useful life of electronic personal property to 4 years or more;

(3) The average age, in years, of electronic personal property;

(4) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year;

(5) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year that is Energy Star;

(6) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year that is EPEAT registered;

(7) The total amount of electronic personal property acquired during the fiscal year that is EPEAT registered at the Silver ranking; and

(8) Other information as determined by the Department Environmental Manager.

References: Federal law requires proper care, utilization and disposal of government personal property. Property management in NOAA is governed, as it is in all federal agencies, by laws, regulations, and standards. These include the Department of Commerce policies and procedures are published in the Department of Commerce Personal Property Management Manual (PPMM), Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Act of 1980, the Chief Financial Officers Act (CFO) Act of 1990, the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996, and the Information Technology Management Reform Act, Federal Management Regulations, OMB Circular Nos. 123, 127, and 130, the Standards issued by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board including Statements of Federal Financial Accounting Standards 6, 8, 10, 14 and 16, and the Property Management Systems Requirements issued by the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program.

Guidelines: Records must be kept of for all personal property in accordance with government-wide, Department of Commerce (DOC), and NOAA regulations. The DOC PPMM requires that all personal property (property other than real property) costing $5000 or more plus all sensitive property (personal property defined by the Department to be susceptible to theft or misuse) be tagged with DOC Property Identification Numbers (PIN) and entered into the DOC Personal Property System - Sunflower. Software costing $25,000 or more must also be identified by DOC PIN numbers and tracked. Software is personal property and defined as "Accountable Property." DOC is the executive agent of the DOC Personal Property Management System (Sunflower). NOAA Sunflower Users are to upload supporting documentation when recording the Personal Property in the Sunflower System. For instructions on how to upload documentation, please visit:

http://www.pps.noaa.gov/New_menu/acquire.htm

NOAA Property Management Officer

The Property Management Officer (PMO) is appointed by the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to serve as the focal point for the NOAA personal property management program.

Personal Property Management Branch Regional Property Team Leaders (Western and Eastern)

Manage the personal property program within their hub;

Oversee the recording of accountable personal property in the NOAA personal property information management system.

Render assistance and advice to all property managers in their hub regarding personal property matters.

Convene Boards of Review to investigate instances of lost, stolen, destroyed, damaged, or rendered unserviceable personal property.

Excess Personal Property please contact, the NOAA Warehouse Manager, Debbie Pickerign at 301-372-2923 x 104.