Definitions

accessory item - An accessory item is an item that facilitates or enhances the operation of equipment but which is not essential for its operation.

accountability area - See owner organization

accountable personal property - Non-expendable personal property that is sensitive or that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more, a useful life of 1 year or more, and must be accounted for throughout its useful life.

acquisition cost - The cost to the Government of putting the property into use when the property is originally acquired. It includes all transportation and installation costs. It does not include maintenance costs or warranty costs.

acquisition date - This is the date when ownership is obtained by the Government (not necessarily NOAA) and when the property is ready to be placed into service (whether it is actually immediately placed into service or not). It is the date when an knowledgeable person certifies in writing that the property meets the order specifications. This certification is made on a receiving report or an acceptance report.

auxiliary item - An auxiliary item is an item without which the basic unit of equipment cannot operate.

Asset Center Representative - See Property Custodian.

barcode - This is also called the Universal Product Code or UPC. It is a series of short black lines of varied thickness usually accompanied by alphanumeric digits. A laser reader or scanner can translate the barcodes into the corresponding alphanumeric digits which are used to uniquely identify a piece of property. This Property Identification Number (PIN) is used as the basis for the inventory. When an item is acquired, a label with a unique barcode must be affixed. Until the item is sold, donated, or excessed, the label must remain attached.

cannibalization - The process of removing serviceable parts from a functioning piece of equipment thus making it unusable for its intended purpose or function. Cannibalization requires pre-approval by either a Board of Review or the Property Management Officer.

capitalized personal property - Non-expendable personal property with a useful life of 2 years or more and an acquisition cost above a predetermined threshold. NOAA capitalizes its non-expendable personal property with an original acquisition value of $200,000 or more. Capitalization is a financial term which means that the acquisition cost of the asset is recorded in the general ledger of the agency's financial management accounts and its cost is expensed over the asset's useful life in the form of depreciation.

condition code - A single digit alphanumeric character assigned to an item of property indicating its physical condition. These codes are defined in FMR §102.36.240.

contractor-acquired property - Property procured or otherwise provided by the contractor for the performance of a contract and for the cost of which the contractor is entitled to reimbursement as a direct item of cost under such contract.

custodial area - A subdivision of an accountability area which is defined by its organizational limits and for which a Property Custodian has been assigned. Custodial areas are usually at the division organization level. (See steward organization.)

custodial records - Written or electronic memoranda of any kind, such as requisitions, issued hand receipts, tool checks, and stock record books used to control and track personal property items as well as items issued from tool cribs, tool rooms, and stockrooms.

deferred maintenance - maintenance that was not performed when it should have been or was scheduled to be performed and that is delayed until a future period.

Department Personal Property Management Officer - The official responsible for the DOC property management policies, standards, and procedures for the conduct of personal property management activities throughout the U.S. Department of Commerce.

excess personal property - Items that are no longer needed by or useful to the DOC. Unneeded property reported by individual Property Custodians for disposal is NOT 'Excess' until internal re-utilization screening has been completed and it has been determined that no one else within the Department requires the property. For Excessing of Personal Property, please contact the NOAA Warehouse Manager, Brandywine, MD at 301-372-2923 x 104.

expendable personal property - Personal property with a normal life expectancy of less than 1 year. It is normally consumed in the normal course of its use. Also, property that is not sensitive and has an original acquisition cost of less than $5000.

Federal Supply Class Code (FSC) - An identification number established by the General Services Administration which is used to classify an item of property as belonging to a specific group of similar type items. When the item is acquired, this is identified by the Property Office and is used for many purposes, e.g., compiling the inventory.

financial property - An instrument such as a stock or bond.

government-furnished equipment (GFE) - Property originally in the possession of, or acquired by, the Government. These items are delivered or otherwise made available to a contractor for the performance of a contract.

heritage assets - Property, plant, and equipment of historical, cultural, artistic, or educational significance.

individual item record - An individual item record is a separate card, form, document, or specific line of computer data used to account for one item of property.

inventory - When used as a verb, to inventory is to sight, tag, or mark, describe, record and report the property involved, reconciling the inventory results with the property records.

intellectual property - Intangible property such as a copyright, trade secret, or a patent.

maintenance - Includes preventative maintenance, normal repairs, replacement of parts and structural components, and other activities needed to preserve the asset so that it continues to provide acceptable services and achieves its expected life.

non-expendable personal property - personal property with a normal life expectancy that exceeds 1 year, has a continuous use as a self-contained unit, does not lose its identity or is destroyed when put into use, and does not become a non-severable component of other property.

object classification codes - A uniform financial classification used in all Federal government transactions to describe the type of goods or services purchased, e.g., contractor compensation, supplies, material, and equipment, in order to relate the purchase to the agency's budget.

Operating Unit - The major organizations under the jurisdiction of a larger Federal agency. NOAA, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Bureau of the Census, are some of the Operating Units under DOC.

owner organization (See property accountability area)

personal data assistant (PDA) – Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and “Smart Phones” are portable devices that are capable of storing information, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving E-mails, videos and photographs. Such PDAs include, but are not limited to, BlackBerry, Treo, Palm Pilots, IPAQ Pockets and Smartphones.

personal property - Anything tangible that is not real property other than records of the Federal Government, naval vessels, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines (FMR §102.36.40)

personal property management - The planned acquisition, efficient utilization, physical accounting, and appropriate disposition of personal property.

personally identifiable information (PII) – Any information about an individual maintained by an agency, included but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, criminal or employment history and information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, etc., including any other personal information which is linked or linkable to an individual.

plant - Personal property of a capital nature, including equipment, machine tools, test equipment, furniture, vehicles, accessory, and auxiliary items for use in manufacturing supplies, in performing services, or for any administrative or general plant purpose. Plant does not include special tooling or special test equipment.

property - Anything that may be legally owned.

property accountability area - An area defined by organizational limits for which a discreet set of personal property accountability records is maintained under the general jurisdiction of a designated Property Accountability Officer.

Property Accountability Officer - The designated official responsible to the Property Management Officer for the effective administration and maintenance of the property control and accountability system within an area of accountability.

Property Administrator - A Property Administrator is an authorized representative of the Contracting Officer assigned to administer the contract requirements and obligations relating to Government property.

Property Board of Review - A standing or adhoc committee appointed by the Property Office Representative and consisting of not more than eight member who are responsible for impartially examining the facts, and investigating the circumstances surrounding lost, missing, stolen, destroyed, damaged, or rendered unserviceable property. Additionally, it is the approving authority which permits the scrapping and cannibalizing of property that costs $5,000 or more.

Property Custodian - An individual designated in writing and located at the field operating unit level having physical custody and control over personal property. The Property Custodian or their designee is responsible to the Property Accountability Officer for keeping the property records for their area of accountability, taking and maintaining inventories and informing the NOAA Personal Property Office of all new items of accountable personal property acquired, as well as old items of accountable personal property excessed and removed.

Property Management Information System (PMIS) - The property management system administered by the NOAA Headquarters Property Management Officer. NOAA's property records are stored, processed, and maintained within this system. Sunflower Assets, a Commercial Off-the Shelf software application, is used by NOAA as its PMIS.

Property Management Officer - An individual formally appointed by the head of each DOC Operating Unit to serve as a focal point for personal property management with the responsibility and authority to account for the effective control, acquisition, use, and disposal of personal property for that Operating Unit.

Property Representative - An individual belonging to, and assigned by, the NOAA Personal Property Office to service a specific NOAA organization in all the aspects of personal property management.

real property - Land and improvements to the land such as buildings and structures. Property that becomes an integral part of a building such as heating and air conditioning units is also considered to be real property.

reconciliation - The process of getting individual records contained in PMIS fully consistent with the actual status of the personal property item including the item's physical location, actual acquisition cost, etc.

repairs and maintenance expense - Repairs and maintenance expense are defined as any costs incurred to an asset that do not significantly improve the quality or quantity of outputs of the original asset or that fail to significantly increase the economic life of the original asset. These costs, regardless of the dollar amount, should be recognized as repairs and maintenance expenses (i.e., not added to the depreciable basis of the original asset, nor capitalized separately).

salvage - An item of personal property which has parts that are usable or which can be recycled. The item as a whole is in such poor shape that its repair is not practical, but its total destruction is not warranted.

scrap - Personal property that has no value except for its basic material content.

sensitive property - Non-expendable personal property that can easily be converted to private use and has a high potential for theft. This type of personal property shall be recorded and controlled as accountable personal property regardless of its cost. Please refer to the list of designated sensitive items maintained on this site.

source document - The specific mechanism used which obligates the Government to an expenditure of appropriated funds. In addition to bilateral instruments (e.g., contracts and contract modification), a source document may be a task/delivery order issued under a contract or basic ordering agreement, purchase order, purchase card order or any other mutual binding legal mechanism obligating the seller to furnish the supplies or services and the buyer to pay for them.

steward organization - Formerly called a custodian code. Designated by a nine-digit alphanumeric code. The steward organization is the organizational area which encompasses the property that a Property Custodian is responsible for.

stock record - A stock record is a perpetual inventory record which shows by nomenclature the quantities of each item received and issued and the balance on hand.

summary record - A separate card, form, document, or specific line of computer data used to account for multiple quantities of a line item of special tooling, special test equipment, or plant equipment costing less than $5,000 pre unit.

surplus personal property - Personal property not required for the needs and the discharge of the business and responsibilities of the Federal Government as determined by the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). It is normally listed as excess personal property for 60 consecutive days by GSA. If no federal agency requests it, it is considered surplus and can be made available for auction or distribution to outside recipients.

system - Two or more individual items (equipment components) that are part of a self-contained group, that are joined physically, electronically, or electro-mechanically programmed or designed specially to rely on each other, cannot function independently if separated, and cannot be easily disconnected and reconfigured to function with or within another unit or "system".

teleconference equipment - Audio or video equipment that enables a meeting for consultation and discussion to take place telephonically in which the participants are each located in remote locations from each other.

threshold - The dollar amount above which items must be accounted for in PMIS. The threshold for non-expendable personal property is currently an amount of $5,000 or more. There is no threshold for sensitive property. All sensitive property must be accounted for in PMIS regardless of its cost.

Unreconciled Payments Report (UPR) - A report of non-expendable personal property for which records are incomplete. Either the NOAA Finance Office has paid the vendor but the information has not been entered into PMIS or the information has been entered into PMIS but the payment has not been identified.

upgrades - Additions to, or replacement parts within, an existing piece of equipment. These will improve or add to its functioning over and above its capability as originally configured. Alternatively or as an additional consequence, the function or the useful life of the original unit is extended.

useful life - The normal operating life in terms of utility to the owner. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a076/a076sa3.html

work-in-process - Work in process is material that has been released to manufacturing, engineering, design, or other services under the contract and includes undelivered manufactured parts, assemblies, and products, either complete or incomplete.