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Pitt Surplus extends the life of university assets by providing affordable, quality items to students, faculty, staff and community members - reducing waste and keeping valuable materials in use.Surplus Property is responsible for the disposal, re-distribution, and/or sale of used equipment and property that the University of Pittsburgh and its regional campuses no longer use. The sale of this equipment is handled through public auctions, sales, online, and on the Surplus Property sales floor. Surplus Property offers an option for landfill diversion for materials that have not reached their end of life.
The sales operation of Surplus Property supports the University by offering an option for landfill diversion for materials that have not reached their end of life. This applies to University-owned furniture and equipment on all campuses, including donated or unclaimed property, and achieves the following goals:
- Establishes a program for the proper disposal of equipment and other University-owned materials.
- Promotes reuse of equipment/materials and is consistent with the University’s sustainability goals and repurposing efforts.
- Provides the University community with a clear understanding that Surplus Property uses all assets to the University’s best advantage and attempts to realize the maximum value possible for any 4. piece of equipment and/or furniture.
- Ensure that University property has provided a value beyond its worth, and that its disposal will be conducted in an equitable, efficient, cost-effective manner that is consistent with the university’s mission for sustainability.
- Recirculate equipment within the University.
- Establishes a program for receiving and selling surplus departmental equipment, material designated as scrap metal, hard drive destruction, and electronic equipment recycling and refurbishment, and provides guidelines for the reimbursement of a percentage of the sales proceeds to the releasing department.
Applies to University furniture, equipment, vehicles, and any material with potential for landfill diversion on all campuses.
Establishes methods for determining the price of items to be sold by Surplus Property via their salesfloor, online sales, and through online auction websites such as GovDeals.net.
Departments are encouraged to use Surplus Property as the first source of supply and are further encouraged to support the reutilization program by continually reporting and disposing of all surplus or excess property as outlined in this policy.
Departments are strictly prohibited from gifting or selling surplus materials directly to Pitt faculty, staff, students, and other individuals. This provision is mandated to minimize the University’s risk exposure to product liability, sales tax exemption regulations, potential loss of commercial discounts, and potential violations of special pricing structures if deemed a reseller.