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Department FAQs


Sending Property to University Surplus & Salvage


  • See Submit a Request for Surplus Pickup

    • Step 1: Complete a Retirement-Transfer (RT) form(s). Instructions for completing these forms can be found Here. If you have trouble downloading the RT form or the number isn't showing correctly, try using Chrome or Chromium-based Edge and enable JavaScript in settings.
    • Step 2: Submit an online work order request. This will get your department in line for the pickup of the property listed on the RT form(s). In the field “Description of Property to be turned in” please give a general idea of the scope of property being sent to us. 

    Surplus will verify the information on the RT Form(s) at the time of removal of the property and sign the RT form(s). The Surplus employee will keep the original, signed copy of the RT form(s). You will keep a signed copy of the RT form for your departmental records.  

    Surplus reserves the right to correct signed RT form(s). This is especially true for property delivered or picked up by Surplus where it was not possible to verify the RT form(s) at the time of pickup or delivery (e.g. Lost and Found in bags or boxes). This is also true if a row on the RT form is not explicit in its description (e.g. office supply, box of misc., e-waste, etc.) Surplus has found tablets, laptops and other property which needed a separate row on the RT form. Corrected RT form(s) are sent to Property Accounting.

    For further information, review University of Utah Regulations (Policy 3-040)

     

  • Yes, deliveries are accepted.

    If delivering property to University Surplus & Salvage, please arrange a date and time for each delivery. Prior notice is appreciated. The reasons prior notice is appreciated are:

    1. Surplus needs to schedule employees to unload and put away the delivered property.  The warehouse is small and creating space ahead of time for the expected property and having appropriate employees at the Surplus warehouse speeds the time to unload the delivery vehicle(s).
    2. Surplus needs to schedule the limited dock space at the Surplus facility.
    3. Surplus has a small staff and unscheduled deliveries may interfere with other scheduled orders.

    Departments delivering property to the Surplus facility need a Retirement-Transfer (RT) form completed prior to the time of delivery. Trailers larger than 27′ attached to tractors will not fit in the dock. Equipment larger than 94″ wide by 82″ high will not fit inside the building. Please make other arrangements with Surplus if the equipment is too large for our facility. 

  • University policy, federal government and State of Utah regulations require University of Utah surplus property to be managed by the University Surplus & Salvage Department. This includes property originally purchased for less than five thousand dollars ($5,000). Departmental sale of university property is prohibited, except for transfer or sale to another university department.  Trade-ins of property are also allowed per policy 3-040. All other sales of surplus property take place through University Surplus & Salvage. See Policy 3-040.

    Are there any exceptions to the above question?

    Yes, hazardous products, oils, barrels, paints, chemicals, fluorescent tubes, unknown substances, refrigerant and debris from construction projects. Departments that provide mattresses or box springs are responsible for their disposal.

  • Turn in your surplus as soon as possible. Do not wait to gather enough property for a large truckload. Some surplus pieces lose value quickly, your space is valuable and it is easier and faster for University Surplus & Salvage to remove the equipment.

  • The Retirement Transfer form is the document that authorizes Surplus to receive property and to track it.

Disposal & Recycling


  • Dispose of fire extinguishers through the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

  • Please contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety before sending this type of equipment to University Surplus & Salvage.

  • View refrigeration equipment and appliance disposal information at the Office of Environmental Health and Safety website. Departments are responsible for the proper disposal of their property containing refrigerant and the oil in the compressor, including the cost of its reclaiming. Submit a billable customer request online through the CIS Facilities Customer request form. Attach the work request number, received from Facilities, and attach it the Retirement / Transfer form. Submit it to Property Accounting using the code scrap.

  • Recycling is handled through approved programs of the university. University Surplus and Salvage recycles metals and sends e-waste received by them through approved recyclers.

    View recycling information at the Office of Sustainability.

  • The devices are handled in accordance with policy 4-004 University Information Technology Resource Security Policy, in accordance with G4-004N1 Media Sanitization and Destruction regulation and in accordance with policy 3-041 Accountability for Noncapital Equipment.

    Hard drives are removed from equipment received by University Surplus & Salvage. The drives are then destroyed in a hard drive shredder, a hard drive crushing machine or the drives have a hole drilled through them where the platter resides. The hard drive shredder is the first option.

Sales & Auctions


  • It is sold through an online auction website that allows the university to use its terms and conditions for online sales. A reserve price may be established for the item listed for auction. Please contact us if you have a valuable piece of excess property that you would like to surplus and sell.  

    If a valuable piece of property needs to be sold in a manner other than an online auction site, it will be advertised and put out to bid. University Surplus & Salvage will receive and open all bids, create bid procedures, documents and any sale documents as needed.  

  • If an item is too large for our warehouse or for our staff to safely handle, Surplus can advertise and sell the item from its present location. The department could also make arrangements with the Moving Services Department or with a private moving service to send the property to the Surplus warehouse.  

    Responsibility for paying the Moving Services Department or a private moving service company resides with the originating department.  

  • They are sold through an online auction website. Vehicle stickers and license plates are removed by the Fleet Services before coming to Surplus.

Logistics & Operations


  • University Surplus and Salvage typically has 15 to 30 orders at any one time. Pickup truck size orders are the fastest to receive and are usually completed within one week. Larger orders may take up to two weeks to schedule in and complete. The size and quantity of the orders ahead of your work order dictates the speed of completion. Surplus picks up 5,000 pieces of property on average a month.

  • University Surplus & Salvage will not dismantle equipment or furniture attached to walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, pipes, electrical conduit, ducting, plumbing, etc. or property like modular cubicles which becomes one large unit. The department is responsible to have the property dismantled or have Facility Operations prepare the property for removal.

  • Due to Surplus & Salvage’s small size, the requesting department may need to involve the Space Planning and Management department, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety or Facilities to clean out the property. The requesting department may also need to retain a professional moving company or the Moving Services Department to bring the property to Surplus.  

    Most project have property removed and delivered to Surplus by university contracted movers or Moving Services. The transferring department, the project or both are responsible for the costs associated with pickup and delivery of the property to Surplus.  

    If a department believes a cleanout can be completed by Surplus, they will need to arrange a walk-through of the space with our team. We will then determine whether to remove the property.  

    Please note that departments who provide or rent out furnished spaces are required to deliver the surplus property to Surplus & Salvage.  

  • Due to our limited staff, material handling equipment, trucks and prior orders scheduled, we will pick up an emergency order only if:  

    • Another order is cancelled 
    • Surplus is already picking something up at that location 
    • The scheduled orders take less time than expected.  

    In an emergency, the department will need to arrange to bring the property to Surplus. Property placed in hallways and under stairs are not considered an emergency order.  

  • Delivery is provided to university departments.

Policies & Regulations


  • No. The university does not have a policy authorizing donations and providing a process for such transactions to be handled fairly and consistently.

  • All surplus is sold “as is” with faults known and unknown. Many items for sale are in good condition and may meet your needs, and some items are incomplete or broken and are sold for parts. The buyer must check each item carefully before purchase. The buyer assumes all liability after purchase. University Surplus & Salvage does not offer refunds and does not offer exchanges. The only exception to this policy is on monitors which go bad in the first thirty (30) days after purchase.

  • University Surplus & Salvage does not approve trade-ins, only the proposed amount. University Surplus & Salvage has the option of matching trade-in amounts if more value can be realized through selling the item.

Financial Information


  • Money is reimbursed to departments based on the selling amount of each piece of property sold at University Surplus and Salvage. The reimbursement schedule is per University Policy 3-040. University Hospital reimbursement is sent to Hospital Accounting and it is not reimbursed to each hospital department. The Reimbursement Schedule is located here.