Government Property

Property & Equipment

Government titled property falls into three categories: contractor-acquired, Government furnished equipment, and Government furnished material.

Contractor-Acquired Government Property

  • Property purchased by the university using award funds
  • Award terms and conditions specify that property purchased by the university is owned by the Government
  • Prior approval from the sponsor is typically required, even when the property is included in the award budget

Government Furnished Equipment

  • Capital or non-capital equipment provided by the Government for use on a specific award
  • Must be itemized in the award documents
  • Departments should notify the OCG Property Officer when capital or non-capital equipment is provided by a sponsor

Government Furnished Materials

  • Consumable materials and supplies provided by the Government for use on a specific award
  • Must be identified in the award documents
  • Departments should notify the OCG Property Officer when consumable materials and supplies are provided by a sponsor

Unlike property titled to the university, use of Government property on other awards must be specifically authorized by the sponsor. When Government property is received, the department should contact the OCG Property Officer so the property can be tagged, verified, and reported to the sponsor according to Federal regulations.

When property is acquired with sponsored award funds, the University must ensure that property is:

  1. Actually used for the conduct of the project
  2. Made available for other research activities to the greatest extent possible
  3.  Adequately maintained in good working condition
  4. Safeguarded against loss, theft, damage or abuse

Departments responsible for Government property must implement and follow a maintenance program that includes regular inspections, calibration, and upkeep. Any corrective maintenance, repairs, or replacements for Government property must be reported to the sponsor. Departments should contact the OCG Property Officer if any of this maintenance occurs.

The University follows Federal regulations in its management of Government titled property. Government property (both contractor-acquired and furnished) is assigned a tag number beginning with “0F.†When Government property is received, the department should contact the OCG Property Officer so the property can be tagged and entered into PeopleSoft.

Every department that has Government property in their inventory must complete an annual physical inventory and self-evaluation with the OCG Property Officer. The annual inventory and self-evaluation is typically completed during the summer. The OCG Property Officer completes the annual Government property reports, but may request additional information from a department (e.g. status of work-in-progress Government titled fabrications, consumption of Government titled materials, etc.).

At award closeout, the OCG Property Officer has to complete and submit a final property report and request disposition instructions for Government property. The department will need to submit the , work with the OCG Property Officer on a closeout inventory, and indicate a preference for disposition of the Government property.

After receiving the final property report and disposition request, the sponsor will provide one of the following disposition instructions to the University:

  • Title to property is transferred to the University
  • Title to property remains with the Government, accountability for the property is transferred to another federal award, and the Government property remains under University control
  • Title to property remains with the Government and the University must return the property according to the sponsor’s instructions

The OCG Property Officer will relay all disposition instructions that are received from the sponsor to the department.

Need help?
Email the OCG Property Officer at OCGProperty@colorado.edu