A.  This directive provides instructions for the management of personal property, a Government defined term that means property used by Government personnel and contractors that is not real estate.  Personal property includes equipment, furniture, and fixtures, along with motor vehicles.  This directive covers all such property used by FSIS employees and contractors or owned, loaned, and leased by the Agency.  This directive is being reissued to incorporate instructions on accountable personal property in addition to non-accountable personal property.   
 
B.  According to Agriculture Property Management Regulation (APMR), Chapter 110, Subchapter N, Property Management, personal property is considered as both non-accountable personal property and accountable personal property.  These terms are defined as follows: 
 
1. Non-Accountable Personal Property.  Individual pieces of equipment with an original acquisition cost of less than $5,000; and 
 
2. Accountable Personal Property.  Individual pieces of equipment with an original acquisition cost of more than $5,000.   KEY POINTS: 
 
• FSIS Accountable Property Officers (APOs) are responsible for conducting an annual inventory of all personal property to include property that is leased, loaned, and owned 
 
• The FSIS Property Management Officer (PMO) is responsible for maintaining management controls over personal property to safeguard it from improper use, theft, and undue deterioration 
 
• Records and other documentation relative to personal property are kept to the minimum required to provide essential management information 
 
• FSIS employees are responsible for keeping accurate records of assigned personal property owned, loaned, and leased, and updating relevant contact information as necessary

II. CANCELLATION FSIS

Directive 2410.3, Non-Accountable Personal Property, 5/18/11

III. BACKGROUND

In accordance with APMR, Chapter 110, FSIS is responsible for the effective implementation of a property management program to ensure maximum utilization of personal property, operation of adequate inventory control and accountability systems, proper disposal of unneeded assets, and adequate security for Government resources.

IV. PERSONAL PROPERTY ROLES

A. Property Management Officer (PMO). The FSIS PMO, located within the Office of Administrative Services (OAS), Property Management Branch (PMB), establishes policies and procedures for property functions to include instructions for preparing and submitting annual personal property inventories and excessing personal property. The FSIS PMO serves as a Departmental contact for FSIS personal property management.

B. Accountable Property Officers (APO). APOs are designated individuals within each program area who are charged with ensuring the effective administration and maintenance of a system of control and accountability for all personal property assigned to their custodial area. APOs ensure that inventories of personal property are conducted annually using standardized formats and assigned schedules as determined by the FSIS PMO.

C. Property Custodians (PC).

1. All FSIS employees that are issued personal property are PCs and are responsible for the physical custody of all personal property under their control within their custodial areas (i.e., sites where an employee is working using the personal property assigned to them). A custodial area needs to be manageable in size based on the PC’s discretion. The PC decides what size area is manageable. One employee may feel that 100 items are manageable; another may only be comfortable with a smaller number of items. An employee may work in more than one custodial area.

2. The PC is to be located near the property for which he or she is responsible. The PC is responsible for reporting annually on his/her property inventory to the APO. The APO is to review and sign the report before it is considered final and sent to the FSIS PMO.

V. PROPERTY ACCOUNTABILITY

A. FSIS PCs are responsible for keeping accurate records of personal property assigned to them within their custodial areas and updating relevant contact information as necessary.

B. The PCs complete FSIS Form 8200-1, Property Receipt (found on the FSIS Intranet site) when personal property is received, transferred, or returned, and provide a copy to the APO. C. In accordance with the FSIS Records Control Schedule, Property Disposal Correspondence Files, FSIS 8200-1 forms and supporting documents are to be destroyed 2 years from the date that the APO signed the documents.

VI. INVENTORY PREPARATION

A. As stated above, PCs are to maintain records for all of the personal property within their assigned custodial areas and submit physical inventories of that property to the APOs on an annual basis.

B. The APOs are to review the physical inventories compiled by the PCs and are to submit a final annual inventory report to the FSIS PMO for all personal property within their custodial area. The annual inventory report includes the following information:

1. The date the item was physically inventoried;

2. The item description;

3. The model number;

4. The item serial number;

5. The item physical location;

6. The item disposition; and

7. The responsible property custodian.

VII. SUBMITTING THE ANNUAL INVENTORY

A. The APOs ensure that physical inventory reports of personal property are completed within 30 days of receiving a request from the PMO. The PMO requests inventory reports one year from the previous submission but may request additional reports as necessary.

B. APOs submit physical inventory reports to the FSIS PMO electronically to propertymanagement@fsis.usda.gov. When electronic submission is unavailable, reports may be sent via fax to 301-504-4231.

VIII. EXCESS PERSONAL PROPERTY

A. PCs are responsible for submitting the AD-107, Report of Transfer or Other Disposition or Construction of Property to the APOs for all designated excess personal property electronically via email.

B. If the AD-107 lists accountable property, the PC is to include the NFC-ID number. This number can be obtained from the accountable property inventory reports generated by the National Finance Center (NFC).

C. The PC assigns the internal report number for the AD-107 in the following format: two digit fiscal year, office abbreviation, 3-digit numerical order (e.g., 13-OAS-001).

D. The APO is to generate a quick reference (QR) code for each item. The PC is to attach the QR code to each piece of personal property before removal by USDA, Centralized Excess Property Office (CEPO).

E. In accordance with the FSIS Records Control Schedule, Property Disposal Correspondence Files, AD107s and supporting documentation are to be destroyed 2 years from the date that the APO signed the documents.

IX. LOST, STOLEN, DAMAGED OR DESTROYED EXCESS PERSONAL PROPERTY

A. If an APO or PC determines personal property is unserviceable, lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed, he or she can submit an AD-112, Report of Unserviceable, Lost, Stolen, Damaged or Destroyed Property form to the PMO. The PMO is to consider the circumstances and evidence to determine whether there appears to be gross negligence involved.

B. Should the PMO relieve the employee of liability, the PMO will sign the AD-112 authorizing the inventory adjustment.

C. If the PMO finds gross negligence with regard to care of personal property, he/she is to refer the form and associated documentation to the Administrative Billings and Collection Office (ABCO) for bill establishment in accordance with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996. Cases of negligence may be referred to the Agency personnel office for consideration of disciplinary action.

D. If the APO determines that the personal property is unserviceable or obsolete, or that it has been cannibalized for parts, the APO is to sign sections I, III, and IV of the AD-112 and forward the form to the FSIS PMO. If the APO determines that the property was damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen, he or she is to sign sections I and II of the AD-112 and to send the form to the FSIS PMO with supporting documentation.

E. For Headquarters only, the APO is to forward all PMO-authorized AD-112s for unserviceable or obsolete property to the FSIS PMO electronically to authorize removal by USDA CEPO which will contact the appropriate PC to arrange for pickup.

F. For Field locations only, if the property is unserviceable, obsolete or damaged, the APO is to send the AD-112 electronically to the FSIS PMO. The FSIS PMO is to report the property as excess to the General Services Administration (GSA), which requires onsite retention for a minimum of 45 days.

G. Any and all documentation containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be forwarded to the FSIS PMO via USPS to the following address:

USDA FSIS OM/OAS/PMB ATTN: PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OFFICER RM 2L192D 5601 SUNNYSIDE AVENUE BELTSVILLE MD 20705

H. In accordance with the FSIS Records Control Schedule, Property Disposal Correspondence Files, AD112s and supporting documentation are to be destroyed 2 years from the date that the APO signed the documents.

X. QUESTIONS

Refer questions regarding this directive to OAS/PMB at propertymanagement@fsis.usda.gov