693JJ925R000001 Attachment J.1.7 - NHTSA Order 440-IE – Management of Nonexpendable Personal Property Summary.pdf

Subject: Management of Nonexpendable Personal Property Summary

Paragraph

1. Purpose 5. Policy

2. Cancellation 6. Delegation of Authority

3. Scope 7. Definitions

4. References

Attachments: Management of Nonexpendable Personal Property Policies & Procedures

1. PURPOSE: This Order establishes internal policies and procedures for the management of accountable nonexpendable personal property owned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

2. CANCELLATION: This Order cancels NHTSA Order 440-1D, Management of

Nonexpendable Personal Property Policies & Procedures, dated July 21, 2015.

3. SCOPE:

a. Applicability: The policies and procedures set forth in this Order are established to provide guidance to NHTSA organizational elements, NHTSA contractors, and recipients of Federal assistance for the management of nonexpendable personal property for which the government holds title.

b. Exclusion: All nonexpendable property held in grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for which the recipient of Federal assistance holds title are excluded from the policies and procedures in this Order.

4. REFERENCES:

a. Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of (40 U.S.C. 483), directs executive agencies to maintain adequate inventory controls and accountability systems for property under their control.

b. Federal Management Regulations (FMR), 41 C.F.R. 102, prescribe the Federal policies, procedures, and delegations of authority pertaining to the management of property and records.

c. DOT Order 4410.4, Equipment Management and Control, dated January 28, 1992, and its accompanying Handbook DOT 4410.4, dated January 28, 1992, Subject:

Equipment Management and Control.

d. DOT Order M 4440.3C, Motor Vehicle Management Manual, dated April 3, 1995.

Order #: 440-1E Date of Issuance: June 21, 2023

OPI: NAD-100

NHTSA Order 440-1E 2 June 21, 2023

e. DOT Order 2700.13, Financial Management Control of Property, dated December 5, 2017.

f. DOT Order 1660.1B, Removal of Equipment from DOT Buildings, dated February 8, 1991.

g. Federal Acquisition Regulation, (FAR), 48 C.F.R. Chapter 1, Part 45 “Government Property.”

h. Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR), 48 C.F.R. Chapter 12, Part 1245 “Government Property.”

i. Executive Order 12999 dated April 17, 1996, Educational Technology: Ensuring Opportunity for All Children in the Next Century.

j. The Federal Personal Property Management Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-419).

5. POLICY:

a. Government property shall be used exclusively for the conduct of official government business.

b. All NHTSA owned accountable nonexpendable property shall be physically controlled until final disposition.

c. All capitalized property shall be entered into the general ledger account to ensure financial control.

d. Property shall not be transferred from the assigned custodial area or contractor/grantee site without proper written notification and authorization.

e. Annual physical inventories of all NHTSA property shall be completed.

6. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY: NHTSA Order 110-4C, dated September 13, 2017, delegates authority for property management to the Director of Administrative and Management Services in the Office of Administration, and the Regional Administrators.

7. DEFINITIONS: Definitions for use with this Order are listed in Document 1, Glossary of

Terms.

Sean M. Clayton Associate Administrator for Administration

Renita.Hamlet Stamp

NHTSA Order 440-1E 1

ATTACHMENT

MANAGEMENT OF NONEXPENDABLE PERSONAL PROPERTY

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter I - Government-Held Nonexpendable Personal Property

1. Responsibilities

2. Designation of Property Custodians

3. Acquisition of Property

4. Receipt of Property

5. Service

6. Physical Inventory Process

7. Report of Survey Procedures

8. Property Transfer

9. Property Reutilization and Disposal

10. Use of Government Equipment at Home

11. Relief from Equipment Accountability

12. Trade-in/Exchange

Chapter II - Government-Owned Contractor/Grantee-Held Nonexpendable Personal Property

1. Responsibilities

2. Procedures

Documents

1. Glossary of Terms

2. Procurement Request (DOT F 4200.1)*

3. Report of Survey for Lost, Damaged, or Destroyed Personal Property, (DOT F 4410.1)*

4. Accountability/Transfer Authorization (HS Form 148)*

5. Personal Property Hand Receipt (DOT F 4420.4)*

6. Property Removal Record (DOT F 1660.2)*

7. Transfer/Receipt Document (HS Form 145)*

8. Contractor Inventory Schedule (HS Form 324)*

9. Incident Report (DOT F 1660.6)*

10. NHTSA Identifier Tag Request Form*

* Forms are available on the Office of Administrative and Management Services’ SharePoint page

NHTSA Order 440-1E 2

CHAPTER I

GOVERNMENT-HELD NONEXPENDABLE PERSONAL PROPERTY

1. RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. The Office of Administrative and Management Services (OAMS) Property Management Officer is responsible for:

1) implementing and administering the NHTSA property management system.

2) ensuring that detailed property records of accountable personal property are established and maintained on a current basis.

3) annually reviewing property records and procedures with all property custodians and validating changes and notifying the OAMS Director of any changes or updates.

4) conducting surveys and processing reports for all lost, damaged, or destroyed accountable property.

5) ensuring that required executive summary and data reports data are provided from the official property management system to the OAMS Director.

6) ensuring that property transactions are appropriately documented and recorded in the property database.

7) providing annual reports to OST in accordance with DOT Order 44l0.4.

8) arranging for the physical inventory of property and ensuring compliance with prescribed procedures for reconciliation of physical inventory results.

9) annually conducting an inventory of capitalized equipment in accordance with the annual inventory requirements of the Federal Personal Property Management Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-419).

10) providing the Office of Financial Management with required financial reports for capitalized equipment.

b. Associate Administrators, Regional Administrators, the San Angelo Test Facility Chief, and the Vehicle Research & Test Center Directorate are responsible for:

1) ensuring compliance with the policies and procedures outlined in this Order.

2) certifying the annual inventory certification memo stating the results of the annual inventory for government property assigned to their program area.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 3

c. The Director, Office of Finance is responsible for maintaining the general ledger accounts for all capitalized nonexpendable property assigned to NHTSA.

d. The Director, Office of Acquisition Management (OAM) is responsible for ensuring that copies of Purchase Orders are forwarded to the OAMS for all nonexpendable properties.

e. Property Custodians, as the designated representatives for their custodial areas, are responsible for:

1) maintaining property records for all equipment that:

a) has an acquisition cost of $500 or greater (with the exception of Automatic Data Processing equipment in subparagraph (c) below), or

b) meets the capitalization figure of $25,000, or

c) falls into the excepted category for accountability which requires that printers, scanners, monitors, desktops, mobile computing devices, and mobile storage devices will be accounted for without regard to cost.

2) ensuring effective utilization, protection, and control of assigned property, in accordance with the policies and procedures outlined in this Order.

3) assisting the OAMS Property Management team in the physical inventory of property in their assigned areas.

4) ensuring that appropriate purchase documents are provided to the Property Management Officer covering the acquisition, receipt, transfer, disposal, loss, damage, or destruction of property assigned to their custodial area.

5) reporting excess property for reutilization to the Property Management Officer.

6) reporting any missing property immediately to the Property Management Officer using DOT Form 4410.1 (Document 3) and to the OST Security Office using DOT Form l660.6, "Incident Report" (Document 9).

f. Individual Employees are responsible for:

1) properly using, caring for, and reasonably protecting government property personally assigned to them or utilized in their immediate work area, e.g., use locking laptop security cables and secure sensitive equipment (digital cameras, flash drives, tablets, cell phones, smartphones) in locked cabinets.

2) using government property only for official government business.

3) reporting any missing property immediately to their Property Custodian.

4) promptly reporting when equipment is taken out of their office for repairs and/or replacement to their Property Custodian.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 4

5) taking reasonable measures to protect equipment in their possession while away from the office; either at home, while in transit between home and work, or while at a telework facility. Failure to use reasonable safeguards or negligence with regard to the care of government property may lead to disciplinary action. The following Table of Penalties serves as a guide to be used in determining appropriate disciplinary action if “Failure to Safeguard” or “Negligence” has been established. Also, this table includes a range of penalties providing the supervisor with latitude to consider appropriate mitigating or aggravating circumstances.

TABLE OF PENALTIES

Nature of Offense First Offense Second Offense Third Offense Failure to Safeguard government property

Official reprimand to a 10-day suspension.

10-day suspension to removal.

Removal.

Negligence resulting in loss of or damage to government property.

Official reprimand to Removal.

15-day suspension to removal.

Removal.

Failure to follow specific instructions for reporting loss or theft of government property.

Official reprimand to removal.

5-day suspension to removal.

10-day suspension to removal.

2. DESIGNATION OF PROPERTY CUSTODIANS: Certifying Officials (Associate Administrators, San Angelo Test Facility Chief, Vehicle Research & Test Center Director, and Office Directors, as appropriate) shall designate, in writing, an individual to serve as Property Custodian for their organizational area and submit that individual's name to the Property Management Officer. Any change in Property Custodian designations shall be reported to the Property Management Officer in writing.

3. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY:

a. Originating Offices shall:

1) discuss requirements with the Property Management Officer or in the case of Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) equipment, the Chief Information Officer, to determine if items(s) can be obtained through in-house sources of DOT excess or if procurement is necessary.

2) complete Procurement Request (PR), DOT F 4200.1 (Document 2).

NHTSA Order 440-1E 5

3) forward all PRs to the Office of Acquisition Management for processing. A copy shall also be provided to the Property Management Officer.

b. The Property Management Officer shall discuss property requirements with originating offices to determine if needs can be filled through in-house sources or from DOT excess.

c. The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) shall:

1) review EIT hardware and related equipment acquisitions and will forward PRs to the Office of Acquisition Management for processing.

2) forward a copy of all purchase or credit card orders for the acquisition of nonexpendable EIT personnel property to the Property Management Staff.

3) arrange for all purchases (for the Headquarters offices) to be shipped to the DOT Headquarters Building Loading Dock, addressed to the attention of the name and telephone number of the OAMS Property Management Staff.

d. The Office of Acquisition Management shall forward copies of purchase orders (POs) or contracts for the acquisition of nonexpendable personal property to the Property Management Officer to enable follow-up to ensure all property is recorded in the property system.

4. RECEIPT OF PROPERTY: A shipment container of property shall not be opened and accepted until the purchaser or his/her representative is present to inspect and confirm the contents and acceptable condition of each container in the presence of a Property Management Staff representative.

a. The Office of Administrative and Management Services (OAMS) shall, upon notification that a property has been received:

1) apply a NHTSA property barcode label to nonexpendable property and gather the required information to enter into the property system.

2) enter the pertinent data into the property system and attach a copy of the purchase documentation to the property record.

3) notify the purchaser via e-mail that tagging is complete and that they may distribute the property. Once the equipment is delivered, update the property system with the new location.

b. Property Custodians shall:

1) upon receipt of a property, provide purchase documents and submit a completed Tag Request form to the Property Management staff. The documents will be maintained on the OAMS shared drive.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 6

2) properly secure equipment (e.g., in a locked cabinet or with a security cable).

c. Property Custodians responsible for government-owned motor vehicles shall:

1) maintain a listing of all vehicles by test vehicle number, make, model, model year, vehicle identification number, and acquisition cost.

2) initiate the appropriate action for disposal upon receipt of a disposal memo from a program office because testing has been completed and the test report has been accepted.

5. SERVICE:

a. The Property Custodian will complete a hand receipt documenting the transfer for office equipment service requests (except EIT equipment requests).

1) For EIT hardware and facsimile equipment, the OCIO shall:

a) arrange for repair and/or other services.

b) establish and maintain a service record.

c) maintain equipment on a scheduled basis.

d) attach, file, or otherwise store manufacturers' warranties for new items with the item record and fully utilize warranties when an item requires servicing.

2) The OCIO, or designee, shall notify OAMS and Property Custodians when an EIT property is removed for repair or maintenance.

6. PHYSICAL INVENTORY PROCESS:

a. On an annual basis, or more frequently as needed, the Property Management Officer shall initiate the physical inventory for property throughout the Agency.

b. Inventory actions include:

1) Preparation and Counting:

a) The Property Management Officer shall schedule an annual physical inventory.

b) A representative of the Property Management Staff, accompanied by the Property Custodian, shall physically walk-through each custodial area and scan agency barcode numbers for all accountable properties located therein.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 7

The Property Management Officer shall verify the results against the property management system. Any untagged accountable property discovered during the walk-through, will be barcoded, and distinguishing information will be gathered and subsequently entered into the property management system.

2) Reconciliation: OAMS shall reconcile the property management records with the inventory results. Reconciliation occurs when:

a) property discovered during inventory is identified as an overage and added to the appropriate custodial area inventory.

b) property that cannot be located in the custodial area or in another custodial area is identified as a shortage and the accountable Property Custodian prepares a Report of Survey in accordance with Section 7 of this Order.

3) At the completion of the inventory process, the Property Management Specialist shall provide a Certification Memo along with the final listing of property assigned to his/her custodial area. This memorandum indicates the results from the annual inventory regarding what was located and unlocated among the total accountable property.

7. REPORT OF SURVEY PROCEDURES (ROS): An appointed panel, also known as the

Survey Board, shall oversee the following procedures to report lost, stolen, or damaged personal property. The Survey Board shall meet on an as-needed basis, as determined by the Survey Officer, to review ROS submissions and is responsible for adjudication of liability when personal property is unaccounted for.

a. The ROS process is initiated when a Property Custodian notifies the Property Management Officer (PMO) of property that has been determined to be lost, stolen, or damaged. The Property Custodian will prepare the ROS package for PMO to review and for final submission to the Survey Officer.

b. The ROS package must include the following:

1) DOT Form 4410.1.

2) Acquisition documentation for the property.

3) Police report (if an asset was stolen).

c. The Survey Board shall consist of the Property Custodian, Property Management Officer who prepared the ROS submission, the Survey Officer, and Approving Official.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 8

d. The roles and responsibilities of the appointed Survey Board include the following:

1) Property Custodian (the designated Property Custodian for the Program Office at any grade level) – The Property Custodian shall draft and prepare the ROS package within 14 business days of notification that the property is unaccounted for.

2) Property Management Officer (the designated Property Manager for NAD-100)

– The Property Manager shall conduct a preliminary review of the ROS package submitted by the Property Custodian for accuracy and completeness. For sensitive information technology assets containing government data (i.e., cell phones, tablets, laptops, secure flash drives, etc.), the Property Manager shall notify the Office of Information Technology of the unaccounted property.

3) Survey Officer (the appointed Survey Officer for NAD-100 who at a minimum must be a grade level of GS-13) – The Survey Officer shall conduct a comprehensive review of the ROS package and a thorough investigation of the ROS package artifacts. Based on the comprehensive review, the Survey Officer shall make a recommendation to convene the Survey Board for the adjudication of liability.

4) Approving Official (the Director of Administrative & Management Services, who serves as the head of the Survey Board) – The Approving Official shall conduct the final review of the ROS package and will determine liability for unaccounted property, based on recommendations from the Survey Board. If a determination of liability is present, the Approving Official shall submit the ROS package to the Office of the Chief Counsel and Office of Financial Management to determine if there are any legal and/or financial implications the liable party or the end user of the unaccounted property may be subject to. The Offices of Financial Management and the Chief Counsel will appoint representatives to review such cases as they occur.

e. Recordkeeping of Unaccounted Property:

1) A copy of the adjudicated ROS package shall be maintained within the property management system under the property record.

2) A disposition of the unaccounted property shall be conducted in the property management system.

8. PROPERTY TRANSFER: Movement of Equipment between custodial areas.

a. Property Custodians may request transfers of property by emailing the information to their Property Management Staff representative.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 9

b. At the request of the Property Custodians/User support staff, OAMS shall execute all transfers of property from one property custodian to another and will ensure that such property transactions are appropriately recorded in the property management system.

c. Property Custodians may make user reassignments within their custodial areas, as required. Changes in user assignment should be given to the appropriate Property Management Staff representative, who shall update the property management system.

9. PROPERTY REUTILIZATION AND DISPOSAL:

a. To obtain the maximum reutilization and to minimize the procurement of new equipment, Property Custodians shall notify OCIO when EIT property is no longer required for their needs. For all types of property other than EIT, Property Custodians shall notify OAMS when such property is no longer required for their needs.

b. The OCIO shall determine whether EIT property is suitable for reutilization within the Agency or is excess to current needs. EIT property that is suitable for reutilization will be held by the OCIO and reissued as needed. EIT property that is not suitable for reutilization will be reported to OAMS as surplus property.

c. OAMS property staff shall arrange for the surplus EIT property to be moved to the OAMS secure storage room. Property not selected for reutilization will then be identified as surplus and either transferred to the OST warehouse for disposal or donated to a school in accordance with Executive Order 12999 and Departmental guidance.

d. The OCIO shall ensure that all data on all computers or electronic storage devices (including but not limited to desktops, laptops, servers, handheld, or mobile devices) is erased permanently prior to re-deployment, surplus, or disposal.

10. USE OF GOVERNMENT EQUIPMENT AT HOME: Guidance for use of government equipment at home is contained in NHTSA Order 440-5, Use of Government Equipment At Home, dated February 23, 2004.

11. TRADE-IN/EXCHANGE: Equipment shall be sold or exchanged when a replacement is deemed necessary and the proceeds of the sale or the exchange allowance shall be applied to the acquisition of a similar item of equipment.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 10

CHAPTER II

GOVERNMENT-OWNED CONTRACTOR/GRANTEE HELD

NONEXPENDABLE PERSONAL PROPERTY

1. RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. The Director of OAMS, or his/her representative is designated the NHTSA contractor/grantee-held Property Administrator and, as such, is responsible for:

1) maintaining internal control systems designed to ensure that government-furnished or contractor-acquired property is adequately controlled in accordance with the requirements of this Order, the Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR), and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

2) conducting reviews of the contractors' property control systems, as appropriate, to determine that the contractors' systems meet the requirements of (FAR) 48 C.F.R. Chapter 1, Part 45 and (TAR) 48 C.F.R. Chapter 12, Part 1245. and other contract requirements, as appropriate. These reviews will be conducted in accordance with (TAR) 48 C.F.R.1245.104.

b. The Director, Office of Finance is responsible for ensuring that all capitalized equipment reported on contractors' inventory reports is entered into the General Ledger.

c. The Chief Information Officer is responsible for providing technical assistance, as requested, to the Office of Acquisition Management in the acquisition of EIT equipment.

d. Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs) are responsible for:

1) notifying the OAMS Property Management Office, in writing, of all government property acquisitions, transfers, and request for disposal under their contracts, or interagency agreements.

2) assisting OAMS Property Management Office with annual physical inventory requests and reconciliation of physical inventory results.

3) initiating the close-out of contracts that had acquired personal property and ensuring that all contract vendors are in compliance.

e. The Office of Administrative and Management Services (OAMS) Property Management Officer is responsible for:

1) ensuring that detailed property records of accountable contractor/grantee-held personal property are recorded within the established asset management system.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 11

2) coordinating with CORs to conduct annual physical inventories of all contractor/grantee-held personal property utilizing Form HS-324 and ensuring compliance with prescribed procedures for reconciliation of physical inventory results.

3) conducting surveys and processing reports for all lost, damaged, or destroyed contractor/grantee-held personal property.

4) approving transfers of contractor/grantee-held personal property from one contract to another utilizing Form HS-145 and coordinating with CORs to ensure the receiving party of the transfer is in receipt of the property.

5) ensuring that all property transactions are appropriately documented and recorded in the asset management system.

2. ACQUISITION OF CONTRACTOR/GRANTEE-HELD PERSONAL PROPERTY:

a. Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR) shall:

1) coordinate with Contracting Officers (COs) to determine what contractor/grantee-held personal property is required.

2) once the property is acquired, submit the NHTSA Identifier Tag Request form and supporting documentation to the OAMS Property Management Office to request NHTSA barcode identifiers.

3) ensure that contract vendors accurately tag each asset as identified on the NHTSA Identifier Tag Request form.

b. OAMS Property Management Officer shall:

1) verify NHTSA Identifier Tag Request forms and supplemental acquisition documentations submitted by CORs for accuracy.

2) issue a NHTSA barcode identifier to each acquired asset and distribute the tags to the requesting COR.

3) update the asset management system to reflect the new acquisitions along with supporting documentation (e.g., purchase order, invoice, receipt, etc.).

3. ANNUAL INVENTORY PROCESS:

a. The OAMS Property Management Office will conduct annual inventories by requesting CORs to submit completed HS-324 forms.

b. OAMS Property Management Officer shall:

NHTSA Order 440-1E 12

1) initiate annual requests to and require from each COR a completed and ratified HS-324 form.

2) upon receipt and acceptance of an HS-324 form, conduct a reconciliation between the data submitted and the existing data in the asset management system.

3) address any discrepancies identified directly with the COR.

c. Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR) shall:

1) request contract vendors/grantees to complete an annual physical inventory by listing all of the NHTSA-owned personal property in their possession on the HS- 324 form.

2) request that each vendor/grantee sign the HS-324 form validating that a physical inventory was conducted.

3) submit all completed and certified HS-324 forms to the assigned Property Officer.

4) ensure all contractors/grantees comply with prescribed procedures for the reconciliation of physical inventory results.

5) submit disposition memos for any property that is no longer being utilized under each vendor/grantee.

4. TRANSFERRING PERSONAL PROPERTY:

a. Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR) shall:

1) review and sign the HS-145 form to approve the transfer of contractor/grantee-held personal property.

2) notify the OAMS Property Management Office and receiving COR of the transfer request.

3) when receiving contractor/grantee-held personal property from an incoming transfer, collaborate with vendors/grantees to confirm the condition of the property before accepting the transfer and taking accountability of the incoming assets.

b. OAMS Property Management Officer (PMO) shall:

1) review the HS-145 form and confirm with the receiving COR that they have accepted the property transfer and are in receipt of the incoming assets.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 13

2) update the asset management system once confirmation has been established with the receiving COR.

5. CONTRACT CLOSE-OUT:

a. When a property is no longer required for performance under a contract, or interagency agreement and is ready for disposal action, CORs must submit a memo to the OAMS Property Management Office to initiate the disposition process.

b. OAMS Property Management Office will review and conduct a close-out inventory reconciliation to ensure all NHTSA-owned personal property in possession of the contractor/grantee at the time of the close-out request is accounted for and returned to NHTSA before finalizing the contract close-out.

6. RECORD KEEPING AND INTERNAL CONTROLS: The OAMS Property Management

Office shall establish and maintain a Contract Property Control File which includes at a minimum:

a. A copy of the contract, or extract of provisions thereof, establishing requirements for property administration (except when the property control file is maintained as an adjunct to the contract working file).

b. Contractor's receipts for a government-furnished property.

c. Contractor's annual physical inventory.

d. Documents evidencing the delivery and removal of government property from the custody of the contractor, the transfer of government property from one contract to another, and the disposal of government property.

e. Documents evidencing relief of the contractor from accountability for government property due to loss, damage, destruction, unreasonable wear, deterioration, or unjustifiable consumption in the performance of the contract.

f. Any other correspondence affecting the status of government property under the contract.

g. A statement of closure of the contract property account.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 14

Glossary of

Terms

NHTSA Order 440-1E 15

DOCUMENT 1

DEFINITIONS FOR USE IN PERSONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

ACCOUNTABLE PROPERTY - Government property that is recorded in a formal personal property accounting system and is controlled by an identification system and supporting records from its acquisition through disposal.

ACCOUNTABILITY - The act of maintaining an account (a record) for personal property by providing a complete audit trail for personal property transactions from receipt to final disposition.

ACQUIRE - To obtain ownership of property in any manner, including by purchase, transfer, donation, manufacture, construction, condemnation, or production at government-owned plants or facilities.

ACQUISITION - The process of obtaining by any means, from any source, personal property to be used to satisfy the need to support a program.

APPROVING OFFICIAL - An individual who has final authority to approve findings and recommendations; normally used in the approval/disapproval of findings and recommendations of the Survey Officer or Survey Board on Reports of Survey for Lost, Damaged, or Destroyed Property (within NHTSA this is the Director for Administrative and Management Services).

ASSET - Any item of economic value owned by a governmental unit.

AUTHORITY - The power to take actions or approve actions of others.

BOARD OF SURVEY - An ad hoc committee or panel appointed by senior management officials, typically consisting of three or five members, charged with the responsibility for reviewing or investigating reported loss of or damage to property and fixing financial liability for such loss and authorizing the removal of items from the official property records. A "Survey Officer" may be appointed in lieu of a board when the value of the property so warrants.

CAPITALIZATION - A financial management term that describes the function of recording the total acquisition cost of an item in the general ledger of an agency's financial accounts to accurately reflect the agency's investment in the asset.

CAPITALIZED EQUIPMENT - All property with an initial acquisition cost at or above the criteria established by the GAO in Title 2 of its Policy and Procedures Manual for Guidance of Federal Agencies, which is recorded in the general ledger of the financial management accounts.

An agency may select a lower capitalization level than that established by GAO.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 16

CERTIFYING OFFICIAL - The individual responsible for ensuring the accountability of the nonexpendable personal property within his/her custodial area. Also, the official who designates the property custodian for their area.

CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR ) – NHTSA’s contact and reference point for all activities pertaining to the technical performance on an assigned contract, small purchase, grant, cooperative agreement, or interagency agreement. The COR is designated by the Associate Administrator for the requisitioning office; however, the actual appointment is executed by the contracting officer.

CONTRACTOR - A private person, organization, agency, or firm that agrees to provide supplies and/or service during an agreed-to time period for a stated price or rate.

CONTRACTOR-HELD PROPERTY - Property furnished to or acquired by, and in the possession of a contractor, at the contractor’s facility or NHTSA Headquarters, pursuant to the terms of a contract, in which title is vested in the government.

CUSTODIAL AREA - An accountable area, defined by organizational or geographical limits, for which a personal property custodian has been designated.

DISPOSAL - The actions involved in the removal of personal property from use/possession and from the property accounting system.

ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (EIT) EQUIPMENT - Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystems of equipment in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or retrieval of data of information, and accessorial devices used in support of data processing.

EXCESS PROPERTY - Property that is no longer required by the holding agency for its needs and the discharge of its responsibilities has been reported to the General Services Administration.

EXCHANGE/SALE - The process by which personal property that is not more than the needs of the holding agency, but eligible for replacement, is exchanged (trade-in) or sold with the application of the allowance or proceeds towards the purchase of the replacement item.

EXPENDABLE PERSONAL PROPERTY - Personal property which is consumed in use or loses its identity when used.

FAILURE TO SAFEGUARD – The failure to maintain proper control over government property.

GRANTEE - Recipient of Federal assistance (grant or cooperative agreement) via transfer of money, property, or anything of value to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by legislation.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 17

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY (GFP) - Property in the possession of, or directly acquired by, NHTSA and subsequently provided to the contractor for use at the contractor’s facility. This includes motor vehicles purchased by NHTSA and provided to a contractor for testing.

INVENTORY (noun) - The formal listing (property record) of all personal property assigned to an organization.

INVENTORY (verb) - The act of locating, identifying, counting, recording items, and reconciling the differences in the physical count with the official property record.

LIFE EXPECTANCY - The number of years that an item of equipment can be anticipated to provide useful service when properly maintained in use.

MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE - A laptop, tablet, personal digital assistant, or other portable devices that can process data.

MOBILE DEVICES - General term describing both mobile computing and portable data storage media including but not limited to external hard drives, tape drives, and media players.

NEGLECT and NEGLIGENCE - Includes both simple negligence and gross negligence.

Simple negligence is the failure or omission to observe, for the protection of government interests, that degree of care, precaution, and vigilance which the circumstances justly demand, whereby the government suffers through loss, damage, or destruction of property. Gross negligence is an act or omission of the employee(s) which constitutes misconduct, willful negligence, or a wanton and reckless disregard for the property.

NONEXPENDABLE PERSONAL PROPERTY - Property which has a normal life expectancy of more than 1 year, has continuing use as a self-contained unit, is not consumed in use, does not lose its identity when put to use, or does not ordinarily become a non-severable component of other property.

NON-CAPITALIZED PERSONAL PROPERTY - All government-owned personal property that does not meet the GAO or the holding agency's established criteria for capitalization into the general ledger of the agency's financial management account.

PECUNIARY LIABILITY - Responsibility of an individual to pay for an item of equipment or supply.

PERSONAL PROPERTY - Any property of the Federal government, except real property.

PERSONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - All functions necessary for the proper determination of need, source, acquisition, receipt, accountability, utilization, maintenance, rehabilitation, storage, distribution, and disposal of personal property.

NHTSA Order 440-1E 18

PERSONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT/CONTROL SYSTEM - A concept or means for controlling and accounting for personal property for which the government is responsible.

PHYSICAL INVENTORY – An annual physical count of personal property that is on hand and the comparison of those counts with the applicable property records.

PROPERTY CUSTODIAN - The person designated in writing by the certifying official, by name or organizational position, as being responsible for the control of the personal property within a specified custodial area.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OFFICER - The person designated, in writing, by the Director for Administrative and Management Services, by name or organizational position, as being responsible for the management of a system of accountability and control for personal property within a specified organization.

PURCHASE ORDER - An offer by the government to buy certain equipment, services, or supplies from commercial sources, upon specified terms and conditions, the aggregate amount of which does not exceed the small purchase limit.

PROCUREMENT REQUEST - A need expressed by a user for equipment, services, or supplies (Document 2).

REPORT OF SURVEY - A process used to examine facts, determine responsibility, and establish the extent of liability for the loss, damage, and/or destruction of government property; to provide relief from responsibility and/or accountability; and to provide a document authorizing the removal of personal property from the formal account.

RECONCILIATION - The process of matching and adjusting property records for a specific item to all such records to bring them into a full agreement and to assure that they accurately reflect the quantity, description, condition, location, property custodian, etc., of the item.

RESPONSIBILITY - Being accountable (answerable) for all actions which are taken or not taken within the scope of an individual's delegated authority.

SUPPLIES - Expendable personal property that is consumed in use.

SURVEY OFFICER - An individual designated as necessary by a senior management official to investigate, report on, and make recommendations on the loss, damage to, or destruction of government property, as necessary.