Surplus Property

All university property that is excess to the needs of a department must enter the surplus disposal process. Initial efforts will be made to redistribute surplus property within the university. If this proves to be unsuccessful, it will be sold at public auction or through sealed bid. Department Heads may act to transfer property to another department, but cannot sell or donate property to an individual or commercial firm. University Policy 3955 provides specific guidance.

The Virginia Tech Surplus Property Office and Warehouse is located at 1425 South Main Street next to Printing Services. The telephone number is 540-231-5660. The Surplus Warehouse is open to departments for official business on weekdays from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, closed 12 PM to 1 PM for lunch. The public is only allowed in the warehouse on Auction Preview day, Auction day and designated pick up days following the auction. Services provided by the Surplus Property Office include

Removal of surplus property from university departments.
Inter-department transfer of surplus property per conflict of interest act.
Disposal of surplus property through public auctions that are held at the warehouse.
Arranging for departments to purchase federal and state surplus items at facilites located in Richmond and Wytheville.

The training for Surplus 101: How to Surplus is now being offered on the PageUp Learning Management System (LMS).

Complete the Online Surplus Property Report form(s) .

Fill out the Surplus Property Report Form.
Attach a mailing label or piece of masking tape with "Surplus" written or typed on it to each item or lot, no post-it notes. Non-equipment items such as chairs, tables, desks, miscellaneous office supplies, etc., may be grouped as one lot each for the same type of item.
Once the form is complete and approved, it will be sent to Surplus electronically.
If you need to be contacted when Surplus is coming, please make a note of it on the form. Typically, pickups are made within two to three weeks unless there is a conflict with an auction or storage space is not available. Larger items may take longer to pick up.
If a department wishes to deliver items to Surplus, they must call beforehand to schedule a time.
Departments are responsible for assuring that all computer hard drives are erased i.e., free of all data and software. See Surplusing Your IT Equipment for more details.
Computer monitors and TVs contain toxic elements, therefore, Environmental, Health and Safety Services (EHS) is responsible for the disposal of all computers, monitors, and TVs that are not flat screen. For more information visit the EHS Waste Monitor website.

Call ahead to ensure staff is available, then visit the warehouse to view items in inventory.
Complete a Surplus Property Internal Transfer Authorization form for the items you wish to obtain (item, description and cost to be filled in at the time of purchase).
- Download the Surplus Property Internal Transfer Authorization form.
You will need to make arrangements for the transportation of the item to the desired location. If the item is too large or if assistance is needed in transporting the item, submit an Inter-Departmental Service Request (ISR) to Physical Plant.

University departments may purchase state and federal surplus property items from facilities located in Richmond and Wytheville. Contact the Surplus Property Manager at 231-5660 for details.

Bids - none at this time
Special Sales - none at this time
Notices - none at this time

Per Policy 3951 Transfer of Equipment from the University to Other Domestic Institutions:

The University purchases or fabricates thousands of pieces of equipment worth tens of millions of dollars each fiscal year. There are five major sources of funds used to acquire equipment: state funds (including Education and General and recovered overhead), Equipment Trust Fund proceeds, grants and contracts or sponsored projects funds, donations or “in-kind” gifts, and capital outlay funds or bond proceeds. Because of the extensive involvement of faculty in the creation of proposals for grants and contracts and in solicitations for donations, misconceptions about ownership sometimes arise, especially when faculty members leave the employment of the university and wish to take equipment with them. This policy clarifies the University’s ownership interest in equipment and specifies the limited circumstances under which equipment may be transferred to other institutions. If the receiving institution is outside the United States, additional procedures are necessary to ensure compliance with various security or export control laws and regulations. These additional requirements are not included in this policy.

Surplus Terms and Conditions

All items will be sold online and facilitated through Matthews Auctioneers. All bidders must register on the auction website. Registration is required before placing a bid.
Virginia Tech employees may bid on items or item groups. The maximum bid is $500 (five hundred dollars) per item or group.
All sales are final.
The condition of all property is not known and is sold as is. Items may have defects or damage, bid with this in mind.
There are no expressed or implied warranties on any items listed.
Backpacks, purses, bags, and satchels are not allowed inside the warehouse.
All purchases must be paid in full online per terms set forth by Matthews Auctioneers. Bidders who do not pay may be barred from buying Virginia Tech property in the future.
The Virginia Conflict of Interest Act applies to all auctions.
The buyer is responsible for the property after it is awarded. Surplus Property will take normal care of the property until it is removed. However, Surplus Property is not responsible for any loss or damage.
Bids are usually accepted for each item separately. However, Surplus Property may choose to accept bids for groups of items if needed. Surplus Property may remove any item before or during the auction. Surplus Property may accept, reject, add, or withdraw any bid at any time.
Ownership of the items returns to Virginia Tech at 4:00 PM on Friday of the week after the auction. After that time, Surplus Property may keep the purchase payment and sell the items again, keeping any money from the new sale.
Titles will be issued using the name on the bidder registration. Make sure your registration name is correct.