Equipment Purchasing, Registration & Use

All non-expendable goods purchased with ANY University funds, including your Professional Expense Allowance (PEA), and all Speed Codes, are the property of the University of Alberta. The following guidelines are for University of Alberta equipment purchased by/for the Department of Computing Science.

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Purchasing Equipment

If you wish to purchase equipment from a research grant or University start-up fund, please contact the Staff Service Centre and an IST analyst will be in contact with you.

Registering (Tagging) Equipment

Department Policy

Equipment owned by the Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta must have an inventory tag if that equipment satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

  1. The equipment is a computer, including laptops
    • for ease in tracking the equipment on and off campus
    • for ease in travelling with the equipment
  2. The equipment requires support from the department*
    • software installs
    • hardware service
    • IP address, etc.
  3. The equipment is over $5000 in value (this is a University-wide policy)
  4. The user wishes to have an inventory tag for his/her equipment

*Equipment will only be supported if purchased by a Computing Science Speed Code or out of a CS staff member's PEA account.

Obtaining an inventory tag

  1. Send a request to the IST Service Desk with a description of the equipment and a copy of the invoice and the account number used to purchase the equipment.
    • Please indicate the urgency of the request.
    • Please allow 5 working days (depending on the urgency) to receive a University of Alberta inventory tag.
  2. The data on the newly-tagged equipment will be added to the University of Alberta inventory database.

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Off-campus Use of Equipment

Borrowing Equipment

  1. Get an off-campus equipment form from the administrative assistant for your research group or your supervisor
  2. Fill in the form (see the Notes section below).
  3. Take the form to the Chair's office for the Chair's signature.
  4. The form can be left in the Chair's office.

Notes

  1. To take University of Alberta owned equipment off-campus, that equipment must have a University of Alberta inventory tag.
  2. Only University of Alberta staff with a financial account (research account or Professional Expense account for example) are authorized to take equipment off-campus and they are responsible for that equipment.
  3. Individuals without a financial account must get permission from an account holder to take equipment off-campus. The account holder is named in the off-campus form and responsible for the equipment.
  4. An off-campus form must be filled out for a laptop as well, the first time it is taken off-campus.

Returning Equipment to Campus

  1. Contact IST when you are ready to bring the equipment back.
  2. IST will arrange to check the equipment and update the off-campus equipment form.

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Surplus / Disposal of Equipment

All non-expendable goods purchased with ANY University funds, including PEA and all Speed Codes, are the property of the University and you need to contact the IST Service Desk to arrange proper reuse or disposal.

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Other Equipment Procedures

To obtain more information about the following procedures or procure the necessary forms, please contact IST.

  1. Lost or stolen equipment
    Lost or stolen equipment must be reported.
  2. Retagging
    A replacement tag can be obtained for equipment whose tag has been destroyed (unreadable or ripped), or equipment that has been replaced under warranty whose original tag was not returned with the equipment.
  3. Reinstatement
    Equipment that has been removed in error from the inventory database, or that has been received from SMS Surplus Disposal (recycled/free or purchased) can be reinstated.
  4. Transfer of equipment to another institution
    University researchers can request the transfer of University of Alberta equipment to another educational or research institution when the equipment has been purchased from research or PEA funds. Approval from the Vice-President Research is required.
  5. Acceptance of equipment from another institution
    Researchers can relocate equipment to the University of Alberta from another educational or research institution.
  6. Dismantled equipment for parts
    An equipment asset can be dismantled for parts and retained by the Department.

The following procedures can only be done by the Department. Please talk to the Department Chair to initiate one of these procedures.

  1. Gift to a staff member
    An equipment asset can be given as a gift to a long-serving staff member at the time of retirement.
  2. Donation to a registered charity
    Equipment assets can be donated to a registered charity. Approval from the Vice-President Finance is required.
  3. Transfer or internal sale to another University unit
    The Department can transfer or sell equipment assets to another University unit.

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