Equipment Management Frequently Asked Questions
Browse FAQs by Category: FABweb Transfer and Disposal - Donations/Loans/Gifts/Personal Use - Lost/Stolen/Insured - Inventory - Reports - FABweb Access - Tags (Otag, PTag) - Codes - Notifications - Updating Records in FABweb
FABweb Transfer and Disposal
Donations/Loans/Gifts/Personal Use
Lost/Stolen/Insured
Inventory
Reports
FABweb Access
Tags (Otag, Ptag)
Codes
Notifications
Updating Records in FABweb
FABweb Transfer and Disposal
Q. How can I enter multiple items on a single disposal/transfer request?
A. After adding the first item to the request, continue to "find" Banner records and "add" non-Banner records to create a single request with multiple items.
Processing a FABweb Scrap/Surplus Request
Processing a FABweb Transfer
Q. If I click on the forward tab, will the request automatically forward before I have a chance to review?
A. No, clicking on the forward tab takes the user to a new tab in the request where they can enter comments, provide updated contact information, save an excel spreadsheet, and either submit or cancel a request.
Q. I started a request and saved it, but I can't find it now. I received an email that I have a request to approve. Where is it?
A. In-process and unclaimed surplus/disposal and transfer requests are listed at the bottom of your FABweb main page. Please scroll down in your browser window to see all items in your FABweb inbox/working area.
Q. How do I view comments from all parties in a request?
A. Click the forward transfer tab and click the Save to Excel button. An excel spreadsheet will open with the comments from the preceding users involved in the disposal/transfer.
Q. What documentation should I retain for FABweb transfers and disposals?
A. Units should use the save to excel functionality on the FABweb transfer tab to retain an electronic copy of the transaction for their record keeping. Also retain any emails regarding the transaction to assist in future correspondence.
Q. When I used the Save to Excel function in FABweb, I noticed some of my equipment records did not appear on the spreadsheet. What do I do?
A. Isolated instances have been reported where the spreadsheets don't contain all records. In most cases the items are included but can't be seen without increasing the row height in the excel spreadsheet. Format your spreadsheet row height to 20. If records still aren't identified on the spreadsheet, please contact Juana Rodriguez.
Q. I don't have a forward tab on my surplus/disposal request. Where is it?
A. Once all items have been added to the request on the "Submit a Surplus/Disposal" page, users must hit the continue button and then the separate FABweb summary and forward tabs appear.
Q. Where can I designate my campus surplus warehouse on a disposal request?
A. After all items have been added to the request, click the continue button. On this page you can indicate your campus surplus warehouse. This field defaults to chart 1-Urbana/Springfield. Chicago users need to update the warehouse chart to 2-Chicago for expected delivery to the UIC surplus warehouse.
Q. How do I know if the item I am disposing of is electronic?
A. For the purpose of disposing of equipment items through FABweb, the electronic designation should only be used for computers, laptops, servers, and computer hardware requiring data-wiping per state law. Computer peripherals like keyboards, mice and monitors don't require data-wiping and should be submitted as "non-electronic" for the purpose of the FABweb disposal request. There are special requirements to dispose of electronic equipment at UIS.
UIS Equipment Transfers and Disposals Procedures
Disposal of Electronic Equipment at UIS
Q. How should I handle inter-department transfers now that Property Accounting is no longer involved in the notification and approval process?
A. The originating unit and receiving unit need to correspond through email or phone to ensure the other party is aware of the current status of the transfer. Units should supplement the FABweb email notifications sent throughout the process with emails to the other unit identifying when items have been approved and completed, or any issues regarding non-completion.
Q. How does a new user in my organization request access to FABweb?
A. When requesting new user accounts, access must be requested and processed through your Unit Security Contact (USC).
Q. I already have access to FABweb, how do I request an approver role?
A. For current FABweb system users, access to further roles must be requested and processed through your Unit Security Contact (USC).
Q. What training is available for transfers and disposals?
A. There are many resources available to learn about the transfer and disposal process. The instructor-led course FABweb Transfers and Disposals is offered periodically on all universities. To register go to the course registration site at http://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/training/registration/. In addition to the instructor-led training, there are also on-line tutorials for approving disposal and transfer requests as well as an overview of the process under webinars.
Donations/Loans/Gifts/Personal Use
Q. Can we donate computers to local primary and secondary schools?
A. No. As a rule, the State Department of Central Management Services does not approve requests to donate equipment. However, a request to donate/sell surplus equipment can be initiated by contacting Magdalena Jach, Property Accounting Senior Surplus Coordinator, at 312-585-9171 or mj20@uillinois.edu.
Q. Do I add equipment donated to us to our inventory? If so, how do I record it?
A. Yes. Equipment received as a gift must be recorded by completing the appropriate gift form found on the Gift Forms page.
Q. Should I record equipment loaned to the U of I System by an individual, an institution, or a corporation?
A. Yes. Any equipment received on loan from anyone should be recorded in Banner Fixed Asset as a non-cash addition with the correct Title-To code.
Q. Can equipment be loaned to another university?
A. Yes. To process this type of loan, use the Equipment Loan Agreement. Also, see Instructions to complete Equipment Loan Agreement.
Q. Can a faculty or staff person take equipment home?
A. Yes, but only for system use and with departmental approval can faculty or staff take equipment home. Equipment may be signed out for short period usage. When equipment is to be off campus for one semester or longer, a loan agreement must be completed, signed, and retained by the owning department.
Q. Can the department give a retiree the computer or chair they were using while employed by the U of I System as a retirement gift?
A. No, this is prohibited by U of I System policy and state law.
Lost/Stolen/Insured
Q. What do I do when equipment has been stolen?
A. Report the theft of U of I System equipment to the University Police Department. If the stolen equipment is on the departmental inventory, submit a Request Disposal Equipment as Scrap or Surplus form indicating in the comments section that the listed item(s) was stolen and attach a copy of the police report or a letter from the police department indicating a report has been filed.
Q. Can a department obtain insurance coverage for equipment?
A. Yes. Departments may obtain insurance coverage for equipment by contacting the University Office of Risk Management at 217-333-3113.
Q. Is U of I System equipment insured for loss due to theft or casualty?
A. Generally, no. However, departments may obtain insurance coverage for equipment accompanying an employee traveling on business. In addition, departments may work with the University Office of Risk Management (217-333-3113) to purchase insurance coverage on equipment as needed. Section 6, Insurance of the Business and Financial Policies and Procedures manual provide information to help units understand the types of insurance provided by the system. The system does not insure office contents (including but not limited to furniture, equipment, research, and scientific equipment) unless the unit head has arranged for insurance through the University Office of Risk Management and paid the required insurance premium.
Q. What do I do if an employee loses a piece of equipment?
A. U of I System employees using system property assigned specifically to them are responsible for that equipment. They may be asked to reimburse the system if the equipment is lost, stolen, misplaced, or damaged because of neglect. Whether or not an employee is required to reimburse the department for lost equipment is determined by the unit head. Equipment lost or stolen should be reported to the University Police and OBFS Property Accounting. If the equipment was purchased with sponsored-project funds, the unit must also notify the loss to the appropriate university OBFS Grants and Contracts Office.
Unit heads ensure that employees take adequate measures for the security of all equipment assigned to their units. In addition to unit heads, all individuals in a unit responsible for the security of equipment must consult with the University Police Department about appropriate security measures.
For more detailed information, please refer to Section 12 of the Business and Financial Policies and Procedures manual.
Q. What do I do with inventoried equipment that cannot be found?
A. Once a department has made a thorough search, equipment that cannot be located during a physical inventory may be disposed according to instructions provided in the Biennial Physical Inventory Manual and explained during training. The department may complete the Request Disposal Equipment as Scrap or Surplus form indicating that the listed items are "presumed scrapped without authorization." The completed form must be emailed to UPAR at obfsuafrproperty@uillinois.edu with copy to the department head.
Inventory
Q. Is a physical inventory of equipment conducted? If so, who is responsible; how and when is it done?
A. The system conducts Biennial Physical Inventory with half of UIUC and UIC performing their physical inventory each year and UIS performs their inventory only on odd years. OBFS Property Accounting emails property contacts and department head on each campus notification of the critical dates and expectations for conducting the physical inventory. Departments run their own inventory verification report in EDDIE: UR FINANCE/UF FIFA Fixed Asset by Organization Report. Access for the report in EDDIE is granted through your departmental Unit Security Contact.
Q. Where do I get the inventoried equipment lists?
A. Departments may obtain a current listing of their inventoried equipment by accessing and running the UR FINANCE/UR FIFA Fixed Asset by Organization Report in EDDIE. Training on how to use this report is available with our Biennial Physical Inventory Training which is offered at each university as each year's biennial documents are sent.
Q. Where do I send my inventory lists?
A. You should keep these lists in your department. The inventory verification lists used to conduct the physical inventory, complete with notations, are to be retained in the departmental files and made available to auditors and OBFS staff upon request. However, Biennial Inventory Certification letters for all universities may be mailed to Juana Rodriguez, 426 Marshfield Ave. Building, 809 S. Marshfield - MC 548, Chicago, IL 60612 or FAX to (312) 413-9487.
Q. I just received notice that our Biennial Physical Inventory is past due, and we never received the materials. What do I do now?
A. Contact OBFS Property Accounting advising them of your situation. No extensions can be granted. However, OBFS Property Accounting will resend the inventory notification and work with you to complete your physical inventory as soon as possible.
Q. Can I get an extension on the date the Physical Inventory Certification Letter is due?
A. Extensions are not granted on the due dates for the Biennial Physical Inventory Certification letter. The department is considered tardy until the certification letter is received by OBFS Property Accounting. However, OBFS Property Accounting appreciates emails and phone calls to update the status of the certification letter.
Departments should indicate the Chart and Organization Codes as well as the Organization Title of the Department when submitting Biennial Inventory Certification letters to OBFS Property Accounting. Failure to include this required information may result in the department being considered tardy.
Reports
Q. What is EDDIE? How do I use it?
A. EDDIE is the Enterprise Date Delivery Information Environment used to retrieve, view, and print financial and fixed asset reports. Access to EDDIE can be obtained by sending a request to your Unit Security Contact. Two reports are available for fixed asset users:
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FINANCE UR Reports - UR FIFA Fixed Asset by Organization report will give you a listing of your active inventory of moveable equipment for use in performing your physical inventory requirements. Training on how to use this report is available with Biennial Physical Inventory training sessions.
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UI2 FINANCE/Fixed Assets - FIFX Monthly Activity by Chart and Organization report is used to reconcile your departmental inventory activity with the transactions processed in Banner Fixed Assets each month. The report contains several sub-reports showing new acquisitions, funding changes, disposals, transfers in, and transfers out. Training on how to use this report is available as part of the FABweb training sessions.
FABweb Access
Q. Why can't I get into FABweb to submit my department's acquisitions?
A. If you have not been granted permission to access FABweb, go to the Equipment Management website, click on the Login button and follow the instructions for obtaining access.
Tags (Otag, Ptag)
Q. I purchased two items that go on inventory. Why are there 10 tags outstanding in FABweb?
A. Otags are generated based upon each line item coded to an equipment account code (127* or 163*). When several line items are used to list the cost of a part of a piece of equipment, each line item will generate an Otag.
OBFS Property Accounting staff can process journal voucher transactions to combine the appropriate line items for each piece of equipment so the department will have one Otag for each piece of equipment.
Q. Who sends me my Ptags?
A. OBFS Property Accounting staff sends Ptags to departments after the Fixed Asset record is completed in Banner by Property Accounting.
Q. Why don't I see the Otag in FABweb if I've received the equipment?
A. There are several reasons why you may not see the Otag in FABweb:
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Invoice might not be paid yet. This could happen if the department does not approve the invoice for payment in a timely manner or if the vendor delays sending the invoice for payment
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The receipt required may not be completed
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The purchase may have been account coded incorrectly
Q. What do I do if a Ptag is missing?
A. A missing asset tag may be replaced by contacting the Property Accounting processor assigned to your department who will create a new tag and mail it to you. However, the replacement tag will only have the Ptag number without the bar code.
Q. Why does the value of my Otag not match the amount on the invoice?
A. Additional costs such as shipping, installation, and discounts are prorated to all the items on the invoice, including equipment.
Codes
Q. What is the difference between commodity codes and account codes?
A. Account Codes indicate the type of expense category for equipment purchased and indicates whether equipment is expensed or capitalized or is not equipment.
Equipment account codes are a part of the CFOAPAL:
127nnn equipment with cost from $2,500 to 4,999.99
163nnn equipment with cost of $5,000 and above
Commodity Codes classify the type of equipment purchased. Departments must take extreme care in assigning the correct commodity code for a newly acquired asset because the commodity code determines the useful life of the asset, which directly affects the annual calculation of depreciation.
Q. Where do I find the list of location codes?
A. The list of location codes can be found on the OBFS Equipment Management website on the right-hand side under Helpful Documents.
Notifications
Q. When should units contact Property Accounting?
A. Units must notify Property Accounting when:
- Equipment is being returned for credit - The credit transaction will then be handled properly and the equipment record will be removed from inventory.
- Equipment items are being paid in multiple payments - Proper notification will reduce the amount of journal voucher entries required to correctly record the new acquisition. Otags need to be combined, separated, or inactivated.
Q. Why am I receiving the weekly FABweb reminder emails?
A. The weekly emails are generated each Monday automatically from FABweb and are sent to all FABweb users, including Unit Reps and Approvers.
Q. Why am I still receiving the weekly FABweb reminder emails when I've already submitted my Otags?
A. You will still receive the emails if the Otags are still being reviewed and completed by Property Accounting. Once Property Accounting completes the record in Banner and assigns the Ptag, you will no longer receive the weekly email for that item.
Updating Records in FABweb
Q. Why do the departments have to update FABweb?
A. Departments have detailed information required for a complete Banner Fixed Asset record that Property Accounting staff does not know. Therefore, departmental staff must update the new acquisition record with commodity code, description, location, custodian, equipment manager, model, manufacturer, serial number, component, and trade-in information. When existing equipment is re-assigned, only the department can change the location, custodian, and equipment manager information.
Q. Is there a way to do multiple entry updates in FABweb?
A. Yes. A batch upload file can be completed and submitted in FABweb. Follow a link to the batch upload job aids and on-line tutorial.
Q. When I went into FABweb to update a PTag, it wasn't available in FABweb. What do I do?
A. Review the asset record in Banner FFIMAST to make sure it is assigned to your chart and org. If it is not assigned to your org, contact the responsible unit to initiate a transfer of ownership in FABweb. If it is assigned to your org but you still cannot access the record, look at the Check Status feature in FABweb to see where it is locked.
First Published: May 2021 | Last Updated: March 2023 | Last Reviewed: March 2023