Equipment Purchases

In general, fixed and moveable equipment are considered fixed assets of the University of Mary Washington and, as such, are owned by the University and not by a specific individual, department or operating unit. The University has sole ownership of all equipment acquired regardless of source of funding or method of acquisition.

All equipment purchases must follow Commonwealth and University regulations, such as using mandatory sources and observing bidding requirements. Contact Procurement Services (extension 1127) for an explanation of the proper procedures.

In certain rare cases, there may be exceptions to this general policy. If the equipment was acquired through a sponsored project, and the federal government or other sponsor explicitly retained title to it, that equipment would not be considered a fixed asset of UMW. If the grant sponsor furnished equipment merely for the duration of the project, such equipment would also not be a fixed asset of UMW. Equipment acquired on short-term loan from another institution, or leased, is similarly not a fixed UMW asset.

Should a faculty member choose to leave UMW prior to the conclusion of a sponsored project, and seek to transfer this project and its equipment to a new institution, the faculty member must contact both the grant sponsor and Julie Smith, Associate Vice President for Finance, in order to determine if such a transfer is possible, and under which conditions. Typically, the granting entity will terminate the existing award and then issue an award to the new institution. Approval of a request to transfer equipment purchased through the grant will be dependent upon the nature of the ownership of the equipment (whether or not it became a UMW fixed asset or title to the equipment was retained by the granting entity).