12/15/97
ATHENS, Ohio The first of what may become quarterly public auctions to sell surplus computers, office furniture, vehicles, exercise equipment and other items owned by Ohio University is planned for January.
"In some cases, this is perfectly good equipment that is no longer of use to the university," said Sherwood Wilson, the university's director of facilities management. "We could let it sit in storage or make it available through auction to the highest bidder. I think it benefits the university and the community to let private citizens purchase the property."
Until now, the university accepted sealed bids for surplus items or placed them in storage. Under the new procedure, only items valued at more than $10,000 -- such as the five airplanes the university has for sale -- will be sold by sealed bid.
"There are going to be some really good deals, with many items being sold at very reasonable prices," said Gary Dicken, the university's building services coordinator. "I'm expecting a pretty good turnout because people know that the university has a lot of interesting equipment."
If January's sale on The Ridges goes well, auctions will be conducted every three months. The events will be widely advertised and may even be the subject of a World Wide Web page featuring photographs of the sale items, Wilson said. The time and date of the first auction have not yet been determined.
Surplus items will be offered to university departments before being put up for auction. Departments whose items are sold at auction can use 90 percent of the sale proceeds to purchase replacement equipment.
The new approach to disposing of surplus property is a result of a shift in administrative responsibilities for the Stores and Receiving Department, which is in charge of the auctions, from Purchasing to Facilities Management. The Stores and Receiving Department also is considering a just-in-time supply system that would reduce the need for extensive storage facilities, Wilson said.
"This new system is user friendly and really adheres to the letter and spirit of the laws governing the disposition of this property," said Terry Conry, assistant director of Facilities Management for resource management. "Our goal is to broaden access to surplus property for everyone."