When your department disposes of equipment, you must “retire” it through the Capital Assets Management System (CAMS) using the appropriate retirement code — which varies according to the reason the equipment is no longer in use. If you don’t have Account/Organization Level Security Access in CAMS, you may request it through USC’s Kuali System, or complete the Equipment Disposal Form.
USC Equipment Disposal Types
Discarded
If you no longer need the equipment, or the equipment is not functional or obsolete, you must retire the equipment in CAMS using the retirement code “DIS,” or complete the Equipment Disposal Form . Additionally, it is the responsibility of the custodial department to arrange for disposal. If your equipment contains hazardous materials, notify USC Environmental Health & Safety for additional instructions.
Sponsor-owned Equipment
Sponsor-owned equipment may not be disposed of or retired without the consent of the sponsoring agency. To request sponsor approval, complete the Equipment Disposal Form. Equipment Management will contact the sponsor for approval. Once approval has been granted, Equipment Management will inform the requesting department and update CAMS.
Sold
If you have equipment in working condition that is no longer required by your department, it should be sold through USC Surplus Sales Surplus Sales will retire the equipment in CAMS following its sale. Certain types of equipment may be sold by a department to an outside entity. In such instances, you must note the buyer’s name and purchase amount in CAMS with the retirement code “SOL,” or you may complete the Equipment Disposal Form and provide the necessary documentation.
Trade-ins/Exchanges
If you are trading in or exchanging equipment, you must note any credit/debit amount in CAMS when you retire the equipment using the retirement code “TRD,” or complete the Equipment Disposal Form.
Lost or Stolen
If a piece of equipment is lost or stolen, you must file a report with the police or the Department of Public Safety and provide a statement with the following information:
- Date of incident
- Description of equipment (including serial and tag number)
- Narrative of incident and corrective action plan to prevent future incidents
The police or DPS report and statement must be uploaded to CAMS with the retirement code “LOS” for lost equipment or “THF” for stolen equipment. For stolen equipment, you must provide a police case number. If you do not have access to CAMS, complete the Equipment Disposal Form and provide the necessary documentation.
Donations
To protect the university from future liability, any equipment your department donates to an outside entity must be accompanied by a letter from a department-authorized signer stating that the donation is given “as-is.” A copy of this letter must be uploaded to CAMS using the retirement code “DON,” or you may complete the Equipment Disposal Form and provide the necessary documentation.