New surplus pickup form required

To help departments keep proceeds from sales of surplus equipment, the Surplus With A Purpose, or SWAP Shop, has revised its Surplus Property Pickup Request Form that must be filled out before the surplus can be sold.

The state 2003-05 budget requires net proceeds to be deposited into a State Budget Stabilization account, rather than going back to the department selling the surplus, unless the asset itself or its function was replaced; if the surplus item originally was a gift to the department; or if federal funds paid for the item.

As a result of this change, the SWAP Shop will no longer accept old pickup request forms.

Despite the statute taking effect July 1, 2003, departments received revenues under the old system until the new rules became effective Feb. 1. SWAP will release funds held in November, December and January back to the departments in the January billing cycle. Thereafter, revenue-sharing credits owed to a department hinge on properly filling out the new SWAP Surplus Property Pickup form.

The change requires the department to answer true or false to the statement: The assets being sold were originally purchased with grant or gift funds; OR the assets being sold are being replaced; OR they have recently been replaced; OR the functionality has been replaced.

If the answer is true, SWAP will return the credit to the department through its MDS account number as in the past. If the answer is false, SWAP is required to return the funds to the state’s budget stabilization account.

For information, contact Bill Sutton, wsutton@bussvc.wisc.edu.