U.S. General Services Administration
Denver Federal Center Hosts Personal Property Disposal Training
By: Brenda Armijo
The federal government purchases more supplies than any other U.S. entity, but what happens when the government no longer needs these items? Supplies must go through the federal Personal Property Disposal (PPD) process, which usually takes 72- 75 days. Internal federal screening takes 21 days.
Educating employees and customers on efficiently and effectively disposing of property is important because all federal agencies have to divest federal property, furniture, vehicles and heavy equipment. GSA has set an agency-wide goal for achieving Zero Environmental Footprint (ZEF).
On Tuesday, February 25 FAS’ Personal Property Management Division (PPM) hosted an eight-hour training session at R8’s Denver Federal Center for approximately 35 GSA and other federal employees, many of which work in procurement and purchasing.
Training topics included:
- Personal Property Disposal - Federal Management Regulations (FMR) 102-36
- Utilization, Donation and Sale of government personal property
- GSAXcess - Reporting, Searching, Freezing and uploading photos
- Computers for Learning (CFL)
- MySales
- GSAAuctions
- Abandonment and Destruction
- Market Research: Using GSA eTools
Debbie Rojas, the area property officer (APO) opened the training sessions by telling attendees if they only remember one thing, to remember her name. Many cities throughout the nation have an APO for their area. Debbie and her counterparts guide federal employees on the Personal Property Disposal process.
Debbie and the PPM team conduct training once a quarter. Debbie works closely with a GSA’s Customer Accounts and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE) to set up and advertise the training events. Additionally, they provide a 40-hour training once a year. The week-long training provides additional information on Real Property, Unicor services, and Customer and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE), on how to buy new supplies and services. PPD training helps to answer the following questions:
- What is excess?
- What is surplus?
- What’s an exchange sale?
- What do I do if property doesn't transfer or sell?
- Who pays S&H costs?
Debbie and a Sales Contracting Officer also do site visits to review property and advise federal employees on the best course of action. If you’re interested in attending a future Personal Property Disposal training or if you’d like a consultation, please contact: Debbie Rojas at debbie.rojas@gsa.gov or at 303.236.7707. Click here to view all GSA training events.