![](media/image1.png){width="0.9597222222222223in"
height="0.9652777777777778in"} **Federal Acquisition Service**

> **Disposition**

THE NEWSLETTER DEVOTED TO THE INITIATIVES OF THE GSA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM

"The first source of supply!"

> **AUTUMN 2006 DN-No. 35**

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##### PROPERTY UNBOUND AT THE GSA EXPO!

##### Of all the things that people want when darkness and confusion abound, perhaps the most cherished commodity is "hope." And in count-less cultures throughout history, hope is most often associated with "light." It's as if the word, "hope" itself could convey a brighter day to someone in need. This belief, no doubt, gave rise to such bright expressions as "a ray of hope" or such doleful ones as "a shadow of doubt." In Greek mythology, when Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, he did it to bring light to their dark world. So it was---in promethean-like fashion---that associates of the GSA Property Manage-ment Division gathered this past May at the 2006 GSA Expo in San Antonio, Texas, to present their own gift of "light." This light came in the form of a comprehensive training curriculum designed to educate attendees in all aspects of the GSA process. While the world of property managers is not as dark as some Greek gods might have it, many associates out there know that things can get pretty gloomy. Procurement limits, budget restrictions, and stretched resources can put a dark cloud over any operation. And that's where GSA can help. Programs like GSAXcess®, GSA Auctions®, and MySales are designed expressly for property managers and can increase options, enhance accountability, streamline transactions, and reduce time frames for *any* property office nationwide. The GSA associates at the Expo, like Prometheus, provided "light" to attendees to glimpse these innovative programs. And for those agencies that could not attend the Expo, there is still hope---GSA can promise more illumination by offering the same quality training at your doorstep, as conducted by Area Property Officers at agency regional and field sites nationwide. But, don't worry. These APO's won't be carrying fire (we're hoping for a simple facial "glow"), but they'll be armed with the "know-how" to brighten your day and shed some light on the world of property management.

(Learn more about what GSA can do for you at gsa.gov/property)

**GSAXcess®: ON THE MOVE---WITH YOU!**

Over the past five years, GSAXcess has grown greatly by providing
excellent service to GSA customers. The merits of GSAXcess are amply
evident, as it is a fast, accurate, and effective com-puterized
inventory system. Scores of agencies have reaped the rewards of using
GSAXcess for disposing property, obtaining needed items, and donating
property to worthy causes. Perhaps, its most vital role, however, comes
as a [reporting tool]{.underline} during agency "moves," or relocations,
or whenever agencies need to transfer, donate, and dispose of items
quickly and efficiently. But not everyone knows how to get started and
gain access to GSAXcess. Here's how:

1)  First, discuss this within your agency and get clearance from your
    National Utilization Officer (NUO) to request access to GSAXcess.

2)  Next, provide the following data to a GSA-Area Property Officer or
    GSA Regional Office: Your first and last name; phone and fax
    numbers; email address; Activity Address Code, if known (6-digits);
    and agency/bureau codes (2-digits each).

3)  The GSA official will input the data into GSAXcess® and the system
    will prescribe you a 6-digit code.

4)  You will be notified within a few days of your code.

When you first enter GSAXcess, you will create your own password and
enter address and contact data for your site and for other sites you
manage. Soon you will be able to identify the 14-digit code used by
agencies worldwide to report/request property. Your "access code" is
used [each time]{.underline} you enter and it, in turn, triggers your
Activity Address Code (AAC) to form the basis for [all]{.underline}
transactions. Once you've mastered this, you're ready to go! Soon,
you'll be on the move with GSA!

**(See page 4 for more information on Activity Address Codes)**

***V FOR VEGAS* \-- AT USA CONFERENCE**

Now that everybody has seen *V For Vendetta* in theatres or on DVD and
knows who Guy Fawkes was and why the bird in Harry Potter shares the
same name (ask anyone in Phoenix, Arizona), they realize that life can
be like a heated battle, but also rewarding and rejuvenating. Well, the
Users and Screeners Association (USA) has taken this to heart,
literally, by holding its latest work-shop in sizzling Las Vegas, the
gambling capital of the world and the city that is reborn everyday. The
USA---a consortium of federal agencies, project grantees,
cost-reimbursement contractors, land grant universities, and
others---holds its premier event annually, but this year in an almost
ideal location. Ideal, because the USA associates from such agencies as
the USDA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, NASA, and
GSA, worked with colleagues to use the burning desert setting as
motivation to conduct a successful educational event. The workshop
featured interactive sessions---some CEU accredited---on subjects
ranging from GSA property disposal concepts and DOD educational
partnerships to more esoteric themes like "The Research University in a
Flat World" (Where's Copernicus when you need him?) The USA considers
itself as "a steward of the American taxpayer," and for good reason, as
its prime directive is to use federal excess property as the first
source of supply. As such, the USA saves the taxpayer millions annually
by reusing excess property obtained through the Stevenson-Wydler Act and
other federal programs. Whether it's the reuse of excess meteorological
towers to study air pollution in Oklahoma or adapting excess trucks to
fight fires in Colorado, the USA does its job and GSA is there with it.
GSA plays a big role, as its inventory system, GSAXcess®, provides an
effective way to find, review and acquire reuseable property. So,
whatever the reason for the "hot" 'Vegas venue, the *ad hoc* theme of
"fire" seemed to be emblazoned on the tips of everyone's tongues---as
all agreed "communications" would be the key to success. So, in the end,
maybe the "V" stood for "victory" as the USA left the city like a rising
phoenix, with a rebirth and renewal of its commitment to act as stewards
of the American taxpayer and *communicate* its intentions---far and
wide---to find the best ways to reuse federal excess property
effectively.

> **[☺Give the Gift of Computers☺]{.underline}**
>
> For details on GSA's Computers for Learning (CFL) program, contact
> [computers.fed.gov]{.underline} or <computers.learning@gsa.gov> or
> call GSA's C*omputers for Learning* at 866-806-7767 or 703-605-2877 or
> 2888. You can give the gift of learning to those in need.

**APO's FIND TREASURES IN THE SAND!**

Maybe they're not quite like Indiana Jones or Laura Croft---those
archeological superstars---yet. But several APO's met recently in the
deserts of Las Vegas during the USA Workshop to discover new ways to
better serve Utilization and Donation (U&D) customers in the GSA
Property Management Program. The APO's, hailing from almost every region
of GSA, formed the new U&D Focus Group that brainstormed ways to assist,
improve, enhance, streamline, and simplify the labors of property
managers. Here are a few gems they unearthed:

-   **For training purposes: Send copies of the GSA EXPO training
    curriculum to all APO's and Regions to ensure that federal agencies
    are receiving the same type and high level of curriculum,
    nationwide.**

-   **For convenience sake: Reconsider the GSA policy requiring a
    separate (second) user ID and password to post pictures in GSAXcess®
    in order to simplify the task of reporting agencies.**

-   **For security reasons: Clarify the pick up procedures at DRMO sites
    to ensure that a GSA-sent copy of the SF122/123 is required when/if
    the computerized mil-strip is already on hand to avoid any
    confusion.**

-   **For assistance purposes: Ask OGP to consider adding a dollar or
    percentage threshold in the FMR to fix reasonable exchange values
    for property disposed of under the exchange/sale authority to help
    agencies.**

-   **For evaluation purposes: Ask DRMS to report additional fields
    (i.e., Make, Model, VIN, mileage, etc.) when reporting vehicles to
    GSA to allow for a better, more detailed understanding of the
    property.**

-   **For measurement reasons: Research ways to count Stevenson-Wydler
    activity with U & D transactions to better account for "all" types
    of excess transactions.**

-   **For exposure sake: Implement a "Featured Items" page on GSAXcess®
    in order to enhance the visibility of special types of property to
    help customers.**

-   **For streamlining purposes: Offer an option to reporting
    (disposing) agencies in GSAXcess® to "Pay Shipping" or "Provide
    Shipping" to increase the odds of transfer .**

-   **For flexibility sake: Offer an option to "Wave Reimbursement" on
    U&D transfers (for "reimbursable property") to promote the removal
    of the item from the holding agency and help decrease agency
    costs.**

-   **For incentive reasons: Create an award for the top agency
    recipient of property to recognize the most efficient user of
    federal personal property, nationwide.**

Wow! That's just some of the valuable ideas found by the APO's to help
GSA customers. So, stay in touch with your local APO or regional GSA
office or simply go to [gsa.gov/property]{.underline} to find out more
about what new treasures await you and your agency in the world of GSA
property management.

**U&D Confidential** ![](media/image2.wmf){width="0.5041666666666667in"
height="0.6034722222222222in"}

Get the latest news, hot leads, and special insights about the
Utilization and Donation of Federal Personal Property

Welcome to the second edition of "U&D Confidential"---a new feature
dedicated to the utilization and donation (U&D) of excess personal
property. In our inaugural issue, we outlined key regulations that form
the basis of the U&D process. This issue we continue our regulatory
tour, but then jump to the far end of the process to show you how these
guidelines can translate into "BIG" savings.

##### §102-36.45---What are our responsibilities in the management of excess personal property? 

"(a) Agency procurement policies should **require con-sideration of
excess personal property before authorizing procurement** of new
personal property.

(b) You are **encouraged** **to designate** national and regional
**property management** officials to: (1) **Promote the use of available
excess personal property** to the maximum extent practicable by your
agency. (2) **Review and approve the acquisition and disposal of excess
personal property.** (3) Ensure that any agency implementing procedures
**comply with this part.**

(c) When acquiring excess personal property, you must: (1) **Limit the
quantity acquired to that which is needed** to adequately perform the
function necessary to support the mission of your agency.
(2) **Establish controls** over the processing of excess personal
property transfer orders. (3) **Facilitate the timely pickup** of
acquired excess personal property from the holding agency.

(d) **While excess personal property you have acquired is in your
custody**, or the custody of your non-Federal recipients and the
Government retains title, you and/or the non-Federal recipient **must
do** the following: (1) **Establish and** **maintain a system for
property accountability**. (2) **Protect the property** **against
hazards** including but not limited to fire, theft, vandalism, and
weather. (3) **Perform the care and handling of personal property.**
"Care and handling" includes completing, repairing, converting,
rehabilitating, operating, preserving, protecting, insuring, packing,
storing, handling, conserving, and transporting excess and surplus
personal property, and destroying or rendering innocuous property which
is dangerous to public health or safety. (4) **Maintain appropriate
inventory levels** as set forth in part 101-27 of this title.
(5) **Continuously monitor the personal property under your control to
assure maximum use**, and develop and maintain a system to prevent and
detect nonuse, improper use, unauthorized disposal or destruction of
personal property.

(e) When you no longer need personal property to carry out the mission
of your program, you must: (1) **Offer the property for reassignment**
to other activities within your agency. (2) **Promptly** **report excess
personal property to GSA** **when it is no longer needed** by any
activity within your agency for further reuse by eligible recipients.
(3) **Continue the care and handling** of excess personal property while
it goes through the disposal process. (4) **Facilitate the timely
transfer of excess** personal property to other Federal agencies or
authorized eligible recipients. (5) **Provide reasonable access to
authorized personnel for inspection** and removal of excess personal
property. (6) **Ensure that final** **disposition** **complies with
applicable environmental, health, safety and national security
regulations**.

Whew! Did you get all of that memorized? Good! Well, just relax now, as
we're going to show how your U&D efforts can benefit everyone through
the effective, and often innovative, reuse of excess/surplus property:

**U&D BENEFITS ARE EVERYWHERE . . .**

GSA associates in Atlanta broke the ice recently by transferring two
Coast Guard icebreakers to the states of Michigan and Illinois. The two
vessels, valued at over \$10 million, were donated to public museums for
display and educational purposes and will save millions of dollars for
all levels of government and ensure a fitting legacy for the ships.

GSA Regions 3 and 4 teamed up this past July to locate and transfer
three "full-tracked" recovery vehicles just as they were about to be
dismantled. The vehicles were plucked from GSAXcess® in time and sent to
naval operations in Florida for further use, saving American taxpayers
about \$800,000.

GSA Region 9 gave new meaning to "flying high" in California (of all
places) recently in support of agriculture, the weather, and
international drug operations. The region transferred several excess
aircraft, including three fixed-wing aircraft to the USDA-Forest
Service, a "hurricane flyer" to the National Weather Service, and 20
"Huey" Helicopters to the State Department, saving \$80 million in
program acquisitions.

Region 5 got into the reutilization act by participating in the *Federal
Electronics Recycling and Reuse Challenge* this past fiscal year and
recycling 15,770 pounds of federal excess computers. The items, which
were valued at over \$1.6 million and donated to local schools, will pay
big dividends by educating our children well into the future.

An APO in Pennsylvania took communications to a new level recently by
locating and transferring a field command-control system to the Navy for
real-time war simulations. The system will be used at the Naval Surface
Warfare Center in Virginia to recreate advanced battlefield operations
and will save the Navy over \$6 million in acquisition costs.

In perhaps the finest collective effort in our program history, the
national GSA Property Management Program worked to locate, transfer, and
donate over \$21 million of excess per-sonal property, including
everything from ADP equipment to waterpumps, to the Gulf Coast in the
wake of Hurricane Katrina. Although calibrated in the millions of
dollars, the efforts of GSA personnel cannot be measured unless they are
gauged by the smiles on the faces of those in need.

**WHAT THE AAC IS GOING ON?**

Okay! So it's not the best pun or play on words you have ever seen or
heard. So what? The above acronym, AAC, is short for Activity Address
Code and it signifies a key 6-digit code that is one of the most
important but least understood codes used in the federal government.
It's the civilian version of the DODAAC used by the Department of
Defense (DOD) in its operations. The AAC is used for many things,
especially in acquisition management. When acquiring items, an agency is
required to identify the transaction by using a code (usually the AAC)
that ties the purchase to the agency, bureau, and location of the
office. Traditionally, the first two digits of the AAC identify the
agency itself---such as "12" for the Department of Agriculture or "14"
for Department of Interior. The third digit in the AAC usually indicates
the [region]{.underline} and the other three digits have other
connotations. GSA uses the AAC to help assign access codes to agencies
using GSAXcess® so they can account accurately for acquisitions
[and]{.underline} disposals. That's one AAC of a code! So, get the AAC
out of here and learn more about [your]{.underline} Activity Address
Code. You'll become one AAC of a property manager.

**USE OF GSAXCESS® SOARS**

![](media/image3.png){width="3.0145833333333334in"
height="2.1756944444444444in"}

Well, as Alexandre Dumas once said, "Nothing succeeds like success" We
think Alex would restate the obvious *again* if he saw the above chart.
That's because "active" use of GSAXcess®, GSA's premier inventory
manage-ment system, is up over 350% the past five years. Active users
refer to those "savvy" users who reap the benefits of GSAXcess®
[everyday]{.underline} and who know a good thing when they see it.
Apparently, the benefits are obvious and the view is *contagious*. So,
why not take a look for yourself at the advantages that GSA has for you

**(SEE PAGE 1 TO LEARN HOW TO GET STARTED WITH GSAXcess®)**

**[??? -PROPERTY AVAILABILITY- ???]{.underline}**

(What's hot and what's not!)

**What's Hot-** [Clothing]{.underline}: boots, knapsacks, canteens;
[Vehicles]{.underline}: cargo, maintenance, utility, and fire trucks;
[Bar-Sheet Metal]{.underline}: all types & sizes; [Cameras]{.underline}:
all types; [Instruments/Lab]{.underline}: baths, chronometers, gauges;
[Kitchen Equipment]{.underline}: food warmers, shelving, serving trays,
ovens; [Material Handling]{.underline}: forklifts, loading ramps;
[Medical]{.underline}: field dental and hygienist equip-ment;
[Plumbing/Heating]{.underline}: adapters, fixtures, space heaters;
[Pumps]{.underline}: hydraulic; [Containers]{.underline}: shipping and
storage.

**What's Not-** [Buses]{.underline} (all sizes);
[Generators]{.underline}: portable---1.5 K to 10 K; [Heavy
Equipment:]{.underline} diggers, shovels; [Kevlar Helmets]{.underline}
(all sizes); [Tractors:]{.underline} truck-type;
[Scientific]{.underline}: Telescopes, micro-scopes;
[Vehicles]{.underline}: Blazers, pickups, SUV's, & vans.

**Tributes: Two WHO SET HIGH STANDARDS**

**"Our Bonny Lies Over the Ocean"**

Well, our version of this classic refrain would apply quite nicely if
the "Bonny" in question, Bonny Gilmer, was lying on a beach in Hawaii
somewhere sleeping under a bright Polynesian sky. In fact, we hope
that's exactly what she is doing. Bonny recently retired as team leader
of the Utilization & Donation section of the GSA Northwest/Arctic Region
after several stellar years as one of the shining stars in the property
galaxy. Always accessible, never contrary, sharp and flexible, and
innately funny, Bonny brought a sense of purpose, enthusiasm and "joy"
to the program. No idea, concept, or project was too small for her
attention or too big to handle and the outstanding results of her
efforts spoke for themselves. She will remain in our hearts and minds as
one of those bright stars that shine out as an example to us all. Shine
on, Bonny! Shine on! Just watch out for the coconuts.

**"And He's Off and Running . . ."**

No lying around here! And, in fact, the reference made by the title
happens to end a mile and an eighth later in upstate New York. That's
because the "He" we're talking about is one of ***the*** true
[leading]{.underline} men of property, John Milici, who retired recently
from the Region 2 office in New York City. "Big John," as he was
affection-ately known, called it quits in June after 33 years of
outstanding service to the program. Because of his hearty humor and "can
do" nature, John made many friends, including several of the four-legged
variety at Saratoga Springs, New York. One of John's favorite
passions\--if you haven't noticed the "equine" hints---is horse racing.
We hope that right now John is putting all his dough on a long shot
named "Uncle Sam's Delight" in the "fifth" at Saratoga. If the past is
any barometer, then John is sure to be a "winner," as he was in the GSA
property program. And that ain't no hay!

*≡ **Disposition Newsletter** ≡ ** ***

Robert Kitsock, Editor, Hummelstown, PA

Phone: (717) 566-1064, Fax: (717) 566-1065

[**robert.kitsock@gsa.gov**](mailto:robert.kitsock@gsa.gov)