United States Department of Agriculture

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Agricultural Marketing Service

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Mission Area Directive MRP 5000.2 11/24/2020

Distribution: APHIS & AMS Originating Office: APHIS-MRPBS-AAMD

SENSITIVE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PURPOSE................................................................................................................................ 1

2. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/REPLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS............................................ 1

3. BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................... 2

4. AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES................................................................................... 2

5. DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................ 3

6. POLICY................................................................................................................................... 5

7. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES....................................................................................... 8

8. UNAUTHORIZED USE PENALTIES................................................................................... 9

9. FORMS.................................................................................................................................... 9

10. RECORDS MANAGEMENT................................................................................................. 9

11. INQUIRIES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION........................................................... 10

1. PURPOSE 

This Directive states the Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) policy for sensitive 

property management within the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

2. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/REPLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

a. This Directive supersedes MRP 5000.2 Sensitive Property, dated 4/10/2020. 

The principle changes to this Directive include an increased scope of sensitive 

property, as determined by the Personal Property Division(s), considering the 

property susceptible to fraud, waste, abuse and safety and health concerns. If 

programs have field/operational equipment that they feel should be considered 

sensitive property based on the above criteria, the Personal Property Division will 

work with them to include the assets on the inventory and update this Directive 

accordingly.

b. This Directive is in force until canceled or superseded. 
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3. BACKGROUND 

MRP is required to maintain adequate inventory controls and accountability systems for 

property in accordance with 40 U.S.C. 524 – Duties of Executive Agencies Chapter 5 

Property Management. As stewards of the Federal property, agencies have a fiduciary 

duty to maximize its use and benefits throughout the asset management lifecycle. 

Maintaining the utility of property protects the government’s investment and saves 

federal agencies and taxpayers’ valuable resources by limiting the need to acquire new 

property (FMR Bulletin B-17). This Directive details MRP’s management of all sensitive 

property.

4. AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES 

This Directive must be applied in conjunction with:

a. 40 U.S.C. 524, Duties of Executive Agencies

b. Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 1982

c. USDA (Departmental Regulation) DR 2100-001, Financial Management Systems

d. USDA DR 2200-002, Property, Plant and Equipment

e. MRP Property Manual 

f. AMS 3300.1 Use of Government Equipment

g. AMS 3300.2 Use of Mobile Technology Devices

h. APHIS 3330.1 Radio Communications Management

i. APHIS 3440.2 Disposal of APHIS Data Center Computer Room Media and 

Equipment Policy

j. Federal Management Regulation (FMR) Sub-Chapter B-Personal Property 

k. Agriculture Property Management Regulations (AGPMR) Sub-Chapter A 110-2 

Supplementing FPMR 102-2

l. General Service Administration (GSA) Bulletin FMR B-17 Personal Property 

Dated January 29, 2008

m. GSA Bulletin FMR B-26 Accountability and Stewardship of Personal Property 

Dated May 7, 2010
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n. 7 CFR 3.50-3.62 Debt Collection Act

5. DEFINITIONS

a. Accountable Property Officer (APO). The APO is accountable for personal 

property (defined below) and must ensure that all procedures are followed in 

accordance with the Federal Management Regulations (FMR), Agriculture 

Property Management Regulation (AGPMR) and National Finance Center (NFC) 

procedural manuals for the agency that they have responsibility for and are 

accountable for personal property. The APO must also ensure that employees 

have the necessary resources to adequately secure equipment for which they have 

responsibility AGPMR 110-50.106.

b. Accountable Property. Sensitive and non-expendable property costing $5,000 or 

more are considered accountable and tracked by Official Property System of 

Record. APOs may request non-accountable property be treated as accountable 

property and included on inventory at their discretion.

c. Capitalized Personal Property. Capitalized property must meet the following 

criteria: (1) it must be of a durable nature and (2) it must have a useful life of two 

or more years once it is placed in to service. Capitalized property typically has an 

acquisition value of $25,000 or greater ($100,000 or greater for Internal Use 

Software (IUS)). 

d. Controlled Property. Property having a lower or negligible cost, but requiring 

accountability and authorization for destruction on an AD-112. Controlled

property requires some level of informal tracking or accounting (including use of 

AD-107, Personal Custody Property Receipt, or spreadsheet). Examples are: 

Badges, ammunition and explosives, keys to government facilities, permits, 

hammers for tree marking paint with tracer elements, etc. Controlled property is 

tracked and managed by APOs but not recorded in the Official System of Record.

e. Personal Property. All Government assets of any kind, except land, land 

improvements, and fixtures attached to improvements, but including 

prefabricated movable structures, such as metal storage warehouses, house trailers 

(with or without undercarriages), modular units, and Quonset huts. Personal 

property is complete in itself (an end item); durable, with an expected life of more 

than two years; and does not lose its identity or become a component part of 

another asset when put into use. Personal Property assets include accountable, 

Capitalized, Non-accountable, Controlled and Sensitive Property.

f. Property Management Officer (PMO). The person responsible for administering 

the asset management program for a specific program area to ensure effective

utilization, accountability, control, and disposition of property by existing laws, 
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regulations and policies. The PMO is appointed at levels in the agency/office to 

implement its programs and work with the Administrative Investigations and 

Compliance Branch (AICB) to make initial determinations regarding apparent 

gross negligence. The PMO is in a managerial position and must be at least one 

organizational level above the employee for which they make recommendations 

concerning liability. Several APO’s may be assigned to a PMO per AGPMR 110-

50.105.

g. Property Specialist. This position is located in Marketing and Regulatory 

Programs Business Services (MRPBS) Acquisition and Asset Management 

Division (AAMD) on the Personal Property Team. This position processes the 

new property assets, transfers, disposals, and maintains asset records. Property 

Specialists are responsible for approving all personal property (including nonaccountable, non-sensitive) excess/disposals/transfers to ensure the appropriate 

excess/disposal method is used. Once excess/disposal is complete the Property 

Specialists will update the Official System of Record. 

h. Sensitive Property. Accountable property valued at less than $5,000 that is 

susceptible to loss or theft as defined by the Agency PMO per MRP 5000.2 or 

determined by the program. Equipment highly susceptible to fraud, waste, and 

abuse. 

(1) Determine sensitivity by considering:

(a) History of theft, loss, damage, or misuse.

(b) Degree of use.

(c) Management information needs.

(d) Cost of maintaining accountability.

(2) The following property items are identified as sensitive property:

(a) Firearms.

(b) Two-way radio equipment as defined in APHIS 3330.1.

(c) Unmanned Aircraft Systems per AGPMR Chapter 110-33.180 and 

FMR Chapter 102.

(d) Boats/Vessels.

(e) All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s).

(f) Property requiring a license plate.
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6. POLICY

a. It is MRP policy that sensitive property is used only: 

(1) To accomplish missions supporting MRP Strategic Goals;

(2) In accordance with functions authorized by law;

(3) When approved by the Administrator; and/or

(4) When required due to emergencies either natural or humanmade that 

threaten the loss of life or property.

b. MRP policy strictly prohibits any personal use of Agency sensitive property, 

unless it is IT equipment which allows for limited personal use.

c. MRP policy requires special accountablity for sensitive property regardless of its 

aquisition cost, due to the risk of theft, loss, misuse, and/or conversion to personal 

use.

(1) Sensitive property management includes:

(a) Utilizing the Integrated Acquisition System (IAS) as the best and 

most effective method to track newly acquired sensitive property 

and minimize cost.

(b) Ensuring that acquisitions are complete and account for all 

personal property components ensuring the property is complete 

and free of damage and malfunction upon receipt. 

(c) Ensuring that sensitive property is appropriately used for official 

government purposes.

(d) Maintaining items in good operating condition by providing 

preventive maintenance and repairs.

(e) Taking appropriate measures to safeguard sensitive property and 

protect it from loss, theft, and misuse.

(f) Maintaining records on receipt, description, location, condition, 

custody, serial number, model number, bar code number (if 

applicable), cost, and disposal.

(g) Ensuring that procedures are followed for storing and transporting 

sensitive property.
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(h) Identifying and reporting sensitive property no longer needed by 

an employee or organization.

(j) Ensuring that reports for damaged, lost, stolen, and disposed 

sensitive property are generated when necessary.

(k) Ensuring that departing employees return all issued sensitive 

property.

(l) Ensuring that excess, unserviceable, and damaged sensitive 

property is properly disposed.

(2) Accountability.

Employees or custodians have a duty to maintain, safeguard, and secure 

any issued sensitive property and will be held. Employees, supervisors, 

and APO) must ensure that users of Government sensitive property

adhere to the following:

(a) Use sensitive property only for official purposes in accordance 

with this Directive;

(b) Protect sensitive property from loss, theft, and misuse; and

(c) Dispose of sensitive property following proper procedures when 

it becomes excess or unserviceable.

Note: Employees may be held financially liable for the loss, theft, 

misuse, or damage to Government property if determined they were 

careless or negligent by the PMO or Board of Survey. Employees may 

also require disciplinary action as determined by Human Resources or 

the Supervisor.

(3) Acquisition.

(a) Sensitive property is acquired only when a current or foreseeable 

need exists. Sensitive property must meet the Agency’s 

minimum requirements for performance function (i.e., size, 

capacity, range). Only items needed to meet program 

emergencies may be acquired and held for future use.

(b) Before new sensitive property items are purchased, property 

excess systems should be screened to determine if the requested 

item(s) are available within the Agency, Department, or another 

Government organization prior to purchasing new. Excess
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sensitive property must be utilized to the extent it is economically 

feasible.

(4) Identification/Tagging. All Government-owned sensitive property 

must be uniquely identified/tagged/marked by the APO or designee to 

clearly denote Department and Agency ownership i.e., USDA APHIS. 

Paper or metal decals, bar codes, or etched or engraved into the

property are acceptable identification metods.

(5) Tracking. All Government-owned sensitive property must be recorded

in the Official Property System of Record as sensitive property with a 

budget object code of 3141. The property system contains pertinent 

fields such as model number, serial number, description, cost, 

acquisition date, assignee, location, tagging, condition, and disposal

information.

(6) Maintenance and Refurbishment. Agency property will be repaired

and/or refurbished when necessary and cost-effective. Any sensitive 

property that requires periodic maintenance must be serviced according 

to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

(7) Biennial Inventory of Property. On a biennial basis, the APO will 

complete an inventory review and provide any updates/changes to the 

Property Specialist.

(8) Disposal of Sensitive Property. Disposal procedures of sensitive 

property are the same as personal property and must comply with the 

guidelines contained in the MRP Property Manual. The APO must 

report all excess, damaged, or unserviceable property to MRPBS 

AAMD Personal Property for approval via the SF-120, AD-112 or 

AD-107 (before any disposal action may be taken).

(9) Employee-Owned Sensitive Property. Employees should not bring 

personally owned sensitive property, except for cellular phones, to the 

workplace unless absolutely necessary, and authorized by the 

APO/Supervisor. The Agency is not responsible for the loss, theft, 

damage, or misuse of personally owned sensitive property and will not 

reimburse or replace any such property.

d. MRP policy requires sensitive property management training. PMOs/APOs or 

their designees, involved with the acquisition, use, inventory, and disposal of 

sensitive property must receive personal property training within 12 months of 

being assigned these responsibilities. 
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7. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The effective implementation of the policy and procedures as established by this

Directive requires the responsibilities of the following individuals and/or groups:

a. Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services (MRPBS), Acquisition 

and Asset Management Division (AAMD) Personal Property Section will:

(1) Administer the operational aspects of sensitive property management, 

including the development of procedures and reconciliation of inventory 

records for sensitive property.

(2) Develop the policy and the overall management of the sensitive property 

program.

b. Property Management Officers (PMO) will:

(1) Ensure that their area of responsibility maintains all official property 

records in the official system of record, which is an automated 

management system that provides managers with property inventory 

control and accountability. 

(2) Work with the appropriate groups to hold employees accountable for loss, 

theft, damage and in appropriate property use. 

c. Supervisors will: 

(1) Ensure all property information within their area of responsibility is 

provided to the appropriate APO. 

(2) Ensure employees adhere to all personal property policies and procedures. 

d. Accountable Property Officers (APO) will:

(1) Be responsible for the control, use, assignment, maintenance, 

recordkeeping, reporting, and safeguarding of all sensitive property. 

(2) Maintain complete and accurate records accounting for the status of 

property from receipt through final disposal.

e. Custodians/Employees will be responsible for safeguarding and proper use of 

issued property. Each employee is the custodian of any sensitive property in 

which he/she uses in the performance of official duties.
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8. UNAUTHORIZED USE PENALTIES

Employees who intentionally use, or authorize the use of Agency sensitive property for 

reasons other than performing official duties are subject to disciplinary actions. 

Disciplinary actions may include a range of penalties ranging from warning letters to 

removal in accordance with applicable regulations based on the specific circumstances of 

the inappropriate use.

An employee charged with gross negligence has the right to appeal under the hearing 

process prescribed by USDA regulations concerning debt collection found in 7 C.F.R. 

3.50-3.62. Agencies may impose stricter standards for sensitive items (e.g., weapons, 

badges, laptops, etc.) per AGPMR 110-50.107.

9. FORMS

The form(s) that are referenced and required for use as established by this Directive 

include:

a. AD-107, Report of Transfer or Other Disposition or Construction of Property

b. AD-112, Report of Unserviceable, Lost, Stolen, Damaged or Destroyed Property

c. SF-120, Report of Excess Personal Property

The form(s) listed above can be accessed via the APHIS Master Electronic Forms 

Library. 

10. RECORDS MANAGEMENT

Federal records created by this Directive must be maintained in accordance with the 

established General Records Schedule (GRS) and/or the APHIS/AMS Records 

Management Handbook when applicable. If employees are named in an active litigation 

hold, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and/or other action, those records, 

regardless of media, must be preserved and maintained in their native format until 

otherwise notified by your Agency Records Officer and/or the Office of General Counsel.

a. The APO is the record keeping official of any/all personal property records that 

are created under this Directive. The APO is responsible for maintaining records 

in accordance with the Property – Procurement (PRP) 8, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 and 8.4

record retention requirements of the APHIS Records Management Handbook.

b. MRP-IT, Information Management Branch (IMB) is the official record-keeper of 

this Directive, which is to be preserved permanently, per Paperwork and Data 

Management (PDM) 4-1.
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11. INQUIRIES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

a. Address inquiries and questions concerning this Directive to AAMD Personal 

Property Services via email at AAMD.Personal.Property.Services@usda.gov

b. Records management inquiries should be directed to your Program Records 

Management Liaison for AMS/APHIS. 

c. Employees can find additional materials and information on the MRP Personal 

Property SharePoint.

d. This Directive can be accessed on the APHIS and AMS Administrative Issuances 

Web sites.

/s/

Melissa Tharp

Associate Deputy Adminin trator

MRPBS Business Services