Equipment

Effective July 1, 1995, equipment is defined as tangible nonexpendable personal property having a useful life of one or more years and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. The new definition matches the state definition and complies with the federal definition in OMB Circular A-110. This definition applies to all new and competing renewal applications submitted on or after September 1, 1995, and is included in the University's negotiated indirect cost agreement (6/30/95). Equipment is excluded from the cost base for computing indirect costs when using one of the federal negotiated rates.

Items in new/renewal applications costing less than $5,000, as well as equipment maintenance costs, should be budgeted under the services and supplies category rather than the the equipment category on grant budgets, as these items are subject to indirect costs. Items in non-competing continuation applications or pending proposals as of September 1, 1995, fall under the old definition of equipment ($500/unit and 2+ years).

Grants are subject to UO purchasing regulations related to equipment acquisition. Justification in the proposal for the equipment must be made in terms of the research. If funds are requested to purchase items of equipment that appear to duplicate or to be equivalent to items listed under resources and facilities or used in preliminary studies, further justification is required. Business Office signatures are required on grant account equipment purchases over $1,000. Additional information may be obtained from the UO Purchasing Support Services Office, the Requisitions/Purchasing Manual, and the Equipment Manual.