Insights from the 2016 USPA Conference

Proprietary and Confidential. Copyright © 2016 AssetWorks LLC. All rights reserved.
USPA 2016
Insights from the 2016 University Surplus
Property Association conference

Students play an important
part in any surplus operation
Class conflicts, accidents and
consistent help are some
challenges in working with
students, but, as pointed out at
the 2016 USPA Conference,
student workers can propel a
surplus operation to greater
heights by handling
responsibilities like route
driver, computer support,
online sales and manual labor
in the warehouse.
2

Hazardous waste
poses a large challenge
University surplus operations come across a wide variety of items, but those
carrying a hazardous component cause managers to pause and carefully
consider their options before moving forward. Some of the items documented
at the 2016 USPA Conference included lightbulbs, floor tiles, lithium batteries,
old cylinders and tanks, scuba gear and medical devices. It’s important to
work with your university’s Environmental Health & Safety Department to put
a plan in place for handling hazardous waste.

Selling surplus assets is a challenging task
and more schools are turning to online
auctions in making product movement
easier. As noted at the 2016 USPA
Conference, there’s an assortment of
online auction platforms. To make things
easier, consider setting up an online
auction station that includes labeled
storage, a section for taking photographs,
computer terminals for posting auction
items and a shipping station for fulfilling
orders.
More universities are going
online to move surplus assets
4

Campus outreach turning the tide
in getting more assets to surplus
Participants at the 2016 USPA Conference
were vocal about tipping off students,
professors and members of the
administration to their existence. Aligning
entities like campus recycling, university
housing and student clubs can make all the
difference in putting a concentration on
university surplus.
5
Visit our
Surplus
Warehouse
Today!

Identity theft is a concern for
everybody, and disposing of personal
information on computers, tablets and
cellphones is absolutely necessary. The
subject was a hot one at the 2016 USPA
Conference, with lots of talk revolving
around surplus outfits receiving items
such as zip drives, computer hard
drives, tablets and cell phones. Consider
a hard drive crusher or Degausser to
remove sensitive information (personal,
research, etc.) from these devices or
render them unusable.
Securing data is an
important consideration
6

Surplus management
continues to evolve with technology
The days of making lists and living off spreadsheets is going by way of the dinosaurs.
University surplus organizations are putting much of their focus into finding
customizable software adept at managing their assets as they come in and go out of
the warehouse. Plenty of ideas were shared at the 2016 USPA Conference as to what
works in making the management of surplus assets much easier.
7

Working with a university’s lost and
found is becoming a part of the job
Whether items are lost in classrooms or at
athletic events, universities and colleges must
tend to a school’s lost and found. According to
the 2016 USPA Conference, surplus outfits
are now picking up the responsibility.
Compiling a separate database to keep track of
these lost items is a beneficial approach in
finding the rightful owner or a place for them
in your surplus operation.
8

Catch departmental buyers when
they’re looking to make a purchase
Another suggestion from the 2016 USPA Conference was to include a link from your
procurement site to a list of what’s available in your surplus property warehouse. At
the most basic level, this can be a spreadsheet or PDF file. At a more complex level, a
link to a searchable database with an ability to reserve or purchase an item could help
put more items back to use on campus.
9

Keeping items out of the
landfill remains the top priority
A unifying goal at the 2016 USPA
Conference was keeping salvageable
items from the landfill. Many of the
items ending up in university surplus
are broken or worn out, but managers
and their employees take it upon
themselves to get everything they can
out of an item. If a piece of surplus can’t
be fixed, it can probably be broken
down and used for parts or sold for
scrap.
10

Networking is a major part of USPA
Throughout the four-day 2016 USPA Conference at Oregon State University, the crowd
chatter revolved around the spreading of ideas and tactics used in developing a
rewarding university surplus organization. Phrases like “I never thought of that” or
“that would save me a lot of work” were rampant, as those gathered at the
conference were privy to a wealth of information.
If you’re not already a member, consider joining the USPA to gain more great insight
and help take your surplus operation to the next level: http://universitysurplus.org/
11

Special Thanks to
Oregon State University Surplus
for hosting another great
USPA conference. We look
forward to seeing everyone at the
University of Pittsburgh next year!
12

Insights from the 2016 USPA Conference

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (19)

Similar to Insights from the 2016 USPA Conference

Similar to Insights from the 2016 USPA Conference (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Insights from the 2016 USPA Conference