SustainabiliIT: Maximizing Surplus Equipment Viability with Community Engagement

There is a problem with surplus property on campus: From the “owner's” perspective, it takes more time and effort to get rid of it than it is worth. Yet, what is worth zero or negative value to one department is worth something to another. Although our central Property Services group manages surplus property at end-of-life, something else was needed to manage assets that still had use… to someone. In addition to maximizing the use of campus surplus property, we wanted to demonstrate a commitment to compliance and sustainability, improve space utilization and increase cost avoidance and revenue. In 2017, the Buff Surplus web tool was launched to facilitate the exchange, sale and re-use of surplus property between campus departments. Nearly two years later, the tool still struggles to gain traction. Learn how one university has attempted to solve this community problem through a community-driven process, why it still struggles and what we are doing to drive toward success.