NASA’s Program Manager – Miguel A. Rodriguez, (202) 358-1065

Equipment Management

The purpose of NASA’s Equipment Management Program is to analyze, develop and maintain NASA-wide policies and procedures for the proper acquisition, accountability, utilization and safeguard of NASA-held personal property until the equipment reaches the end of its intended purpose, its useful life or serviceability, and is properly retired from the NASA’s inventory.

Objectives

The principal objective of NASA’s Equipment Management Program is to obtain maximum equipment accountability, from its acquisition to its retirement, and to comply with governing Federal regulations to provide the most favorable technical guidance to Equipment Managers, Property Custodians, end users and contractors for the proper implementation of the program and applicable business practices.

The program monitors the management of NASA-held equipment valued in excess of $11 billion through NASA’s PP&E System and established management controls, such as item cataloguing and physical inventories campaigns.

NASA’s equipment management requires a lifecycle approach to be effective. There are four major phases in the personal property lifecycle: acquisition, receipt, utilization, and disposal. Each phase consists of defined processes and procedures to maintain proper stewardship of NASA’s assets. If the processes and procedures in one phase are not followed, then it makes it difficult to establish and maintain accountability in the subsequent phase.

Program Responsibilities

The Equipment Management Program includes the following general tasks for the proper account and safeguard of NASA’s property:

• Identify personal property
• Record assets in the PP&E System and properly assign them
• Maintaining records relating to the assets
• Monitor the movement of assets
• Record changes in physical condition of the asset(s)
• Conduct physical inventories
• Reconcile the results of the inventories
• Report all losses, thefts, and damages of assets
• Reutilize assets when possible
• Dispose of assets properly

Center Responsibilities

NASA’s Equipment Manager administers the program nationwide, and is the primary point of contact regarding the establishment, the revision, and the implementation of equipment management policy throughout the Agency while leading collaborative efforts for a cost effective administration of the Agency’s assets entrusted to Property Custodians and ultimately to equipment end users.

Center Equipment Managers are appointed by the Center’s Supply and Equipment Management Officer, SEMO, and they ensure compliance with NASA policies, the Federal Management Regulation (FMR) and other governing regulations to maximize equipment accountability and reutilization to reduce procurement of new equipment. The function of the Center Equipment Managers is vital; their responsibilities are parallel to the Agency’s Equipment Manager, to include the oversight and enforcement of management controls regarding receiving, identification, tagging, equipment loans, etc., as well as the execution of walk-through inspections and physical inventories of equipment to identify misuse and to report losses.

The Center Equipment Manager responsibilities are outlined in Paragraph 1.2.8, NPR 4200.1G (NASA Equipment Management Procedural Requirements)

All NASA employees and contractors have the responsibility to protect and safeguard equipment, supplies, and materials entrusted to their care and use. An employee may be held financially liable for the loss, damage, or destruction of government property when the loss, damage, or destruction is due to the employee’s negligence, dishonesty, misconduct, or misuse of such property. Additionally, NASA employees shall ensure that Government property is utilized only for its intended purpose; identify and report property that is no longer needed for NASA programs, and to immediately notify the corresponding Property Custodian if equipment cannot be located. For additional information please see paragraph 1.2.7, NPR 4200.1G.

Property Custodians are responsible for maintaining property records in accordance with NASA PP&E System procedures for all controlled equipment assigned to their property account. The function of a property custodian could be full-time or part-time. A complete description of their responsibilities is outlined in Chapter 2, NPR 4200.2B (Equipment Management Manual for Property Custodians).

Useful Links

NASA Property Responsibility and Accountability (SATERN COURSE HQ-002-09)
Description: This web-based video training module provides NASA civil service and contractor personnel training on the individual’s responsibility for conserving and protecting Government Property. Viewing the embedded 14-minute training video and completing the ten questions test is estimated to take slightly less than 30 minutes. Your final action of this training will be clicking the Yes button to “Grade the Exam” after the test to record your successful completion of this training. You may then print a Certificate of Completion should you desire.

NASA Interim Directive for NPD 4200.1
Description: An agency-level directive with agency-wide applicability on Equipment Management.

NASA Equipment Management Procedural Requirements, NPR 4200.1H.  
Description: NASA Procedures and Requirements (NPR) 4200.1, Equipment Management Procedural Requirements, supports the policy outlined in the NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 4200.1, Equipment Management. It offers procedures for NASA personnel to use for the acquisition, management, responsibility, points of contact, and use of NASA-owned equipment.

Equipment
Description: Access to NASA’s PP&E System to process or initiate equipment transactions that affect the equipment inventory/database.

The National Property Management Association (NPMA)
Description: NPMA is a professional membership association for those employees who have responsibility and ultimate accountability for the physical assets of their organization.