While the MIT community knows the Property Office as the team that tags new laptops, the team’s role, impact, and reach at MIT threads through sponsored research grant administration, general ledger reporting, the Institutes’ financial statements, and more.
Over the past five years, MIT has added an average of 5,888 new pieces of equipment to its inventory annually. “When new equipment is acquired, whether it’s a new laptop, an ultra-low temperature freezer, or tunable dye laser, Property team members John Jenkins and Gerry Andrade are on it,” reports Michael McCarthy, VPF’s Property Manager and team lead.
“They visit the DLCI that purchased the equipment to affix the MIT property tag and then complete the record in eProp, our Institute-wide inventory database. We then track each item through an entire lifecycle, from documenting changes in location, responsible person, reassignments, warranty replacements, repairs, theft, loss, and eventual disposal,” he says.
Managing the perpetual inventory cycle for the Institute is a crucial Property Office function. VPF senior property inventory assistants Leo Browne and Peter Chau undertake the task of inventorying the movable equipment in all buildings on MIT’s 168-acre campus (excluding residences) and seven off-campus sites in Massachusetts. “As MIT adds new buildings to its campus, the equipment inventory increases as well," notes Michael. "The inventory cycle spans two years, and as soon as it's completed, we start all over again.”
During the Covid-19 public health emergency, the Office of Naval Research (ONR)— the federal agency that oversees award administration for MIT—allowed the Institute and its peers to suspend inventory activities due to safety concerns temporarily. The team kept up by tagging new equipment (in person and through the mail), addressed the significant volume of equipment relocated to remote workspaces, and handled related pandemic-induced changes to operations. As soon as MIT’s Covid restrictions were lifted, the team resumed the campus inventory in March 2022 and expects to complete this cycle in March 2024.
The Property team works closely with DLCIs across MIT to keep records up to date. This meticulous record-keeping supports units when they need to close out sponsored accounts and account for equipment purchased with sponsor funds, and enables MIT to remain in compliance with MIT, federal, and other policies. Reach out to the team at property@mit.edu to provide updates on equipment changes, and with questions on reuse, disposal, and warehousing.