FAQs

Who is responsible for the property in our department?

Department heads and chairpersons are responsible for departmental inventory. Property should be recorded and inventoried on a regular basis, per TU's Property Management policies and procedures (PDF). Property that has been relocated, disposed of, stolen or transferred needs to be recorded and reported, on an MMSR to be forwarded to Property Records office through the submission of a Material Management Service Request (MMSR).

Are all your services free of charge?

No. Date-specific move requests that cannot be handled by the crew due to previously scheduled work, projects requiring additional contracted resources and other services may be charged to the requesting department. The department is notified of possible charges once the official MMSR form has been received (but before any work has begun). There are also charges to departments who fail to notify us of a change in plans or circumstances once a scheduled date is confirmed and the crew arrives to execute the service.

We will be renovating our offices and working with Facilities Management. Who is responsible for sending the MMSR form if moving services are needed?

The department needing the services, submits the MMSR, we will contact the requestor. This will help us coordinate the project with Facilities Management and your department. Failure to alert us in a timely fashion may require that we contract outside moving services or employees, and the costs involved will be billed to your department.

What kind of lead-time is needed for moving?

This varies depending on the amount of work involved. For example, we only require three full working days of notice to move a desk from one location to another, but we may need 10 to 15 or more working days of notice to move several offices or as much as 12 weeks’ notice to move your entire department. If you’re planning a big move, we strongly suggest that you contact us as soon as possible so that a representative from our office can survey the work and help you with planning.

Do you provide off-campus moving services?

Unfortunately, we do not provide off-campus moving requests.

How do I prepare for a large move (entire department or several offices)?

Contact Facilities Planning as soon as you know and they will provide you with instructions on how to prepare the MMSR.

Will you move boxes?

Yes; however, moving boxes will be treated as a non-priority service. We will move individual boxes provided they are sealed and labeled properly. See a full list of items that can and cannot be moved, along with packing instructions on the Moving Services website.

Will you dispose of a refrigerator or an air conditioning unit?

Yes. Before you submit the MMSR form for disposal, the unit must be cleared and tagged by the Environmental Health & Safety office. This information must be included in the "special instructions" area of the form before we will schedule the service.

How do I dispose of furniture and/or equipment we no longer need but is still in good condition?

Before you request disposal of the items, you should offer them to other offices within your department and within your building via e-mail or a flier. An MMSR form will be required to transfer this property to another department or re-locate the item within the same department. If you do not get a response from anyone wanting these items, prepare an MMSR disposal request making sure to indicate in the special instructions if the items are recyclable. Submit the DocuSign form to us, but be aware that the turn-around time for the service can be more than ten working days while we try to find a way to reuse the items on campus or donate to a local non-profit organization. Depending on the value of the property, you may be required to hold on to it for a longer period.

How do I dispose of broken furniture and/or equipment no longer functional?

Complete an MMSR form for disposal, via DocuSign, to us. Indicate that the items are broken or non-functional in the special instructions area.

How do I dispose of a computer being replaced by a new unit?

The disposal of computers must be coordinated with OTS. The unit must be wiped of all licensed software and data (or have the hard drives removed) before it can be recycled, donated or disposed. Contact the OTS help line at x4-5151 and request that they prep the unit for disposal. Once OTS does this, they will label the computer to verify that it has been prepped. Once this has occurred, you should prepare an MMSR form for disposal, via DocuSign and send it to us. Make sure that you indicate that OTS has serviced the unit/s by checking the box provided in the special instructions area. Once we receive the completed form, someone will contact you with a service date and approximate time. Our crew will not take a unit that has not been tagged by OTS. Do not submit the MMSR form until the unit has been serviced by OTS.

Who is authorized to sign off on the MMSR form?

Department heads or the persons charged with the department's property, such as inventory coordinators, can sign. Off-campus use requests must be signed by the supervisor of the person taking the property off-campus.

What happens to the MMSR form once it is sent to Material Management?

Once the form is received it is immediately recorded and given a reference number. The form is reviewed to ensure that all required information is provided. It then goes to the moving supervisor for scheduling and a call is placed to the contact person giving a date and approximate time for the service. When the service has been provided the form is sent to Property Records.

The MMSR is your department record of what was done with the property and should be filed for future reference.