UW Capital Assets

This reference guide delineates the management of capital assets purchased through UW–Madison including: 

• Issuing an Asset
• Editing an Asset
• Transferring an Asset
• Disposal of an Asset
• Entering Expenditure Treatment for Capital Equipment on Requisitions 

An acquisition qualifies as capital equipment if it meets these four criteria: 

1. Item has a per-unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more before any applicable trade-in allowance or qualifies as a fabrication with a cost of $5,000 or more.
2. The acquired item has a useful life expectancy of one year or more.
3. The item is moveable; that is, it is not permanently affixed to a building or another object in such a way as to lose its unique identity.
4. The item is an inanimate object, typically used to perform tasks (e.g. research, grounds-keeping, farming, transportation, etc.). Items like artwork, animals and most software are not considered capital equipment assets. 

Each unit should have a Department Property Administrator (DPA) assigned. 

For further definitions please reference UW Division of Business Services Capital Equipment Definitions.  

Department Property Administrator (DPA) 

To initiate a new DPA, the Department should send notice to the Property Control email account (property@bussvc.wisc.edu) and list the Department’s cost centers, the name of the new DPA and the Employee ID number of the individual. Property Control will draft a DPA Agreement Form and route to the individual. 

The DPA will need to sign and route to the Financial Representative listed on the document for additional signatures. Once all signatures are received, the DPA should route the completed form to Property Control. Property Control will sign and route a finalized copy to the DPA.