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Equipment management for schools procedure

Version number 5.1 | Version effective 23 December 2025
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Equipment management for schools procedure

Audience

All state schools

Purpose

Outlines the requirements for acquiring, managing, and disposing of equipment held by schools.

Overview

The department’s equipment management system includes:

  • documented acquisition and recording processes;
  • equipment management processes including stocktake and loan of equipment; and
  • appropriate disposal and write-off processes.

Schools record portable and attractive items (valued between $500 or more (GST exclusive), but less than the department's capitalisation threshold of $5,000 (GST exclusive)) which are susceptible to theft and loss because of their size and appeal (see Definitions), and capital assets (valued at $5,000 and over, GST exclusive) on the OneSchool Asset Register. Capital assets are also recorded on the central SAP Asset Register. Information is kept about asset acquisition, transfer, loan of equipment and disposal.

An equipment replacement plan is prepared by schools to facilitate periodic replacement of equipment. The plan:

  • is a five-year plan, updated every year,
  • covers all capital assets and portable and attractive equipment (for example, laptops) and
  • is used as a reference by the school in developing its budget.

Equipment is disposed of by:

  • transferring to another school, a business unit, or other organisation;
  • sale or trade-in;
  • writing-off by replacing under warranty, dumping as part of wear and tear, damaging beyond economic repair, or as a result of lost or stolen.

Equipment management also involves awareness of code of conduct requirements related to fraud, private and/or unofficial use of departmental equipment, conflicts of interest and misuse of resources.

Stocktakes are undertaken annually to help to identify assets that need replacing, are missing, or are obsolete.

Responsibilities

Principals

  • Keep proper records of portable and attractive items (see Definitions) and capital assets (valued at $5,000 or more, GST exclusive) on the OneSchool Asset Register
  • Approve any acquisition, disposal or transfer of assets to the school.

Financial Advisory Services, Finance Branch

  • Provide advice on equipment management issues to schools
  • Liaise with Asset Accounting team on schools' stocktake
  • Liaise and advise schools on outstanding stocktakes.

Asset Accounting Team, Finance Branch

  • Provide advice on equipment management (if required)
  • Consolidate schools’ stocktake for reporting purposes.

Process

All state schools

  • Maintain an equipment register for new equipment valued at more than $500 (GST exclusive) using the OneSchool Asset Register, including:
    • new acquisitions via procurement
    • donations from community organisations
    • donations from Parent and Citizens (P&C) Associations
    • transfers from other schools or business units.
  • Properly control equipment, including:
    • maintaining an equipment loan register and reviewing long term loans
    • maintaining properly authorised supporting documents for all acquisitions, transfers, loans, disposals (including transfers to external organisations) and write-offs of equipment
    • retaining records as per Information asset and recordkeeping procedure
    • conducting an annual stocktake of equipment
    • reviewing equipment management practices and data
    • preparing a replacement plan
    • securing equipment and protecting it from loss, including marking equipment clearly and permanently with an asset number
    • issuing local safety instructions relating to the use, storage, and movement of equipment where applicable. Apply and maintain warning signs and labels where required.
    • ensure equipment is used for official purposes only.
    • ensure that equipment acquired through leases is in accordance with the Queensland Leasing Approval Policy for Public Sector Entities.
  • Ensure proper disposal of equipment, including:
    • approval of the disposal or write-off of any item of equipment is in accordance with the financial delegations.
    • ensuring the appropriate disposal of equipment for schools officially closed and or permanently vacated or vacated for an extended period.
  • Advise Asset Accounting Team of school's external grant or P&C funded minor capital works projects by completing a minor capital works form.

Asset Accounting Team, Finance Branch

  • Coordinates schools’ stocktake by:
    • providing a message on the ConnectED newsletter
    • providing a school stocktake fact sheet
    • notification of any discrepancies between the central SAP Asset Register and the OneSchool Asset Register for resolution on a regular basis
    • processing stocktake returns by recording acquisition, disposal and write-off, and transfers of capital assets on the central SAP Asset Register
    • notifying Financial Advisory Services with outstanding stocktake
    • escalating non-completion of stocktakes to the senior management and internal audit (if required).

Financial Advisory Services, Finance Branch

  • Liaise with Asset Accounting team on schools' stocktake
  • Contact schools with outstanding stocktakes.

Definitions

Term

Definition

Acquisition cost

Usually, the cost of a piece of equipment plus freight and installation. In the case of donated items, a fair value should be estimated, taking into account age, condition and value of similar items.

Asset number

A unique numerical identifier which is allocated to all capital asset equipment and portable and attractive items.

Capital assets

Any non-consumable item owned by the department that contributes to the department's objectives for more than one year, has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (GST exclusive), and is recorded in both OneSchool Asset Register and the department’s central SAP Asset Register.

Depreciable amount

The acquisition cost of an asset, or other amount substituted for cost, less its residual value.

Depreciation

The depreciation amount of an asset allocated over the asset’s useful life.

Disposal

The physical removal of the asset from the premises.

Equipment

Any non-consumable physical item that contributes to the department's objective for more than one year (that may include capital assets and portable and attractive items) and is not land, buildings or infrastructure.

Equipment register

The School Financial System (OneSchool) Asset Register used by schools.

Fraud

The use of deceit to obtain an advantage or avoid an obligation. Further, fraud is criminal deception, and/or the use of false representation to gain an unjust advantage.

Fair value

The price that would be received to sell an asset between market participants at the measurement date.

Gifts and donations

Any property, plant or equipment gifted or donated to the department with nil consideration including, but not limited to, land, buildings, ICT equipment or works of art. The gifted or donated item must be recorded on the department's central SAP Asset Register and recognised at fair value at the date of receipt.

Any property, plant or equipment gifted or donated to departmental employees, please refer to Gifts and benefits (DoE employees only).

Portable and attractive item

Non-consumable items valued between $500 or more (GST exclusive), but less than the department's capitalisation threshold of $5,000 (GST exclusive) and is susceptible to theft or loss due to their portable nature and attractiveness for personal use or resale. Examples include computers and mobile phones.

An item is considered portable if it can be easily carried or moved (e.g. an item would be considered portable if it could easily fit in a backpack: it would not be considered portable if it required more than one person to carry it).

Residual value

Estimated amount that an entity would currently obtain from disposal of the asset, after deducting the estimated costs of disposal, if the asset were already of the age and in the condition expected at the end of its useful life.

SAP Asset Register

A component of the department’s financial and accounting software. This register holds records of all capital assets in schools and accountable equipment in business units.

Stocktake

The physical verification of accountable equipment compared to the record of assets on the department's SAP Asset Register at a given point in time and to perform the steps if the asset is not fit for purpose. Stocktakes occur annually. For more information refer Stocktakes.

Write off

Recording and approving the loss of an asset because it is missing, damage or has been stolen etc.

Written down value

The acquisition cost less accumulated depreciation or expired life (months)/total life (months) x cost.

For example, a computer costing $5,000 has a life of 5 years (60 months) and the written down value after 4 years (48 months) is calculated thus:
48 months/60 months x $5,000 = $4,000, therefore written down value is $5,000 ‑ $4,000 = $1,000.

Legislation

Delegations/Authorisations

Other resources

Superseded versions

Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.

Nil

Review date

10 February 2023
Attribution CC BY

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