It is recognized that in the normal course of Auburn University business, it will be necessary to obtain transportation for use on a frequent basis. Typically, the acquisition of vehicles, trailers and other such equipment would refer to the purchase or lease of a vehicle with a value of $2,500 or higher. However, trailers requiring license plates, Federal vehicles on loan to Auburn University and vehicles which require insurance are also included in the policy below. Given the high cost of depreciation, operation and maintenance and potential risk to the University, it is expected that each department justify the acquisition of such equipment to the respective dean or vice president. Generally, acquisition is not justified if there is like equipment available for use elsewhere on campus.
The acquisition of all university vehicles should be handled through Procurement and Payment Services and all vehicles are bid according to University policy if expected cost is $7,500 or more.
If a vehicle is purchased or leased for use by an individual employee, please see the Policy for Vehicles Assigned To University Employees. The policies and procedures outlined below are intended to address financial and business matters associated with University vehicles. A separate policy regarding motorized vehicle safety is under development.
Title
The title for each vehicle will be obtained by Procurement and Payment Services on acquisition and held on file in the Procurement and Payment Services. Title numbers will be entered into the Fixed Asset System by Procurement and Payment Services. Upon vehicle disposal via trade-in, Procurement and Payment Services will supply the title to the dealer accepting the vehicle, and send a copy to Property Services, along with a copy of the purchase order associated with the transaction. If disposal is via surplus property, the title will be sent to Property Services for transfer to any future owners.
State Tag
It will be the responsibility of any AU department or entity acquiring a permanent vehicle (new or used) to obtain a state tag (license plate) for that vehicle from the State Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division, in Montgomery. Forms for a new vehicle tag (license plate) and registration document or for replacement tag or replacement registration document (copy of same required by State Code to be carried in the vehicle at all times) are available at the Department of Revenue web site,
www.ador.state.al.us/motorvehicle/index.html. Once obtained, a new state tag (license plate) number must be reported in a timely manner to the campus Parking Services office for entry and maintenance in the AU vehicle database. Monthly reporting from the Fixed Asset System will indicate any vehicles without license plates and Parking Services will follow-up with the department.
Departments that transfer tags from one vehicle to another must report the transfer to Parking Services in a timely manner. Parking Services will update this information in the Fixed Asset System. Annual verification of tag numbers will be initiated by Parking Services and all departments must certify back to that office that the vehicle and associated tag information is correct.
All University acquired (purchase or lease) vehicles must display a State license plate. Any exceptions must be submitted in writing and approved by the President's office.
Insurance
Insurance information pertaining to Auburn University vehicles will be maintained by Risk Management & Safety in the Fixed Asset System. The Auburn University department purchasing or leasing a vehicle should contact Risk Management & Safety within ten (10) days of acquisition to arrange for insurance coverage. The AU department should also contact Risk Management & Safety to advise of all deletions and/or transfers of University vehicles. Information the department should furnish to Risk Management and Safety includes:
a) Make & model
b) Year manufactured
c) Serial number
d) Cost - new if physical damage/full coverage is desired
e) Name and address of loss payee or lessor if the vehicle is financed or leased
Safety Inspections/Recall Notices
Departments are responsible for obtaining annual safety inspections for vehicles acquired
and/or assigned to the department. Reminder notices will be sent annually by Risk Management
and Safety. The Facilities Division offers this service for a small charge and University funds
may be used to pay for these inspections. Recall notices are generally received in Procurement and Payment Services and
will be forwarded to the department. It will be the department's responsibility to follow-up on
such notices.
Federal Vehicle Identification
Colleges and schools which received vehicles from the Federal government are responsible for
maintaining an inventory of those vehicles and periodic verification of those vehicles. They are
also responsible for notifying Risk Management and Safety upon receipt of the vehicle so that
these vehicles can be insured. Information relative to these vehicles will be maintained by Risk
Management and Safety, in addition to the information maintained in the respective college or
school.
Vehicle Use Charged Out (Departmental Motor Pools)
If there is a calculation of use charge for any vehicle, the University Service Center Policies
apply. Policies are located at the Auburn University Financial Policies and Procedures Manual.
Please contact Financial Reporting should you have any questions concerning the policy and rate
calculations.
Fuel purchases
Fuel purchased for University owned or leased vehicles which are assigned to an individual for their exclusive use may be charged to the Wright Express card assigned to that vehicle. Wright Express fuel cards are obtain by making application in Procurement and Payment Services and will only be assigned to vehicles bearing a State license plate. Fuel is also available for purchase at the Facilities Division, if the department has established prior approval for the individual employee to purchase fuel. Prior approval can be obtained by submitting a memo to Access Control (Facilities Division). The memo should be signed by the department head and contain the employee name and SSN, vehicle ID number, the mileage limit between fill-ups, and account number to be charged, if known.
Fuel purchased for University owned or leased vehicles which are acquired for departmental use may be charged to the University Purchasing Card as long as the fuel is to be used for business purposes and the State license plate number is denoted on the receipt. Use of the Purchasing Card is ONLY allowed for vehicles bearing a State license plate.
Routine Cleaning and Maintenance
The routine cleaning and maintenance of vehicles purchased or leased for individual use is considered a personal expense and will not be paid/reimbursed by the University.
The routine cleaning and maintenance of vehicles owned or leased by the University for departmental use is an allowable expense. Such expenses should either be billed to the department by the vendor or paid for by an employee and reimbursed to them following submission of a travel voucher with appropriate receipts to Procurement and Payment Services. Due to IRS reporting regulations, such services cannot be charged to the University Purchasing Card.
Short Term Rentals
With the closing of the AU Motor Pool, departments may, on occasion, need to obtain a vehicle for local use and/or regional trips. Departments should make decisions as to use of a personal vehicle, use of a state vehicle, rental of a vehicle from an outside firm, or purchase of an airline ticket, based on the most economical and efficient choice to the University. The University is in the process of selecting an exclusive provider for local short-term rentals and information regarding that contract will be available in January, 2004. In the interim, departments may select the car rental agency they would prefer to use and make arrangements for the vehicles via that agency.
Payment can be handled in one of two ways: 1) employee responsible for renting the vehicle charges the expense to their personal credit card and submits the cost for reimbursement via a travel voucher; or 2) department can make arrangements for the cost of the rental to be billed to the department and paid via vendor voucher/invoice. Due to IRS 1099 reporting regulations, rentals cannot be charged to the University Purchasing Card at the present time.
For specific assistance in any of the above issues, please contact:
