Equipment Purchase Instructions

Posted on by

Certain procedures must be followed prior to the purchanse of equipment, or your equipment purchase will not be reimbursed.

Purchasing General/Special-Purpose Equipment on Project Funds

To purchase equipment meeting the following requirements on project or host country project funds, in compliance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Circular A-21, the ME must obtain USAID CTO approval. (Under normal circumstances, this approval should be acquired through the Annual Work Plan and Budget approval process.)

  • Purchase of Special Purpose Equipment, which is defined as an article of nonexpendable tangible personal property, which is used only for research, medical, scientific, or other technical activities, and which has a useful life of more than two years and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit.
  • Purchase of General Purpose Equipment, which is defined as an article of nonexpendable tangible personal property, the use of which is not limited only to research, medical, scientific, or other activities (e.g., office equipment and furnishings, air conditioning equipment, reproduction and other equipment, motor vehicles, and automatic data processing equipment), having a useful life of more than two years and an acquisition cost of $5000 or more per unit.

Step 1: Complete Form25 – SANREM Equipment Authorization and Request to Purchase

  • DO THIS BEFORE BUYING THE EQUIPMENT or else you will not be reimbursed.
  • The ME will not process equipment purchase authorization requests for items already purchased.
  • Without USAID/W approval for purchase, equipment costs will be disallowed by Federal auditors. These costs will then be borne by the U.S. lead institution or that entity or individual responsible for authorizing the purchase.
  • All equipment purchased with USAID SANREM funds and used in host countries must be labeled and branded in accordance with USAID Branding guidelines. See: usaid.gov/branding

Step 2: Be sure your equipment requests can be rationalized and justified.

  • Document the reason the item is needed. Relate the documentation to the stated project objectives in your Annual Work Plan and Budget.
  • Document the ownership and responsibility for maintenance, liability and operation costs – whether that is at U.S., Host Country, project, or collaborating institution expense.
  • Take into account the availability of budgeted funds for purchase, shipping, et cetera.

Purchasing Equipment of Non-U.S. Source and/or Origin

Authorization to purchase equipment that has a non-U.S. origin is a very lengthy process. You should purchase non-U.S.-sourced equipment only when absolutely necessary.

If the proposed purchase has a non-U.S. source and/or origin, a justification for waiver will need to be completed on the reverse side of the Equipment Authorization form (the second page of Form25 – SANREM Equipment Authorization and Request to Purchase).

Send one copy of the completed form to the ME. It will then be reviewed by the ME and the Director to confirm that the item requested supports research on identified project objectives and has been budgeted. USAID/W approval for purchase (when required) will be transmitted in writing to the ME, who will forward copies to the Co-PI and designated Contracts and Grants Officer.