The Federal Asset Sales (FAS) initiative is an E-Government program designed to improve and optimize the way the federal government sells its surplus, excess, seized, and/or forfeited assets to the public via online and offline auctions. It is intended to create a secure, efficient, and effective online e-marketplace at GovSales.gov.

The Federal Assets Sales Initiative seeks to engage all agencies from the federal government. Select agencies are designated as "Sales Centers" to sell government assets on behalf of federal agencies participating in the initiative. At this time, the following agencies are Sales Centers, although more agencies may be selected in the future:

• General Services Administration (GSA)
• Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Department of Treasury
• The U.S. Marshal Service (USMS)

As part of the normal process of performing its business, the federal government requires common items such as computers, furniture, buildings, etc., to complete its mission. Once these items have served their useful life to the Government, they may still be of use to the private citizen. These surplus of excess items are then identified as assets for sale and are offered either to members of the public or to other government agencies for purchase.

Proceeds from property sales are returned to the federal government (via the Department of Treasury) and are available for use in other federal government endeavors.

The following websites offer more information about the Federal Asset Sales initiative:

President’s Expanding Electronic Government

GovSales

Chris Fornecker, FAS Executive Agent, christopher.fornecker@gsa.gov

Rob Miller, Federal Asset Sales Program Manager, robl.miller@gsa.gov

David Robbins, FAS Personal Property,
david.robbins@gsa.gov

George Deryckere, FAS Real Property, george.deryckere@gsa.gov

No. The GovSales.gov. portal does not collect any information covered by the Privacy Act. Individual Sales Centers may require you to provide personally identifiable information in order to register or complete a sales transaction.

In accordance with Public Law No. 104-134, Section 31001, the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, the Tax Identification Number (TIN) must be provided by anyone conducting business with the Federal Government, from which a debt to the Government may arise. Individuals cannot successfully register to bid on items without providing a TIN. A TIN is defined as an individual's Social Security Number (SSN) or a business entity's Employer Identification Numbers (EIN).

Bids cannot be lowered or cancelled.

The term "export only" refers to merchandise identified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that cannot be registered, used, resold, or entered into the commerce of the United States or its territories.

"Export only" means merchandise is offered on the condition that all licensing and federal permits will be met by the buyer before exportation. It is recommended that you contact your local CPB office or engage the services of a Customs broker or bonded carrier for further information. You can also visit the CPB website or export.gov for more detailed export information. Buyers are responsible for obtaining and complying with all export requirements.

"Export only" seized property and general order merchandise must be physically removed from the United States within 60 days after the sale. Check the terms of sale for the specific removal dates.

All countries have their own customs laws and may or may not allow you to import your merchandise into their country. A customs broker or the customs service of the importing country can assist you in answering this question. Information is also available at the U.S. Government's export portal at export.gov.

Occasionally, technical problems will interrupt the bidding process for an unspecified amount of time. These interruptions may affect some or all bidders. In the event of an interruption, an evaluation of the length of interruption time and the number of bidders affected may prompt GSAAuctions® to extend the closing time for an auction.

Extension may range from 1 hour to 24 hours based on the aforementioned criteria, to ensure fair and full competition.

To ensure the integrity of the bidding process and secure the information you provide, we have disabled the back button feature in 3 modules of the website--the registration, profile update and payment pages.

The system is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. Section 552a, as amended). Authority for collecting the information: 40 U.S.C. §§ 483 & 484 authorizes collection of the information in the system.

The information is used primarily in the awarding and administration of contracts for sales of Federal personal property. Additional disclosures of the information may be: for any legal proceeding to which GSA is a party; to Federal, State, local or foreign law enforcement agencies in cases of possible violation or potential violation of civil or criminal law or regulation; to authorized officials engaged in investigating or settling a grievance, complaint, or appeal filed by an individual who is the subject of a record; to the Office of Personnel Management, the General Accounting Office, or the National Archives and Records Administration when the information is required for evaluation of the program or program records; to a Member of Congress or his or her staff on behalf of and at the request of the individual who is the subject of a record; to an expert, consultant, or contractor of GSA in the performance of a Federal duty to which the information is relevant; and to the GSA Office of Finance for debt collection purposes (see GSA/PPFM-7).

Furnishing system information: Furnishing the information is voluntary, as is participation in the Personal Property Sales Program. However, failure to provide this information may result in ineligibility to purchase personal property from the General Services Administration.

Handling of information gathered through visits to our website

Our privacy policy is clear: Unless you choose to provide additional information to us, we will collect no personal information about you other than the information (below) which is automaticalled collected and stored when you visit our site.

Information automatically collected and stored

We collect only the following information about you:

• the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (i.e., verizon.net, if you are connecting to a Verizon account, or Harvard.edu, if you are connecting from Harvard University's domain).
• the date and time of your visit.

If you send us personal information

When you send us personal information (e.g., in an electronic mail message containing a question or comment) or by filling out a form that emails us this information, we only use this information to respond to your request. We may forward your email to the government employee who can best answer your questions. We do not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about our visitors, unless required for law enforcement or statute.

We want to make it clear that we will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide that information to us. Except for authorized law enforcement investigators, or as otherwise required by law, we do not share any information we receive with anyone else.

The credit card information provided at registration is used strictly for validation purposes. GSA Auctions® does not automatically charge credit cards on file, and does not assume that the credit card you used for validation at registration is the one you will choose to use to pay for any items won by you in an auction. Credit card payments can be made via GSA Auctions® from the "My Summary" page utilizing the "Trades" feature. Online payments are processed by Pay.Gov™, which is a secure governmentwide payment collection portal and transaction engine created and managed by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Financial Management Service.

GSA Auctions® utilizes Pay.Gov™, an electronic payment service, to facilitate user registration and process payments. Users are required to confirm their identities during registration by providing a valid credit card. Your credit card account will be checked to make sure that is it valid and has the sufficient funds available to authorize a $1 charge. Within 24 hours, the authorization for $1 will expire. The user will notice a change in their available balance by $1; but, the amount is never charged to their credit card account. Click here for help on the registration process.

Currently, only approved federal agencies may sell property through the GovSales.gov portal. Non-approved federal agencies may user one of the approved "Sales Centers" to sell their property. For more information on this proces, please contact govsales@gsa.gov.

The GovSales website - GovSales.gov - includes all types of items, but are generally classified into two major categories: real and personal property. Real property includes anything from land, single-family homes, commercial buildings, and farms. Personal property includes just about anything else, such as vehicles, jewelry, electronios, furniture, industrial equipment, etc.

Here are a few basic steps to get you started:

Pick-up of purchased items is the responsibility of the buyer. At this time, Sales Agencies do not include shipping as a part of their services, although special arrangements may be made on a case-by-case basis. Any additional costs associated with the shipment of the item are the responsibility of the buyer.

GovSales.gov is a centralized website that allows customers to browse through the inventory of property for sale at several government agencies. However, once you locate an item you wish to bid on, you are redirected to the agency that is selling the property listed.

Again, GovSales.gov. is a centralized website that allows you to seamlessly browse through the inventory of several government agencies at the same time. However, to purchase or bid on a particular property, you are required to deal directly with the agency listing the property. Each agency requires bidders to complete their specific registration process.

The Federal Asset Sales initiative has an email list that will keep you up-to-date. Simply register at GovSales.gov.

The GovSales portal provide two main methods of locating items for sale. These methods, Searching and Browsing are outlined in further detail below.

Searching

The GovSales portal unites the content of several different websites into a single location. The portal provides search functionality across personal property types (vehicles, jewelry, electronics, etc.) in a single location. To search personal property, first select a personal property tab and enter a search term into the search box.

Browsing

Browsing functionality is provided throughout the portal across property types (Personal and Real Property) by selecting a property tab and selecting from the links provided. Browsing can also be done via the "All Categories" link that displays the entire contents of the portal site.

Description Warranty

The Government warrants to the original purchaser that the property listed on the GSAAuctions® website will conform to its written description. If a misdescription is determined before payment, the contract will be cancelled without any liability to the bidder. If a misdescription is determined before removal of the property, the Government will keep the property and refund any money paid. If a misdescription is determined after removal, the Government will refund any money paid if the purchaser takes the property at his/her expense to a location specified by the Sales Contracting Officer. The Refund Claims Procedure described below will be strictly followed for a filing claim. No refunds will be made after the property is removed for shortages of individual items within a lot. This warranty is in place of all other guarantees and warranties, expressed or implied.

The Government does not warrant the merchantability of the property or its purpose. The purchaser is not entitled to any payment for loss of profit or any other monetary damages - special, direct, indirect, or consequential.

Refund Claim Procedure

To file a claim for misdescribed property:

Refund Amount

The refund is limited to the purchase price of the misdescribed property.

Photographs

Photographs may not depict an exact representation of the bid item(s) and should not be relied upon in place of written item descriptions or as a substitute for physical inspection. Please contact the custodian for inspection dates and times.

Inspection

Bidders are invited, urged and cautioned to inspect the property prior to bidding. Bidders must contact the custodian indicated in the item description for inspection dates and times.

Reporting Discrepancies

Prospective purchasers are asked to inform the sales office of any discrepancies in the property description discovered while inspecting the property and of any lots in this sale that contain hazardous material/waste not indicated in the property descriptions.

Depending on the Sales Agency, payment may be restricted. Generally, the agencies participating in the Federal Asset Sales initiative accept the following payment types:

Cash or Cash Equivalent

• U.S. currency (no greater than $10,000)
• Bank cashier's check
• Credit union cashier's check issued by a Federal or State-chartered Credit Union
• U.S. Postal Service or commercial money order

Checks

• Traveler's checks
• Properly endorsed United States Federal, State, or local government checks
• Personal or company checks accompanied by a bank letter of guarantee

Details on Check Payments

Certified checks, bank drafts and debit cards with dollar limitations and/or requiring a PIN number, are not acceptable. All checks and money orders must be made payable to the General Services Administration.

• MasterCard
• Visa
• Discover/Novus
• American Express

Details on Credit Card Payments

Credit cards may be processed manually or online through the Department of Treasury's Pay.Gov™ system.

Payment and Removal Timeframes

Property must be paid for within 2 business days and property removed within 10 business days from the time and date of the award email notification of sale results, unless otherwise specified in the contract.