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Acquiring Federal Personal Property through Exchange/Sale

When a federal agency needs to replace a piece of personal property, it should contact the Office of Personal Property Management at (703) 605-5610. Agencies may elect to report the property through GSAXcess®, or they may move the items directly to the Sales Program. Item reported via GSAXcess® will be available for a 2-day federal screening, then move to Sales. The reporting agency can use the sales proceeds to pay for the purchase of new replacement property. In this way, agencies avoid storage and transportation costs and may obtain replacement items more quickly than under the standard disposal cycle. Items prohibited for exchange/sale are identified in the Federal Management Regulation, FMR 102-39.

The exchange/sale authority is appropriate when:

  • The property exchanged or sold is similar to the property acquired.
  • The agency has an ongoing need for that type of property.
  • The property involved was not acquired for the principal purpose of exchange or sale.
  • The exchange allowance or sales proceeds offsets the cost of the replacement property only, not services.
  • When an exchange/sale would provide the greater return for the federal government (taking into account administrative and overhead costs).
  • The transaction (except books and periodicals) is documented with the following information:
    • The FSC Group of the items exchanged or sold, and the items acquired
    • The number of items exchanged or sold, and the number of items acquired
    • The acquisition cost and exchange allowance or net sales proceeds of the items exchanged or sold, and the acquisition cost of the items acquired
    • The date of the transaction(s)
    • The parties involved
    • A statement that the transactions comply with the requirements of part 102-39

The exchange/sale authority is not appropriate when:

Agencies may use the exchange/sale authority to acquire personal property even if the acquisition is under a services contract, as long as the property acquired under the services contract is similar to the property exchanged or sold.

The property exchange of property happens when the supplier (which can be a government agency, a commercial or private organization, or an individual) delivers the new property and removes the property being replaced from either the receiving organizational unit or another unit within the same federal agency.

Agencies may submit reports electronically by GSAXcess® or by mail to the General Services Administration, Office of Personal Property Mangement (QSC), 2200 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.

Note: Agencies must forward any net proceeds from the eventual sale to Miscellaneous Receipts Account at the United States Treasury; savings do not go into the agency’s coffers.


personal property, disposal, federal agencies, exchange, sale, replacement