FAQ – Inventory

The equipment inventory is an exhaustive list of tangible and intangible assets:
– Which are part of EPFL’s assets;
– Which can be used repeatedly and whose expected lifespan is greater than one year, taking into account a normal wear rate;
– Which were purchased, received free of charge, or manufactured by EPFL;
– Which are leased or loaned for a period exceeding one year;
– Which have an acquisition value greater than or equal to the thresholds set by LEX 5.9.1.

Following the rules for equipment inventory management helps to:
– Meet legal requirements;
– Facilitate equipment sharing;
– Avoid duplicate purchases;
– Reduce the risk of equipment theft;
– Better plan equipment renewal;
– Save time and financial resources. The saved resources can be directly reinvested according to unit needs;
– Minimize the School’s carbon footprint.

Please visit the page https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/accueil/finances/inventaire/ Here you can find all the information you need.

Any EPFL employee can log in to SESAME to view the inventory. To view data for the entire School, you must clear the pre-entered cost center filter.

SESAME – Inventory

Absolutely not. The equipment must be inventoried and LEX 6.4.1 must be applied.
If in doubt, contact the VPO-SI.

Any type of disposal of non-IT equipment must carefully follow the procedure set out in LEX 5.9.1 – Article 10, without exception.
Regarding IT assets, only the CRI can authorize the donation of IT assets, without exception.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

The order number is automatically displayed if an inventory record is created from an order. In case of an error (change of order number on the sheet), please contact [email protected].

If you have inventory coordinator and purchasing rights for a unit, you can go to SESAME-Inventory and, in the Creation tile, enter the name of the person concerned.

Creating an inventory record is easier if you create a purchase order in Sesame. When you’re in the inventory application, you can enter your purchase order number, and the application can automatically pre-fill certain information for you.

It’s important to create your order correctly to facilitate the creation of a correct inventory record.

If you have purchased multiple identical items, the application allows you to enter redundant information only once. When you click “Save,” the application will prompt you to enter the other yellow label numbers (no duplicate labels are allowed).

It’s also essential to execute the goods receipt process to facilitate both the invoice payment process and inventory management. This represents a double benefit (a win-win solution) for all the School’s stakeholders.

The equipment in question must be inventoried only if EPFL owns the equipment, regardless of the percentage of funding provided by EPFL. So YES.

The equipment in question must be inventoried only if EPFL owns the equipment, regardless of the percentage of funding provided by EPFL. So YES.

Official inventory control, in addition to being a legal obligation, serves to verify the following points:
– The existence of equipment whose inventory is mandatory (see Appendix 2);
– Whether this equipment is in service, broken, or damaged;
– The location or place where the equipment is located;
– Correcting any errors that may have been made during daily inventory management.

Inventory Coordinators, as well as Inventory Coordinator Assistants, must perform inventory control on the units for which they have inventory management rights. Every EPFL employee is required to report any information related to equipment necessary for its proper management.

The official inventory audit is conducted at least once every three years and is initiated by the EPFL Inventory Coordinator, who communicates the dates for the exercise in advance, in agreement with the Schools/VPs.

In this case, you will need to update the inventory record for the item in question and change its status to “Not Found.” You must remain vigilant to quickly detect the item. If the item cannot be found during the inventory control period, the record must be validated after changing its status to “Not Found”.

Before entering the cost center number (e.g., 0052), you must also enter the letter “C”: C0052.
The cost center number always consists of the letter C and four digits.
If in doubt, follow the appropriate procedure published on the Inventory webpage — “Inventory Control” section.

In this case, the inventory coordinator must contact the researcher working in the location in question and ask them to confirm in writing the existence of the asset to be controlled. Also, the accuracy of the data in question.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

The problem could be related to the following behaviours in the application:

– To validate, invalidate, or modify a record, you must select the relevant equipment by checking the box associated with it.

— However, if, after validating certain equipment on a record, you move on to other records without unchecking the already validated equipment, the latter will be automatically invalidated upon saving.

The application does not currently have logic that would recognize that validated equipment should not be invalidated if the box remains checked by mistake.

You must devalidate the control for any record, regardless of which one, and then revalidate the control for the same record.
If everything is done correctly, the control tile should freeze and send the message for final approval to the Head of the relevant unit.

Outside the control period, it is impossible to validate the asset audit. However, if you are within the control period and the unit in question is being audited, but they are unable to use the tile in question, you must contact [email protected].

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact your Head of Unit to inquire about the reason and then contact [email protected].

The impairment test is an annual check relating to equipment linked to fixed assets entered on the balance sheet and whose residual book value (after depreciation) is greater than or equal to CHF 100,000.

You must carefully follow the process previously communicated by the VPF. If in doubt, please send your questions to [email protected].

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

The inventory record is the document created when the equipment is inventoried and contains all the information necessary to effectively identify and manage the item in question.

The equipment subject to inventory is as follows:
– Scientific machines and equipment
– IT, audiovisual, and reprographic machines and equipment
– Vehicles
– Machine tools
– Housekeeping equipment and furniture
– Technical and scientific infrastructure
– Software purchased or developed internally
– Works of art
– IT, audiovisual, and reprographic machines and equipment
– Vehicles
– Machine tools
– Housekeeping equipment and furniture
– Technical and scientific infrastructure
– Software purchased or developed internally
– Works of art
– CFC3 equipment acquired during building construction or renovation work (managed by the VPF)
– Usage rights (managed by the VPF).

The VPF, according to the thresholds established by LEX 5.9.1 and for balance sheet reasons, determines the mandatory/optional nature of a piece of equipment.
The search tile displays all inventoried equipment with the aforementioned character, while the control tile displays only those items to be controlled (those that are mandatory).

The mandatory thresholds are set by Annex 2 of LEX 5.9.1. There is a single exception for SV School (in agreement with the VPF), which has set a threshold of CHF 5,000 for all non-IT equipment.

This refers to the amount of the purchase order, or respectively to the invoice value if different. Any possible reductions, installation costs, delivery costs, cus-toms duties and VAT must be taken into account during the inventory procedure. All of the amounts given in this document are inclusive of VAT (VAT included), as VAT represents a non-deductible cost.

The lifespan field is currently optional. It can be used by units to provide useful information for asset management.
The resale value of an IT asset is independent of this data and is established by the CRI.
Similarly, the resale value of a non-IT asset is not linked to this data, but is established by the Head of Unit, the Head of Infrastructures, the Head of ECO Unit, and the EPFL Inventory Coordinator.

In this case, the monthly exchange rates published on Service Now – KB0015037 must be used, based on the invoice date.

Inventorying occurs for all equipment meeting the characteristics defined in the Inventory Directive (LEX 5.9.1), after validating the qualitative, quantitative, and functional acceptance test.

The Inventory Coordinator (or other person authorized by the latter) is invited to create an inventory sheet via the SESAME portal, carefully indicating all the data relating to the equipment in question and requested by the application. The inventoried asset must be marked with a numbered self-adhesive label provided by the Service Desk (1234) and must be visibly affixed to the asset in question.

If it is a single setup composed of several parts/equipment, a single inventory record must be created for the entire order in question. However, if each piece of equipment can be used separately, any equipment that exceeds the mandatory thresholds set by LEX 5.9.1 must be inventoried.

If the order is a single setup consisting of multiple pieces of equipment, a single inventory record must be created for the entire order. However, if each piece of equipment can be used separately, any equipment exceeding CHF 10,000 must be inventoried.

If the equipment in question does not constitute a single set, it is necessary to correct the existing record and create a new record for each piece of equipment whose inventory is mandatory according to Appendix 2 of LEX 5.9.1.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Absolutely not. A correction can be made in the event of an error in an inventory record, but it cannot be used multiple times for different assets.

If you receive reminders via SESAME-Inventory following an order, there may be several reasons:
– You must inventory the equipment in question;
– You entered the wrong asset class when ordering; in this case, please send your requests to [email protected];
– There is a bug in the supplier’s catalog; in this case, please send your requests to [email protected]

When a unit receives an item that is subject to inventory, the Inventory Cordinatort must request a numbered label via the link below: https://support.epfl.ch/epfl?id=epfl_sc_cat_item&sys_id=2bb1e24a8745b810c6eeece80cbb35ae

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

When a numbered label cannot be affixed to equipment, the Inventory Correspondent must create a file using the following procedure:
– Keep a paper copy of the purchase invoice for the item in question
– Indicate the serial number of the item in question on the aforementioned invoice
– Affix the numbered label to the copy of the invoice, specifying which item the label corresponds to (if multiple items are invoiced)
– Please keep the file so that you can easily identify the item in question during inventory control or for any other needs.

To resolve this issue, here are the recommended steps:

A) Update the data on SESAME: It is imperative to modify the corresponding information on SESAME to ensure that each tag is associated with the correct equipment. This maintains the integrity of our database and prevents future confusion.
or
B) Create correct inventory records: If tag reuse is not possible, we recommend deleting the two affected inventory records and creating two new, accurate records. Be sure to verify the details before creating them to avoid any recurrence of this error.

If a unit receives equipment as a donation and the equipment is subject to inventory according to the Inventory Directive (LEX 5.9.1), but the market value of the item is not clearly identifiable, the Head of unit must contact the Head of Infrastructures or the Head of IT (if the item is IT) to determine the market value of the item in question. If this value is equal to or greater than the mandatory thresholds specified in the Inventory Directive (LEX 5.9.1) issued by the VPF, then the equipment must be inventoried at market value.

Please contact Mr. Philippe Pichon, who is the expert on ARCHIBUS, the application that manages the database for all EPFL premises (including the Associated Campuses).

You must enter the user name and their location at EPFL.

First, you must have authorization as an Inventory Coordinatorr for the unit in question.
The data in a record can be updated via the Search tile (“Edit” button) or via the Control tile (“Show details” button).

In the event of a change of class within the same category, If you have inventory management rights for the relevant unit, you can select the desired class using the SESAME-Inventory Search tile. If you need to change categories, please contact [email protected]

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

If a unit needs to modify, transfer, or remove more than 10 inventory records at the same time, [email protected] can handle it.
Regarding the mass removal of assets managed by the CRI (VPO-DSI), the ticket must always be reassigned to [email protected], which, according to the agreements between VPF and VPO, will perform the analysis and removal of the assets in question.

If equipment that has already been inventoried is upgraded/improved, the acquisition value of the upgrade/improvement must be added to the previous acquisition value. There is no need to create a second inventory record, but a comment must be added to the original record.
However, if the original equipment is exchanged for a better one, the exchange procedure applies.

The old equipment must be removed from the inventory via SESAME if it is non-IT; if it is IT, contact the EPFL Inventory Coordinator.
The new equipment must therefore be inventoried.

The exchange platform is a feature of the inventory application where each EPFL unit can report equipment that it wishes to donate, exchange, or sell to other EPFL units.

Equipment must remain on the exchange platform for at least two months to allow all units within the School to use it. After two months, the unit may decide to leave the asset on the platform or sell it, donate it, or discard it (in this case, the asset must be removed from the platform and then initiate a disposal request via SESAME).

You must contact the Head of unit who manages the desired asset.

If the asset is still published, simply go to the exchange platform and check the publication date. Otherwise, please contact [email protected].

– Organize and supervise official inventory control or any control upon request;
– Support other roles and respond to questions or requests for support regarding inventory control;
– Perform the necessary checks to ensure that equipment is recorded in the inventory when required and is properly controlled.

– Validate requests for inventory removals for non-IT equipment (and associated software) in their School;
– Conduct regular data quality checks in coordination with the EPFL Inventory Coordinator;
– Answer questions from their School staff regarding the inventory process to follow for non-IT equipment (and associated software);
– Actively contribute to the removal of non-IT equipment that must be inventoried as part of unit closures.

– Answer questions from School employees regarding the inventory process for IT equipment (and associated software) and provide the necessary instructions for managing the School’s IT equipment in accordance with applicable regulations;
– Perform regular data quality checks in coordination with the EPFL Inventory Coordinator;
– Actively contribute to the disposal of IT equipment during unit closures;

– Make, at the School level, any decisions regarding the inventorying of assets whose inventorying is optional. This task may be delegated to the Head of IT or Infrastructures;
– Coordinate the processing of equipment during unit closures.

– Responsible for maintaining their unit’s inventory and ensuring the quality of the recorded data;
– Appoint the Inventory Coordinator;
– Validate the official control of the inventory of equipment whose inclusion in the inventory is mandatory;
– In the absence of specific instructions issued by the RFF, issue internal instructions to their unit for the inventorying and control of equipment whose inclusion in the inventory is optional;
– Validate any request from the Inventory Coordinator to remove equipment from the inventory;
– Upon closure of their unit, ensure that all equipment has been processed in accordance with the issued rules;
– Ensure compliance with the rules defined in LEX 6.4.1 Directive on the Recycling and Resale of IT Equipment.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

The Computer Repair Center (CRI) is the unit responsible for the recycling, sale, and reassignment of IT equipment.

– Be duly accredited and trained to perform their duties;
– Be appointed by the Head of Unit and act by delegation;
– Be responsible for maintaining the equipment inventory (incoming and outgoing) in accordance with established rules (the right to take inventory may, however, be granted to other unit employees if necessary);
– Carry out official inventory control within the stipulated timeframes and according to the instructions received;
– Process any requests related to the unit’s inventory;
– Initiate any requests to remove equipment from the inventory.

Both authorizations allow for the same tasks to be performed.
The difference lies in the person’s wish to be considered the primary point of contact for a unit’s inventory when the authorization in question is granted.

The ACCRED authorization “Responsable Inventaire” corresponds to the role of the Head of Unit and is automatically granted upon the appointment of a Head of Unit.
Only a few limited exceptions exist, but these must be formally agreed upon with the VPF.

The role of Inventory Coordinator corresponds to the ACCRED authorization “Inventaire – détenir le rôle de Gestionnaire”, granted by the VPF.

Inventory Correspondent Assistants receive the ACCRED authorization “Inventaire – assister des gestionnaires”, granted by the VPF.

Each EPFL employee is required to report any information related to equipment (e.g., missing, malfunctioning, moved, stolen, etc.).

The answer can be found on ACCRED by searching for the relevant unit and then clicking on the authorization tab.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

An inventory delisting must be performed if equipment is no longer usable and is not kept at EPFL.
If an asset is no longer used by a unit but is still usable, it must be placed on the exchange platform (if it is a non-IT asset) or returned to the CRI (if it is IT).

The Head of Infrastructures and the CRI (Computer Repair Center) for IT assets perform equipment inventory removals at the request of the Inventory Coordinator, after approval by the Head of Unit.

If you have the necessary permissions, please follow the process below:
1) Log in to SESAME – Inventory
2) Click on the “Search for inventory record” tile
3) Select the record in question
4) If the asset is non-IT, click on “Inventory write-off”; if the asset is IT, click on “Transfer to CRI

NOTE: Only existing equipment can be transferred to the CRI.

If the item is non-IT equipment, you can use the Search tile (SESAME-Inventory) and initiate the inventory removal request. If the item is IT equipment, please contact [email protected].

If the item is non-IT equipment, you can use the Search tile (SESAME-Inventory) and initiate the inventory removal request for “Duplicate.” If the item is IT equipment, please contact [email protected].

1- The Inventory Coordinator must initiate the transfer request on SESAME.
2- Their request will be automatically sent to the Head of the transferring unit.
3- If approved, the request will automatically be forwarded to the Head of the target unit for final validation.
4- If the asset is non-IT, after the validation referred to in point 2, the request will be forwarded to the Head of Infrastructure of the relevant School/VP, before following the path referred to in point 3.

If the equipment is non-IT equipment, you can use the Search tile (SESAME-Inventory) and initiate the inventory removal request for “Inventory non-mandatory” If the equipment is IT equipment, please contact [email protected].

No equipment may be removed from inventory as “Not Found.” WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTIONS.
If equipment cannot be found, you must change the asset’s status on SESAME and promptly contact the VPF at [email protected].
During the inventory control period, you must validate the check without removing the asset with the status “Not Found.”

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Case 1) In the context of Inventory Control, the Unit Manager refused to validate the control and his unit must clarify the situation with him and then contact [email protected].

Case 2) In the context of an inventory issue/transfer, there are two possible reasons:
– one of the people who must validate the workflows forgot to do so and, after 3 months, SESAME automatically rejects the request;
– one of the people who must validate the workflows refuses to approve the task. The person who initiated the request must clarify the situation with him/her.

Case 1″: The Inventory Coordinator of Unit X must ask the Inventory Coordinator of Unit Y to transfer the inventory to their unit.

Case 2): The Inventory Correspondent must initiate the inventory transfer to the unit that actually manages the asset in question.

If the asset is inventoried, LEX 5.9.1 must first be complied with.

If the asset is not inventoried or if the issue is purely logistical, there are two options:

IT equipment: the asset must be physically transferred to the CRI.

Non-IT equipment: the unit must follow the procedures established by the relevant School (they must contact the Head of Infrastructures).

A non-IT inventory removal can be performed if equipment is no longer in use. The order of priority to follow is as follows:
1 – Publication of the equipment on the exchange platform, then, if applicable, reassignment to another unit within the School
2 – Sale to a public utility institution
3 – Sale to a startup or any other third party (including an EPFL employee or EPFL student)
4 – Donation
5 – Disposal
The above actions must be recorded in SESAME.

1- The Inventory Coordinator must initiate the removal request on SESAME.
2- Their request will be automatically sent to the relevant Head of Unit.
3- If approved, the request will automatically be forwarded to the relevant Head of Infrastructures.
4- If approved, if the acquisition value is < 50,000 CHF, the asset will be removed from SESAME. If the acquisition value is > 50,000 CHF, the request will be automatically sent to the Head of ECO Unit for final validation.

When disposing of equipment with a purchase value greater than or equal to CHF 50,000, the Head of Infrastructures (non-IT assets) must send an inventory disposal proposal to the EPFL Inventory Coordinator, who will analyze and validate the proposal in coordination with the relevant departments (particularly ECO for scientific equipment).
The Head of Unit must comply with the following constraints when disposing of equipment (non-IT assets):
– Consideration of any restrictions related to sale or export.
– Environmental protection and decontamination of equipment if necessary, in accordance with Swiss law.
– Cancellation of any maintenance contracts.
– Immediate notification to the SIS in the event of equipment theft.

In the case of a unit linked to a School, contact the Head of Infrastructures of the relevant School.
In the case of a VP, contact the relevant caretaker to find out where and how to dispose of non-IT equipment.

An IT inventory exit can be performed EXCLUSIVELY by the CRI.
If an IT device is no longer in use, it must be physically returned to the CRI.
The above action must be recorded in SESAME.
If an item of equipment cannot be found, it must not be transferred to the CRI, but must be indicated as such on the form.

1- The Inventory Cordinator must initiate the disposal request on SESAME.
2- Their request will be automatically sent to the relevant Head of Unit.
PLEASE NOTE: No IT asset can be disposed of directly via SESAME if it has already been accidentally discarded by the unit or if it cannot be found. In this case, please contact the VPF at [email protected].

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Contact the IT Manager of your School to which the unit in question belongs.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Currently, there is no obligation to inventory a cell phone. However, LEX 7.3.1 must be complied with.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

The Inventory Coordinatort of the unit concerned must contact the person involved immediately to request the return of the equipment in question.

The message must include a copy (CC) to the Head of Unit, the RFF, as well as the Head of IT and/or School Infrastructures .

If the equipment is not returned, it could be considered theft, in which case the EPFL Inventory Coordinator must be informed.

Please contact sté[email protected]

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

If equipment (IT, scientific, etc.) has been stolen, the following procedure must be followed:

1) Please promptly inform your Inventory Correspondent and your Head of Unit.

2) Please complete the theft report downloadable from the EPFL website (or contact Mr. Arnaud Taverney), send it to the EPFL Security Service, and attach it to the inventory sheet for the item in question (if the equipment has been inventoried).

3) Please inform the EPFL Inventory Coordinator the stolen item has been inventoried at [email protected].

4) Do not remove the stolen item without official authorization from the EPFL Inventory Coordinator at [email protected].

IT equipment: The VPO-SI must authorize the use of the equipment in question in writing.

Non-IT equipment: your Head of Infrastructures , as well as Pierre-Yves Bolinger, must authorize (loan agreement) the use by an individual or an external organization.

The unit must provide the following documents:

– Loan agreement: It is essential to draft a clear contract between the two institutions. This contract should specify:
o Customs regulations
o The duration of the loan
o The conditions of use of the equipment
o Liability in the event of damage, loss, or theft
o Maintenance
o Return arrangements (in the same condition or with maintenance included, for example)
o Insurance
o Round-trip transportation
o Data protection (and intellectual property), if necessary

– Choice of applicable law: It is important to specify in the contract which law applies (we suggest Switzerland)

– Dispute resolution: Specify the competent court in the event of a dispute (we suggest Switzerland) or agree to international arbitration.

Finally, the agreement should be attached to the form and specify that the equipment was loaned.

Please check the Search tile on SESAME-Inventory to see if the equipment exists and, if so, in which unit. Please use all the filters provided by the application to refine your search.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

Please contact [email protected] promptly.

The sale of equipment between two EPFL units (internal invoicing) is regulated by agreements between the two unit managers concerned. Therefore, the price is decided between the two units in question.

When selling inventoried equipment, Article 12 of LEX 5.9.1 applies.

When selling inventoried equipment, Article 12 of LEX 5.9.1 applies.

When selling inventoried equipment, Article 12 of LEX 5.9.1 applies.

If you wish to repurchase IT equipment, follow the procedure described in LEX 6.4.1 and contact 1234.

If you need support, please send your requests to 1234.