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The inventory is conducted in two phases: the Building Blitz (Phase 1) and the Departmental Reconciliation (Phase 2). Together, these two approaches are the most efficient way to cover spaces and account for the greatest number of assets.Ìý

The Blitz is a building-focused sweep where staff go through every room of a building from top to bottom. The goal is to locate most assets in a single pass. Not all spaces will be subject to the blitz. Areas like vivariums, data centers, gross pathology, MRI, SIM, housing, athletics, and off-site locations will be scheduled individually. Staff will not enter BSL3 labs and above. If assets are in those spaces, we will deploy remote verification technology or work with the staff to verify those items. The building blitz will occur between November – December 2026, excluding the week of Thanksgiving.

In these facilities, items belonging to different departments are often located in the same spaces. By focusing on buildings first, staff can cover every room in one pass without revisiting the same spaces multiple times.

After the Blitz, Phase 2 shifts focus to individual departments. Appointments will be scheduled to account for any items that were not located during the Blitz period. These are typically items that are not in plain sight, may have been relocated, or may no longer be on campus. This phase is estimated to occur in December 2026 – January 2027. HCA will contact departments directly to agree upon a meeting date/time.

During the Blitz, involvement is minimal — staff only need access to your spaces. During the Reconciliation phase, a representative from your department will need to meet with capital asset staff to physically verify or account for items that could not be located during the blitz.

Each department will have one or sometimes more than one reconciliation appointment depending on department size. The department's primary point of contact is expected to coordinate internally and be prepared to help locate and show items to staff at the time of the meeting. We understand that the primary department point of contact may not know where items are located, but we ask for their cooperation in coordinating within their departmental staff to account for the remaining items.

HCA staff entering your spaces will be wearing CU contractor badges for identification. They will be carrying tablets or mobile devices, small scanners, and a roll of asset tags. Any questions or concerns regarding individuals involved in this project should be directed to: Matt Kwapick (mkwapick@hcamgt.com), Mariana Traetta (mtraetta@hcamgt.com) or Russ Jeans (russell.jeans@colorado.edu)Ìý

HCA will match asset attributes against the current Capital Asset file. An item is deemed a Capital Asset if the original single-unit acquisition cost is greater than $10,000 and the item has a useful life greater than 1 year.

Staff may need access to your space and assistance in verifying assets via serial number and asset description, if not previously tagged with a barcode. They may ask staff in the area to help identify an item previously listed at that location, or to briefly move an item so a serial number can be viewed.

For any asset that cannot be located, staff may ask for disposition information, such as:

• Cannibalized
• Disposed
• Traded-In or Returned
• Transferred to another institution

Please keep in mind: if staff cannot view and confirm the serial number or other definitive identifying information, they will not verify the item until departmental confirmation is received.

A schedule of buildings will be provided. Due to the many variables that affect progress throughout the day, specific timing for individual buildings or floors cannot be guaranteed. Sensitive areas such as data centers, vivariums, clean rooms, housing, dining, athletics, will be scheduled separately. It is important to notify the project team if you have sensitive space, or if your area may be inaccessible during a specific period, so staff may plan accordingly.

Staff will tag assets in a visible, consistent location. Placing the tag visibly allows future inventory efforts to be performed without interrupting staff or equipment operations. Even though RFID tags are being used, positioning the tag as close as possible to where an RFID reader will be waved will improve the success rate of future scans and reduce the time needed to reconcile missing assets.

Existing barcodes will not be removed. The removal process could damage equipment surfaces or finishes, and there is no need to remove them. The new RFID tag will simply be added alongside the existing barcode.

Staff will evaluate the equipment to determine tagging feasibility. The tags used are durable and have been tested under a multitude of conditions. If applied correctly they should remain affixed on assets located outdoors. If the asset is too small, if it gets too hot, cold, if it would destabilize the asset, if it exists in a vacuum, or if it is otherwise unreachable, staff will note it as UNTAGGABLE. IT switches will be remotely verified via ‘ping’ if that capability exists within the networking group. We will contact the IT department to discuss their assets directly.

Using RFID tags and readers and placing the tags in a visible location allows performance of subsequent inventory efforts without interrupting staff or equipment operations.Ìý

CU is deploying Passive UHF RFID tags, which are designed to operate on their designated frequency and do not interfere with any other equipment or communications. This technology is widely and successfully deployed throughout higher education, healthcare, and military organizations without interference concerns. With passive tags, a radio frequency signal is emitted only after the tag receives a signal from a corresponding reader, the tags themselves emit no signal on their own.Ìý

However, if any concerns exist within your equipment or area, please bring them to our attention. We will discuss each unique circumstance and propose an alternative verification process if necessary.

Many assets continue to be functional and in use well beyond their depreciable useful lives as defined for financial reporting purposes. While in use, such assets must still be tagged for internal control purposes. Further, Property Accounting has no way of knowing when an asset has become obsolete and is ready for disposal, it is the department's responsibility to report disposal of assets once they are no longer needed or in use.

CU is still determining how the inventory tagging and perpetuation will be conducted in the future. A comprehensive assessment will be conducted by HCA to examine all capital asset processes, systems, staffing, and resources. The goal is to gain operational efficiency, strengthen capital asset accountability, improve audit readiness, reduce administrative burden, and create a more sustainable asset management program for the future.