Government leftovers find new uses

George Stockton wears the title "digital dumpster diver" with a deserved degree of pride. He inherited the lighthearted label from a colleague who marveled at his ability to locate and acquire obscure items from warehouses of unused federal property. The result of his forays is an incalculable benefit to College of Agriculture faculty and students, the University of Idaho, and state taxpayers.

Above: A Theodolite surveying instrument in its new home at UI is examined by UI fiscal analyst George Stockton, left, and Dave Hoadley, senior research technician at the UI Plant Science Farm. Photos by Michelle Kimberling, UI Photographic Services.

In four years of bargain hunting, he has acquired an estimated $5.8 million in excess federal property, most of it for the cost of shipping. Many of the items he has acquired replace equipment that had been rented previously, so there’s an ongoing cost savings, Stockton explains. Other items likely would not have been purchased if he had to use regular marketing channels.

"The more equipment that people in the College of Agriculture have, the better able they are to do their jobs. Better and faster. We’re not spending state funds on those items, so we’re able to use the state funds for other things."

Surgical microscopes, for example. Stockton picked up a couple of specialized microscopes worth about $45,000 each for use in research. Seventeen other new Nikon microscopes, with a market value of about $1,500 each, are at work in the college’s labs. Stockton also obtained a high-tech Theodolite surveying instrument that includes direct communication capabilities. After replacing its battery and upgrading the software–an investment of about $1,000–the engineering tool grew in value to about $50,000.

Below: A mobile air compressor, operated by Hoadley, facilitates tasks in the field.

His reputation for locating and acquiring the obscure has led to some interesting requests from colleagues. Could he find a motorboat for use at the Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station? What seemed an impossible challenge became reality about two days after the request. Stockton happened to be screening other excess property at Fairchild Air Force Base when an open-bow, fiberglass boat with inboard/outboard engine was turned in. It fit the need perfectly and now is at home on the water in southern Idaho.

An announcement for a portable landing strip caught his attention earlier this year. The Superintendent of the Animal and Veterinary Science Farm in Moscow had asked him to watch for some of the landing mat panels months before they appeared on the web. He sent in the transfer request and subsequently was awarded the property. Stockton expected the portable steel structure to come in 25 pieces; what he received last Memorial Day weekend was a shipment of 25 complete sets, each with 25 pieces measuring 12 feet by 2 feet made of one-quarter-inch iron. The order came on nine semi-truck trailers. He successfully diverted three of the trucks to the University of Idaho’s southern receiving site and accepted six in Moscow. Today, the panels are used for vehicle parking on marshy land, snow fences, livestock pens, and hay platforms.

"I have been fairly successful at finding items if we have time to look for them," he said. "You have to be able to play a waiting game sometimes. It works best when there’s not a time constraint."

Although competition for federal property has grown, it remains friendly, Stockton said. In fact, he frequently conducts workshops for other institutions on bidding protocol and procedure. In essence, he’s training his competition.

Stockton is quick to differentiate his acquisitions from federal surplus. The latter evokes visions of well-worn, gunmetal gray castoffs from the military. In contrast, many of his acquisitions are new, turned in by federal contractors who bought in bulk to get the best price but were unable to use all of the property. The Department of Defense is the largest single supplier to the property pool. Much of its excess property is available directly from military supply depots designated as Recycle Control Points (RCP). When RCP property is transferred, recipients aren’t even charged for shipping. It costs less to ship the property at no cost than to transport it to a redistribution center and have it processed and handled numerous times through all of the screening and sales cycles.

Only institutions that receive federal funding are eligible to pick up excess property. The College of Agriculture qualifies because of the federal funds received for Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension. Technically, the USDA retains ownership of all properties and loans them to the College of Agriculture, except for consumables such as surgical gloves.

Stockton has developed a sophisticated inventory control system that uses bar codes for each item. That enables him to locate property and determine both its use and user almost instantly. Part of an Animal and Veterinary Science Farm operations building on the Moscow campus has been converted to a central receiving and processing warehouse for the acquisitions. Shipments now arrive on semis and are unloaded by forklift (also excess federal property) onto a loading dock. Items destined for use on campus are then delivered directly to the appropriate location.

Although well known for his ability to locate and secure excess property using the Internet, Stockton is also a fiscal analyst for Ag Administrative Services where he works on federal budgets, grants, and contracts. He also is the penalty mail officer for the UI Cooperative Extension, managing the federal mail program.

—Mel Coulter