Minnesota Department of Transportation

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Research & Innovation

Equipment purchasing guidelines

Equipment can be purchased by MnDOT via purchase order or by the contractor if equipment costs are included within the contract. MnDOT generally prefers to buy equipment with purchase orders to provide clear ownership title and State inventory control. The method used for equipment purchase will be determined on a case-by-case basis considering, but not limited to, the following factors:

  1. Will the equipment be installed permanently into the road infrastructure?
  2. Can MnDOT use the equipment at other locations or for other projects?
  3. Will there be multiple purchases of equipment throughout the contract?
  4. Is the equipment needed to implement or further the objectives of the research?

The Research & Innovation director must pre-approve the method used to purchase the equipment.

If the equipment is purchased by the contractor and is to be retained by MnDOT, language will be incorporated into the Work Order Contract under a section titled: Additional Provisions.

  • Example language: MnDOT will retain ownership of (description of equipment) purchased under this Agreement, following completion of this project.

Equipment must be purchased at the most competitive price(s) available to the Institution and will require supportive documentation including Price/Make/Model/Serial numbers if over $500 or as defined in your Master Academic Contract.

At the request of MnDOT, the Institution must provide a complete list of all equipment purchased under any Work Order Contracts and its current location and status by April 15 of each year.

MnDOT does not bear the risk of loss or damages to apparatus or equipment purchased under this project.

Following completion of this project, MnDOT will retain ownership of the monitoring and measurement gear purchased under this Agreement, including probes, data loggers and time lapse cameras. The budget must include justification for the purchase.

Computer and software are considered equipment only when the value is $5,000 or more and they have a useful life of at least two years from the time the contract expires.

Last revised: 1/31/2017