What we mean by "government surplus"

Property no longer needed by a federal, state, or municipal agency that needs to be disposed of according to the agency's applicable surplus rules. Federal property follows GSA disposition rules under 41 CFR. State property follows state surplus board rules (the specifics vary by state). Municipal property follows local government disposition policy.

Most surplus disposition is structured as a multi-step process: items first get offered to other agencies (intra-agency or inter-agency transfer), then to qualifying nonprofits or schools (state or federal donation programs), then to public surplus auction (typically run through GovDeals, Public Surplus, or a state-specific platform), and only items that fail to find a taker route to disposal. JRP's role is at the disposal end of that pipeline — we handle the items that have completed the surplus pipeline without finding a taker.

  • Office furniture exceeding agency needs after consolidation
  • IT equipment past disposition timeline (with NIST 800-88 destruction)
  • Vehicle and fleet equipment (with title coordination)
  • Specialized equipment from agency operations
  • Building contents during agency relocation or consolidation
  • Library and document storage during digitization
  • Outdoor and grounds equipment from facility operations
  • Surplus inventory from disbanded programs

Classified material, weapons, ammunition, and controlled substances are NEVER part of standard surplus removal. Those items have agency-specific destruction protocols handled by specialized contractors with appropriate clearances.

Federal compliance: GSA, Davis-Bacon, NIST 800-88

Federal facility work involves a stack of compliance requirements. GSA disposition rules under 41 CFR govern how federal property is disposed of after the surplus pipeline. Davis-Bacon Act applies prevailing wage to most federal facility contracts above the $2,000 threshold. NIST Special Publication 800-88 governs media sanitization for federal IT equipment — essentially, any disk or storage device that handled federal data needs destruction or sanitization under documented chain of custody.

For our role specifically: we provide NIST 800-88 compliant destruction documentation when handling federal IT equipment, prevailing wage compliance documentation where Davis-Bacon applies, and disposition routing that aligns with the GSA pipeline rather than circumventing it.

State and municipal variations

State surplus rules vary significantly. Some states (Pennsylvania, Texas, California) have centralized surplus property programs that handle disposition for most state agencies. Others have agency-by-agency disposition under state surplus board rules. Most have public-auction-first requirements before disposal is permitted.

Municipal rules are typically simpler — local government disposition policy is set by the city or county council and tends to follow standard practices (offer to internal departments, offer to qualifying nonprofits, public auction, then disposal). We follow the agency's policy rather than defaulting to a single approach.

How the work scheduling typically goes

Government surplus removal usually anchors against an agency consolidation, relocation, or fiscal-year deadline. Federal agencies tend to clear surplus before fiscal-year-end (September 30) or at the start of the new fiscal year (October 1). State agencies follow state fiscal calendars (typically July 1 - June 30, but some states differ). Municipal agencies vary.

For larger projects (full-building decommissioning during agency consolidation), projects typically run 4-12 weeks with phased work against the agency's relocation timeline. After-hours and weekend work is common where the building is still partially operating during the wind-down.

Pricing and procurement

Government surplus work follows the agency's applicable procurement rules. Federal agencies use SAM-registered contractors with NAICS code matching (562910 - Remediation Services or 562998 - All Other Miscellaneous Waste Management Services typically apply). State and municipal agencies follow state/local procurement law — often public bid above purchasing thresholds.

Pricing is typically fixed scope-of-work for the project once the on-site walkthrough has identified scope and any compliance overlay (Davis-Bacon prevailing wage, security clearance, after-hours scheduling). For agency-wide master agreements, per-project pricing tiered by typical scope.

Frequently asked

Government surplus questions we hear from agency operations teams.

Are you SAM-registered for federal contracts?

For federal contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold, yes. NAICS codes 562910 (Remediation Services) and 562998 (All Other Miscellaneous Waste Management Services) typically apply. For smaller federal contracts under the SAT, SAM registration may not be required depending on the procurement type.

How do you handle Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?

We comply with Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements for federal facility work above $2,000. Compliance documentation including certified payrolls is included in project invoicing. For state-equivalent prevailing wage laws, same approach.

What does NIST 800-88 compliant destruction actually mean?

NIST Special Publication 800-88 specifies media sanitization standards for federal IT equipment. For us, that means physical destruction of disks and storage devices under documented chain of custody, with destruction certificates issued back to the agency's IT security team. The actual destruction process meets NIST standards for either Clear, Purge, or Destroy depending on the data classification level.

Can you handle classified material or weapons?

No. Classified material, weapons, ammunition, and controlled substances have agency-specific destruction protocols that require specialized contractors with appropriate security clearances. Those items are handled outside the standard surplus pipeline by specialty vendors.

How do you coordinate with the GSA surplus disposition pipeline?

We work at the end of the pipeline — items that have completed the GSA disposition process (intra-agency transfer offers, inter-agency offers, qualifying nonprofit donation, public auction) without finding a taker. We don't circumvent the pipeline; we execute disposal on items the agency has already cleared for disposition.

What about state and local surplus rules?

State surplus rules vary significantly. We follow whatever the agency's applicable rules require. For state agencies under centralized surplus programs (like PA Surplus Property Program or TX State Surplus), we coordinate with the central program. For agency-by-agency disposition, we coordinate directly with the agency's surplus officer.

Tell us about the agency project.

Agency level (federal/state/municipal), project type, timeline, and any compliance overlay (Davis-Bacon, NIST 800-88, security clearance). Our government accounts team handles these directly and gets back to you within one business day.

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Government & institutional · Agency surplus

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