General Information

Notice: As of April 2014 the method of tracking charges for new fabrications has been revised. Equipment Management no longer assigns Fabrications numbers in the same format of "Fxxx/xx", now instead Equipment Management issues project codes to the departments that must be used in the FAU for all fabrication expenditures "EMxxx", this will allow a more direct means to tie in fabrications with all their associated charges such as anything procured by the use of a Procard. This change in policy is not retroactive and the fabrications issued prior to April 2014 will still continue to be tracked by the existing conventions.

A fabrication is a unique, one-of-a-kind creation. Fabrications are created by assembling a number of components (manufactured or custom made) through fabrication processes to produce a piece of equipment that meets unique research specifications.

In order to qualify as a fabrication the following criteria must be met:

• Has an estimated cost of $5,000 or more
• Will be freestanding and moveable
• Is not available on the open market
• Will be physically constructed by a University activity
• Must have a normal life expectancy of more than one year
• Will be used by the University upon completion
• Is complete in itself ( does not lose its identity or become a component part of another piece of equipment when used )

Departments doing fabrications under $5000 will use S&E funds and are not required to receive authorization from Equipment Management.

Determining a Fabrications Value

A fabrications value can be determined based on the following rules:

Cost that CAN be added to the value of a fabrication:

• materials
• supplies
• services (from outside vendors)
• authorized recharge activities

Cost that CAN NOT be added to the value of a fabrication:

• departmental labor
• travel
• payroll expenses
• overhead

Starting a Fabrication

Any department that has decided to start a fabrication must notify the Equipment Management Department prior to using the fabrication account (803160) by submitting a Fabrication Request otherwise known as a "memo of intent to fabricate" to Equipment Management. The Fabrication Request document can be downloaded here:

Fabrication Request "Memo of Intent to Fabricate"

• Word Document
• PDF

After receiving a Fabrication Request Form the Equipment Management Department will review the request and, if appropriate will assign a fabrication number to the fabrication and this number must be referenced in all subsequent requisitions, paperwork and communications.

All Purchase Orders that are to be included as part of the fabrication should be checked for the following:

During Development of Fabrication

Fabrications are often sponsor-funded and therefore have a number of compliance requirements and are often subject to greater scrutiny and audits. Fabrications that are currently in progress should be actively tracked and have their associated accrued cost reported to equipment management a minimum of once every year. Additional when a fabrication exceeds $5,000 in accrued value the Equipment Management Department has the option of assigning the fabrication a property tag before the project's completion.

Closing a Fabrication

After completion of the fabrication, the department must prepare a Fabrication Closing Document or department equivalent. If a property number has not already been assigned to the fabrication Equipment Management will now assign a property number and record the fabricated equipment into the department's equipment inventory. The Fabrication Closing Document can be downloaded here:

Fabrication Closing Documentation

• Word Document
• PDF

If an authorized fabrication at its closing has a value that is under $5,000 then the department must notify Equipment Management and Accounting. The associated fabrication expense will be required to be transferred from the 803160 account to a S&E accounts.