There is a difference between something your department no longer needs and something that has no value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That truck parked behind the garage might not meet your needs anymore. The desks in storage may have been replaced. That equipment taking up space might not have been used in years. But none of that automatically makes it trash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone else may have a use for it. A small business might need that truck. Another organization could use those desks. A buyer may be willing to repair equipment your department no longer has the time or resources to maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before you throw it away, it deserves a second look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government employees make decisions every day about property purchased with taxpayer money. Protecting that investment means taking care of equipment while it is in service and making a reasonable effort to recover value when it is time to let it go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That does not mean every broken chair needs an auction. It means we should avoid treating disposal as an afterthought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes an item can be transferred to another department. Sometimes it can be sold. Other times recycling or disposal is the right decision. The important part is having a process and making that decision based on the condition and potential value of the asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even something that no longer works may have value for parts or scrap. You will not always recover a large amount, but getting something back can be better than paying to have it hauled away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping unused equipment around can feel easier than dealing with it. But storage space, maintenance and staff time all have a cost. Vehicles deteriorate. Batteries die. Parts go missing. Equipment that could have brought a reasonable return becomes harder to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waiting for the perfect time can leave an agency with less value and more work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A regular surplus review can help. Identify what is no longer needed, confirm who has authority to release it, and follow your agency\u2019s requirements for the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an Account Manager at GovDeals, I work with government agencies on these kinds of challenges. Sometimes the hardest part is simply knowing where to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can help you look at what you have, talk through the auction process and identify what information buyers will need. GovDeals provides an online auction platform that can put surplus assets in front of buyers beyond your local area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clear pictures, honest descriptions and organized pickup arrangements all help make the process easier. We can also discuss what support may be available for your agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no need to make the equipment sound better than it is. Buyers need to understand what they are bidding on. Something that needs work can still find a buyer when its condition is clearly explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal is to give your agency a practical way to move unused property and recover whatever value the market supports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That old truck, desk or piece of equipment started as a public investment. When its job with your department is finished, there may still be one more opportunity for it to serve the taxpayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your agency has surplus sitting around and you are unsure what to do with it, contact me, Michael Reyes at GovDeals<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look at what you have and work through the next steps together. Also feel free to add me on LinkedIn<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is a difference between something your department no longer needs and something that has no value. That truck parked behind the garage might not meet your needs anymore. The desks in storage may have been replaced. That equipment taking up space might not have been used in years. But none of that automatically makes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[5,6,4,3],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government-surplus","tag-auctions","tag-civil-servant","tag-govdeals","tag-surplus"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Public-Works-Lasting-Value.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/16"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljreyes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}