Guidelines for Appraisal of Unserviceable Property

August 12, 1988

COA MEMORANDUM NO. 569-88

 

To provide the COA appraisers with a condensed set of principles and procedures for computing appraised values of unserviceable government property which the Auditor may use as reference values in his audit of disposals, this Commission hereby prescribes the herein Guidelines for Appraisal of Unserviceable Property.

I. RATIONALE

Section 79 of the Auditing Code provides:

"Destruction or Sale of Unserviceable Property —

When government property has become unserviceable for any cause, or is no longer needed, it shall, upon application of the officer accountable therefor, be inspected by the head of the agency or his duly authorized representative in the presence of the auditor concerned and, if found to be valueless or unsalable, it may be destroyed in their presence. If found to be valuable, it may be sold at public auction to the highest bidder under the supervision of the proper committee on award or similar body in the presence of the auditor concerned or other duly authorized representative of the Commission, after advertising by printed notice in the Official Gazette, or for not less than three consecutive days in any newspaper of general circulation, or where the value of the property does not warrant the expense of publication, by notices posted for a like period in at least three public places in the locality where the property is to be sold. In the event that the public auction fails, the property may be sold at a private sale at such prices as may be fixed by the same committee or body concerned and approved by the Commission."

Under this rule when there is a sale of unserviceable government property, the role of the auditor is to witness the public auction called for the purpose, and in the event that the public auction fails and a private sale is resorted to, to see that the selling price is approved by the Commission on Audit. In the performance of both roles, the Auditor needs to be guided by some reliable reference value.

Thus, COA Circular No. 79-115 construes the role of the Auditor-witness "not as a mute but as an intelligent, responsible, and articulate witness to the proceedings done in his/her presence. The act of witnessing shall not be confined to merely seeing what is being done in the proceedings but shall be related to the more meaningful discharge by the Auditor of his/her constitutional duty to examine, audit, and settle all accounts pertaining to the expenditure of funds and/or use of properties of the government."

To the engineers of the Commission fall the burden of performing the appraisal needed to provide our Auditors the required reference values. To achieve consistency in appraisal methods and to avoid arbitrary action on the part of COA appraisers, this set of appraisal guidelines is hereby promulgated.

Section 79 of PD 1445 quoted above covers only property which are unserviceable or no longer needed. There are however, abnormal cases which, incidentally, need Presidential authorization, where fully serviceable government property are sold as in the case of vehicles and furniture sought to be purchased by retiring justices and ranking government officials purportedly for sentimental value, and also in the case of the Asset Privatization Program of President Corazon Aquino where fully functional assets and even whole government corporations are being sold to private interests.

In either case, whether the property for sale is unserviceable or serviceable, the government has to recover at least a fair market value of the property. Such an objective is always assumed whenever the management of a government agency offers its property for sale.

Whether such objective is attained or not is for the auditor to verify, hence the need for COA appraisal. The accompanying set of guidelines is aimed at providing the COA appraiser with a condensed set of principles and procedures for computing appraisal values which the auditor may use as reference values in his audit of disposals of government property.

II. OBJECTIVE

The appraisal to be performed by COA engineers is aimed at providing the auditor concerned with a reference value in his audit of disposal of government property. The appraised value is an estimate or opinion of value of an adequately described property as of a specific date transmitted in writing and supported by presentation and analysis of relevant and factual data.

The COA appraised value is to be used by the auditor in his audit of the sale/disposal of property to gauge the reasonableness of the disposal price. This appraised value should not be confused with the government floor price in a public auction. The setting of the floor price is a management responsibility.

The objective of the auditor's evaluation is to see that the disposal is not excessively underpriced compared to the reasonable value reflected in the COA appraisal. How much price discrepancy is excessive will rest on the criteria to be set by the COA Commission Proper regarding the materiality of the discrepancy compared to the costs that would be incurred if the disposal is not carried through, such as the costs for calling another public auction, those for storage and security of the property, and those for losses due to deterioration and exposure to damage from vandal/thieves.

III. GENERAL PROCEDURES

In general, the appraisal process consists of the following:

1) conducting an ocular inspection of the property to be appraised to assess its physical condition;

2) seeking reference price information such as acquisition cost, or current market price of similar property, or replacement cost for a similar new property: and

3) computing the appraised value following some generally accepted formula which will take into account the property's actual physical condition, the relevant reference price information, and the changes in the value of the property caused by depreciation, and those caused by changes in the value of the exchange currency, the peso.

An analysis of the appraisal is prepared in writing and submitted either thru the TSO or directly to the Unit Auditor concerned.

IV. INSPECTION OF PROPERTY TO BE APPRAISED

A. Preliminary Documentation

1. Before the COA appraiser commences the inspection of the property to be appraised, he has to check whether the corresponding form for disposal has been properly accomplished. The forms used for disposal are:

a) Inspection and Inventory Report (I & I Report) or General Form No. 17 (A).

This form is used for the disposal of vehicles, mechanized equipment, office equipment, furniture, and semi-expendable materials. When accomplished, this form should also contain the list of missing parts, if any, which should be accompanied by a certification of the property officer or custodian as to whether the missing parts were removed for future stock or have been utilized already for repair purposes.

b) Waste Material Report (WMR) or General Form No. 64 (A).

This form is used for the disposal of waste materials which result from the consumption or utilization of expendable materials, and covers damaged equipment parts, empty containers, and remnants salvaged from destroyed or damaged fixed assets.

2. If the property to be appraised is no longer available for inspection, as in the case of lost or burned equipment for which accountability is being assessed, the COA appraiser shall forego the ocular inspection, and proceed to the next succeeding appraisal step.

B. Inspection Process

In the conduct of the inspection of the property to be appraised, the COA appraiser shall perform the following, where applicable:

1. Check the condition of the property; determine whether operational, under repair, or beyond economic repair.

2. Verify stated ratings, capacity, model, year of manufacture, serial number, chassis number, motor number and other technical specifications, fuel and lubricant, and accessories, if any.

3. Determine quality or degree of maintenance and repair; check logbook, if available.

4. Determine the extent of use, mileage, rate of depreciation, and any excessive wear and tear.

5. Determine availability of spare parts.

The objective of the inspection is to supplement theoretical computations of value with first-hand observation of the condition of the property. The depreciation mentioned here refer to observed depreciation to distinguish the results of personal inspection from those of theoretical estimates.

V. REFERENCE PRICE INFORMATION

The COA appraiser shall gather the following reference price information to aid him in his appraisal computations:

1. Current Market Value (CMV) — or the prevailing market/advertised prices of used equipment/cars of the same make and model or similar models.

2. Prices from second hand rebuilders and reconditioners of machinery, cars, or equipment.

3. Acquisition Cost (AC) — or the price of the property when it was new, at the year of manufacture.

4. Replacement Cost New (RCN) — price of new property for current year.

5. Currency exchange rates for acquisition year and current year.

VI. COMPUTATION OF THE APPRAISED VALUE

A. General Guidelines and Principles

1. Unserviceable property which can no longer be repaired or reconditioned shall be appraised at scrap or junk value.

2. Unserviceable property which can still be repaired or reconditioned, and property no longer needed which are still functional shall be appraised at current market value, if such is available, otherwise the property shall be appraised at sound value.

3. Antique property, works of art, and real estate are not covered under these guidelines. Antique property and works of art shall be appraised by the National Museum, and real estate shall be appraised under a separate set of guidelines.

4. Current Market Value (CMV), is the price estimated which a property will bring if exposed for sale in the open market, allowing a reasonable time to find a buyer who buys with knowledge of the actual condition and utility of the properly. The CMV may be taken from advertised prices of used equipment/vehicles of the same make and model or similar models, adjusted for the actual condition of the property being appraised relative to the condition of the advertised model.

5. Sound Value (SV), a measure of value widely used by valuers and appraisers, is derived from Replacement Cost-New (RCN), minus observed depreciation tempered by consideration given to the actual condition and utility of the property.

6. The graphic presentation of the Decline in the value of property is presented as follows:

7. Depreciation Factor is the adjustment factor used to account for the depreciation or deterioration of the property assuming normal usage and reasonable maintenance of the property. Using straight line depreciation:

Depreciation	=	Remaining Economic Life
Factor		Estimated Economic Life

where:

Estimated Economic Life — is the number of years indicated in the attached Table of Estimated Economic Lives corresponding to the property type involved as its years of useful or economic life

Remaining Economic Life — is the difference between the

a) Estimated Economic Life, and

b) The actual age or the number of years the property has been in use or operation.

8. Condition Factor is the adjustment factor used to consider the actual condition of the property thru an evaluation of the condition of the major components of the property relative to an ideally functioning model. With respect to vehicles, the condition factor may be estimated as follows:

Table 8.1 COMPONENT CONDITION RATING TABLE

COMPONENT:	Engine	Transmission	Differential	Body Chassis	Others
% WEIGHT CONDITION	23%	7%	5%	35%	30%
Good	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Fair	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Poor	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6
Very Poor	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Missing	0	0	0	0	0

Condition Factor:

sum of [condition rating x % weight] for all components

With respect to furniture and non-mechanized implements, the condition factor may be assigned as follows:

Table 8.2 CONDITION FACTORS FOR FURNITURE/NON-MECHANIZED IMPLEMENTS

Condition	Condition Factor
Good	1.0
Fair	0.8
Poor	0.6

In the case of property no longer available for inspection, as in the case of lost or burned equipment for which accountability is being assessed, the condition factor shall be assumed to be 1.0.

9. Currency Fluctuation Factor is the adjustment factor used to take into account the devaluation of the peso from the year of acquisition to the year of appraisal.

CURRENCY	P/dollar exchange rate on year of appraisal
FLUCTUATION =	––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
FACTOR	P/dollar exchange rate on year of acquisition

B. Specific Guidelines and Formula for Furniture and Non-Mechanized Implements:

1. When property is still functional or can still be repaired: Case A.

 

2. When property is unusable and can no longer be repaired: Case B.

Appraised Value = Junk Value

where Junk Value is based on prevailing price of scrap metal or lumber, whichever is appropriate.

C. Specific Guidelines and Formulae for Vehicles and Mechanized Equipment:

1. When property is still operational or can still be reconditioned: Case Aa.

a) When current market value is available:

Appraised Value = Current Market Value

where:

Current		Advertised/Market Price X
Market Value	=	Condition Factor

b) When Replacement Cost-New is available:

1) When age of property is less than estimated economic life (per attached table): Case Aa.

2) When age of property is more than estimated economic life: Case Ab

Appraised Value:

 

Replacement Cost-New X [0.50 x Condition Factor]

c) When original acquisition cost, AC, is available:

1) When age of property is less than estimated economic life: Case Aa.

2) When age of property is more than estimated economic life: Case Ab.

2. When property can no longer be repaired/reconditioned: Case B.

Appraised Value = Scrap/Junk Value per Table of Junk Values:

1987 TABLE OF JUNK VALUES

	Junk Type	Value
1.	Steel
	a) Heavy	P750/ton
	b) Light	700/ton
2.	Cast Iron Engine Blocks	P1,000/ton
3.	Metal
	a) Body Parts/Chassis	675/ton
	b) Tin Cans	500/ton
	c) Scrap	600/ton

VII. ADJUSTMENT OF APPRAISED VALUE WHEN AUCTION BIDS ARE LOW

When the Highest Bid is lower than the Government Floor Price.

If after exposure of the property to public auction, as required under Sec. 79 of P.D. 1445, the highest bid falls below the government floor price or the Auditor's reference value, whichever is lower, then the Auditor shall:

a) Determine whether the difference is excessive.

The amount of deviation of the highest bid from the floor/reference value is considered excessive when it is greater than 10% of the floor/reference value plus the cost of calling another public auction.

b) If the difference is found not excessive, the sale may be allowed in audit. If the difference is found to be excessive, the auditor shall recommend the calling of another public auction with the floor/reference value reduced by 10%.

c) If the second auction still fails, i.e., the highest bid is still excessively lower than the reduced floor/reference value, then the sale may be negotiated with the highest offer or at a price to be approved by the Commission on Audit.

VIII. AUDIT ACTION ON DISPOSAL OF PROPERTY

When the disposal of property is performed in accordance with existing regulations then the journal voucher dropping the property from the Agency accounts shall be passed in audit. However, if regulations have been violated or if the property is disposed of at an excessively low price, then the Auditor shall suspend/disallow in audit the journal voucher dropping the property from the account.

IX. TABLES

1. Table of Estimated Economic Lives

TABLE OF ESTIMATED ECONOMIC LIVES

Source:	US Treasury Dept. Bulletin F Income Tax
	Depreciation & Obsolescence Estimated
	Useful Lives & Depreciation Rates

 

Property	Years
I. Motor and other Vehicles
Automobiles:
Owner driven	10
Passengers	5
Salesman	3
Horsedrawn vehicle	8
Motor cycle	4
Tractor	6
Trucks:
Outside use -
Electric	10
Gas-light	4
Medium	6
Heavy	8
Inside use -	15
II. Office Equipment
Adding Machine	10
Addressing & Mailing machine	15
Billing machine	8
Binders loose leaf	20
Blue printing machine	15
Bookkeeping machine	8
Calculators	10
Cabinets & file	15
Call system	14
Cases:
Books	20
Display	20
Check perforators	10
Check writers	8
Cleaners electric vacuum	6
Clocks:
Time	15
Time stamping	10
Wall	20
Coolers, water	10
Desk	20
Duplicating machine	10
Fans electric	10
Folding & sealing machine	10
Hospital equipment	15
Lamp desk & floor	10
Linolium	8
Lockers	25
Lunch room equipment	15
Mirror	20
Money machines	10
Numbering machines	10
Photographic machine	26
Books & stand	15
Rags, carpet & mats	10
Safes & Vaults	50
Scale counter & mail	20
Shades windows	10
Sign boards	10
Tables	15
Typewriters	10
Wardrobe	20
III. Other Assets
Plumbing	20
Power Plant	20
Power Transmission line	10-15
Railroads:
Rails	20
Ties	8
Refrigerators	5
Sawmill	20
Sewing machines	10
Steamship freight:
Great lakes	33
Lumber tracks	20
Ocean going	20
Closing machines, can	15
Cutters, paper	15
Gluing machine, box or carton	20
Boilers	30
Crushers	25
Pulverizers (cement)	25
Track (quarry)	15
Automobile tank cars	10
Railroad tank cars	25
Tanks	22
Water tower, cooling	15
Foundries	25
Motor:
AC	15
DC	12

 

2. Table of Peso/Dollar Exchange Rates

TABLE OF PESO/DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATES

Year	Pesos/Dollar
1962	3.8081
1963	3.8997
1964	3.8998
1965	3.9009
1966	3.8954
1967	3.9152
1968	3.9158
1969	3.9191
1970	6.0246
1971	6.4317
1972	6.6748
1973	6.7562
1974	6.7878
1975	7.2478
1976	7.4402
1977	7.4432
1978	7.3781
1979	7.3776
1980	7.5113
1981	7.8995
1982	8.5399
1983	14.0010
1984	18.0000
1985	19.0000
1986	20.4360
1987	20.6000

This Memorandum shall take effect immediately. All COA Circulars, Memoranda, and instructions inconsistent with this Memorandum are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

(SGD.) EUFEMIO C. DOMINGO

Chairman