Ferris’ Physical Plant held an auction to sell a select amount of their vehicles often seen driving around campus.
This year, 12 of the 14 listed vehicles were sold.
According to Ed Shepard, the Business Services Manager at the Physical Plant, there is an auction typically held once or twice a year during the fall semester.
“We typically take a Saturday where staff comes in for three hours to assist those interested in vehicles and if they are interested they can leave a sealed bid,” Shepard said.
According to Shepard, bidders are allowed to start the engines but are not allowed to drive the vehicles for liability reasons.
The following Monday bids are closed.
“This allows people to have more opportunity to get additional funding, and then at 4 p.m. the Monday following the bidding, sealed bids are opened and the highest bidder will be contacted on Tuesday,” Shepard said.
According to Shepard, Ferris owns more than 300 vehicles and they are sold because they have been depleted and the cost of maintenance on them exceeds the value for the Physical Plant.
Cars that are lent to departments, which are primarily sedans and used for highway travel, are ran up to 80,000 miles and then transferred to a department that drives vehicles on campus only, according to Shepard.
“When they are transferred to the department, we take their previously used vehicles and sell them,” Shepard said. “There is a whole domino effect that goes through and once we are done with them, we sell them.”
According to Shepard, this year the auction took place in the spring semester because they have not replaced vehicles in a few years, so they had to catch up.
Ferris also owns larger pick-up trucks and vans for departments like plumbing, telecom, HVAC, carpentry and paint shops.
“Those vehicles are usually bought used strictly for that use, and we have to purchase them in whatever is the most economical way,” Shepard said.
According to Shepard, full time employees undergo a license check at the point of hire before they are assigned a vehicle to drive.
According to the Transportation and Travel Policy, student employees, students or volunteers must have a valid driver’s license and less than six points.
More information about who can drive Ferris owned vehicles can be found by searching for this policy book on the Ferris website.
According to Shepard, the number of listings depends on how many vehicles will be retired. The amount raised at this past auction has not yet been revealed.
For more information about past auctions and future listings visit ferris.edu/surplus.