It's definitely a win-win situation. If you're in the market for second-hand office equipment, kitchen appliances, heavy machinery, or even a vehicle, the Office of Property Management is conducting a Public Auction tomorrow. Items are being sold on an 'as is' basis and all the money collected will be transferred to the ASG general fund.

Items up for sale have been declared as 'survey items' by various government departments and agencies and will be sold for pennies on the dollar. The inventory includes jet skis, convection ovens, commercial coolers, office equipment, cars, trucks, and vans.

Even two boats — the Tautua II and the Tatoso II — are up for auction. They can be viewed at the main wharf in Fagatogo.

Public viewing started this week and will continue today from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Property Management compound in Tafuna. Bid forms are also available for pick-up there.

All bids must be sealed and must include 10% of the bidding price when it is submitted. "Many times in previous years, people have been disqualified for not including the required 10% of the total bid so it is important that bidders follow this requirement," said PMO deputy director Poleen Asalele yesterday.

"It's unfortunate, but we've seen people miss out on bids because they failed to submit the required 10% by as little as 10-cents," she added.

All bids must be submitted by tomorrow, July 13, at 11:30 a.m. sharp, and bid opening will take place thirty minutes later at 12 noon. Bidders are welcome to be present during the bid opening.

According to Asalele, their office tries to hold public auctions once every quarter, but there are times when their notice for 'survey items' falls on deaf ears and submissions from ASG departments and agencies are not received in time.

She referred to this week's auction and said it had to be postponed from two weeks ago, as several items were referred to them the day before the original planned auction date.

"We try to keep the directors in the loop about giving us a heads up on their survey items but whether they respond to us in time — or even at all — is beyond our control," she said.

Asalele stressed that the money collected from the auctions go directly into the general fund and this is an additional source of revenue for the government.

She shared that when they held the first auction during the Lolo Lemanu Administration's first term in office, they were able to collect about $33,000 and since then, a total of over $200K has been deposited into the ASG general fund as a result of the public auctions.

Referring to the vehicles, Asalele said the highest they've seen a vehicle sell for is $8,000 and the lowest was about $700. She said some of the vehicles sold are still running. "We see some of those cars on the road today."

According to her, those who come by to inspect vehicles usually drive off the lot once they win the bid. "These people come in with everything from tires to steering wheels, and once they find out they've won, they fix the problem right then and there, and end up driving away."

She pointed out that contrary to popular belief, it isn't just the mechanics who come by to purchase the used vehicles for parts. "It's much bigger than that. Everyone from the community comes out and that's what makes this even better. It's open to everyone and anyone."

She said commercial coolers, stoves, and other equipment — mostly from the School Lunch Program — are usually picked up by business owners who find that buying the items second-hand saves them a lot of money. Samoa News witnessed a local business owner yesterday browsing through the convection oven section and inquiring about the stand-up coolers.

Asalele reminds everyone that all the items on display and up for auction are sold on an 'as is' basis, meaning even her and her staff do not know if the office equipment and electronics, like copy machines, computers, and flat screen television sets, are in operable condition.

All items come with their own individual 'lot number' and there is a minimum bid requirement. For example, one of the vehicles up for auction is a 2004 Ford Van that comes with a minimum bid of $300.

Rules and regulations are in place to ensure that everything goes smoothly. For example, bidders must be 18 years old or older, and bidders who bid below the minimum will be warned. Falling below the minimum bid twice will result in the bidder being asked to leave the premises immediately and they will be suspended from bidding for five years.

Any bids provided by the bidder for the remaining lots will be disqualified and all of the bidders 10% will not be awarded but instead, used for OPM auction expenses.

Winning bidders may make full payment on auction day, otherwise, they have five days to pay up.

Payments must be made in form of cash or check, which will be verified by the Treasury Department's Revenue Division.

More information on the Public Auction can be obtained by calling 699-6530/6535/6537 or 733-0311 ask for survey supervisor, Jeralin Fa'auila Logoai.