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Much like department stores that don’t mention designer names when promoting deeply discounted bargains, the Division of Surplus Property does not formally acknowledge its connection to a certain jolly fellow who favors red suits. But there is little debate that, once again, the Division will aid Santa’s helpers in finding a wide range of surplus goods at budget friendly prices.

Items available to the public this holiday season through State Surplus Property include office supplies and furniture, personal and commercial vehicles, exercise equipment, refrigerators, jewelry and electronics.

Goods offered through Federal Surplus Property, whose sales are limited to non-profits and public agencies, include clothing and tents, computers and office furniture, medical equipment, musical instruments (such as a Sousaphone) and power tools.

State Surplus Property is responsible for the disposal of property owned by the state and considered to be surplus, obsolete or no longer needed.  Proceeds from sales are returned to individual state programs, agencies or the General Fund and are expected to top more than $18 million this year.

For locations of retail stores and other information, call 919-854-2160, or visit www.ncstatesurplus.com.  To register for online bidding, visit www.doa.nc.gov/ssp/electronicbidding.htm.

They say music creates order out of chaos, and here at the State Surplus Property Agency, we believe it. Until a year ago, we dealt with the weekly cacophony of crowded bid openings, which regularly included a chorus of jangling fax lines for last-minute bids. There was dissonance between bidders who failed to complete their bids accurately and staffers obligated to follow every note on the page.

All that racket might have inspired Stravinsky but, to be honest, it drove us a little nuts.

Today, thanks to electronic bidding, we enjoy the silence, as the system processes data and identifies the highest bidders – and even notifying them – from our pool of more than 13,000 pre-screened, registered bidders. There are no more arguments about a smudged or “intended” entry that looks like a different number. And there is an increase in the number of transactions completed and items claimed.

Even in difficult economic times, our online sealed bid system has generated a steady stream of revenue – more than $11.4 million since October 2008 – from the sale of surplus goods that helps to refill state coffers.

It is, if I may say so, music to my ears. As we celebrate the first anniversary of this system, we again sing the praises of our colleagues at Management Information Systems, Dell Pinkston and her staff in particular, whose hard work streamlined and improved the speed and accuracy of the bidding process. We look forward to introducing additional improvements in the future.

I’m an old-fashioned guy. When I hear about getting hit a lot, my first reaction is to duck.

But I know a good thing when I see it. The website of the State Surplus Property Agency, which debuted an online bidding system last October, got nearly 9.5 million hits in the last fiscal year. That’s an increase of about 4.3 million hits over last year’s total, including a significant spike in October.

Especially in these tight budget times, we’re delighted to be able to make property deemed surplus by various state agencies available to more consumers via the web. The online bidding system has helped us do that, as well as increase the accuracy of bids and ensure that qualified buyers are prepared to complete their transaction and claim their goods.

Not all surplus items are sold through online bidding, but our electronic visitors can check out bargains on a wide range of goods available at our retail sales outlets and public auctions whenever they want – instead of having to physically go to a location during normal business hours.

Revenue generated from all surplus property sales is returned to individual state programs, agencies or the General Fund. The State Surplus Property Agency reports sales of about $20 million annually.