EMB assets are public property, so the EMB has a responsibility to protect their value by controlling all assets — equipment, materials and other assets such as software — after purchase. Responsibilities for asset management need to be clearly identified in the EMB’s structure and staff job descriptions. Donors may also wish to ensure that an EMB has the capacity to manage all assets they provide.

Basic controls on an EMB’s assets include placing an EMB identification number on each item, maintaining comprehensive and up-to-date asset registers, ensuring that there are audit trails for transfers of assets, implementing regular inventory of assets, and investigating and enforcing appropriate sanctions if any discrepancies are found. Inventories need to be conducted at least annually. Asset registers need to record all relevant data, including asset name, serial and ID numbers, purchase date and cost, current location and location history, depreciation data, current value, current condition, last inventory date and disposal information.

When purchasing assets, EMBs need to fully understand their life cycle. Timing of asset purchases is critical for ensuring both the efficient use of funds and the availability of assets for electoral events, and needs to consider issues such as production lead times, storage costs and distribution facilities.