Large organizations already own vast inventories of equipment, furniture, and operational resources.
Over time, those assets accumulate across offices, facilities, and storage spaces throughout the organization. Yet most institutions lack a reliable way to see or access those resources once they have been purchased. Assets that are no longer needed in one department often remain invisible to others that could use them.
The City of Austin faced this exact challenge.
Operating across dozens of departments, the city manages thousands of assets that support day-to-day operations. But without a centralized system, staff had no easy way to discover what already existed elsewhere in the organization before purchasing something new. The city had sufficient resources but lacked operational visibility into what it already owned.
By implementing Rheaply’s resource management platform, the City of Austin introduced a simple shift in how departments approach procurement. Before buying new, staff could first look internally – effectively “shopping their own closet.” What had once been a fragmented surplus process evolved into a coordinated system for redistributing resources across city operations. In effect, the city created a system that allows its existing assets to circulate before new ones are purchased.
Cost avoided through internal reuse
Material diverted from landfill
Embodied carbon emissions avoided
Assets reused across departments
Results achieved from January 2025 - March 2026 | 1,658 users onboarded.
The Challenge: Invisible Assets Across a Complex Organization
Before implementing Rheaply, the City of Austin’s surplus process relied almost entirely on manual coordination. When departments had items to offload, staff typically circulated information through email chains, internal SharePoint pages, or spreadsheets. Whether a conference table, filing cabinet, or office chair found a second life elsewhere often depended on personal networks and timing.
This approach created several operational challenges.
First, there was no centralized way for departments to see what assets were available across the organization. Even when staff wanted to reuse items, discovering them required time, effort, and the right connections.
Second, participation varied widely across departments. Without a simple and consistent system, reuse remained informal rather than an operational norm.
Finally, the city lacked reliable data about what happened to surplus items. Tracking financial savings, diversion outcomes, or environmental impact required manual estimation, making it difficult to quantify the value of reuse.
Many usable assets never reentered circulation. They simply disappeared from view.
For a city managing thousands of assets across multiple departments, the core issue was not surplus itself. The city lacked operational visibility into the resources it already owned.
The Approach: Creating Visibility Before Procurement
The City of Austin partnered with Rheaply to introduce a centralized system for discovering and redistributing internal assets. Through the platform, departments can quickly list furniture, equipment, and other items that are no longer needed. Those assets become visible across the organization, allowing staff to browse and claim items that meet their needs.
Instead of relying on emails or spreadsheets, employees now have a single place to see what resources are already available. This shift changes how departments approach procurement. Before purchasing something new, staff can check whether the item already exists somewhere else within city operations.
This introduces a simple procurement shift: departments can source internally before buying externally.
The platform also introduced a level of transparency that had previously been missing. Financial savings, material diversion, and carbon impact are now automatically tracked and reported, giving city leadership a clear understanding of the value created through reuse. Over time, the system evolved into an operational layer that improves visibility and enables the city’s existing resources to circulate across departments.
Scaling Participation Across City Departments
One of the defining characteristics of Austin’s program has been the breadth of participation across city operations. Within the first two years of launching the platform, 1,658 employees across 45 city departments were actively using the system to list, browse, and claim available assets.
Participation at this scale significantly expands the pool of assets that can be discovered and redistributed. Each department that joins the system increases the likelihood that a needed item already exists somewhere else within the organization. As more departments participated, the city began operating with a more coordinated system for sharing and redistributing assets.
Furniture and equipment that might once have been forgotten in storage rooms could quickly find new homes elsewhere in city operations. The program gradually developed into a citywide resource network that allows departments to discover and source assets from across city operations.
The Results: Operational Efficiency with Measurable Impact
As participation expanded across departments, Austin began to see measurable improvements in how assets were used and circulated internally.
By redistributing existing furniture and equipment rather than purchasing new replacements, the City of Austin avoided $481,470.97 procurement costs. Internal reuse provided a practical way to meet operational needs while reducing spending.
Over 1,292 assets were successfully reassigned to new departments across city operations. Items that might once have been discarded or left unused were put back into service.
Internal redistribution prevented approximately 50,000 pounds of material from entering the waste stream, thereby extending the useful life of the city's furniture and equipment.
By reusing existing assets rather than manufacturing replacements, Austin avoided an estimated 66,810.65 kilograms of embodied carbon emissions, contributing directly to the city’s broader climate commitments.
Together, these outcomes demonstrate how improving visibility and coordination can significantly increase the value extracted from existing assets.
Looking Ahead: A More Resource-Efficient City
Austin’s experience shows how a relatively small operational shift can unlock meaningful institutional benefits. When employees can easily see and access the resources already within their organization, reuse becomes a practical first step. Departments begin sourcing internally before turning to external procurement.
Over time, this creates a more resource-efficient operating model. Assets remain in circulation longer, procurement costs decline, and sustainability goals become easier to achieve. With more than 1,600 employees across departments participating, internal reuse has become a regular part of how the City of Austin manages its resources.
Assets that once disappeared into storage rooms or disposal streams now have a clear path back into use – creating operational value while supporting Austin’s broader sustainability goals.
by Courtney Newman 
by Jenn Kloc