Image: Tatum/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffIn a report whose lessons could apply to the broader government-wide effort to “reduce the footprint,” the Postal Service IG has said that while the agency has unused space, not all of it would be suitable for sharing with another federal agency.
The IG reviewed a USPS report to Congress of property it deemed to be excess under the Federal Property Management Reform Act, which identified 369 properties with over 1.2 million square feet of excess space out of 8,400 owned and 23,100 leased properties. The IG agreed that 317 of those properties do have excess space, accounting for almost all of the square footage cited by management, adding that about 80 percent of it is configured for administrative use.
While that provides an opportunity for savings, there “may be unique challenges to reducing the excess space at each of the facilities reported to Congress. Some of the issues we encountered during our assessments included the condition of the space, lack of handicap accessibility, limited parking, accessibility of the space without interfering with Postal Service operations, and the availability of a separate restroom,” the report said.
It added that postal management “pursued collaboration with GSA regarding opportunities to co-locate with other federal agencies” and that the GSA initially inquired about 13 properties, “but subsequently determined they were no longer interested in these sites. Management also stated they reached out to the Public Buildings Commissioner for the GSA but have not received offers to meet or discuss co-location or other opportunities.”
