GSA said it is committed to identifying underutilized space nationwide and filling it with federal employees who need it. Image: ND700/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe GSA has started a “Space Match” service for agencies short on room for employees as the full effects of the Trump administration’s return-to-office directive are being felt.
That late-January directive told agencies to cut back on offsite work except as required by union contracts within a month. For many agencies—including OPM, for example—the effective date fell last week or this week, with in some cases employees returning to offices that have been downsized over the last several years due to high rates of offsite work.
At the same time, excess office space has been a long-running issue in general, with a GAO report last year citing high rates of vacancies at headquarters buildings of two dozen agencies creating pressure to reduce space.
“GSA is committed to identifying underutilized space nationwide and filling it with federal employees who need it,” said an announcement. “Space Match connects federal agencies in need of workspace with those that have extra seats available, fostering collaboration, reducing costs, and supporting increased occupancy rates required by the Office of Management and Budget and Congress.”
The OMB guidance it refers to is one of the relatively few Biden administration policies the Trump administration has left in place. It for example sets standards for calculating office utilization rates, with a target of at least a 60 percent average on an annual basis.
Meanwhile, an executive order issued last week called on agencies to make sure the GSA has current and correct information on their property holdings, review their leases to identify those that have termination rights and whether to exercise those rights. By late April, GSA is to provide OMB with a plan “for the disposition of government-owned real property which has been deemed by the agency as no longer needed.”
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