The White House has sent legislation to Congress that would set up a real property disposal process similar to DoD’s base realignment and closure process, and that it estimates could save $15 billion.
The bill, the Civilian Property Realignment Act, would empower an independent board of experts charged with identifying significant consolidation opportunities and bundle them for an up or down vote by Congress.
OMB says doing so would cut through the red tape and politics that often get in the way of making sound decisions to get rid of property and help to find other savings in the government’s real estate portfolio.
The White House also released data on thousands of excess properties throughout the country and has launched an interactive map pinpointing them.
Agencies are currently working toward a White House goal of generating at least $3 billion in savings through the consolidation and disposal of real property assets by the end of fiscal 2012. OMB says agencies have managed to save $1.7 billion toward that goal to date.
