The request comes amid pressure from Congress to consolidate federal offices. Image: DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe GSA is asking Congress to create a new federal building “Optimization Program” with an up-front budget of $425 million to shed “unneeded federally owned assets and reduce the reliance on leased space.”
“There are significant opportunities across the PBS [Public Buildings Service] portfolio where capital investment can be used to achieve long-term savings. Investment in major building improvements and consolidation projects will reduce the cost of operations by improving conditions and support agencies that seek to improve space utilization and consolidation opportunities,” says a document describing the agency’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal in detail.
The request comes amid pressure from Congress—mainly, but not exclusively, Republicans—to consolidate federal offices, not renew leases and potentially sell off government-owned buildings.
“GSA continues to partner with federal agencies to transform federal workspaces for the future and to make the federal footprint more sustainable and cost effective for taxpayers. Projects will vary in size by location, agency mission, and operations,” the document says. “GSA will make critical investments in federally owned GSA assets to allow for the consolidation of federally owned or leased space, the disposal of buildings that do not or cannot meet performance standards and the long-term financial viability of the optimized portfolio.”
“Preference will be given to projects that are interrelated to the disposition of assets that no longer support the mission needs of the federal government and agency co-location projects that facilitate shared resources and shared special space,” it says.
As part of the request, the GSA proposes language to guarantee that the PBS will have full access to the money it receives from tenant agencies, “which GSA has been unable to do over the past decade due to a lack of appropriated budget authority.”
“Projects will vary in size by location, agency mission and operations. Funding in this program will help to modernize federally owned buildings under GSA’s jurisdiction, custody and control, as well as fund customer agency tenant improvements, furnishings, equipment, and any necessary move expenses,” it says.
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