Rick Larsen Questions Buildings Commissioner on GSA Staffing and Federal Property Management

Federal Property Recommendations and Disposition

• 🎯 The May 25 recommendations for federal projects, covering 7.1 million gross square feet, require approval from OM and then disposition by GSA.
• 💡 GSA has historically resisted using brokers for property disposition, relying instead on websites, which has yielded poor results.
• 📈 This round, GSA has hired brokers, and there's anticipation for more successful outcomes in disposing of federal properties.

Board Sunset and Future Operations

• 🗓️ The current board sunsets at the end of next year, with a goal to do the best possible to avoid leaving empty buildings.
• 🧩 Locating and disposing of properties is difficult due to a lack of access to committee-level information and a very small staff.
• ⚠️ The speaker suggests extending the board or creating a new entity to maintain focus on agency accountability and property disposition.

GAO High-Risk Issues in Federal Property

• 📊 GAO is tracking four high-risk areas related to federal property: building condition, facility security, data reliability for decision-making (like with the Use It Act), and addressing underused property.
• 🔍 GAO will continue to monitor these areas and anticipates issuing several reviews and reports next year.

GSA Public Building Service Staffing

• 📉 GSA's Public Building Service (PBS) has seen a reduction of about 2400 employees this year.
• ✅ Following a reorganization, GSA has focused on integrating functional areas to deliver services effectively to occupant agencies and taxpayers.
• 🧑‍💼 GSA has offered positions to nearly 400 former employees, with almost 300 returning, and is currently assessing additional workforce needs.
• 🤝 GSA leadership is supportive of PBS needs, and staffing will likely be a combination of federal employees and contractors to ensure effective service delivery.