Federal Personal Property: Better Internal Guidance and More Action from GSA Are Needed to Help Agencies Maximize Use of Excess
Every year, federal agencies purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of "personal property," which includes things like office chairs and cars. They also dispose of excess property—things they no longer need.
Federal regulation requires agencies to consider whether excess federal property can meet their needs. It is generally available to them for free.
We found that from 2016 to 2020, agencies obtained $3.9 billion (based on original cost) in excess property—a small part of what was available. We found ways agency guidance could be improved to help maximize the use of excess property and save money. Our recommendations address this issue.
Reusing excess property, like office chairs, maximizes government assets and minimizes new purchase costs.
What GAO Found
Before purchasing “personal property,” which ranges from office supplies and food to precious metals, the Federal Management Regulation (FMR) requires executive agencies to consider whether excess property, already owned by the government, can meet their needs. Excess property is generally available at no charge (excluding costs to transport or ship) to agencies. From 2016 to 2020, agencies government-wide obtained $3.9 billion—based on the property's original acquisition cost—in excess personal property. Comparing $3.9 billion to the $206 billion in property agencies purchased in the same time period, excess property was not a significant source of supply. Further, this $3.9 billion represented a small part of the excess property available to agencies (see figure). It is unclear whether agencies could have obtained excess property to a greater extent because data on purchases and on excess property do not contain enough detail to correlate specific products agencies purchased to specific products available as excess. In addition, some categories of property agencies purchased—such as perishables and national security sensitive items—are not typically available as excess.
Percentage of Reported Excess Personal Property Obtained by Agencies Government-Wide by Number and Value, Fiscal Years 2016 to 2020
GAO identified four essential elements from the FMR on considering excess property that agencies should address in their internal guidance. These elements include determining when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property and evaluating the suitability of excess property to meet agency needs. The guidance at five selected agencies —Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—varied, but none addressed all four elements. For example, two agencies' guidance addressed three elements while one agency's guidance did not address any. Without guidance that addresses the four elements, agencies may not be obtaining excess property to the extent they could in order to minimize expenditures for new property. The General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for promoting the maximum use of excess property by executive agencies and issued the FMR and other guidance for agencies. However, GAO's findings indicate that these efforts may be insufficient, and GSA officials said GSA has not assessed its current efforts or other actions that could increase agencies' use of excess. After such an assessment, for example, GSA may be able to take actions that could help agencies more consistently meet the requirement to consider excess and increase the likelihood that agencies will maximize their use of excess property and save taxpayer dollars.
Why GAO Did This Study
Every year, executive agencies purchase billions of dollars of personal property while also disposing of property that is excess, or no longer needed. This excess personal property represents a significant government investment and its reuse maximizes government assets and minimizes new purchase costs.
GAO was asked to review federal use of excess personal property. This report: (1) describes what is known about the extent that agencies obtained excess personal property and (2) assesses the extent to which selected agencies' internal guidance addressed elements from the FMR for considering excess property and opportunities for GSA to promote the use of excess. GAO reviewed federal regulations and analyzed data on purchases of personal property and on excess property obtained. GAO reviewed five agencies' guidance on considering excess property and interviewed agency and GSA officials. GAO selected BIA, CBP, FAA, SEC, and USAID based on the amounts of property they purchased and excess property they reported and obtained.
Recommendations
GAO is making six recommendations, including (1) that each selected agency ensure its internal guidance on considering excess property fully addresses the FMR elements and (2) that GSA assess its efforts to promote agencies' maximum use of excess property and take action that will help agencies implement better guidance. All selected agencies agreed with our recommendations. GSA agreed with our findings and said it would take action on our recommendation.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Indian Affairs | The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs should ensure that internal guidance on considering excess personal property incorporates, at a minimum, the requirement to consider excess property, relevant roles and responsibilities, when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property, and how to evaluate the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs. (Recommendation 1) |
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. In January 2023, BIA said it had updated its purchase card and other guidance to include the requirement to consider excess personal property before purchasing new. BIA's response did not include actions taken related to roles and responsibilities in its purchase card guidance; related to when is practicable to check for and obtain excess property; or related to evaluating the suitability of available excess property to meet agency needs. We are coordinating with BIA and when we confirm what actions it has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| United States Customs and Border Protection | The Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection should ensure that internal guidance on considering excess personal property incorporates, at a minimum, when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property and how to evaluate the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs. (Recommendation 2) |
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. In February 2023, CBP said that it had updated its purchase card manual to include information on evaluating the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs. CBP's response did not include actions taken related to when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property. We are coordinating with CBP and when we confirm what other actions CBP has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| Federal Aviation Administration | The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration should ensure that internal guidance on considering excess personal property incorporates, at a minimum, relevant roles and responsibilities, when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property, and how to evaluate the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs. (Recommendation 3) |
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. In January 2023, FAA said it had updated its personal property guidance to include information on evaluating the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs and on when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property. FAA's response did not include actions that address roles and responsibilities in its property management guidance or practicability and suitability in its purchase card guidance. We are coordinating with FAA and when we confirm what other actions FAA has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| United States Securities and Exchange Commission | The Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission should ensure that internal guidance on considering excess personal incorporates, at a minimum, the requirement to consider excess property, relevant roles and responsibilities, when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property, and how to evaluate the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs. (Recommendation 4) |
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. In August 2022, SEC said it would revise its internal guidance documents to incorporate the four essential regulatory elements GAO identified for ensuring excess property is considered. SEC said it plans to finalize these revisions by June 2023. GAO will continue to monitor SEC's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| U.S. Agency for International Development | The Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development should ensure that internal guidance on considering excess personal property incorporates, at a minimum, relevant roles and responsibilities, when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess property, and how to evaluate the suitability of excess property for meeting agency needs. (Recommendation 5) |
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. In March 2023, USAID said it had convened a working group to review agency guidance and will implement additional purchase card procedures to ensure consideration of excess property. USAID said it anticipates completion of these actions by April 2023. We will continue to review and assess USAID's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| General Services Administration |
Priority Rec.
The Administrator of the General Services Administration should assess its current efforts to promote the maximum use of excess personal property and take further actions that could increase the use of excess personal property; such actions could include promoting additional policies or methods that will help agencies implement guidance to provide assurance that excess property is considered before purchasing new. (Recommendation 6) |
The General Services Administration (GSA) agreed with this recommendation. In February 2023, GSA convened the first meeting of an inter-agency working group to assess how agencies acquire personal property, uncover obstacles, and recommend improvements to policies and guidance for acquisition professionals. GSA also said it met with offices within GSA to understand how they promote excess personal property as the first source of supply. These actions will help inform GSA's internal action plan to address the recommendation. GSA anticipates finalizing working group recommendations by June 2023. We will continue to monitor GSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
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