Federal Real Property: Agencies Should Provide More Information About Increases in Deferred Maintenance and Repair
Fast Facts
We've reported that federal agencies have deferred the maintenance and repairs on their buildings, creating a backlog of these needs.
The estimated cost of 4 agencies' backlogs increased more than 80% over FY 2017-2022. Officials at the agencies attributed this to factors including funding constraints, cost increases, and the age and quantity of agencies' physical assets.
Agencies' budget documents include information on maintenance needs. But, to give Congress and the public a more complete picture, we recommended including more on
Reasons for estimate changes
Categories of assets included in estimates
Which projects are mission-critical
Department of Energy deferred maintenance on this aging air handling unit at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Estimates for deferred maintenance and repair (DM&R) increased about $22 billion (83 percent) from fiscal years 2017 through 2022 for selected agencies—Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), and General Services Administration (GSA). Agency officials attributed these increases—which ranged from 63 to 126 percent—to factors including funding constraints, labor and material cost increases, and the size and age of agencies' real property portfolios.
Percent Changes in Agencies' Estimated Deferred Maintenance and Repair Backlogs, Fiscal Years 2017-2022
The selected agencies communicate DM&R needs, along with some contextual information, to Congress and public in their budget materials and other documents. However, GAO found that the agencies could provide more information in three areas: (1) reasons for changes in DM&R estimates, (2) categories of assets included in and excluded from backlog estimates, and (3) extent of DM&R needed to support agencies' missions. For example, HHS, GSA, and DOI did not explain that the methodologies they used to estimate DM&R—or changes to those methodologies—had contributed to annual increases of up to 40 percent. Providing such information could help Congress and the public better assess the costs and funding needs associated with agencies' DM&R backlogs.
GAO found that the agencies' policies for prioritizing DM&R followed most—but not all—of five leading practices for managing DM&R. Specifically, the policies followed practices on (1) establishing maintenance and repair objectives and prioritizing outcomes, (2) identifying types of facilities that support missions, and (3) aligning portfolios with mission needs. For the practice of identifying funding in budget materials, GAO found that the agencies' materials provided information on funding for planned maintenance but not on funding or timeframes for addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance and repair. Providing such information could help decision makers better evaluate agencies' budget requests. For the practice of using models to predict investment outcomes, analyze tradeoffs, and optimize among competing investments, GAO found that agencies employed such models to varying extents. Agencies raised some concerns with the use of certain models. However, assessing the potential benefits of using models could better position them to identify investment options that would provide the greatest return on investment given budget constraints.
Why GAO Did This Study
The federal government owns a massive portfolio of civilian buildings and structures (roads, bridges, dams, and monuments). DM&R on these assets can affect agencies' abilities to support their missions.
GAO was asked to review selected federal agencies' management of their DM&R. This report examines: (1) how the agencies' DM&R estimates changed from fiscal years 2017 through 2022, and reasons for changes; (2) the extent to which the agencies communicated DM&R needs to Congress and the public; and (3) the extent to which the agencies' prioritization policies align with leading practices for managing DM&R. GAO selected four agencies—DOE, HHS, DOI, and GSA—based on reported DM&R amounts, among other factors. GAO analyzed these agencies' DM&R and funding data for fiscal years 2017-2022. GAO reviewed the agencies' budget and financial materials to determine what DM&R information they communicated. GAO reviewed the agencies' policies on prioritizing DM&R and compared them to leading practices. In addition, GAO interviewed agency officials and conducted site visits at selected agency locations.
Recommendations
GAO is making 12 recommendations, including 11 to DOE, DOI, HHS, and GSA that they provide more information on their DM&R estimates and fully follow leading practices. GAO is also recommending that OMB instruct federal agencies on communicating DM&R needs. DOI, HHS, and GSA concurred with GAO's recommendations. DOE and OMB neither agreed nor disagreed.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Energy | The Secretary of Energy should ensure that the department's budget materials or other documents provide more information to Congress and the public regarding the agency's deferred maintenance and repair backlog, including at a minimum, the proportion of DM&R estimates needed to support the mission. (Recommendation 1) |
In May 2024, Energy noted updates to Office of Management and Budget financial reporting guidance, including requirements to report additional information on DM&R for mission critical facilities. Energy plans to include this information as part of the fiscal year 2025 annual financial report. GAO will continue to monitor progress in addressing the recommendation.
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| Department of Energy |
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Energy should ensure that the department works with its component agencies to develop plans to address their DM&R backlogs and identify the funding and time frames needed to reduce them in congressional budget requests, related reports to decision makers, or both. (Recommendation 2) |
In May 2024, Energy noted plans to collect additional information from its components on efforts to address DM&R backlogs. Energy has also established a working group that will discuss ways to present this information as part of the fiscal year 2026 budget process. GAO will continue to monitor progress in addressing the recommendation.
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| Department of Energy | The Secretary of Energy should ensure that the department works with its component agencies to evaluate the costs and benefits of increasing the use of models for predicting the outcome of investments, analyzing tradeoffs, and optimizing among competing investments, and employ models when the benefits outweigh the costs. (Recommendation 3) |
In May 2024, Energy noted plans to reach out to other federal agencies to gather insight into predictive models they use. Energy will then evaluate the potential costs, potential benefits, and overall feasibility of using such models to determine whether to employ their use in developing the fiscal year 2027 budget request. GAO will continue to monitor progress in addressing the recommendation.
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| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the department's budget materials or other documents provide more information to Congress and the public regarding the agency's deferred maintenance and repair backlog, including at a minimum, explanations for major changes from year to year, categories of assets included in DM&R estimates, and the proportion of DM&R estimates needed to support the mission. (Recommendation 4) |
Interior agreed with the recommendation. Interior said that it would in its budget materials or other documents context for factors affecting major deferred maintenance and repair backlog changes from year to year, the scope of the real property included in backlog estimates, and the proportion of estimates associated with assets required to support the mission.
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| Department of the Interior |
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the department works with its component agencies to develop plans to address their DM&R backlogs and identify the funding and time frames needed to reduce them in congressional budget requests, related reports to decision makers, or both. (Recommendation 5) |
Interior concurred with this recommendation. As of March 2024, Interior officials said that as part of Interior's ongoing effort to improve the overall lifecycle management of assets, the Department will evaluate how current bureau investment plans for real property can better communicate the relationship between lifecycle requirements and the effects on the deferred maintenance and repair backlog and identify such information in reports to decision makers. In its fiscal year 2025 budget justification, Interior presented additional information regarding deferred maintenance and repairs, including information on the amounts of deferred maintenance and repair that could be addressed by new construction projects as well as more extensive information for several component agencies. However, to fully implement our recommendation, Interior needs to provide more consistent deferred maintenance and repair information across the Department and its component agencies and better describe its plans to address its backlogs, including time frames. GAO will continue to monitor Interior's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the department works with its component agencies to evaluate the costs and benefits of increasing the use of models for predicting the outcome of investments, analyzing tradeoffs, and optimizing among competing investments, and employ models when the benefits outweigh the costs. (Recommendation 6) |
Interior agreed with the recommendation. Interior officials said they were coordinating with the bureaus to review the availability and benefits of lifecycle investment models and would evaluate implementation alternatives. As of March 2024, officials said that Interior had established a working group and had met with bureaus who utilize lifecycle models to begin identifying best practices for applicability and scalability. The officials noted plans to use predictive models in the future once these evaluations were complete. GAO will continue to monitor these efforts.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the department's budget materials or other documents provide more information to Congress and the public regarding the agency's deferred maintenance and repair backlog, including at a minimum, explanations for major changes from year to year, categories of assets included in DM&R estimates, and the proportion of DM&R estimates needed to support the mission. (Recommendation 7) |
Health and Human Services agreed with the recommendation. Health and Human Services said it would work with offices in its Program Support Center to ensure that facilities exhibits in its congressional budget justifications provide information on deferred maintenance and repair backlogs, including explanations for major changes from year to year, categories of assets included in backlog estimates, and the proportion of estimates needed to support the mission.
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| Department of Health and Human Services |
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the department works with its component agencies to develop plans to address their DM&R backlogs and identify the funding and time frames needed to reduce them in congressional budget requests, related reports to decision makers, or both. (Recommendation 8) |
As of April 2024, GAO is awaiting HHS's first update on actions it has taken on this recommendation. In its fiscal year 2025 budget justification, published in March 2024, HHS requested additional funding for fiscal year 2025 and proposed additional funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to address its backlog. However, the 2025 budget does not provide a specific plan, including funding and time frames, for reducing the backlog.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the department works with its component agencies to evaluate the costs and benefits of increasing the use of models for predicting the outcome of investments, analyzing tradeoffs, and optimizing among competing investments, and employ models when the benefits outweigh the costs. (Recommendation 9) |
Health and Human Services agreed with the recommendation. Health and Human Services noted that models used for investments in its real property portfolio may encounter limitations given the vastly different missions carried out in different facilities. As of March 2024, Health and Human Services officials said that the Department had aligned ongoing efforts of updating policies and frameworks to guide the Department's components in implementing the recommendation. GAO will continue to monitor these efforts.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of GSA should ensure that the administration's budget materials or other documents provide more information to Congress and the public regarding the agency's deferred maintenance and repair backlog, including at a minimum, explanations for major changes from year to year, categories of assets included in DM&R estimates, and the proportion of DM&R estimates needed to support the mission. (Recommendation 10) |
GSA agreed with the recommendation and said it was developing a plan to address it.
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| General Services Administration |
Priority Rec.
The Administrator of GSA should ensure that the administration develops a plan to address its DM&R backlog and identifies the funding and time frames needed to reduce this backlog in congressional budget requests, related reports to decision makers, or both. (Recommendation 11) |
GSA agreed with this recommendation and officials stated the agency was developing a plan to address it. In its fiscal year 2025 budget justification, published in March 2024, GSA provided some information on addressing its deferred maintenance and repair backlog, including through requests for obligational authority and maintenance funding. The budget justification noted that persistent underfunding of its capital investment program has and will likely continue to result in increases to the backlog. Further, GSA officials observed that eliminating the backlog is not achievable through this single year's budget request. However, GSA's request did not identify ways to address these issues or present a longer-term plan for how GSA intends to address its backlog, including funding amounts and timeframes. GAO will continue to monitor GSA's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Office of Management and Budget | The Director of OMB should update its guidance on DM&R reporting to instruct agencies to communicate additional information to Congress and the public regarding their deferred maintenance and repair backlogs. This guidance should, at a minimum, instruct agencies to communicate explanations for major changes from year to year, categories of assets included in DM&R estimates, and the proportion of DM&R estimates needed to support the mission. (Recommendation 12) |
Federal agencies face challenges in managing their portfolios of buildings and other real property and may postpone or "defer" maintenance and repairs. Over time, the failure to keep up with needed repairs reflected by this backlog can affect agencies' abilities to carry out their missions as well as decrease the quality or reliability of services through unplanned interruptions to facility systems and components. In recent years, agencies have reported substantial increases in their amounts of deferred maintenance and repair (DM&R). These increases make it particularly important to understand how agencies' methods of managing and reporting DM&R affect their estimates of maintenance and repair needs and the fiscal exposure DM&R presents to the federal government. GAO selected four agencies-DOE, HHS, DOI, and GSA-based on reported DM&R amounts, among other factors. In 2023, GAO reported that selected agencies do not fully communicate information to Congress and the public needed to understand DM&R backlogs. Specifically, agencies do not provide sufficient information in three areas: (1) reasons for changes in estimated DM&R costs from the prior year; (2) what categories of assets are included or excluded; and (3) the proportion of DM&R estimates related to critical projects that are needed to support the mission. According to agency officials, they do not report such information on their DM&R estimates because they are not required to do so. While OMB Circular A-136, which is consistent with generally accepted government accounting standards and minimally references federal accounting standards-provides some guidance, these standards provide latitude and flexibility for what information to include beyond an overall estimate of DM&R. In the absence of additional information on agencies' DM&R estimates, Congress and the public are limited in their ability to assess the costs and funding needs associated with agencies' DM&R backlogs. Therefore, GAO recommended that OMB update its guidance on DM&R reporting to instruct agencies to communicate additional information to Congress and the public regarding their DM&R backlogs. In May 2024, OMB revised Circular A-136 to require federal agencies to include additional information on DM&R as part of their financial reports that is consistent with their budgetary materials. These revisions include instructions for agencies to communicate additional information on their DM&R backlogs, including the estimation methods used and the minimum maintenance and repair amount needed to ensure that mission critical facilities remain mission capable. With these requirements, OMB will help ensure that Congress and the public have the information they need for a clear picture of the costs and funding needs associated with agencies' DM&R backlogs.
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