Federal Real Property: Key Acquisition and Management Obstacles

GAO discussed federal real property management. GAO noted that: (1) the General Services Administration (GSA) has a monopoly over office space and certain other mission support services, but this monopoly has caused GSA to neglect its more strategic central management responsibilities; (2) the lack of strategic focus can adversely affect federal agencies' operations and result in unsound capital spending decisions; (3) GSA management of the government's real estate portfolio provides little assurance that federal buildings are managed, maintained, used, and disposed of in the most cost-effective manner; (4) the Federal Buildings Fund has not generated enough revenue to finance capital investment needs in new and existing buildings; and (5) GSA could save billions of dollars by increasing the amount of federally-owned space and reducing leased space.