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Recommendations Database

GAO’s recommendations database contains report recommendations that still need to be addressed. GAO’s priority recommendations are those that we believe warrant priority attention. We sent letters to the heads of key departments and agencies, urging them to continue focusing on these issues. Below you can search only priority recommendations, or search all recommendations.

Our recommendations help congressional and agency leaders prepare for appropriations and oversight activities, as well as help improve government operations. Moreover, when implemented, some of our priority recommendations can save large amounts of money, help Congress make decisions on major issues, and substantially improve or transform major government programs or agencies, among other benefits.

As of October 25, 2020, there are 4812 open recommendations, of which 473 are priority recommendations. Recommendations remain open until they are designated as Closed-implemented or Closed-not implemented.

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Results:

Subject Term: "Office space"

6 publications with a total of 11 open recommendations including 1 priority recommendation
Download these results in CSV format or XLSX format.
Federal Leasing: Quality Information and Metrics Would Allow GSA to Better Assess the Value of Its Broker Program
GAO-20-361, Mar 31, 2020
Director: Lori Rectanus
Phone: (202) 512-2834

2 open recommendations
including 1 priority recommendation
Display
Recommendation: GSA should assess and address the reliability of the information used to calculate reported cost savings for the broker program. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: General Services Administration
Status: Open
Priority recommendation

Comments: In June 2020, GSA said the agency would validate system data through regional and broker outreach and fully utilize validated system data to manage the broker program. The agency also said it will develop a quality control plan and follow-up on outcomes. We will continue to monitor GSA's progress with implementing this recommendation.
Recommendation: GSA should develop outcome-based metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of using brokers to supplement the GSA's leasing workforce. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: General Services Administration
Status: Open

Comments: Although GSA initially did not concur with this recommendation, the agency stated in June 2020 that it agrees with the recommendation and will take steps to implement it. Specifically, GSA plans to revise the broker performance standards and document broker effectiveness through lease cost avoidance, timely lease replacement, and earned commission credits. We will continue to monitor GSA's progress with implementing this recommendation.
GSA Leasing: Improving Stakeholder Outreach and Lease Model Evaluation Could Enhance Competition
GAO-20-181, Dec 18, 2019
Director: Lori Rectanus
Phone: (202) 512-2834

3 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Administrator of the General Services Administration should expand its outreach as appropriate to obtain feedback from lessors that are representative of its entire lease portfolio. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: General Services Administration: Office of the Administrator
Status: Open

Comments: GSA agreed with this recommendation. In its 180-day letter to the congressional clients dated March 25, 2020, GSA stated that it would provide additional documentation of invitations to its industry outreach efforts. We will review this information when it is available.
Recommendation: The Administrator of the General Services Administration should, for future outreach efforts, document and assess lessors' feedback about the leasing process. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: General Services Administration: Office of the Administrator
Status: Open

Comments: GSA agreed with this recommendation. In its 180-day letter to the congressional clients dated March 25, 2020, GSA stated that it would document and assess the feedback received from lessors during its outreach efforts. We will review this information when it is available.
Recommendation: The Administrator of the General Services Administration should evaluate whether the simplified lease model is achieving its intended results. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: General Services Administration: Office of the Administrator
Status: Open

Comments: GSA agreed with this recommendation. In its 180-day letter to the congressional clients dated March 25, 2020, GSA stated that it would evaluate its simplified lease model and provide documentation of the evaluation's methodology, findings, and recommendations. We will review information related to this evaluation when it is available.
Federal Real Property: Measuring Actual Office Space Costs Would Provide More Accurate Information
GAO-20-130, Dec 10, 2019
Director: Lori Rectanus
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, should ensure that the average cost per square foot performance measure for GSA-managed space is calculated using actual cost information. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: General Services Administration: Office of the Administrator
Status: Open

Comments: GSA concurred with this recommendation and has developed an action plan to implement it. In January 2020, GSA officials told us that GSA will change the method for calculating the average cost per square foot performance measure by now using the actual rent agencies paid to GSA in the calculation. GSA officials also stated that GSA will post this information annually to performance.gov. We will continue to monitor GSA's implementation of these efforts.
Federal Real Property: Agencies Make Some Use of Telework in Space Planning but Need Additional Guidance
GAO-18-319, Mar 22, 2018
Director: Lori Rectanus
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Administrator of General Services should ensure that the appropriate GSA offices develop guidance including, but not limited to, how agencies can use telework as a strategic space-planning tool for reducing and optimizing office space efficiency and that the offices make the guidance readily available. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: General Services Administration
Status: Open

Comments: As of February 2020, GSA has provided GAO with some documents that indicate steps toward addressing this recommendation. For example, the documents cover topics on workplace and space design. GSA officials said that they are working on a document that focuses on the relationship between space planning and telework that will more directly address this recommendation. The estimated completion date for this document is the end of fiscal year 2020.
Union Activities: VA Could Better Track the Amount of Official Time Used by Employees
GAO-17-105, Jan 24, 2017
Director: Cindy Brown Barnes
Phone: (202) 512-7215

3 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: To improve VA's ability to accurately track employees' use of official time, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should direct the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration to increase efforts to ensure timekeepers at all facilities receive training and consistent guidance on recording official time in VATAS.

Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Status: Open

Comments: VA stated that the Office of Labor Management Relations (LMR) revised its policy in December 2016 to include specific directions to human resource offices to begin recording official time in the VA Time and Attendance System (VATAS) once VATAS has been implemented at their respective facilities. The formal concurrence process, which precedes the final publication of the policy, is ongoing. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency provides documentation of the revised policy.
Recommendation: To improve VA's ability to accurately track employees' use of official time, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should direct the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration to standardize the methods used by facilities for determining the amount of official time used prior to the agency-wide implementation of VATAS by encouraging facilities to rely on time and attendance records when calculating the amount of official time used at the facility level.

Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Status: Open

Comments: VA stated that the Office of Human Resources and Administration is in the process of developing a memo directing facilities to rely on time and attendance records when calculating the amount of official time used at the facility level. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency has provided documentation that they have completed this effort.
Recommendation: To improve VA's ability to accurately track employees' use of official time, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should direct the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration to, in preparation for the full implementation of VATAS, take steps to transition from using the LMR system to VATAS to collect and compile information on the amount of official time used agency-wide.

Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Status: Open

Comments: VA stated that the Office of Labor Management Relations (LMR) will transition from using the LMR Official Time Tracking System to collect and compile data on official time and will coordinate with the Financial Services Center to use VATAS to create a report on the agency-wide use of official time. VA is still in the process of rolling out VATAS and standardizing the input of official time requests within VATAS. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency has demonstrated efforts to use VATAS for capturing the use of official time and producing reports.
Federal Real Property: GSA Could Decrease Leasing Costs by Encouraging Competition and Reducing Unneeded Fees
GAO-16-188, Jan 13, 2016
Director: Dave Wise
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
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Recommendation: As part of its lease reform efforts and to increase possible cost savings, the GSA Administrator should seek to reduce leasing costs for federal agencies by allowing tenant agencies the option of choosing non-cancelable occupancy agreements with lower administrative costs, particularly for leases with firm terms of 5 years or less.

Agency: General Services Administration
Status: Open

Comments: In November 2018, GSA officials said that they were unlikely to implement this recommendation because it would shift costs from the tenants to GSA but not reduce overall costs. GAO continues to believe that reducing unnecessary costs to tenant agencies would reduce overall leasing costs by encouraging GSA to be more efficient.