It is maintained by GSA on behalf of the  FRPC, although FRPC controls access to the data. Owned and Leased Space

GSA and USPS are the largest civilian holders of federally owned  property. 1.) Underutilized Owned Federal Space Exists, but Size, Location, and Condition Affect Colocation Potential

		Underutilized Owned Space

The federal government owns facilities that are underutilized in locations  where it also leases space for different purposes. This is particularly true  for USPS, as declining mail volume and changes in operations have freed  space in many owned facilities. 2.) In some cases, spaces within these underutilized owned properties could  be used by other government agencies. Federal officials also said that, under certain circumstances, colocation  could result in cost savings or avoidance for the federal government. For example, USPS could share underutilized floor and retail window  space with other government agencies, generating revenue to offset  some building costs. Greater Inter-Agency Collaboration Could Mitigate Some Challenges to Colocation

Agency officials said that greater collaboration—through strategic  partnerships among federal agencies targeted to meet specific needs and  a formal local coordination mechanism—could mitigate some  administrative, financial and data challenges to colocation. Officials from a few agencies suggested that structured local or regional  coordination could best identify opportunities where the missions of  various agencies could be “matched” to appropriate space because of  local and regional federal officials’ more detailed knowledge of local  needs, conditions, and opportunities. For example, GSA, as the federal government’s property manager,  already possesses the capability to market and price properties and  manage leases on a large scale. As such, the scope of FRPC’s mission  does not include managing the local-level negotiations that colocation  would require. However, various officials noted  that the lack of a systematic mechanism to share information hinders any  efforts to colocate. GSA officials said that local  councils were an effective method for sharing information. Recommendations for Executive Action

To promote colocation across agencies, the Director of the Office of  Management and Budget (OMB) should work with the Federal Real  Property Council (FRPC) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to  implement GAO’s three recommendations:    Establish a mechanism, which includes USPS, for local coordination  in markets with large concentrations of federal agencies to identify, on  a case by case basis, specific opportunities to share space and  improve coordination of real property use across agencies.   Develop strategic partnerships and a coordinated strategy with  assigned roles and tasks between the General Services  Administration (GSA) and other federal landholding agencies (USPS  specifically) with less experience sharing real property. To accomplish this, we addressed  (1) if the potential for cross-agency colocation exists, what factors can  affect that potential; (2) the potential benefits of colocation; and (3) the  challenges associated with colocation, and what solutions, if any, can  mitigate these challenges. We also reviewed relevant GAO  and other reports and documents, including USPS Office of Inspector  General reports, and laws, regulations, and guidance. § 3125a note  The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to establish a pilot program and lease nonexcess  real property at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and the National Agricultural  Library to any individual or entity, including agencies or instrumentalities of State or local  governments, if the Secretary determines that the lease is consistent with, and will not  adversely affect, the mission of the agency administering the property; will enhance the use  of the property; will not permit any portion of the property or facility to be used for the public  retail or wholesale sale of merchandise or residential development; will not permit the  construction or modification of facilities financed by nonfederal sources to be used by an  agency, except for incidental use; and will not include any property or facility required for  any agency purpose without prior consideration of the needs of the agency. Related GAO Products

Federal Real Property: National Strategy and Better Data Needed to  Improve Management of Excess and Underutilized Property. Federal Real Property: Overreliance on Leasing Contributed to High-Risk  Designation.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO designated the federal governments management of its nearly 400,000 real property assets as high-risk in part because of overreliance on leasing and the retention of excess facilities. Real property management is coordinated nationally by the FRPCan association of landholding agencies chaired by the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). To explore the potential to reduce leasing by better utilizing owned properties, GAO was asked to examine: (1) the potential for collocation and the factors that can affect that potential, (2) the possible benefits of collocation, and (3) the challenges associated with collocation, and what solutions, if ny, can mitigate these challenges. GAO reviewed property data and documents from eight of the largest propertyholding agencies; laws, regulations and guidance; and prior GAO reports. GAO also analyzed eight case study markets of varying size and federal agency presence, and interviewed agency officials.

What GAO Found

The federal government owns facilities that are underutilized in locations where it also leases space. In some cases, space within these government-owned properties could be occupied by other government agencies. This is particularly true for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), for which declining mail volume and operational changes have freed space in many facilities. However, this potential for collocation of federal agencies is affected by such factors as the size, location, and condition of the available space.
Officials from various agencies said that, in some cases, collocation could result in more efficient service delivery and cost savings or avoidance. For example, underutilized USPS floor and retail window space could be used by other federal agencies, generating space-use efficiencies for USPS and expanding citizen access to government services. Collocation could also help achieve agency synergies, such as shared technology infrastructure.
Agency officials said that strategic partnerships among federal agencies targeted to meet specific needs and a formal local coordination mechanism could mitigate certain challenges to collocation, including administrative and data challenges. Agencies have varying authorities to share available space in their properties and differing capabilities to handle the administrative tasks associated with sharing space. The General Services Administration (GSA), as the federal governments property manager, possesses the capability and experience to market properties and manage leases on a large scale. Officials from other agencies suggested that partnerships with GSA or a private entity could address some administrative challenges and improve collocation efforts. However, the ability to identify collocation opportunities is hindered by the lack of a formal information-sharing mechanism. The Federal Real Property Council (FRPC) is a national, policyoriented body and, as such, does not manage the local-level negotiations that collocation would require. The FRPC established a database describing all executive branch properties, but it was not designed to identify and manage collocation opportunities, nor does it include USPS data. In contrast, local federal officials indicated that they possess detailed knowledge of specific properties owned by their respective agencies and, with more structured local coordination, could share that knowledge to support collocation efforts. GSA officials said that local councils were an effective method for sharing information

What GAO Recommends

OMB should work with FRPC and USPS to, among other things, (1) lead the creation of strategic partnerships between GSA and other property-owning federal agencies with less experience sharing real property, and (2) establish a mechanism (including USPS) for local coordination to improve coordination and identify specific opportunities to share space. OMB, GSA, and USPS generally agreed with the recommendations. The details of agencies comments and GAOs response are addressed more fully within the report.