How GSA Benefits the Public
GSA’s mission includes supporting government agencies with superior workplaces, equipment, and products and services that they need to operate successfully. The benefit of the bundled buying power of the Federal government to reduce wasteful spending and save the taxpayers money is sometimes unclear to the U.S. public. The following examples demonstrate how GSA directly benefits the public.
Reducing Costs for the American Taxpayer
An overarching theme in all of GSA’s activities is that they are designed to consolidate activities across the Federal government and reduce costs for the American taxpayer. As the premier Federal acquisition agency, GSA offers discount commercial airfares to Federal travelers on official business at an average savings of 67 percent below full commercial fares. GSA’s airfare contracts are estimated to have saved the Federal government $4 billion on 4,961 domestic and international routes.
Public Law 109-364 amended 40 U.S.C. 502 to provide for the use of GSA’s Federal Supply Schedules by state and local governments, allowing them to order products and services to support recovery from major disasters and acts of terrorism. The law not only applies during emergencies, it also allows state and local governments to purchase goods in advance of a disaster to allow for rapid response and recovery. As of the end of FY 2007, 65 percent of the schedule contracts had been modified in support of this effort.
Commitment to Small Businesses
The strength and viability of small businesses is important to the nation’s economy and the public, as small businesses account for over 45 percent of total retail sales and 40 percent of Federal tax revenues. During FY 2007, GSA opened its Veterans Technology Services (VETS) Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). VETS is a GWAC set aside for service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. The VETS GWAC has a potential value of $5 billion. VETS is the third GWAC within GSA’s offerings which is dedicated exclusively to small businesses.
One of GSA’s top priorities during FY 2007 was removing bureaucratic barriers for small businesses. GSA accomplished this by introducing the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Express program. The goal of this program is to award MAS contracts to eligible firms in 30 days or less. To meet GSA’s target, significant changes to existing processes were designed to improve the quality of contract offers, productivity, and the alignment of GSA services to meet customer needs. GSA is committed to increasing contracting opportunities for small businesses.
E-Government
During FY 2007, GSA renamed the official Web portal of the U.S. government from FirstGov.gov to USA.gov, and renamed the Spanish-language portal from Espanol.gov to GobiernoUSA.gov. USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov are the only Web sites that provide information and services from Federal, state, and local governments in one location. The site helps citizens find and do business with government organizations. The sites are clear, simple, user friendly, and connect citizens to a wide array of topics, such as education, health, taxes, housing, driver licensing, Federal benefits, and many other online government resources. They are easy to navigate and use a clustering technology that organizes thousands of search results into categories that allow citizens to zero in on topics of interest. From finding out what services and assistance the government has to offer to getting news updates, these Web sites are the U.S. public’s gateway to government services. During FY 2007, USA.gov won the international Government Standard of Excellence from the Web Marketing Association’s 2007 WebAward. Additionally, USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov were listed as one of Time magazine’s “25 Sites We Can’t Live Without.”
E-Government Benefits
GSA is managing partner on seven and a participating partner on eight E-Gov initiatives. The initiatives are designed to make the Federal government more citizen-centric and results oriented. The benefits to GSA, other Federal agencies, and ultimately the general public include:
- Improved agency performance by increasing the focus on performance metrics and establishing enterprise standards for performance.
- Enhanced productivity as a result of improved information technology (IT) infrastructure, shared services, and automated processes, which leads to efficiency in delivering goods and services to citizens.
- Improved mission delivery by the Federal government that will result from the improved productivity of Federal employees and result in higher performance levels for services to the general public.
Community Good Neighbors
With a Federal presence in 2,000 U.S. communities, GSA continues to design, renovate, and manage facilities to enhance the workplace and revitalize U.S. towns and cities. GSA considers local needs that can bring benefits to the entire community, including high-quality public spaces that: serve both Federal workers and the public; create opportunities for collaborative planning efforts promoting both customer agency and community goals; and promote public events at Federally-owned buildings, including concerts, farmers markets, and festivals. One example of this was at the Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Courthouse in Phoenix where the building’s gleaming glass atrium held court of a different type—prom court. A high school hosted the event for more than 600 students.
Partner in Wildfire Protection
GSA furnishes wildfire protection equipment and supplies to Federal agencies through formal agreements with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM). During an active fire season, orders in excess of 1,600 tons of equipment and supplies are received, processed, and shipped to support ongoing firefighting and replenishment efforts. GSA, through the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), manages and coordinates the various functions necessary for support of wildland firefighting operations, including fire item specifications, purchasing, order processing, stocking, inventory management, and transportation.
During FY 2007, fire gear purchased from GSA’s Global Supply helped save the lives of two firefighters in the Lake Tahoe area. The firefighters were extinguishing spot fires when they found themselves surrounded by flames. They backed into a meadow, climbed under their GSA purchased fire shelters, and were protected for nearly 30 minutes while the fire burned around them.
Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management
During FY 2007, GSA’s Administrator tasked GSA manage-ment with helping agencies comply with the President’s Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management. GSA has maintained a strong focus on the environment for many years; this experience will enable GSA to better serve Federal agencies in their compliance efforts in the future.
Since 1985, GSA has achieved an overall energy reduction of 35 percent in its facilities. GSA won the Energy Star Building Award for Superior Performance. Energy Star is a symbol of energy efficiency established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). GSA operates its buildings at five percent below comparable commercial buildings and pays 12 percent less for utilities. During FY 2006, GSA reduced its energy consumption by 4.7 percent, supporting Executive Order 13423 requiring a 30 percent reduction by FY 2015. Additionally, through the Public Buildings Service (PBS) and the Energy Center of Expertise, GSA conducts Energy Awareness programs for its tenants in an effort to build awareness of conservation methods.
GSA’s MAS offers a list of businesses approved to sell Federal agencies everything from environmental assessments and energy management programs to recycled paper, fluorescent lighting, paints, chemicals, and pollution prevention systems.
GSA Fleet has been involved in the Federal government’s alternative fuel program since the enactment of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 (AMFA). GSA purchased over 24,000 alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) this year, bringing GSA’s total AFVs purchased since 1991 to more than 140,000 (more than any single organization in the United States). GSA’s cost per mile of 43 cents is 39 percent below the government-wide average of 71 cents. Currently GSA’s inventory consists of 70,415 AFVs and 497 Hybrid Energy Vehicles, approximately 34 percent of the total GSA Fleet.
GSA also is working with other Federal agencies on several initiatives for further improvements in environmental management, including the following:
- Working with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to lead improvement in the Federal Telework Program.
- Partnering with USDA to identify opportunities for increased use of bio-based products.
- Partnering with Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Highway Administration to develop “survivability” strategies for land ports of entry, potentially taking remote ports of entry “off the power grid.”
- Integrating power controls into IT operations to reduce systems energy consumption.
Donations of Usable Surplus
GSA serves the public by providing a channel for Federal agencies to donate usable surplus property to state and local governments or selected nonprofit organizations. Once a Federal agency determines it has unneeded property, the property is declared excess and is available for transfer to any other Federal agency. If no agency wants the excess property, it is eligible to be donated to state and local governments. If the property is not claimed through these channels, it is declared surplus for Federal needs and may be sold through public auctions.
In an effort to make modern computer technology an integral part in classrooms across the nation, the Computers for Learning (CFL) Program provides schools and educational nonprofit organizations a place to request excess computer equipment. It also provides a quick and easy way for government agencies and the private sector to donate that equipment to schools and educational nonprofit organizations. This results in a benefit to schools that receive much-needed computers, organizations that no longer waste space storing surplus computers, and a public that is better served through the deployment of surplus computers as valuable learning tools.
Historical Preservation
GSA is responsible for the stewardship of over 425 historic properties, including 63 National Historic Landmarks and two National Historic Sites. These properties represent the work of prominent architects and are valued for their significance in U.S. history, architecture, art, archaeology, engineering, and culture. GSA takes great pride in its inventory and strives to preserve, protect, and utilize historic properties as established in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. GSA continues to preserve historic properties by providing redevelopment in urban areas. For example, GSA’s lease of the underutilized U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Albuquerque, NM to the Amy Biel High School won a National Preservation Award in 2006 for reintroducing a young population to the downtown area, and expanding educational opportunities from the classroom to the community. The charter school (Albuquerque’s first urban high school in 40 years) supports the local economy while offering students the unique opportunity to meet their educational requirements in a historic Federal building, attend art classes at the South Broadway Cultural Center, and meet physical education standards at the Barelas Community Center. More than 93 percent of the school’s students and staff use public transportation.
GSA’s legacy buildings include customhouses, courthouses, post offices, land border ports of entry, and Federal agency offices across the United States and its territories. Many are grand structures designed to serve a symbolic, ceremonial, and functional purpose. As steward of its historic legacy buildings, GSA’s goal is to shape this legacy through its preservation efforts so that the U.S. public can continue to enjoy and appreciate its cultural and architectural heritage.
Acquisition Workforce
The Acquisition Workforce Training Fund (AWTF) provided over 15,000 acquisition professionals more than 100 acquisition learning opportunities, and both these numbers are increasing annually. The Federal Acquisition Institute through its management of the AWTF, saves taxpayers approximately 40 percent off commercial training prices by strategically sourcing training, allowing agencies to direct limited resources to other needs.