Building Operations

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the General Services Administration's (GSA) program for delegating daily building management responsibilities to tenant agencies.

GAO found that: (1) GSA intended to operate a 5-year pilot program to explore the potential benefits and costs of delegating building operations authority; (2) the Administration directed GSA to expand the program to all single-tenant agencies, based on its report of the program's first year of operation; (3) although generally favorable, the first-year report contained some negative findings, did not address nationwide implementation of delegation authority, and presented inconclusive findings on delegation effectiveness; (4) nine agencies participating in the pilot program believed that delegation was cost-effective and improved building service quality, although they did not collect data on the costs, quality, and quantity of building services before and after delegation; (5) GSA evaluations of building services quality indicated that the tenant agencies operated and maintained the buildings satisfactorily; and (6) GSA has not collected sufficient data regarding operating costs or performance to determine the program's cost-effectiveness. GAO also found that GSA: (1) plans to perform biennial reviews of each building delegation, including operating costs and performance; (2) did not conduct predelegation surveys or other site inspections to determine agency capability for handling building delegations; (3) continues to provide basic security services for delegated buildings; and (4) implemented a new system of allocation accounts for agency expenditures which will facilitate congressional oversight of delegated activities.