Federal Statutes and Executive Orders Applicable to the Public Buildings Service's Leasing Program

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO identified the legislative and administrative requirements that apply to the Public Buildings Service's (PBS) leasing program and provided information on the mechanisms that PBS has established to implement and comply with these federal statutes and executive orders.

GAO noted that: (1) in its review, GAO identified one statute that established the General Services Administration's basic authority to lease space for federal agencies for periods up to 20 years and another statute that established congressional oversight of large lease projects; (2) GAO identified another 27 statutes and 7 executive orders that govern PBS' leasing process; (3) some of these statutes and executive orders apply to every lease, and others apply only under certain circumstances; (4) the provisions of these statutes and executive orders deal with issues ranging from health and safety matters, such as fire safety and seismic standards, to the prohibition against kickbacks and payments to influence the award of leases; (5) some of the statutes address requirements of contractors in relationship to their subcontractors--such as use of small and disadvantaged businesses and payment of fair wages; (6) PBS uses several different mechanisms to implement and comply with various requirements imposed by statutes and executive orders; (7) PBS implements most of the requirements through clauses in its solicitation for offers and the general-clauses form, which are part of the official lease; and (8) PBS also uses orders, the General Services Administration Regulation, and certifications and representations by the lessors to implement and comply with legislative and administrative requirements.