**GSA Office of Governmentwide Policy**

**[Real Property Policysite]{.underline}**

**December 2000**

(front cover photo and caption)

**EPA Regional**

**Office Building,**

**Kansas City, MO,**

**Incorporates GSA's**

**"Building Green"**

**[Best Practices]{.underline}**

**[Special Edition]{.underline}**

**In this Issue:**

**A Message from David Bibb,**

Deputy Associate Administrator for Real Property

The Office of Governmentwide Policy (OGP) is pleased to publish the
fourth Best Practices Special Edition of [Real Property
Policysite]{.underline}. Inside you'll find highlights of best
practices, policies and success stories from a wide array of Federal
agencies. Each article summarizes a policy or practice that
substantially improved operations by reducing costs and time, increasing
efficiency and productivity, saving energy, improving financial
performance, and/or helping to achieve strategic goals.

Many of the policies and practices described in this newsletter were
candidates for the 2000 General Services Administration Achievement
Award for Real Property Innovation. Others came to our attention through
our partnership activities with the Federal and private sector
communities.

I would like to thank those organizations that generously shared their
ideas for this newsletter. We hope that [Real Property
Policysite]{.underline} will provide information and resources that will
lead to better management of your real property assets and improved
workplaces.

I encourage you to start thinking now about submitting your agency's
real property success stories for the 2001 Real Property Innovation
Awards Program. We hope to share your achievements in next year\'s Best
Practices Special Edition of [Real Property Policysite]{.underline}.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please call Mr. Chris Coneeney
at 202-208-2956 or send e-mail to chris.coneeney@gsa.gov.

(signed)

David L. Bibb

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at --- policyworks.gov/realproperty

**Welcome to the Government of the 21st Century!**

Our mission drives us into the 21st century: "The Office of Real
Property

promotes collaborative and innovative Governmentwide policies, products,
and

services for real property, the 21st century workplace, and
entrepreneurial Government

activities." We reach out on a global level to share information on
Federal real

estate and the workplace with our industry partners and the public
through this newsletter

and other avenues.

**Contents**

Facility

Management. . . . . . . . 3

Information

Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Tools and Models . . 13

Management/Process

Improvement . . . . . . 15

Points of Contact. . . 17

Partnerships . . . . . . . 21

Energy Efficiency/

Sustainability . . . . . . 27

Contracting . . . . . . . . 31

Publication

Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Disposal/Reuse . . . . 35

##### Facility Management

**Facility and Property Inventory Reconciliation System**

The ***Bureau of Indian Affairs*** (BIA) implemented a facility and
inventory management system to better manage their real property assets.
The Great Plains Region of the BIA manages 1,200 buildings with a total
of 5,800,000 square feet of space in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North
Dakota. The BIA identified some inconsistencies that existed in two
separate information systems.

A group was created that developed a process to reconcile the facility
data. The group created a report for each of the 1,200 buildings it
manages. The reports were then compiled and copies were sent to each of
the 12 field offices, which then verified the data and reported any
discrepancies to the Regional Office. Once the discrepancies were
corrected, a new set of facility reports was created that served as the
baseline data for both the facility and the inventory information
systems. This reconciliation will aid not only the facility management
personnel, but also the organization that awards various utility and
facility contracts for these facilities.

For additional information, contact Ms. Cora Jones at 605-226-7343.

# 

# 

# First Impressions

***The General Services Administration's (GSA) Public Buildings Service
(PBS)*** began the First Impressions initiative in 1999 to balance
public access and the need for security in Federal buildings. The group
identified 5 factors influencing a visitor's first impression of a
building:

-   Reduce clutter

-   Consolidate functions

-   Unify signage

-   Streamline security

-   Transform the image of the building

The group also sampled Federal facilities across the country to
recommend a first set of improvements that could be made. Many of these
modifications were made with little or no cost. Projects with larger
modifications were funded with existing repair and alteration funds.

In 2000, the group identified four large-scale renovation projects where
the concepts from First Impressions will be applied:

-   William S. Moorehead Federal Building in Pittsburgh, PA

-   Peter H. Rodino, Jr. Federal Building in Newark, NJ

-   Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington, DC

-   Byron Rogers Federal Building in Denver, CO

For additional information, contact Mr. Alan Camp at 303-236-7250 ext.
257 or via e-mail at <alan.camp@gsa.gov>.

**Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Life
Cycle Capital Planning**

Diverse programs, the number of very old buildings, extreme distances
between facilities, and special features needed presented challenges for
capital planning at the ***Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory* (INEEL)**. INEEL is comprised of over 500 buildings
contained within 890 square miles. The Life Cycle Asset Management
Process that was developed emphasizes customer input within eight
regional areas of INEEL. The final product, INEEL Infrastructure: Life
Cycle Capital Plan, forecasts all infrastructure capital needs for
program life cycles. All major upgrades and replacements were
cost-estimated and planned through the year 2070.

The most significant result is that facility and maintenance managers
focus on their future needs. Issues surface earlier, providing time to
better set priorities, solve problems, and optimize capital dollar
allocations.

For more information, contact Mr. Daniel B. Shirley at 208-526-9905 or
via e-mail at shiredb@id.doe.gov.

(photo: INEEL Research Center, Idaho Falls, ID)

**Mail Presort**

***GSA's Heartland Region*** is benefiting from innovative processing of
federal mail. After outgoing letters are metered and placed in trays, a
presort company picks up the mail on a daily basis, transports it to the
presort company facility where it is scanned by an optical character
reader, imprinted with a barcode, and sorted by zip code. The sorted
mail is then tagged, and often sent directly to the airport, bypassing
the main post office. Mail is sent out the same evening it is received.
The Kansas City federal community is served by a "user friendly"
contract, guaranteed savings on postage cots, and no paperwork. The new
process has saved the Kansas City federal community over two million
dollars in postage costs since its inception in November 1994. By
bundling government requirements, agencies can achieve greater economies
of scale while utilizing the most current technologies of the industry.

For additional information, contact Ms. Sallye Benecke at 816-926-5016
or via e-mail at sallye.benecke@gsa.gov.

(photo\--Mail Presort office, Kansas City, MO)

**Privatization of Army Utilities Systems**

The ***U.S. Department of the Army*** has improved the management of
real property assets by privatizing an extensive network of government
owned and operated utility systems. This initiative was honored by being
named one of the winners of the 2000 GSA Achievement Award for Real
Property Innovation in the Best Policy category.

With a national network of over 125 military bases, the Army had an
existing inventory of over 320 separate utility systems. A workforce of
650 and a one billion dollar budget was required to operate, maintain,
and repair an extensive real property inventory of electric, water,
wastewater and gas distribution systems.

By the late 1980's and early 1990, the condition of the Army's
infrastructure reached a state of crisis due to a combination of
factors:

-   Aging systems built during World War II had reached the end of their
    useful life (extensive repairs, modernization or replacement were
    necessary),

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-   Lack of funds to fully maintain, repair and re-capitalize the
    systems,

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-   Workforce cutbacks and retention issues,

-   Compliance with an increasing number of environmental laws requiring
    clean air, water and safety standards.

The Army responded by reviewing their internal management procedures and
evaluating new alternatives. Development of a new, innovative policy
transitioned the Army from being an owner and supplier of utility
services to being a customer. The Army obtained Congressional approval
for the privatization of utility services. Between 1991 and 1998, 31
Army owned utility systems were privatized.

The Army's successful privatization of its utility systems and the
resulting benefits led the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue
Directive #49 in December 1988, requiring privatization of all military
owned and operated utility systems by September 2003. The DOD program is
modeled on the successful policies and procedures developed by the Army.
This will ensure the reliable, safe, environmentally compliant, and cost
effective provision of electric, water, wastewater and gas utility
services.

For additional information, contact Mr. John J. Krajewski at
703-428-6170 or via e-mail at <john.krajewski@hqda.army.mil>.

(photo of winning team: Pictured front row left to right: William Eng
(Award Recipient); Richard Dubicki (Award Recipient); John Krajewski
(Award Recipient); Major General Robert L. Van Antwerp, Assistant Chief
of Staff for Installation Management, U.S. Army; Regina Larrabee (Award
Recipient); Staish Sharma (Award Recipient). Back row left to right: G.
Martin Wagner, Associate Administrator, Office of Governmentwide Policy,
General Services Administration; John Nerger, Director, Facility and
Housing Division, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for
Installation Management, U.S. Army; Thurman Davis, Deputy Administrator,
General Services Administration. Not pictured: Carey Klug (Award
Recipient) and Qaiser Toor (Award Recipient).)

**Continuous Operations during Asbestos Abatement**

***GSA\'s National Capital Region*** (NCR) developed an innovative
approach to abatement of asbestos at Federal Office Building (FOB) 4 in
Suitland, MD, to allow the tenants to continue operations during the
process.

In March 1999 asbestos was discovered inside the air handling units and
ductwork of FOB 4. GSA completely shut down the air handling system to
avoid contamination. However, with the cooling season starting in early
May, GSA faced the possibility of not being able to provide air
conditioning to its tenants. To heighten the problem at FOB 4, one of
the tenants, the Naval Ice and National Weather Operations required
uninterrupted air conditioning.

GSA developed a unique approach to the asbestos abatement process that
kept the facility fully air conditioned and allowed the tenants to
remain in the facility during the abatement. GSA sealed off the
contaminated ductwork and above ceiling areas and installed new ductwork
on the exterior of the building with temperature controls to distribute
air throughout the building. Then the contaminated air handling units
were cleaned. The work was performed at night and on weekends to
minimize disruption to the tenants of FOB 4.

The cost was \$3.1 million to isolate the above ceiling contamination
and to provide temporary ductwork on the exterior of the building. This
cost was more than offset by the \$10 million it would have cost to
temporarily relocate Naval operations to Virginia and Colorado.

For additional information, contact Mr. Garner Duvall at 301-457-6000 or
via e-mail at garner.duvall@gsa.gov.

(photo: Federal Office Building 4, Suitland, MD)

**Award Program Jury: T**he Office of Real Property would like to thank
its jury members for the 2000 Achievement Award for Real Property
Innovation: Heather Peden, Regional Director General, Western Region,
Public Works and Government Services, Canada. Other jury members
included Todd Lewers, Vice President, Apex Site Management, Inc., BOMA;
Robert Synowiec, Vice President/Portfolio Manager, Grubb & Ellis
Management Services, Inc., IFMA; and James Toothaker, Director, Bureau

of Office Systems and Services, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection.

**Creating Incentives for Space Efficiency**

The ***Central Intelligence Agency's* (**CIA) Office of Facilities
Management (OFM) transformed the manner in which CIA managers value
space by turning its operating budget over to space tenants and charging
them rent in return. This creative "giveback" scenario facilitates the
movement of space between components by providing additional dollars to
acquire space to those organizations that are in substandard
configurations and by providing fewer dollars to components that
historically hoarded space. Previously, space was budgeted, paid, and
maintained by OFM. As a result, space utilization was often inefficient,
and new space requirements invariably exceeded available space.

The program is a success:

-   Over 86,000 square feet of space was made available for mission
    critical needs.

-   Savings of over \$1.9 million annually were achieved.

-   Maintenance and repair has been built into the square foot rental
    charge for office space to fund the modernization and replacement of
    aging building systems.

Now, space is managed as effectively as any other resource. The CIA is
able to reduce the space occupied and match space function with space
type (e.g. moving storage to warehouse space).

For additional information, contact Mr. Volner S. Robertson at
703-874-4800.

**Spatial Data Integrity Project**

An audit in February 1998 revealed inaccuracies in ***GSA's PBS*** rent
billings, resulting from space variations of more than 5 percent when
compared with actual space remeasurements. Inaccuracies resulted in
substantial underbillings and loss of revenues. The Spatial Data
Integrity (SDI) project was launched, with the objectives of correcting
data, maintaining data, and sharing data.

This initiative:

-   Re-measures PBS owned and leased buildings that produce up to 80
    percent of the revenue in each region.

-   Prepares building plans using computer aided drafting and maintains
    them using a computer aided facility management system.

-   Establishes new business practices to maintain changes in building
    drawings and data accuracy.

PBS Central Office developed the SDI model system using commercial
off-the-shelf software, and deployed it to the eleven regional offices.
Recoupment of initial project cost of \$13.73 million is projected to
occur in approximately 1.5 years. Additionally, each region has the
potential to recoup millions of lost rental income annually. For
example, Region 7, the lead SDI region, remeasured 46 buildings for a
cost of approximately one million dollars. However, PBS expects to
recoup approximately \$3.2 million in rental income annually in these
buildings.

For additional information, contact Mr. Hal Piper at 202-501-9096 or via
e-mail at hal.piper@gsa.gov.

**Space Verification Factor**

***GSA's Northwest Arctic Region*** ensured that the rental rates
derived from the conversion of square foot measurements would lead to
consistent rental charges to the tenants.

PBS has changed the unit of measurement from usable square feet to
rentable square feet, the office building standard. This necessitated a
remeasurement of government-owned facilities for this new standard. As a
part of this process, the Region captured the rentable/usable factor of
the building, which is the ratio of common areas in the building to the
size of the building in rentable square feet. This factor is an input
that can alter the rental rate derived for the building.

By capturing this information, the Region has assured that the rental
rates charged its tenants are consistent and comparable with similar
facilities in the area.

For additional information, contact Mr. Kenneth Smith at 253-931-7615.

**Backfill Team**

***GSA\'s Great Lakes Region*** formed a team to reduce the amount of
vacant space in government owned buildings in one of its Property
Management Centers (PMC). The backfill team was comprised of
representatives from the Office of Portfolio Management, the Property
and Realty Services Office, and the PMC.

The team initially identified potential backfill tenants based upon
lease expirations and the square footage requirements. The team then
matched this information against pockets of vacant space in government
owned buildings in the vicinity.

The team is negotiating with 3 agencies to backfill 40,000 square feet
of vacant space in the Minton-Capehart Federal Building and the U.S.
Courthouse, both of which are in Indianapolis, IN.

For additional information, contact Mr. Richard Heimlich at 217-492-4279
or via e-mail at richad.heimlich@gsa.gov.

***(photo: Minton-Capehart Federal Building, Indianapolis, IN)***

***(photo: U.S. Courthouse, Indianapolis, IN)***

##### Information Sharing

### GRPIS Study Best Practices

***GSA's Office of Real Property*** has further expanded its
**Governmentwide Real Property Information Sharing (GRPIS)** program to
include Phoenix and Albuquerque. The following Best Practices have been
identified by the GRPIS Team during the studies of these locations. The
practices have been using the same nine categories that are found at the
GRPIS Web site under \"Best Practices." Some of these Best Practices may
fit more than one category.

######## Contracting

-   GSA was able to negotiate a favorable base rental rate for the
    Phoenix Bankruptcy Court that included 24-hour cooling of the
    agency\'s computer room.

-   The Albuquerque District Office of the Army Corps of Engineers use
    of the Government credit card and direct delivery of supplies has
    resulted in a decrease in the amount of space needed to store office
    and building supplies enabling the agency to use the available space
    more efficiently.

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-   Due to Kirtland Air Force Base\'s (AFB) runways being used
    predominantly by commercial airlines, the Air Force has turned
    control of the airfield over to the City of Albuquerque. In
    exchange, the Air Force rents the runways back for approximately
    \$50,000/year. The Air Force also provides crash and rescue support.
    The city is responsible for maintenance of the airfield.

######## Cooperative Services

-   The Phoenix Forest Service has developed a memorandum of
    understanding (MOU) with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for
    \"low-risk\" prisoners nearing the end of their sentences to perform
    simple facility maintenance (trash, fence repair, and campground
    maintenance). This is one of only 3 National Forests using this
    program. Prisoners benefit by gaining work experience and receive
    certificates of appreciation upon release.

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-   Luke AFB, NM provides aerial photography on a reimbursable basis and
    itself uses aerial photography to determine impacts of changing,
    adjacent land uses on the facility.

-   The Albuquerque Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical Research
    Pharmacy Coordinating Center partners with the Department of Health
    and Human Services and the DOD in doing medically related research
    to address the needs of America\'s veterans.

-   The Department of Labor, Albuquerque Job Corp Center has worked with
    Federal, State and local agencies to provide manpower to accomplish
    trades related work such as basic electrical, plumbing, masonry,
    concrete and other general maintenance skills and trades.

-   The Department of the Interior\'s BIA, Santa Fe Indian School has
    developed direct working relationships with other Government
    agencies such as the Department of Energy\'s Los Alamos and Sandia
    National Laboratories. In addition, they have developed
    relationships with the private sector (Intel) to provide for student
    internships, use of excess equipment, and in some instances funding
    to upgrade the school that was built in 1890.

######## Real/Personal Property Disposal

-   The Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center in Phoenix recently donated
    some excess trailers to a state agency. The Navy used the
    installation of these trailers at the new site as a training
    opportunity for Seabee Reservists.

-   The Department of the Interior\'s Bureau of Reclamation in Santa Fe
    has been able to avoid stockpiling older, excess computers and other
    personal property items by donating and transferring them to the
    Bureau of Indian Affairs.

-   Department of the Interior\'s Bureau of Reclamation in Santa Fe has
    been able to donate its excess computers to the local school
    systems. This reduces the storage problems we have seen at other
    agencies that have not been able to streamline the process of
    disposing of their excess personal property.

######## Space Use

-   The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has leased two modular buildings to
    house the offices and workshop of the District Ranger Station at
    Tonto National Forest. The station had been located in the nearby
    town, but land development and rental rates became too high for the
    USFS. USFS plans to sell some parcels of land and use funds to
    construct a small facility on land already owned (involving special
    legislation). This process has enabled the USFS to maintain its
    presence on parkland and within reasonable cost. The current plan is
    to have a permanent facility constructed during FY2002.

-   The Forest Service Fire Fighters in the Tonto National Forest have
    been able to accomplish several unfunded projects during \"down
    time" while between actually fighting forest fires. Using the
    additional seasonal staff during the "down time" the agency has been
    able to level and pave an area around a helipad, to install lighting
    around the helipad, and to erect an 18x45 Butler Building.

-   Because of the distance to the nearby town, the Tonto National
    Forest Ranger Station has installed a large gas-storage tank for
    fueling government vehicles. This has saved both staff-hours and
    vehicle usage in commuting to and from town for fuel.

-   Shifting demand of base supply from warehouse to direct order using
    the Government credit cards has resulted in excess warehousing space
    at Luke AFB, AZ. The Air Force is redesigning the excess space to
    house more efficient and much needed supply functions that must be
    maintained on base.

-   In Phoenix, the alignment of several Bankruptcy courtrooms within
    the same corridor provides for the efficient and effective use of
    shared public space.

-   The Phoenix Bankruptcy Court is part of a pilot project to reduce
    the number of hard copy documents and corresponding requirement for
    storage space needed by having its library and records stored
    electronically. Future research will be conducted not in libraries
    but at computer workstations. This will significantly reduce the
    number of hardcopy books being printed and the corresponding need
    for space and shelving to hold them.

-   The Albuquerque NWS operates 24 hours a day and relies on the use of
    computers and other electronic equipment. For its purposes, and
    because of the rapid developments in technology, the NWS must be
    able to make equipment changes without major impacts to its ongoing
    operations. To accomplish this, the NWS has incorporated a raised
    floor system throughout most of its operational office space. This
    flooring system enables the agency to change data and other wiring
    components without major space renovations.

-   The Department of the Interior University in Albuquerque maintains a
    training facility in Albuquerque. The director of this facility is a
    member of a local Federal Interagency Training Council which enables
    the local Federal agencies to identify, inventory and schedule
    conference and training space in the Albuquerque area.

-   The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Albuquerque Medical Center
    is located adjacent to Kirtland AFB. The VA and Air Force share use
    of the facility. The Air Force contributes funding for the emergency
    department. The Medical Center also houses a clinic for the
    personnel housed and working at Kirtland AFB.

-   The Firing Range located at Kirtland AFB, NM is shared with other
    Federal agencies as well as local law enforcement agencies for
    small-arms live-fire training.

-   The mission of the Department of the Interior BIA is to serve the
    Native American community. In Santa Fe, BIA's Indian School has
    permitted the Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health
    Service to construct and operate a hospital on its land. While not a
    direct function of the Indian School, this joint operation by two
    agencies represents a successful integration of two agencies\'
    functions to better serve their target clientele.

-   Due to recent downsizing, the Department of the Interior\'s Bureau
    of Reclamation (BOR) in Santa Fe entered into an agreement with the
    USFS, allowing them use of the excess space. This arrangement has
    worked well and USFS has been able to share some common function
    areas such as mail, supply and copier space. USFS has indicated that
    it would like to collocate with BOR when the agency's lease expires
    in the next couple of years.

-   The Albuquerque Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical Research
    Pharmacy Coordinating Center was specifically designed with an area
    devoted to small work stations for each employee that works within
    the laboratory areas. This allows a safe, quiet place for workers to
    complete supporting paperwork, as well as collaborate with
    colleagues. In addition, this space which is located in the central
    part of the building, uses skylights to bring the benefits of
    daylighting to this area.

######## Environmental Issues

-   Luke AFB, AZ has established a central control point for tracking
    and managing hazardous materials on base. This single control point
    has allowed for more efficient inventory management and effective
    control of regulated materials.

-   In 1998, Luke AFB began a transformation to a total use of
    xeriscaping (native plants with low watering requirements). This
    change has been effective in reducing water usage on base.

-   GSA has created a landscaping project at the Phoenix Federal
    Building/U.S. Courthouse involving the introduction of mature,
    desert trees in a concrete plaza space and the conversion of mesic
    (requiring moderate watering) landscaping to xeric or xeriphytic
    (plants with low watering needs) to conserve water and minimize
    maintenance and pest control requirements

-   The new U.S. Post Office in Corrales, NM was completed and occupied
    in late 1999 using environmentally friendly and energy efficient
    materials. Construction of the outside walls includes the use of
    "straw bale construction." The bales of straw serve to improve the
    insulating properties of the building. Gas consumption to run the
    HVAC has been reduced from an average of \$300/month in the former
    facility to approximately \$40/month at this newer facility. To
    further highlight the efficiency, the former Post Office was
    approximately half the size of the new one.

-   The interior ceramic floor tiles of the new U.S. Postal Office in
    Corrales, NM are made of recycled glass and the use of permeable
    concrete pavers in the parking areas allows water to percolate
    through and minimizes rain run-off. Avoiding the use of asphalt in
    the parking areas also reduces heat radiation from the parking
    surface material.

######## Good Neighbor

-   The Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center in Phoenix recently completed
    some renovation work at its facilities. It was more efficient to
    clear the building while the work was done. As an interim measure,
    the Reserve Center leased space on weekends at a local elementary
    school, and as part of the lease agreement the Reservists did some
    grounds work and painting at the school. The Reservists were able to
    gain training experience, and due to the close proximity of the
    school, the Reserve Center\'s parking lot was used.

-   The Phoenix Bankruptcy Court is using electronic case filing and
    processing over the Internet. The use of this technology has reduced
    the number of people that need to come to the building and makes the
    process available 24 hours a day.

-   All the bureaus of the Department of the Interior in Albuquerque use
    volunteers at their public sites to supplement limited staffing.

-   Kirtland AFB personnel are working with Rehabilitation Services and
    Veterans Programs (RSVP), a non-profit organization, to provide
    training and jobs to homeless veterans who have been treated and
    released from the Veterans Hospital. RSVP will fund and construct a
    training facility on the air base. After completion of training, the
    Air Force will employ the veterans on base.

-   The Department of Agriculture, USFS and Department of Interior,
    Bureau of Reclamation in Santa Fe co-sponsor a non-profit Public
    Lands Information Center on the first floor of this location. The
    Public Lands Interpretative Association provides free information on
    all facets of public land access and use, including Federal, state
    and local government land areas. The office manager has access to a
    wide database of contacts and provides one-stop shopping including
    the issuance of hunting and fishing licenses. The organization has a
    web site at [www.publiclands.org](http://www.publiclands.org/).

-   The BIA Santa Fe Indian School located at 1501 Cerrillos Road, has
    incorporated the focus of the local community plan in its long range
    operations plan to better serve the Native American population's
    needs for training and education.

######## Building Utilities

-   The Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical Research Pharmacy
    Coordinating Center uses magnetic flashlights that are attached to
    the metal doorframes of individual storage areas. This allows for
    quick access to remote rooms without having to wait for the sodium
    vapor ceiling lamps to achieve full power.

**[Information Sharing]{.underline}**

-   GSA has formed a task force that meets with representatives of the
    State, County and City governments on a quarterly basis to discuss
    issues of mutual concern within the Capitol District and adjacent
    areas. This collaborative relationship helps to ensure ongoing
    communication among multiple levels of government with similar
    interests.

For more information on the GRPIS program or any of the best practices
mentioned above, please contact either Mr. Gary Jordon at 202-501-1219
or via e-mail at gary.jordon@gsa.gov or Mr. Bob Harding at 202-1411 or
via e-mail at bob.harding@gsa.gov.

(photo of The GRPIS Team: Michael Mulloy, Bob Harding, Sheldon
Greenberg, Gary Jordon)

##### Tools and Models

**Web Building Engineering Report**

***GSA\'s NCR*** developed a web based building condition assessment
system, named the Web Building Engineering Report (BER). The web based
system allows NCR to prioritize, schedule, and complete the backlog of
repair and alteration work.

The Web BER:

-   provides a multi-level assessment of GSA owned and operated
    properties;

-   identifies building deficiencies;

-   develops budgets to correct the deficiencies and;

-   prioritizes the work to be done based on physical condition, amount
    of investment versus projected income, and life cycle analysis.

The Web BER contains 3 levels of analysis. The first level provides the
basic physical characteristics of the building, such as its size, number
of floors, tenants, and security level. The information is retrieved
directly from the GSA facility management information system. The Level
2 assessment consists of a web-based series of 26 questions that assess
the building systems. The survey is simple enough that buildings
management staff can complete it. Based on the information provided in
the first 2 levels, the Portfolio Management staff can determine which
buildings require a more detailed level 3 analysis. The level 3
assessment, which is a series of 37 questions, is completed on the Web
by building engineers and technicians after a physical inspection of the
building. A certain number of level 3 buildings are then identified to
have a complete level 4 assessment, which entails a comprehensive
Building Engineering Report, that is performed by professional
architects and engineers.

The Web BER allows managers to analyze the inventory and its repair
needs by type of building, type of deficiency, age of the building, and
building systems. The Web BER and other technical advances have cut in
half the cost of completing these inventory assessments.

For additional information, contact Mr. Joe Lawler at 202-205-2371 or
via e-mail at joe.lawler@gsa.gov.

(photo of sample webpage from Web BER)

PMT Exec

***GSA\'s NCR*** developed a web based project information system that
tracks the schedule, budget, and status of major capital projects in the
Region. The system provides real time project information that can be
accessed by employees throughout the Region. The summary reports and
forms serve as the basis for management and project review meetings.

The PMT Exec has significantly reduced the administrative time and cost
of compiling and producing weekly reports, since they can now be
accessed real time via the Internet. NCR estimates that the system has
paid for itself during the first year of implementation.

For additional information, contact Mr. Stephen Hagan at 202-260-3400 or
via e-mail at stephen.hagan@gsa.gov.

(photo of sample webpage from PMT Exec)

## **GSA's Telework Model**

***GSA's New England Region*** developed a telework model that is being
implemented throughout the Region. Telework program developers,
researchers, and advocates are always on the lookout for effective new
practices that advance the telework movement. The Region recently
reported the telework model to be a success. The telework program is
built upon some interesting new practices:

-   The telework program was developed and operated by a
    cross-functional committee with representatives from the executive
    committee, human resources, legal, systems administration, union,
    and employees.

-   The Region hired a professional facilitator to conduct an in-depth
    meeting with managers to gauge reactions and prepare
    recommendations.

-   The Region conducted a region-wide exercise in which they "turned
    the normal telework equation on its head." Employee groups were
    asked to justify why their work should be performed at the (main)
    office (as opposed to an alternate/remote worksite). Based on this,
    each work group developed its own telework plan and protocols.

Was all this successful? The Region surpassed its own telework goal (10
percent) and report 23 percent of eligible workers participating in
telework. During the time the program has been in operation, 'the region
has been recognized for outstanding performance in a number of areas.'
After beginning with 'significant skepticism,' managers in the Region
agreed to continue and expand the program. And, of course, the
teleworkers are highly positive about the program.

For additional information, contact Mr. Pat Halley at 617-565-5862 or
via e-mail at pat.halley@gsa.gov.

**Retail Tenant Services Desk Guide**

***GSA's Retail Tenant Services Center of Expertise*** (RTS) developed
and published the RTS Desk Guide to enhance both the Outleasing and
Concessions sides of PBS's real property portfolio. Using clear and
concise language, the guide explains the rules and processes governing
both programs and provides asset management tools. As a result, the
guide instructs land-owning agencies in methods to increase revenue for
their properties, primarily through retention of proceeds from disposal
and outleasing. The guide provides benefits to GSA, as well as other
federal agencies with real property management responsibilities.

This initiative has resulted in reinterpretation of the legal
authorities available for outleasing. By using the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 and/or the Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act
of 1976, agencies may deposit all proceeds generated from outleasing
into the Federal Buildings Fund. This initiative has increased income
from outleasing by 83.7 percent from FY 1998 to FY 2000.

For additional information, contact Mr. Joseph Nickerson at 617-565-6727
or via e-mail at joe.nickerson@gsa.gov.

##### Management/Process Improvement

# Real Property in the New Millennium

***GSA's Office of Real Property*** has completed work on its *Real
Property in the New Millennium* report. The report provides Federal real
property managers with strategic information and data to help them
prepare for future real property challenges in the next 10 years. The
document focuses on unique trends that affect the design, construction,
management and utilization of office buildings and workspace of the
future. Information for this effort is based on the efforts of a project
team and a contractor that collaborated with and interviewed 38
representatives from 34 global organizations. Representatives included
managers from selected Federal, State and local governments;
professionals from real property management, information technology,
realty investments and human resources; plus experts from economists,
academia, futurists and fast track organizations.

In addition, the report has a model that forecasts the top 10 commercial
office markets in the U.S. that will experience market growth in real
estate during the 10-year period. GSA combines historical realty
information and data from Torto Wheaton Research with other
considerations such as absorption rates, office completions in the
model.

Furthermore, we identify the 10 largest commercial office markets in the
U.S. Included is a brief discussion that addresses how the markets will
change in the next 10 years.

In the future, we plan to conduct a second review that identifies how
the changes predicted in this report benefit the Federal real property
community. We will focus on what types of changes were implemented in
buildings and the workspace, and report on why some were chosen over
others.

For additional information, contact Mr. Ron Whitley at 202-501-1505 via
e-mail at ron.whitley@gsa.gov

Good Practices

***GSA\'s PBS*** created the Good Practices program to highlight the
processes and initiatives that have improved the organization's results
in its nine performance measures:

  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------
  Customer Satisfaction   Funds from Operations   Non-revenue Producing
                                                  Space

  Indirect Costs as a     Cleaning Costs Compared Maintenance Costs
  Percentage of Revenue   to Industry             Compared to Industry

  Leasing Costs Compared  Construction --         Construction --
  to Industry             Deviation from Budget   Construction on
                                                  Schedule
  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------

For each of the 9 measures, the Good Practices program has identified
regional offices, field offices, and specific facilities with superior
results and has documented the processes and practices that led to their
improvement. The goal is for other offices to use the Good Practices to
improve their operations.

Thus far, PBS has documented over 100 Good Practices and has established
an internal web site dedicated to accessing and publicizing these Good
Practices. In a survey of employees, two-thirds were aware of the
program, while one-third had applied one of the Good Practices in their
organization and had improved results.

For additional information, contact Mr. Henry Singer at 202-501-1447 or
via e-mail at henry.singer@gsa.gov.

**Linking Budget to Performance**

This nationwide program developed by ***GSA's PBS*** is based on
achievement of key business goals referred to as the "Big Nine" after
the nine performance areas that employees strive to meet or exceed by
the end of the year. The object is for employees to think more
creatively and try innovative ideas to better their performance. Regions
are awarded with increased budgets and individuals receive cash. The
result has been a shift in the way employees measure success. Instead of
focusing on the process of doing their day-to-day job, they now focus on
the quantitative measures of the outcomes and results. Employees are
working across organizational lines and have become stakeholders in
GSA's business, committed to maximizing performance. Linking Budget to
Performance has resulted in an 85 percent customer satisfaction rate, an
increase of 39 percent in funds from operations and revenues, and
additional income and savings to PBS of approximately \$400M since
implementation in mid-1998.

For additional information, contact Mr. Peter Ford at 202-501-0514 or
via e-mail atpeter.ford@gsa.gov.

**Evolution of the Realty Practice**

***GSA\'s PBS*** developed an initiative to address the changing role of
the Federal real estate professional. Recently in PBS, the number of
realty specialists had decreased, while their role has expanded. To
address this gap in workload capability, PBS focused on identifying
those activities that were decision-making versus task management.

PBS determined that its employees should make the decision-making
activities, while the task management activities could be outsourced.
The goal was to change the organization so it focused on the management
of the Government\'s business as opposed to the process to carry out
specific project results. The emphasis was shifted to the customer
relationship, and away from the contracts that delivered goods and
products to the customer.

The other critical piece to the evolution was measurement as an
indicator of success. PBS will use its customer satisfaction measures,
and the cost of leasing and delivering space to its tenants to determine
if the shift in focus was successful.

For additional information, contact Mr. Kevin Kampschroer at
202-501-4411 or via e-mail at kevin.kampschroer@gsa.gov.

**[Points of Contact]{.underline}**

##### 

##### Facility Management

## **First Impressions**

Mr. Alan Camp 303-236-7250 ext. 257 <alan.camp@gsa.gov>

**Facility and Property Inventory Reconciliation System**

Ms. Cora Jones 605-226-7343

**Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Life
Cycle Capital Planning**

Mr. Daniel B. Shirley 208-526-9905 shiredb@id.doe.gov

**Mail Presort**

Ms. Sallye Benecke 816-926-5016 sallye.benecke@gsa.gov

**Spatial Data Integrity Project**

Mr. Hal Piper 202-501-9096 hal.piper@gsa.gov

**Privatization of Army Utilities Systems**

Mr. John J. Krajewski 703-428-6170 john.krajewski@hqda.army.mil

**Space Verification Factor**

Mr. Kenneth Smith 253-931-7615

**Creating Incentives for Space Efficiency**

Mr. Volner S. Robertson 703-874-4800

**Continuous Operations during Asbestos Abatement**

Mr. Garner Duvall 301-457-6000 garner.duvall@gsa.gov

**Backfill Team**

Mr. Richard Heimlich 217-492-4279 richad.heimlich@gsa.gov

##### Information Sharing

##### 

##### GRPIS Study Best Practices

Mr. Gary Jordon 202-501-1219 gary.jordon@gsa.gov

Mr. Bob Harding 202-501-1411 bob.harding@gsa.gov

##### Tools and Models

**Web Building Engineering Report**

Mr. Joe Lawler 202-205-2371 joe.lawler@gsa.gov

PMT Exec

Mr. Stephen Hagan 202-260-3400 stephen.hagan@gsa.gov

## **GSA's Telework Model**

Mr. Pat Halley 617-565-5862 pat.halley@gsa.gov

**Retail Tenant Services Desk Guide**

Mr. Joseph Nickerson 617-565-6727 joe.nickerson@gsa.gov

##### Partnerships

**Community Outreach**

Ms. Nancy Garrett 317-226-5731 nancy.garrett@gsa.gov

U.S. Marshals Service -- Fannie Mae Partnership

Ms. Katherine Deoudes 202-307-9009 katherine.deoudes@usdoj.gov

**El Paso Border Station**

Ms. Shirley Rohmer 817-978-7096 shirley.rohmer@gsa.gov

**National Intelligent Workstation and Local Area Network Installation
Program**

Ms. Mulchand Lala 410-965-4948 mulchand.lala@ssa.gov

**GSA Memorandum of Understanding with Federal Occupational Health**

Mr. Dan Shipley 202-501-1968 dan.shipley@gsa.gov

**Civic Square II Project**

Mr. Edward J. Rynne, Jr. 703-526-2856 erynne1@email.usps.gov

**Canon City Service First Initiative**

Mr. Paul Trentzsch 719-269-8554 paul_Trentzsch@co.blm.gov

**USDA Collocation Initiative**

Mr. Mark T. Stratton 202-720-3671 mark.stratton@usda.gov

**Partnering for Performance**

Ms. Maria Conley 817-978-4230 maria.conley@gsa.gov

##### Energy Efficiency/Sustainability

**Energy Team**

Ms. Shirley Rohmer 817-978-7096 shirley.rohmer@gsa.gov

**Commonwealth of Massachusetts Environmentally Preferable Products
Procurement Program**

Mr. Eric Friedman 617 720-3351 eric.friedman@state.ma.us

**Environmentally Responsible and High Performance Building Guidelines**

Ms. Hillary Brown 718-391-1371

#### Austin Energy Sustainability Rating System

Mr. Marc Richmond-Powers 512-505-3701
marc.richmond-powers@austinenergy.com

**Building Green for the Future**

Ms. Debra Yap 202-501-4373 debra.yap@gsa.gov

**Planet GSA**

Ms. Johanna Roark 202-219-0965 johanna.roark@gsa.gov

**Renewable, Distributed, Electrical Generation**

Mr. Roman Piaskoski 617-565-4693 roman.piaskoski@gsa.gov

##### Disposal/Reuse

**Streamlined Real Property Disposal**

Ms. Laura Yeager 404-331-1142 laura.yeager@gsa.gov

**Reindustrialization Revitalizes Assets**

Ms. Susan Cange 865-576-0334 cangesm@oro.doe.gov

##### Contracting

**Construction Manager as Constructor**

Mr. Brian Kimsey 404-331-5330 brian.kimsey@gsa.gov

**Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract for
Construction & Repair/Alterations with Design Capabilities, Roofing and
Paving**

Ms. Shirley Rohmer 817-978-7096 shirley.rohmer@gsa.gov

**Global Site Search and Appraisal Services**

Mr. Keith Wilkie 703-516-1896 wilkiejk@state.gov

##### Management/Process Improvement

Good Practices

Mr. Henry Singer 202-501-1447 henry.singer@gsa.gov

**Evolution of the Realty Practice**

Mr. Kevin Kampschroer 202-501-4411 kevin.kampschroer@gsa.gov

# Real Property in the New Millennium

Mr. Ron Whitley 202-501-1505 ron.whitley@gsa.gov

**Linking Budget to Performance**

Mr. Peter Ford 202-501-0514 peter.ford@gsa.gov.

**[Partnerships]{.underline}**

**Community Outreach**

***GSA\'s Property Management Office*** in Indianapolis, IN has been an
active member in the Indianapolis Downtown Cleaning Advisory Committee
(IDCAC). The IDCAC has enabled GSA and its Federal tenants to form
alliances with the local government as well as the private sector.

The IDCAC mission focuses on improving the \"mile square\" area of
downtown Indianapolis. The group has been involved in activities to
clean and beautify the area. These activities include:

-   Developing a ***unified landscaping theme*** for public and private
    facilities in the downtown area.

-   Litter reduction through promotion of ***anti-litter campaigns***
    tied to special events, such as the NCAA Final Four.

-   Development of ***\"Direction Downtown,\"*** an effort to improve
    directional signage in the area.

-   Representation in the ***Indianapolis Events Advisory Board*** that
    notifies tenants and facility managers in downtown buildings of
    upcoming community events, parades, and festivals.

**(photo: Trash Hoops Anti-Litter Campaign, Indianapolis, IN)**

GSA\'s active participation has improved and created relationships with
the local government and the private sector. The IDCAC has also created
savings for the government through reduced facility operating costs
through the anti-litter campaign.

For additional information, contact Ms. Nancy Garrett at 317-226-5731 or
via e-mail at nancy.garrett@gsa.gov.

U.S. Marshals Service -- Fannie Mae Partnership

The ***U.S. Marshals Service (USMS)*** and ***Fannie Mae*** have
partnered in the disposition of certain residential properties that have
been forfeited to the USMS. Fannie Mae annually sells an estimated
22,000 pieces of residential properties nationally, using a network of
licensed brokers, contractors, appraisers, and attorneys. The USMS
became the first government agency to partner with Fannie Mae to dispose
of real property.

Once the property is referred to USMS, Fannie Mae handles all steps in
the disposition process, from the initial appraisal and inspection
through the disbursement of funds after closing has taken place. After
the initial pilot of 10 USMS district offices, the agency has since
expanded this partnership to 73 of its 94 district offices.

The partnership has allowed the USMS to focus on other critical areas
and programs of its forfeiture program and reduced the amount of time
spent on administrative property management functions. The partnership
also decreased the average disposal time from 1 year to 142 days, while
increasing the sales price as a percentage of the appraised value (from
85 percent to 91.2 percent).

For additional information, contact Ms. Katherine Deoudes at
202-307-9009 or via e-mail at katherine.deoudes@usdoj.gov.

**El Paso Border Station**

***GSA\'s Public Buildings Service*** worked with the City of El Paso
and the State of Texas to fund much needed improvements to the Bridge of
the Americas Port of Entry in El Paso. Since the passage of the North
American Free Trade Agreement, the traffic in goods and people at the
Mexican border has risen dramatically. Several existing border stations
are in need of modernization; however, the GSA lacks the available
funding to address these needs.

The Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) appropriated
funds to the Department of Transportation to make necessary improvements
at border stations along the Mexican border. The State of Texas and El
Paso had requested additional traffic inspection lanes and other
improvements to ease the flow of traffic into the United States.

GSA obtained funding for a portion of the upgrade to the Bridge of the
Americas Port of Entry. It then entered into a Memorandum of Agreement
with the State of Texas, by which the state would fund the remainder of
the project, using funding from the Federal Highway Administration
provided for under another section of the TEA-21. The success of this
effort can be seen by the fact that TEA-21 funding is being requested
for other projects at several border stations.

For additional information, contact Ms. Shirley Rohmer at 817-978-7096
or via e-mail at shirley.rohmer@gsa.gov.

**(photo: Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, El Paso, TX)**

**National Intelligent Workstation and Local Area Network Installation
Program**

***The Social Security Administration*** (SSA) partnered with ***GSA***
to develop plans for the installation of intelligent workstations (IWS)
and local area networks (LAN) at over 1,500 facilities nationwide.

The IWS and LAN were replacing outdated computer and furniture systems
being used across the country. GSA and SSA also had to upgrade the data
cables and power wiring to ensure that they would meet the distribution
capacity and service requirements of the new computer system. The two
agencies placed an emphasis on setting a consistent national standard,
ensuring that the work would be done correctly the first time, and would
be completed on time.

SSA was recognized recently for its efforts in conducting this 6-year
long installation project by receiving one of the Vice President's
Hammer Awards.

For additional information, contact Ms. Mulchand Lala at 410-965-4948 or
via e-mail at mulchand.lala@ssa.gov.

**GSA Memorandum of Understanding with Federal Occupational Health**

The **GSA Retail Tenant Services Center of Expertise** entered into an
MOU with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Federal
Occupational Health (FOH) division to provide nationwide sanitation
inspection services.

In an effort to maintain acceptable levels of sanitation in retail food
establishments operated in GSA-managed buildings, FOH sanitarians now
conduct inspections, thereby providing an alternative source to meet
inspection requirements. This innovative practice has produced immediate
results and enabled Retail Tenant Services Center of Expertise to
accomplish its goals and demonstrate the organization's commitment to
protecting its customers. GSA and FOH worked together to assure a smooth
transition and implementation of the program. The success of this
venture demonstrates that partnering with other public and private
sector organizations can result in the provision of better, cheaper, and
faster services to our clients.

For additional information, contact Mr. Dan Shipley at 202-501-1968 or
via e-mail at dan.shipley@gsa.gov.

**Civic Square II Project**

The ***U.S. Postal Service*** (USPS) partnered with the City of New
Brunswick on the development of Civic Square II, a four-story, 95,000
square foot structure housing a combination of federal, county and city
users. It is the first public/private partnership of its kind in the
State of New Jersey. The project creates a government district,
providing a bridge between the city's nearby cultural, academic, health
care and business sectors. It is expected to be a catalyst for
additional downtown revitalization, which is now dominated by the city's
public housing complex and scattered and abandoned stores and houses.

The USPS Realty Asset Management Group acted as an internal consultant
and contracting office by providing real estate expertise to identify,
analyze and maximize the return on underutilized or excess postal real
property assets. Based on previous development projects, the USPS
determined that implementation of a long term, unsubordinated ground
lease, with participation by the developer and/or lessee, often provided
the Postal Service with a financial return far exceeding that generated
by the simple sale of a property. At the same time, USPS received
improved operational space for its own needs, at either nominal or no
cost.

Financial benefits are evident in this project. Rather than expending
\$1.3 million to address a backlog of deferred maintenance items, USPS
realized \$2.2 million from the transaction in prepaid ground rent and a
temporary facility build-out allowance. Operations improved, as well as
customer satisfaction and employee morale and productivity.

For additional information, contact Mr. Edward J. Rynne, Jr., at
703-526-2856 or via e-mail at erynne1@email.usps.gov.

**(photo: Civic Square II, New Brunswick, NJ)**

**Canon City Service First Initiative**

The ***USFS*** and the ***Bureau of Land Management*** (BLM) have
combined forces to deliver improved customer services. In Canon City,
Colorado, the agencies have co-located visitor information services and
fire management operations. In San Luis Valley, Colorado, three
administrative geographical units have co-mingled staffs responsible for
both BLM and USFS lands. Duplication is avoided by sharing employees,
training sessions, equipment, warehouse and office space.

BLM and USFS have similar missions as stewards of 12 million acres of
public lands in Southern Colorado. By partnering, the agencies realized
there were opportunities to provide better and more convenient service
and to share resources for more cost-efficient delivery of services.

This partnership allowed both agencies to close two offices, warehouses
and "wareyards" (one USFS facility in Canon City and one BLM facility in
Alamosa). The big winner turns out to be the customer, who gets
"one-stop shopping" and better service.

For additional information, contact Mr. Paul Trentzsch at 719-269-8554
or via e-mail at paul_Trentzsch@co.blm.gov.

***(photo: Co-located Offices, Canon City, CO)***

**USDA Collocation Initiative**

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided to collocate
its three California offices in order to increase efficiency of
operations. The offices in Sacramento, Davis, and Woodland were
collocated to Davis. GSA was involved as the leasing agent.

The major emphasis of the reorganization was to streamline operations by
reducing the number of USDA offices, increasing use of shared resources,
and reducing paperwork requirements for clients (thereby becoming more
customer friendly). Data and information are shared through a single
LAN/Wide Area Network/Voice network, which saves money by reducing time
for data input. At the same time, customer satisfaction is increased by
eliminating the need for the same information to be supplied to each
agency separately. Other savings include reduced travel time between
offices, lower agency expenses since fewer vehicles are needed, greater
sharing of information, and sharing of office equipment and supplies.

Lease administration has been reduced for USDA and GSA by combining
personnel who were previously housed in one USDA lease and four GSA
leases. Sharing of common areas also reduced square footage
requirements. Those involved state that the success of this project was
due to top management commitment and careful planning to ensure cost
avoidance/savings through resource sharing.

For additional information, contact Mr. Mark T. Stratton at 202-720-3671
or via e-mail at mark.stratton@usda.gov.

**(photo: Albuquerque, New Mexico skyline)**

**Partnering for Performance**

**(photo: USDA Offices, Davis, CA)**

***GSA*** and the Albuquerque community partnered to benefit both
groups\--improve GSA business performance and accomplish community goals
through development of a real estate exchange. In order to effectively
partner with the community, the GSA Partnering for Performance Team
developed a strategic plan for the Albuquerque district. The team sought
to optimize downtown Albuquerque real estate value and performance. GSA
wanted to improve portfolio performance and meet policy goals, and the
City sought to increase tax revenue by revitalizing the downtown area.
At the time, no GSA/City strategic plan existed, nor had there been any
strategic collaboration efforts or real estate exchange agreements.

In the Exchange Agreement, GSA agreed to trade a federal historic
building (which had losses of \$200K per year, needed \$3M in
modernization, and had vacancy rates of 30-40%), a small surface parking
lot, and a small parking garage for a large City parking garage located
closer to other federal office buildings. In addition, the real estate
exchange provides for GSA to lease City garage parking space and lease
back the historic building until tenants are relocated to the other
federal space. The exchange meets a projected Federal tenant demand for
450 additional City parking spaces and avoids future losses of \$200K
per year and building modernization costs of \$3M on the historic
federal building.

In this win-win situation, GSA was able to divest itself of costly
maintenance and modernization, meet customer needs, make funds available
for reinvestment in property retained in its portfolio, and in the end,
retain the proceeds (obtaining a parking garage of equal value) from the
real estate transferred out of federal ownership. The City was able to
move forward with its downtown revitalization plan and came out a
winner, too.

For additional information, contact Ms. Maria Conley at 817-978-4230 or
via e-mail at maria.conley@gsa.gov.

##### Energy Efficiency/Sustainability

**Commonwealth of Massachusetts Environmentally Preferable Products
Procurement Program**

***Massachusetts Operational Services Division*** (OSD) has developed an
Environmentally Preferable Product Procurement Program. The program has
established its own web site at:

http://www.magnet.state.ma.us/osd/enviro/enviro.htm

OSD wrote specifications, sent out the revised Request for Proposals for
comments, and incorporated the comments in their new procurements. They
also researched why people resisted switching to green products. The
reasons given include stubborn brand loyalty, ongoing deals with
suppliers, the fact that non-green products are not illegal - and
therefore cannot be banned, and that the cost, availability and
functionality of green products can also affect willingness to employ
them. Also, an \"owner's manual\" is essential for ensuring that green
procedures are understood and implemented.

For additional information, contact Mr. Eric Friedman at 617-720-3351 or
via e-mail at
[eric.friedman@state.ma.us](../../../../../../../../PRIVATE/OGP/ChristopherJConeeney/Chris/eric.friedman@state.ma.us)

**Energy Team**

***GSA\'s Greater Southwest Region*** created an Energy Team to
implement innovative practices and initiatives designed to reduce energy
consumption throughout the Regional inventory.

The team developed several contracting tools and energy practices that
have saved the Region millions of dollars. By directly procuring an
Energy Savings Performance Contract for the Region, a cost avoidance of
\$15 million was created. The savings over the next year from these
energy contracts are estimated at over \$32 million.

The team began by identifying \"energy hog buildings\" that use
excessive amounts of energy relative to other similar buildings and
locations. The team then developed schedules and plans to prioritize
energy upgrades to these facilities.

In addition to the reduced energy consumption these upgrades have
created, the Region also improved their customer satisfaction scores in
these facilities. These upgrades also improved the appearance of the
facilities, complementing PBS\'s First Impressions initiative.

For additional information, contact Ms. Shirley Rohmer at 817-978-7096
or via e-mail at shirley.rohmer@gsa.gov.

#### Austin Energy Sustainability Rating System

***Austin Energy*** introduced a residential, five-star rating system
that now results in higher profits for developers following their
guidelines. The City of Austin\'s Green Building Program has encouraged
construction professionals and consumers to incorporate sustainable
building practices, systems, and materials into residential and
commercial construction.

The city is preparing a commercial office guide that can be accessed on
the Internet at:

http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/contents.html

For additional information, contact Mr. Marc Richmond-Powers at
512-505-3701 or via e-mail at marc.richmond-powers@austinenergy.com. You
can access Austin Energy's web site at:

http://www.electric.austin.tx.us/environment/index.html

**Environmentally Responsible and High Performance Building Guidelines**

The ***New York City (NYC) Department of Design and Construction***
developed a set of guidelines designed to bring awareness of green
design to NYC's building procurement process. These guidelines are also
an excellent resource for anyone working to incorporate environmental
principles into commercial buildings.

Through a series of initiatives undertaken over the last few years, New
York City has begun to lay the groundwork for introducing energy and
resource efficient attributes selectively into its public facilities
construction programs. Policy makers hope to capitalize on the economic
and environmental benefits of green buildings now better understood
through exemplary demonstration projects across the country.

A copy of the guidelines can be located at:

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/ddc/pdf/greentoc.pdf

For additional information, contact Ms. Hillary Brown at 718-391-1371.

**Building Green for the Future**

***GSA's PBS*** launched a comprehensive Sustainable Design Strategy to
incorporate sustainable principles into all of its business practices.
These include siting, planning, design, construction, repair,
alteration, leasing and deconstruction of federal facilities. PBS was
recognized for its efforts by receiving one of the 2000 GSA Achievement
Awards for Real Property Innovation in the Best Policy category.

PBS was driven by their sense of stewardship and business imperatives,
recognizing the interrelationship between the built environment and the
community. Equally important was providing customers with healthy,
productive and environmentally benign workplaces.

**Build Green** features include:

-   Reuse of existing space and materials

-   Increased use of daylighting

-   Reduced energy consumption

-   Use of environmentally preferable building materials and maintenance
    products

-   Quality indoor environments

PBS' strategy was to target three areas---commitment at the strategic
level (top-down), processes, and people (bottom-up). Top-down commitment
came from the PBS Commissioner. Short, middle and long range goals were
developed, including increased purchase and use of products made with
recycled materials; reduction, reuse and recycling of construction and
demolition debris, and incorporation of sustainable design principles
into all capital projects. Pertinent documents and processes were
identified and modified accordingly.

In a departure from traditional strategies, most of the efforts were
focused on people. An incentive program aptly entitled "Demolition
Derby" was developed to achieve the goal of construction waste
management.

An extensive education and training program was undertaken and targeted
at working level regional personnel. A sustainability matrix was
developed to assist professionals in recognizing opportunities to Build
Green. The web-based Whole Building Design Guide, which can be accessed
at www.wbdg.org, is a tool available to all interested parties in the
federal community and in industry.

The most significant achievement has been the incorporation of the Build
Green policy into PBS business processes. Notably, the Heartland Region
developed a comprehensive regional plan for Build Green that was
recognized at the White House Closing the Circle Award Ceremony and in a
letter from the Vice President of the United States.

PBS has demonstrated that Build Green can be successfully incorporated
into any organization and can be achieved without higher costs. As PBS
states, "Sustainable design is good design---buildings that make sense,
are responsive to the environment and have a lesser impact on the
environment."

For additional information, contact Ms. Debra Yap at 202-501-4373 or via
e-mail at debra.yap@gsa.gov.

**(Team photo: Pictured front row left to right:Robert A. Peck,
Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration;
Lee Salviski (Award Recipient); Debra Yap (Award Recipient); David Eakin
(Award Recipient); Donald Horn (Award Recipient).**

**Back row left to right: G. Martin Wagner, Associate Administrator,
Office of Governmentwide Policy, General Services Administration;
Thurman Davis,**

**Deputy Administrator, General Services Administration.)**

**Planet GSA**

On Earth Day 1998, ***GSA*** announced a new initiative to protect the
environment. It is based on the goals of:

-   [Buying Green]{.underline}: GSA promotes the purchase of recycled,
    energy-efficient, and environmental products and services, and
    encourages reuse of products.

-   [Building Green]{.underline}: GSA builds, modernizes and alters
    federal facilities using sustainable design principles.

-   [Driving Green]{.underline}: GSA promotes and expands the fleet of
    alternative fueled vehicles (AFV's) and promotes commuting
    strategies such as carpooling and telework.

-   [Saving Green]{.underline}: GSA promotes energy and water
    conservation in federal facilities and use of renewable energy
    sources and emerging technologies.

-   [Managing Green]{.underline}: Planet GSA recognizes other
    environmental activities that our employees are involved in, such as
    recycling, environmental remediation, pollution prevention, and our
    Urban Livability and Good Neighbor Programs.

To meet the goal of environmental protection, GSA is partnering with its
customer agencies. Twelve federal agencies and the United Nations have
signed Memorandums of Agreements with GSA and discussions with
additional agencies and private sector companies are in the works. In
addition, a "Greening Small Businesses" initiative to encourage vendors
with environmental products to get on the GSA schedule is underway.

For additional information, contact Ms. Johanna Roark at 202-219-0965 or
via e-mail at johanna.roark@gsa.gov. You can access the Planet GSA web
site at: http://www.gsa.gov/planetgsa.

**(photo: David Skaggs Research Center (NOAA), Boulder, CO)**

**Renewable, Distributed, Electrical Generation**

***GSA's New England Region*** negotiated an MOU with Boston Edison to
develop a benchmark solar project; a building integrated solar array,
which is actually part of the roof and integrated with the
building/utility electric grid. The J.F. Williams Federal Building in
Boston, MA, which had been one of the Region's highest cost per square
foot buildings, became the recipient of a U.S. Department of Energy
"Million Solar Roofs" grant for \$150,000. The opportunity to retrofit
the building occurred when the building's dilapidated roof was scheduled
for replacement. In order to provide public information on the project,
a kiosk was placed in the lobby. It provides energy, weather, historical
data, and solar energy information. The kiosk provides a valuable
educational resource, as numerous web sites are linked.

Not only has the solar array been able to provide roughly one-third of
the electricity demand charges at the site; additionally, the amount of
air born pollutants has been reduced. GSA demonstrated a leadership role
by showing that renewable energy can be incorporated into an existing
structure during routine maintenance replacement or repairs. The project
was recognized as a winner in both the Fourth Annual GSA Environmental
Awards Program and the Department of Energy's program, and was submitted
for consideration as a finalist for the prestigious White House "Closing
the Circle" awards.

For additional information, contact Mr. Roman Piaskoski at 617-565-4693
or via e-mail at roman.piaskoski@gsa.gov.

##### Contracting

**Construction Manager as Constructor**

***GSA's Southeast Sunbelt Region*** has used the Construction Manager
as Constructor (CMc) for several new construction projects throughout
the Region. The CMc is a company under contract to the Federal
government to provide design review, cost estimating, scheduling and
other general construction services. The company, which works directly
for the government, serves as a member of the GSA project development
team during the planning, design, and construction phases of the
project. The CMc provides a wide variety of design and construction
services that is often performed by the construction manager and general
contractors.

The Region modified the CMc delivery approach to use Fixed Price
Incentive or Fixed Price Successive Targets contracts. These contracts
establish a "not to exceed" price, while placing the responsibility and
risk on the CMc to deliver the project within the available funds. These
types of contracts also include incentives for the CMc, so that it
receives some share of the savings that would result from excellent
management of the project. The Greeneville, TN, Courthouse is the first
project to be constructed using this new model of CMc.

For additional information, contact Mr. Brian Kimsey at 404-331-5330 or
via e-mail at brian.kimsey@gsa.gov.

**(photo: U.S. Courthouse, Greeneville, TN)**

**Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract for
Construction & Repair/Alterations with Design Capabilities, Roofing and
Paving**

Longer term, multiple award indefinite quantity contracts (IQC) provide
an overall strategic business opportunity in terms of cost savings,
workload reduction, faster purchasing cycle, and improved customer
satisfaction. ***GSA's*** ***Greater Southwest Region*** devised an
innovative approach to contracting. It was determined that an estimated
five million dollars could be saved in administrative costs alone in the
Region by instituting longer term, multiple award IQC for construction,
roofing, and paving. The business strategy was to operate more like the
private sector and take advantage of recently implemented changes in
federal contracting that provided an opportunity for growth.

The program adheres to the 1994 Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act,
which emphasizes long-running delivery-order contracts rather than
competing each buy and promotes multiple awards rather than single ones.
Generation of cash flow from usage is an additional benefit. This
project changed the acquisition culture by providing the multiple
benefits of cost savings, partnering, knowledge sharing, easy access to
acquisition services, flexibility and responsiveness to customers, and
increased client satisfaction.

For additional information, contact Ms. Shirley Rohmer at 817-978-7096
or via e-mail at shirley.rohmer@gsa.gov.

**Global Site Search and Appraisal Services**

The ***State Department*** was faced with the need to implement an
expedited schedule to develop potential new sites for embassies and
consulates around the world, as a result of the bombings of U.S.
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. A new approach to site searches was
developed by using Global Real Estate Service Providers, with Basic
Ordering Agreements (BOA) as the contracting vehicle. Previously,
Federal Buildings Operations personnel and U.S. Embassy or Consulate
officials in the host country conducted site searches. Problems arose
with consistency, level of expertise, regulations, etc. The new system
has resulted in consistent, objective, and complete reporting on
properties for potential acquisition.\
\
In a matter of weeks, the scope of work and the BOA were developed and
agreements executed. Previously, traditional contracting methods used
for the same services took four months. Costs, as well as time, are
saved. The need for large teams and multiple site visits has been
eliminated. The State Department is finding that the program more than
pays for itself!

For additional information, contact Mr. Keith Wilkie at 703-516-1896 or
via e-mail at wilkiejk@state.gov.

=============================================================

(survey front page)

**[PUBLICATION SURVEY]{.underline}**

**Real Property Policysite: Best Practices Edition**

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**U S GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION**

**OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTWIDE POLICY**

**1800 F ST NW**

**WASHINGTON DC 20405-0001**

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**U S GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION**

**OFFICE OF REAL PROPERTY (MPE)**

**OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTWIDE POLICY**

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**WASHINGTON DC 20405-0001**

##### Disposal/Reuse

**Streamlined Real Property Disposal**

The ***U.S. Coast Guard*** (USCG) and ***GSA's Public Building
Service*** partnered in the streamlined disposition of 24 lighthouse
properties, in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Southern coast
of the United States, that had been identified as excess. The USCG did
not have the resources to complete 24 separate reports of excess (ROE)
for each lighthouse property being excessed.

GSA eliminated unnecessary or repetitive steps in the ROE process.
Normally, the agency and GSA would each inspect the property being
excessed. Now the second inspection is eliminated and the two agencies
split the costs for one inspection. GSA and the USCG also eliminated
duplicative National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) consultations.
This reduced the cost for site inspections and environmental studies by
50 percent. The USCG estimates that the streamlined process cut the
disposal time of these lighthouses by one year and created a cost
avoidance of \$285,000 per year in maintenance costs for these
properties.

In addition, organizations consulted under NEPA and historic
preservation laws are sent a single list containing all the properties
for their review. This change has shortened response time dramatically.
GSA's Regional office has also standardized and computerized several
parts of the ROE process that further reduced the preparation time.

The USCG was so impressed that GSA has presented the streamlined
disposal model to its offices in Alameda, CA and Providence, RI. GSA is
also using the streamlined ROE process to dispose of its own properties
in two other Regional offices.

For additional information, contact Ms. Laura Yeager at 404-331-1142 or
via e-mail at laura.yeager@gsa.gov

**(photo: Amelia Island Lighthouse, Fernandina Beach, FL)**

**Reindustrialization Revitalizes Assets**

The ***Department of Energy's*** (DOE) Oak Ridge Reindustrialization
Program is at the forefront of DOE efforts to reuse expansive amounts of
government real property by seeking private sector applications. These
efforts have extended the life of underutilized assets and saved
millions of taxpayer dollars. The combination of the end of the Cold War
and declining federal budgets left a legacy of underutilized facilities,
equipment, and materials, many of which were chemically contaminated and
awaiting disposition through DOE's Decontamination and Decommissioning
(D&D) Program. Reindustrialization is an innovative method to accomplish
D&D of underutilized facilities, equipment, and materials, and make them
available for productive use by the commercial sector. The East
Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) is being transformed through
reindustrialization into a self-sustaining private sector industrial
park where commercial tenants lease DOE facilities and equipment. The
goal is to deindustrialize ETTP by 2010, and give the site new life as a
home to a wide range of commercial businesses.

To date, achievements include:

-   Reuse of over one million square feet of building space through
    leasing (avoiding the high cost of utilities, maintenance, and in
    some cases, decontamination).

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-   Recycling of over 17,000 metric tons of materials and equipment at a
    cost savings of nearly \$15.5 million to the taxpayer.

-   Lease of the Horizon Center's site infrastructure to the Community
    Reuse Organization of East Tennessee has resulted in a cost savings
    of nearly \$93 million.

Specific initiatives include fixed price and no cost D&D contracts, and
lease-barter arrangements.

For additional information, contact Ms. Susan Cange at 865-576-0334 or
via e-mail at cangesm@oro.doe.gov.

(back newsletter cover)

**U.S. General Services Administration**

GSA Office of Governmentwide Policy

Evaluation and Outreach Division (MPE)

1800 F Street, NW

Washington, DC 20405

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**(photo: EPA Regional Office Building, Kansas City, MO)**