FEDERAL REAL 

PROPERTY

Agencies Make Some 

Use of Telework in 

Space Planning but 

Need Additional 

Guidance 

Report to Congressional Requesters

March 2018

GAO-18-319

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-18-319, a report to 

congressional requesters

March 2018

FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY

Agencies Make Some Use of Telework in Space 

Planning but Need Additional Guidance

What GAO Found

The 23 civilian Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Act agencies reported various ways 

of considering and using telework as a space-planning tool, by, for example, 

implementing desk-sharing for employees who telework in order to relinquish 

leased space, or increasing the number of staff working in an existing space

without increasing its size. All of the 23 agencies discussed telework in the 

context of space planning and achieving greater space efficiencies in either their 

space-planning documents or Real Property Efficiency Plans. The agencies that 

used telework as a space-planning tool generally reported implementing smaller 

or unassigned workstations.

Three of the four agencies GAO reviewed in greater detail––the General 

Services Administration (GSA); the Office of Justice Programs at the Department 

of Justice; the Centers for Disease Control at the Department of Health and 

Human Services; and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service at the Department of the 

Treasury––leveraged telework to reduce or use office space more efficiently. For 

example, GSA and the Office of Justice Programs used telework to 

accommodate more employees in a smaller office space as illustrated in figure 1 

below. The Centers for Disease Control used telework to accommodate more 

employees in the same amount of space. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

reduced space without telework by reducing the size of individual workstations. 

Figure 1: A Telework Scenario That Can Increase Space Efficiency or Reduce Space

The 23 civilian CFO Act agencies reported several challenges in using telework 

to reduce space including human capital issues, mission suitability, and 

measuring cost savings attributable to telework. About two-thirds of the agencies 

said they would find it helpful to have additional information, assistance, or

resources in using telework as a space-planning tool. GSA provides guidance to 

improve space utilization. However, GAO found that GSA last developed 

relevant formal guidance in 2006. This information, and that on GSA’s telework 

and space-planning websites, was neither specific nor detailed and therefore of 

limited assistance to agencies that would like to use telework as a spaceplanning tool. Additionally, GSA’s space-planning tool—the Workplace 

Investment and Feasibility Tool, intended to help agencies quantify the benefits 

and costs of telework––remains under development after more than 4 years, and 

GSA officials have not decided whether to make the tool available to other 

federal agencies. As such, agencies reported that they lack adequate guidance 

to determine how best to reduce space or use it more efficiently, and how to 

assess the benefits and costs of using telework in space planning.

View GAO-18-319. For more information, 

contact Lori Rectanus at (202) 512-2834 or 

rectanusl@gao.gov.

Why GAO Did This Study

Federal agencies are exploring ways to 

use telework as a tool to reduce the 

federal footprint and use space more 

efficiently. GAO was asked to examine 

the effects of telework on agencies’ 

space-planning efforts. In this report, 

GAO reviewed: (1) how the 23 civilian 

CFO Act agencies reported using

telework in office space planning; (2) 

the specific ways selected agencies 

and GSA used telework in their office 

space planning; and (3) any challenges

the civilian CFO Act agencies faced in 

using telework in office space planning.

GAO surveyed all 23 civilian CFO Act 

agencies, analyzed each agency’s

space-planning documents, and Real 

Property Efficiency Plans. GAO 

reviewed four agencies in greater 

detail based on analysis of telework 

data and other factors. For those four 

agencies GAO conducted site visits, 

interviewed officials, and analyzed 

agency documents. GAO also 

identified challenges agencies faced in 

using telework in space planning,

based on survey results, agency 

documents, and interviews.

What GAO Recommends

GSA concurred with recommendations

that GSA should: (1) develop guidance 

on how agencies can use telework as 

a strategic space-planning tool and 

make this guidance readily available

and (2) complete and make the 

Workplace Investment and Feasibility 

Tool available to federal agencies for 

use in assessing the benefits and costs

of telework.
Page i GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Letter 1

Background 3

Agencies Reported Various Ways of Considering and Using 

Telework as a Space Planning Tool 8

Three of the Four Agencies We Reviewed in Depth Leveraged 

Telework to Reduce or Use Office Space More Efficiently 11

Agencies Face Several Planning Challenges in Using Telework to 

Reduce Space 20

Conclusions 26

Recommendations for Executive Action 27

Agency Comments 27

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 30

Appendix II Selected Agency Case Study Profiles 34

Appendix III Comments from the General Services Administration 41

Appendix IV GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 42

Tables

Table 1: Civilian Chief Financial Officer Act Agencies that 

Reference Telework in Space Planning Documents 8

Table 2: Four Selected Agencies’ Use of Telework in Space 

Planning 12

Table 3: Agency-Reported Challenges to Using Telework as a 

Space-Planning Tool 20

Figures

Figure 1: Federal Executive Agencies’ Telework Participation 

Rates by Type of Telework Agreement, Fiscal Years 

2012 through 2015 4

Figure 2: Three Telework Scenarios and Office Space Impacts 7

Contents
Page ii GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 3: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Headquarters 

Office prior to (left) and after (right) New Space 

Standards 13

Figure 4: Office of Justice Programs’ Office Space prior to (left) 

and after (right) New Space Standards 16

Figure 5: Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health 

Statistics prior to (left) and after (right) New Space 

Standards in Hyattsville, MD 18

Figure 6: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Headquarters 

Office Space, Washington, D.C. 34

Figure 7: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Region 3 

Office Space, Philadelphia, PA 35

Figure 8: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Region 2 

Office Space, New York, NY 36

Figure 9: Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Office Space, 

Washington, D.C. 37

Figure 10: Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Center 

for Health Statistics (NCHS) Office Space, Hyattsville, 

MD 38

Figure 11: The Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s (Fiscal Service) 

Office Space, Washington, D.C. 39

Figure 12: The Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s (Fiscal Service) 

Office Space, Hyattsville, MD 40
Page iii GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Abbreviations

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

CFO Chief Financial Officer

DOJ Department of Justice

DOT Department of Transportation 

Fiscal Service Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

GSA General Services Administration 

HHS Department of Health and Human Services

HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development

NCHS National Center for Health Statistics 

OJP Office of Justice Programs 

OMB Office of Management and Budget 

OPM Office of Personnel Management 

SBA Small Business Administration

SSA Social Security Administration 

the Act the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 

USF useable square feet

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Page 1 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property 

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

March 22, 2018 

Congressional Requesters: 

The federal government is committed to the goal of reducing its real 

property footprint. As part of achieving this goal, the Office of 

Management and Budget’s (OMB) Reduce the Footprint Policy requires 

that federal agencies explore alternatives to acquiring more office space. 

One such alternative is telework, which can be used to reduce the 

number of personnel using onsite workspace,1 thereby reducing 

agencies’ space needs while continuing to fulfill missions. Already, nearly 

half of all eligible federal employees participate in telework programs.

You asked us to examine the impact of telework on space planning, 

including how agencies use telework to reduce space or realize other 

benefits. This report addresses:

• how the 23 civilian Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act agencies

reported using telework in office space planning;

• the specific ways selected agencies and the General Services

Administration (GSA) used telework in their office space planning; and

• any challenges the 23 civilian CFO Act agencies faced in using

telework in office space planning.

To determine how the civilian CFO Act agencies2 reported using telework 

in office space planning, we surveyed these agencies and analyzed their 

responses. We also obtained and analyzed these agencies’ space1

 OMB, Implementation of OMB Memorandum M-12-12 Section 3: Reduce the Footprint, 

Management Procedures Memorandum No. 2015-01 (Washington, D.C.: March 25, 

2015).

2

 “CFO Act agencies” refers to the 24 agencies listed in the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) 

Act of 1990, as amended. 31 U.S.C. § 901(b). We surveyed the 23 civilian CFO Act 

agencies. The Department of Defense is the 24th CFO Act agency—a non-civilian agency. 

Letter
Page 2 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

planning documents and Real Property Efficiency Plans3 to identify 

common themes and references to telework. To determine the specific 

ways agencies included telework in their office space planning, we 

selected and reviewed four agencies in greater detail. We selected a nongeneralizable sample of three sub-agencies4 as illustrative case studies 

with criteria such as an agency-level goal of using telework to reduce real 

estate costs, the rate of telework among employees, and range of size. 

The selected sub-agencies include: (1) Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

(Fiscal Service)—Department of the Treasury (Treasury); (2) Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS); and (3) Office of Justice Programs (OJP)—

Department of Justice (DOJ). We also selected GSA as a comparative 

example since it is responsible for providing space-planning guidance to 

client agencies and has experience using telework in space planning. For 

each of these case studies, we reviewed telework and space-planning 

documents; visited seven office locations with recent space reductions in 

New York City, Philadelphia, and the Washington, D.C., area; and 

interviewed knowledgeable agency officials. Information from these case 

studies is not generalizable to the universe of federal agencies.

To identify challenges agencies face in using telework in space planning, 

we reviewed agencies’ Real Property Efficiency Plans and analyzed 

responses to survey questions. Additionally, we selected two outside 

experts and four entities from the private sector for informational 

interviews based in part on our literature review and their experience with 

telework and the space-planning process. Statements made by 

knowledgeable federal officials, outside experts, and private sector

entities are not generalizable to the universe of civilian CFO Act agencies. 

Because GSA bears responsibility for government-wide space-planning 

 3 OMB’s Reduce the Footprint policy requires CFO Act agencies to prepare Five-Year 

Real Property Efficiency Plans on a rolling annual basis. According to the policy, these 

plans should describe agencies’ overall strategic and tactical approaches for managing 

their real property portfolios, including providing rationales and justifications for optimum 

portfolio size, identifying properties for disposal, improvements, and cost savings 

measures. OMB, Implementation of OMB Memorandum M-12-12 Section 3, Reduce the 

Footprint, Management Procedures Memorandum No. 2015-01 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 

25, 2015).

4 For the purpose of case study selection, we analyzed data from the Office of Personnel 

Management’s (OPM) Public Use 2014-2015 Telework Data Call. This data distinguishes 

between “agencies” (e.g., Department of Health and Human Services) and “sub-agencies”

(e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), which are sometimes referred to as 

“agency components.” For the purposes of this report, we refer to the selected subagencies as “selected agencies.”
Page 3 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

guidance, we also reviewed and analyzed the guidance it has developed 

and available information on its telework and space- planning websites. 

We compared GSA’s guidance and website information to relevant 

statutory requirements and federal internal controls standards related to 

external communication (see app. 1 for additional details on our scope 

and methodology).

We conducted this performance audit from January 2017 to March 2018 

in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained for this review provides a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Implementing Telework: The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (the 

Act) establishes telework implementation requirements for agencies, 

including, for example, that each agency designate a Telework Managing 

Officer and that each agency incorporate telework into its continuity of 

operations plans.5 The Act does not mention telework specifically in the 

context of space planning. The Act also requires the Office of Personnel 

Management (OPM) to assess whether agencies have met agencyestablished telework outcome goals such as real estate savings. 6 It also 

requires OPM to

• submit reports that include executive agencies’ goals for increasing 

telework participation to the extent practicable,

 5 Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-292, 124 Stat. 3165.

6 Legislation enacted in 2000 (Pub. L. No. 106-346, 114 Stat. 1356, 1356A-36 (2000)) 

required executive agencies “to establish a policy under which eligible employees of the 

agency may participate in telecommuting to the greatest extent possible without 

diminished employee performance.” In addition, legislation enacted in 2004 (Pub. L. No. 

108-199, 118 Stat. 3, 99 (2004)) required Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary and the 

Small Business Administration to “each establish a policy under which eligible employees 

may participate in telecommuting to the maximum extent possible without diminished 

employee performance.”

Background

Federal Requirements for 

Implementing Telework 

and Reducing Space
Page 4 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

• assist each agency with developing qualitative- and quantitativeteleworking measures and goals, and

• track telework eligibility and participation rates across the government.

According to OPM telework information from fiscal year 2012 through

fiscal year 2015, the percentage of federal workers eligible to telework 

remained stable at about 45 percent, on average. However, during the 

same period, the percentage of eligible employees who participated in 

telework increased from 29 percent to 46 percent.7 Figure 1 shows the 

frequency of telework across the federal government from fiscal years 

2012 through 2015 by type of telework.8

Figure 1: Federal Executive Agencies’ Telework Participation Rates by Type of 

Telework Agreement, Fiscal Years 2012 through 2015

 7 These figures include telework under all forms of telework agreements such as those for 

situational and scheduled telework agreements. 

8 The 2010 Act requires OPM to report on the progress and status each executive agency 

is making in implementing the Act. 
Page 5 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Reducing Space: OMB issued the National Strategy for the Efficient Use 

of Real Property and the Reduce the Footprint policy in 2015, which 

require all CFO Act agencies to improve the efficiency of real property 

use, control costs, and reduce holdings.9 These OMB initiatives also 

required agencies to

• develop Five-Year Real Property Efficiency Plans annually;

• develop office space standards that specify maximum square footage 

for office workstations;

• identify reduction targets for office space in square feet; and

• freeze the footprint (i.e., not increase square footage of office space).

OMB’s National Strategy noted that employee telework has changed the 

dynamic of the federal real property portfolio and resulted in a need for 

less space. OMB’s Reduce the Footprint guidance memo states that 

agencies’ 5-year plans should include an explanation of actions the 

agency is taking to increase space efficiency, including cost-effective 

alternatives to acquisition of additional office space, such as 

consolidation, colocation, teleworking, and “hoteling.” Federal statute also 

requires that agencies consider whether space needs can be met using 

alternative workplace arrangements when deciding whether to acquire 

new space.10

GSA defines mobility as an overarching term describing the ability of 

employees, enabled by information technology (IT) and workplace 

policies to perform work both within and outside the agency worksite. 

Under this definition, mobility includes telework, desk-sharing, site work, 

and travel. Agencies can strategically use telework—one form of 

mobility—combined with desk-sharing and hoteling to reduce space 

needs and increase efficiency.11 This allows agencies to plan for fewer 

workstations than the number of employees. Other space efficiency 

 9 OMB, National Strategy for the Efficient Use of Real Property 2015-2020: Reducing the 

Federal Portfolio through Improved Space Utilization, Consolidation, and Disposal

(Washington, D.C.: Mar. 25, 2015) and OMB, Implementation of OMB Memorandum M12-12 Section 3: Reduce the Footprint, Management Procedures Memorandum No. 2015-

01 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 25, 2015).

10 40 U.S.C. § 587(c)(2).

11 Desk-sharing and “hoteling” are situations in which mobile employees do not have 

permanent workstations and use unassigned workspaces when they work in the office. 

Mobility as a SpacePlanning Tool
Page 6 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

strategies such as smaller workstations (e.g., reduced space standards), 

reconfigured office space (e.g., open-office plans instead of private 

offices), and mobile technology (e.g., laptops, Wi-Fi throughout the office, 

and smart phones) can be combined with telework and used as planning 

tools to reduce office space, use space more efficiently, and potentially 

cut costs.

GSA, in a 2010 publication,12 described a continuum of three different 

scenarios for the ways agencies may use mobility, including telework. 

These scenarios range from limited mobility not leveraged for space 

planning to extensive mobility leveraged for space planning to reduce and 

use office space more efficiently:

(1) No space changes: Some employees telework at least 2 scheduled 

days per week but retain assigned workstations with no changes to the 

existing space configuration.

(2) No space reduction but different space allocation: Most employees 

telework at least 2 scheduled days per week and keep assigned 

workstations. Workstations are smaller and more densely organized; and 

space freed up by smaller workstations can be used for collaborative 

work spaces.

(3) Space reduction and different space allocation: Nearly all employees 

telework at least 3 scheduled days per week and participate in hoteling 

(i.e., unassigned workstations), and workstations are also smaller and 

more densely organized. In this scenario, according to GSA, an agency 

can redesign its office and potentially reduce space by up to 30 percent.

The key factors in distinguishing these scenarios illustrated in figure 2 

below include the:

• level of employee participation in telework;

• changes to physical office spaces (e.g., smaller and more densely 

organized workstations and more emphasis on collaborative 

workspaces); and

• extent to which employees have assigned workstations or participate 

in desk-sharing.

 12 General Services Administration, Leveraging Mobility, Managing Place: How Changing 

Workstyles Impact Real Estate and Carbon Footprint (Washington, D.C.: 2010).
Page 7 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 2: Three Telework Scenarios and Office Space Impacts

Under federal statute, GSA has a role in promulgating rules and 

developing guidance promoting the efficient use of real property.13 For 

example, the GSA Administrator may provide guidance, assistance, and 

oversight to client agencies regarding the establishment and operation of 

alternative workplace arrangements, which include leveraging telework to 

reduce space needs. GSA also directly assists client agencies with 

 13 Under 40 U.S.C. § 587(c)(3), the Administrator may provide guidance, assistance, and 

oversight to any person regarding the establishment and operation of alternative 

workplace arrangements.

GSA Provides SpacePlanning Guidance and 

Assistance to Agencies
Page 8 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

identifying and prioritizing opportunities to improve and implement realproperty efficiency measures.14

In reviewing planning documents, policies, and survey data, we found that 

the 23 civilian CFO Act agencies reported using telework to reduce or use 

space more efficiently. Specifically, our analysis of (1) agency-wide 

space-planning policies and procedures and (2) Real Property Efficiency 

Plans found that all of the agencies discussed telework in the context of 

space planning and achieving greater space efficiencies. Agencies also 

provided examples in survey responses of how they have used telework 

to increase operational effectiveness while optimizing their use of space.

Fifteen agencies’ space-planning policies and procedures included 

provisions for using telework and other mobility strategies, such as 

hoteling and desk-sharing, as a strategic space-planning tool. Three of 

the agencies mentioned these strategies only in the context of space 

planning, and five agencies did not mention them at all (see table 1). 

Table 1: Civilian Chief Financial Officer Act Agencies that Reference Telework in 

Space Planning Documents

Number of Agencies

Incorporated Telework by expressly stating that telework should 

be used in space planning, by providing guidance for using 

telework, or by issuing standards for integrating telework in 

agency-wide space planning

15

Mentioned Telework in policies and procedures without further 

requirements, guidance or standards 

3 

Did not mention telework 5 

Source: GAO analysis of agency space planning policies and procedures. | GAO-18-319

For the fifteen agencies with space planning policies that incorporated 

telework, the documents either expressly directed agency planners to 

include telework, hoteling, or desk-sharing in space planning; provided 

instructions and guidance for using these in space planning; or issued 

space allocation standards for their implementation. Several agency-wide 

 14 For example, according GSA, its Total Workplace Program office assists client 

agencies in government-owned and commercially leased space to use space more 

efficiently. Most recently, this program assisted 16 federal clients in rightsizing their office 

space in fiscal year 2016.

Agencies Reported 

Various Ways of 

Considering and 

Using Telework as a 

Space Planning Tool

Agencies Use Telework in 

Space Planning, and Most 

Include It in Their AgencyWide Policies
Page 9 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

space plans identify space reduction goals based on using telework 

strategically. For example, the Department of Transportation (DOT) 

documents identify a goal of at least a 10 percent workspace reduction in 

new acquisitions as a result of compressed work schedules and telework, 

and specifically state that employees who telework six or more days per 

pay period should not have a permanent workspace.

Agency-wide space planning documents from three civilian CFO Act 

agencies mentioned telework, hoteling or desk-sharing as strategies in 

the context of space planning. For example, DOJ’s agency-wide policy 

notes that telework and hoteling could increase the efficient use of space 

and directs each sub-agency to maintain its own space design guidelines 

within agency-wide policy office space standards. The other two 

agencies, the Department of State and the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, either had a short provisional agency-wide space planning 

document that laid out space standards or mentioned telework, hoteling 

and desk-sharing as a tool for creating sustainable space. Five agencies’ 

space planning documents made no reference to telework; however, one 

agency, OPM, developed a maximum office space utilization rate and 

criteria for determining which positions require a private office.

As noted above, OMB’s Reduce the Footprint policy (2015) requires 

agencies to establish Real Property Efficiency Plans.

15 In our analysis of 

the agencies’ fiscal year 2016 or 2017 plans, we found that 19 of the 23 

civilian CFO Act agencies discussed telework in the context of space 

planning.16 A few agencies’ Real Property Efficiency Plans explicitly 

stated that the agency reduced space as a result of telework. For 

example, GSA used telework to reduce space in its Heartland, Rocky 

Mountain, and National Capital Region offices.

Some (5 of 23) Real Property Efficiency Plans discussed the telework 

pilot programs agencies have initiated. For example, the Department of 

Education’s plans reported using a pilot program to acclimate employees 

 15 Pursuant to OMB’s Reduce the Footprint policy, these plans describe an agency’s 

overall strategic and tactical approaches to managing real property as well as identify 

efficiency improvements, general usage, and cost savings measures. Agency plans must 

address any administrative initiatives agencies are undertaking at a portfolio-wide level to 

increase space efficiency, including cost effective alternatives to acquiring additional office 

space such as telework and “hoteling,” among others.

16 A workstation is an office, cubicle, or open workspace counted by individual seat.

Real Property Efficiency 

Plans Provide Information 

on Agencies’ Efforts to 

Use Telework
Page 10 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

to teleworking and desk-sharing; as a result, the agency intends to 

incorporate hoteling or space-sharing opportunities into proposed space 

designs in future projects. The Social Security Administration (SSA) plans 

also reported initiating a pilot program to experiment with smaller 

“hoteling” workspaces. Similarly, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 

plan reported conducting a pilot program at its headquarters offices to 

identify challenges, better understand telework, and evaluate the potential 

of shared workspaces.

In response to our survey,17 about three-quarters of agencies reported 

space-planning policies that use telework to reduce office space, lower 

real estate costs, or reduce the size of individual workstations.18 Agencies 

reported accomplishing this by using desk-sharing and hoteling for 

employees who have relinquished permanent workspaces. For example, 

several agencies discussed strategies to reduce space in their responses 

to our survey.19

• The Department of Labor reported using telework to close some small 

offices resulting in overall space reductions of about 16,000 square 

feet.20

• OPM reported that it both reduced space and created space 

efficiencies by transitioning staff in its Eastern Management 

Development Center to full-time telework and terminating the lease, 

resulting in a space reduction of about 32,000 square feet. OPM’s 

 17 The survey question asked respondents, “Does your agency have agency-wide office 

space planning policies and procedures? And, if “yes,” the second part of the question 

asked respondents to answer either “Yes” or “No” to “Do your agency-wide office space 

planning policies and procedures consider telework in the following ways: (1) Reduce 

office space (Yes = 18 of 23); (2) Reduce the amount of square feet per employee (Yes = 

18 of 23); (3) Lower real estate costs (Yes = 16 of 23). 

18 Space utilization is typically measured by dividing total usable square feet by the 

number of personnel in the space. 

19 The survey included several opportunities for respondents to provide narrative 

responses. For example, the survey asked for narratives on: (1) how telework programs 

achieved cost savings or cost avoidances; (2) additional information, assistance, or 

resources that would be helpful in using telework in space planning; (3) specific 

challenges agencies face in using telework as a space-planning tool; (4) identifying space 

reduction as a result of telework; and (5) identifying cost savings as a result of telework.

20 Agency-reported cost savings included throughout this report are not net cost savings 

(i.e., they are not offset by costs related to using telework for space planning, such as 

renovation costs or IT investments).

Agencies Reported Using 

Telework to Reduce Space 

and Achieve Space 

Efficiencies
Page 11 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Human Resource Solutions Program also achieved a 47 percent 

space reduction when it instituted desk-sharing and freed the vacated 

space for use by another program office.

• The Department of the Treasury reported that its sub-agency, the 

Internal Revenue Service, has aggressively used telework to help 

reduce its real property portfolio, while other Treasury units have 

leveraged telework to achieve significant space reductions. At the end 

of fiscal year 2016, Treasury reported agency-wide reductions of 

about 484,000 square feet at a cost savings of about $10 million.

Two agencies––Department of Homeland Security, and the National 

Science Foundation––reported using telework to increase the efficiency 

of existing office space in sub-agencies by increasing staff without 

increasing the size of offices, for example:

• The Department of Homeland Security reported that one of its subagencies used telework in the planning and design of a new office, 

resulting in both a space reduction and more efficient use of the 

space. The new office is 57,573 square feet smaller than the prior 

office while personnel assigned to the office increased from 315 to 

394.

• The National Science Foundation reported that it used teleworking, 

among other workspace strategies such as new space standards and 

virtual technologies, to increase staff numbers without increasing its 

real estate footprint.

Among the agencies we reviewed in detail—GSA, OJP, CDC, and the 

Fiscal Service—the use of telework in office space planning varied from 

emerging consideration to extensive implementation.21 GSA and OJP 

have used telework extensively to both reduce space and increase space 

efficiency in their office spaces. CDC has leveraged telework to reduce 

space or use space more efficiently in more limited cases while the Fiscal 

Service has begun to consider telework in future space planning. 

Appendix II provides additional details on office spaces where these 

agencies reduced space or used space more efficiently, including the role 

of telework, if any.

 21 The agencies we selected for review include three CFO Act sub-agencies as well as 

GSA, which we reviewed as a comparative example.

Three of the Four 

Agencies We 

Reviewed in Depth 

Leveraged Telework 

to Reduce or Use 

Office Space More 

Efficiently
Page 12 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Table 2: Four Selected Agencies’ Use of Telework in Space Planning

Use of telework General Services 

Administration

Office of Justice 

Programs

Centers for Disease 

Control and 

Prevention

Bureau of the Fiscal 

Service

Percentage of employees 

eligible to telework (fiscal 

year 2015)

93 98 79 75

Percentage of all 

employees who teleworked 

3 or more days per pay 

period (fiscal year 2015)

48 48 26 27

Used telework to reduce 

space

Yes Yes No No

Used telework to increase 

space efficiency

Yes Yes Yes No

Source: GAO analysis of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 2015 telework data and agencies’ telework and space documents. | GAO-18-319

GSA has leveraged telework to reduce space by implementing 

unassigned workstations in nearly all of its regional and headquarters 

offices, along with other forms of “employee mobility,”22 complementary 

IT, and smaller space standards. GSA adopted telework as early as 1999 

and by fiscal year 2015, more than 90 percent of all eligible GSA 

employees teleworked, and nearly half of all employees teleworked 3 or 

more days per pay period, according to OPM data.23 GSA’s space policy 

cites desk-sharing (e.g., hoteling, “hot-desking,”24 or other arrangements) 

as one strategy to help meet its space standard of 136 useable square 

feet (USF) per person. GSA employees may telework full-time, but may 

 22 GSA considers telework one form of “employee mobility,” which is the ability of 

employees, enabled by IT and progressive workplace policies, to perform work both within 

and outside the agency worksite. Other forms of employee mobility include, for example, 

conference attendance, travel, and site work.

23 OPM telework data for fiscal year 2015 are the most comprehensive and current 

information available on telework in the executive branch. We have previously reported on 

the limitations of these data. See: GAO, Federal Telework: Additional Controls Could 

Strengthen Telework Program Compliance and Data Reporting, GAO-17-247 

(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 17, 2017); GAO, Federal Telework: Better Guidance Could Help 

Agencies Calculate Benefits and Costs, GAO-16-551 (Washington D.C.: July 15, 2016); 

and GAO, Federal Telework: Program Measurement Continues to Confront Data 

Reliability Issues. GAO-12-519 (Washington D.C.: Apr. 19, 2012).

24 “Hot-desking” differs from hoteling in that employees may use non-dedicated 

workspaces on an unreserved first-come, first-serve basis.

GSA Used Telework 

Extensively as a SpacePlanning Tool
Page 13 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

be required to give up dedicated workstations if they are on site 2 or 

fewer days per week.

GSA has gradually transitioned to unassigned workstations at 

headquarters and in its regional offices, allowing the agency to implement 

desk-sharing and calculate space needs at less than one desk per 

employee. The agency also assigned laptops and mobile or soft phones 

to employees to further maximize mobility. The three GSA sites we visited 

used space-planning strategies to achieve, or nearly achieve, GSA’s 

space standard of 136 USF per person. For example, at its Philadelphia 

Regional Office, GSA leveraged existing telework levels to meet reduced 

space standards and move to a smaller leased space by accommodating 

about 600 employees in fewer than 500 workstations. According to GSA, 

this allowed the office to achieve a utilization rate of 139 USF per person 

and realize a reported annual rent cost savings of about $2 million. 

Similarly, at its New York Regional Office, GSA also leveraged existing 

telework levels to meet reduced space standards and move to a smaller 

leased space. This step allowed the office to achieve a utilization rate of 

119 USF per person and realize a reported total rent cost savings of 

nearly $11 million.

Figure 3: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Headquarters Office prior to 

(left) and after (right) New Space Standards
Page 14 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

GSA also leveraged telework as part of its headquarters consolidation. 

GSA reports that it was able to move approximately 1,000 additional 

employees to the headquarters building by implementing a hoteling 

system and planning for less than one workstation per employee. This 

allowed GSA to achieve a utilization rate of 138 USF per person at its 

headquarters and realize a reported annual rent-cost savings of 

approximately $24 million.

Similar to GSA, OJP used telework, along with complementary tools, to 

reduce space and use space more efficiently at its consolidated office. 

More than 90 percent of eligible employees teleworked in fiscal year 

2015, and nearly half of all employees teleworked 3 or more days per pay 

period, according to OPM data. More recently, OJP reported that around 

70 percent of its employees teleworked in August 2017, with just less 

than 40 percent doing so three or more days per pay period. At the 

departmental level, DOJ’s plans to improve space utilization include 

reduced space requirements, and, in some cases, alternative workplace 

strategies.25 DOJ’s space utilization policy mentions telework with 

hoteling as one way to increase efficient use of space, and DOJ’s 

telework policy mentions the potential of telework to create cost savings 

by decreasing space needs.26 While most OJP employees are eligible to 

telework, a few federal staff occupying administrative positions are not 

eligible.

OJP took the opportunity to examine and improve its space use as three 

of its leases approached expiration in 2013. It leased space in two 

adjacent buildings under three separate leases. OJP worked with GSA to 

analyze space-planning options, contracting a study of the office that 

recommended ways to improve space utilization. This study included a 

survey of all employees, a complete physical space survey, and 

interviews with leadership. The results of this study not only indicated 

OJP employees’ openness to more mobility but also that they had 

concerns such as loss of privacy and social connectedness. For example, 

more than 80 percent of survey respondents said they could work off-site 

more often with proper tools and support, and almost half said they would

 25 DOJ set its target office utilization rate at 130 square feet per person, but each 

component maintains its own prescriptive space design guidelines due to the challenges 

of setting a single space standard across DOJ’s unique mission requirements. According 

to DOJ policy, no office may exceed 300 square feet per person.

26 According to OJP, it is finalizing its own telework policy.

OJP Leveraged Telework 

to Consolidate Its Offices
Page 15 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

give up dedicated space to work remotely more often. Furthermore, 

interviews with the leadership of several OJP units indicated a willingness 

to support increased mobility but also a need to maintain privacy and 

improve mobile IT. According to OJP, it alleviated these concerns by 

encouraging participation in the planning process, highlighting 

opportunities for positive changes, and maintaining open communication 

(e.g., communicating changes and expected benefits).

Based on the analysis of space-planning options, OJP retained one of the 

three previous leases and leveraged telework to accommodate all 

employees into less space overall in one building. OJP achieved this 

objective by targeting 25 percent employee mobility27 and implementing 

hoteling. Concurrently, OJP officials explained that they introduced 

smaller workstations and used tenant-improvement allowance funds28 to 

reconfigure space for more flexible use. Physical reconfigurations 

included changing hard-walled office spaces with dedicated workstations 

to a primarily open office with few walls or dedicated workstations.29

 27 “Employee mobility” refers to the portion of OJP’s workforce that works off-site at any 

given time. For example, this could mean that 25 percent of employees’ telework full-time 

or that a larger percentage telework less than full-time.

28 Tenant improvement allowance funds enable agencies to design, configure, and buildout space to support their program operations in space leased from GSA or private sector 

entities. Although the building owners provide the funding, the cost is amortized over a 

specified period of time and added to the rent agencies pay for the space.

29 OJP fully implemented these changes on two floors of OJP’s consolidated 

headquarters; the remaining floors saw more minor changes such as some glass walls, 

fresh paint, carpet, and improved IT capabilities.
Page 16 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 4: Office of Justice Programs’ Office Space prior to (left) and after (right) New Space Standards

According to OJP, it complemented these changes with investments in 

mobile IT for individual employees, improved IT capabilities in conference 

rooms and other collaborative spaces, and an emphasis on training 

employees to work well in a mobile office environment. For example, OJP 

officials said they installed Wi-Fi throughout the space, issued laptops 

and smart phones to employees, upgraded video-conferencing 

capabilities in conference rooms and collaborative spaces, and expanded 

tools for informal employee communication. According to OJP officials, 

through the consolidation, they said they achieved a utilization rate of 190 

USF per person—a decrease of 30 USF per person from the prior 220 

utilization rate. This rate remained higher than DOJ’s overall target and 

housed the same total number of employees—about 1,000—in about 

50,000 fewer USF. OJP reports that the consolidation resulted in an 

estimated $3 million annual lease- cost savings. OJP also estimates 

additional savings from reduced transit subsidies, carbon emissions, and 

continuity of operations.

Relative to GSA and OJP, CDC has made more limited use of telework in 

office space-planning. CDC officials told us that they have leveraged 

telework as a space-planning tool in many locations, but they have only 

documented doing so in one case. HHS expects each sub-agency to 

comply with its 170 USF per-person utilization-rate policy, and this policy 

CDC Used Telework to 

Achieve Space 

Efficiencies in Limited 

Cases
Page 17 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

suggests that planned space reductions should take telework into 

account. As a component of HHS, CDC has its own space policy, which 

states that telework, desk-sharing, and hoteling can help CDC’s units 

meet HHS’s utilization rate policy of 170 USF per person. CDC’s telework 

policy requires employees who telework frequently to agree to participate 

in desk-sharing, but according to CDC officials, how and to what extent 

this portion of the broader policy is implemented is up to the discretion of 

management. CDC officials cited two limitations to further implementing 

space sharing techniques: (1) the large number of employees’ who may 

be unable to telework on certain days based upon their job 

responsibilities and (2) the voluntary nature of telework. Some CDC 

employees cannot work off-site at least some of the time due to 

confidential data or lab-based work. Approximately 60 percent of eligible 

CDC employees teleworked in fiscal year 2015 and about one-quarter of 

all employees teleworked 3 or more days per pay period, according to 

OPM data. CDC officials told us that telework participation ranges from 49 

to 86 percent across CDC units.

CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health 

Promotion’s office in Chamblee, GA, provides the most clearly 

documented case of CDC’s leveraging telework for space efficiency. 

According to CDC officials, this unit accommodated more than 300 

additional employees within its existing space by implementing hoteling 

for employees who telework 4 or more days per pay period, and it 

continues to use hoteling as part of its space management strategy. In 

contrast, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics’ (NCHS) office in 

Hyattsville, MD, reduced space without leveraging telework by 

reconfiguring the space with smaller, soft-walled workstations.
Page 18 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 5: Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics prior to (left) and after (right) New Space 

Standards in Hyattsville, MD

CDC officials told us that NCHS reduced its office space from seven 

floors to three and three-quarters floors, resulting in a reported space 

reduction of more than 40 percent and allowing it to achieve a 170 USF 

per person utilization rate. CDC officials reported that this space reduction 

resulted in annual rent cost savings of approximately $1 million. Hoteling 

was not feasible at this location because work on confidential data limits 

the ability of employees to work off-site,30 and NCHS employees also 

prefer dedicated workstations.31 CDC officials said that there is limited 

documentation of any additional cases of CDC’s leveraging telework as a 

 30 According the NCHS officials, pursuant to requirements to protect the confidentiality of 

individually identifiable information under the Confidential Information Protection and 

Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-347, 116 Stat. 2962), it is NCHS policy 

and practice that some data cannot be accessed off-site. For example, NCHS’ manual on 

confidentiality specifies that no record containing personal identifiers of NCHS’s survey 

respondents may be electronically sent to or accessed from an employee’s or contractor’s 

alternative work site. According to CDC, the agency is in the process of developing a new 

policy to provide flexibility in accessing restricted data off-site.

31 During space-planning negotiations between CDC and its union as part of the most 

recent space reduction, NCHS employees expressed no interest in hoteling or 

workstations sharing—they preferred to retain dedicated workstations. 
Page 19 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

space- planning tool because, prior to our review, there had been no 

formal request to connect telework and space utilization data.

In contrast to GSA, OJP, and CDC, telework as a space-planning tool is 

an emerging consideration at the Fiscal Service. At the departmental 

level, Treasury has space standards that aim for efficient and effective 

offices that use increased telework and shared workstations to minimize 

the number of dedicated workstations. Similarly, objectives of the Fiscal 

Service telework policy include cost savings from reduced office space 

needs. Treasury’s space standards specify a planned maximum utilization 

rate of 200 USF per person for facilities with general office space, and the 

Fiscal Service reported that its average office space-utilization rate was 

183 USF per person at the time of our review. Treasury policy also 

recommends hoteling for employees who are out of the office 80 or more 

hours per month, but the Fiscal Service told us that it would like to 

conduct additional desk-sharing pilots to assess their impact before 

negotiating broader desk-sharing with the union. At the Fiscal Service, 

approximately 80 percent of eligible employees teleworked in fiscal year 

2015, and about one-quarter of all employees teleworked 3 or more days 

per pay period, according to OPM data. The Fiscal Service reported that 

approximately 80 percent of Fiscal Service employees telework at its 

Washington, D.C., Maryland, and West Virginia locations.

At the time of our review, the Fiscal Service officials said the agency had 

reduced space without leveraging telework or implementing hoteling, 

instead relying on smaller space standards (i.e., fewer square feet per 

workstation) to lease smaller offices. For example, the Fiscal Service 

reduced space by giving up several floors at its Hyattsville, MD, office 

starting in 2012. According to Fiscal Service officials, they accomplished 

these reductions by consolidating data centers to other locations, 

conducting targeted buyouts of employees, and, most recently, by 

implementing a new space standard of 183 USF per person through 

smaller workstations. The officials said that the most recent space 

reduction at this location resulted in savings in annual rent costs not 

attributable to telework. Looking forward, the Fiscal Service reported that 

it has started taking preliminary steps to promote efficient space utilization 

through telework. These steps have included:

• creating an Executive Space Management Council that discussed 

incorporating telework and desk-sharing into space management 

guidelines;

The Fiscal Service Has 

Reduced Space without 

Leveraging Telework
Page 20 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

• implementing a voluntary, informal desk-sharing pilot in one program 

area for employees who already telework 50 percent or more of the 

time; and

• seeking information from GSA, including discussing and visiting GSA 

offices that have implemented hoteling as part of their space planning 

model.

In addition, the Fiscal Service officials told us that the agency plans to 

negotiate the impact and implementation of desk-sharing and hoteling for 

telework employees with its union, but the Fiscal Service has not yet 

begun this effort.

Our analysis of the survey responses from the 23 civilian CFO Act 

agencies identified three major planning challenges agencies face with 

using telework to reduce space:

• human capital issues such as negotiating workspace changes with 

collective bargaining units and managing organizational change;

• the suitability of telework to mission work requirements; and

• difficulty measuring cost savings that might result from space 

reductions attributable to telework.

This measuring difficulty may include both gross savings as well as 

savings net of costs, such as for renovations or IT investments. See table 

3 for examples of space-planning challenges related to telework reported 

by the 23 agencies.

Table 3: Agency-Reported Challenges to Using Telework as a Space-Planning Tool

Challenge 

category

Specific 

challenge

Description

Human capital: CollectivebargainingCollective-bargaining agreements often require negotiation and approval of changes to the 

physical workspace and employees’ relation to it.

Human capital: Managing change Using telework to reduce space often requires changes to organizational culture, including 

but not limited to how employees and management interact.

Mission suitability Some agencies’ missions—such as those requiring direct interaction with the public (e.g., 

providing medical care), work in specialized settings (e.g., laboratories), or handling 

classified information—may prevent or limit agencies from using telework as a spaceplanning tool. 

Measuring the 

impact of telework 

Directly measuring the impact of telework on reducing space and cost savings is complex 

because telework is often one among many factors.

Source: GAO analysis of agency documents, GAO survey responses, and interviews. . | GAO-18-319

Agencies Face 

Several Planning 

Challenges in Using 

Telework to Reduce 

Space
Page 21 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

To address these challenges, nearly two thirds of the agencies we 

surveyed reported they would like guidance on using telework programs 

or other alternatives to meet the federal goals of reducing space or using 

space more efficiently.

Our review of agency survey responses, Real Property Efficiency Plans, 

and other agency space-planning documents, found that human capital 

challenges to using telework in space planning generally fell into two 

categories: (1) requirements to negotiate space allocation changes with 

collective-bargaining units; and (2) managing department workforces in 

adapting to new workspace designs and altered workspace allocations.

• Collective-bargaining challenges: Of the 23 civilian CFO Act agencies, 

7 of 23 noted that changes to telework policy or workspace 

arrangements required negotiation with collective bargaining units,32

for example,

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) reported its greatest 

challenge to incorporating telework in office space planning has 

been with negotiating and securing agreement from all parties, 

including management and its union, on establishing space 

standards.33

 32 The survey specifically asked respondents, “In your opinion, how challenging has it 

been for your agency to incorporate the telework program into agency-wide space 

planning efforts?” and it allowed them to provide scaled answers by selecting either: “Very 

Challenging” (4 of 23); “Somewhat challenging” (15 of 23); “Not challenging” (2 of 23); or 

“Have not addressed telework in space planning” (2 of 23). In addition, respondents were 

given the opportunity to provide explanatory narratives. We identified several themes 

among the narrative responses including labor and change management.

33 SBA subsequently provided information about recent efforts to address space issues 

with its union. Specifically, SBA executed a memorandum of understanding with the union 

in October 2017 that address space allocation for teleworkers, including the number of 

days per period employees with scheduled telework must “hotel” when in the office and 

situations in which telework agreements are reduced or terminated. 

Challenges to Telework as 

an Office-Space-Planning 

Tool Include Human 

Capital and Mission 

Suitability Issues

Human Capital
Page 22 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

• HUD reported that it could not implement hoteling or desk-sharing 

as its collective-bargaining agreements require that each 

employee retain an assigned workstation regardless of an 

employee’s type of telework agreement.

• SSA reported that changing floor plans required negotiation with 

its three collective-bargaining units, which could extend the time 

needed for construction and relocation.

• DOT reported that collective-bargaining agreements posed a 

challenge to incorporating workforce mobility options, including 

telework.

In addition, the collective-bargaining agreements we reviewed from the 

four agencies we reviewed in detail––GSA, OJP, CDC and Fiscal 

Service––required negotiations or the opportunity to negotiate changes to 

matters relating to workspace arrangements and in some cases, to 

telework policy.

• Managing change: Using telework as a strategic space-planning tool, 

particularly in conjunction with complementary space-saving efforts 

such as desk-sharing, hoteling, or open-space designs, generally 

involves a cultural change. Nine of the 23 agencies we surveyed 

reported challenges associated with managing change.34 For 

example, three agencies reported employees’ discomfort or 

apprehension about desk-sharing and hoteling. In 2013, we reported 

that organizations may also encounter concerns from agency leaders, 

managers, employees, or employee organizations when introducing 

physical space changes associated with increased workforce mobility 

(telework).35 More recently, we reported that management concerns 

remain the most frequently reported barrier to expanding telework.36

 34 As noted above, the survey gave the agencies the opportunity to provide explanatory 

narratives.

35 GAO, Federal Real Property: Selected Agencies Plan to Use Workforce Mobility to 

Reduce Space, but Most Efforts Are Too New to Have Realized Savings, GAO-14-41

(Washington, D.C.: Oct. 17, 2013). This report did not include any recommendations for 

executive action.

36 GAO, Federal Telework: Better Guidance Could Help Agencies Calculate Benefits and 

Costs, GAO-16-551 (Washington, D.C.: July 15, 2016). This report included two 

recommendations for executive action to the Director of OPM of which the second 

remains open. Specifically, this recommendation asked OPM to provide clarifying 

guidance on developing supporting data for determining benefits and costs associated 

with agency telework programs. The first recommendation asked OPM to include costs 

savings questions in future telework data calls, and OPM did so in fiscal year 2017 data 

call. 
Page 23 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Two private sector experts we met with underscored the importance 

of management “buy-in” saying it was imperative that senior 

executives fully support the initiative to facilitate the necessary cultural 

change for agencies to use telework in space planning. One noted 

that management needed to make the business case to employees so 

that each layer of the organization could understand the importance of 

the initiative and its potential benefits. Another suggested a change 

management plan tailored to the work performed within a unit. This 

individual said that key components of such a plan might include 

studying existing work practices and program requirements, surveying 

employee preferences, and including employees in the planning 

process. Further, a GSA document circulated in response to the 

Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 mentions obtaining supervisory 

“buy-in” or support as key to facilitating change.

According to survey responses, within agencies there are sub-agencies 

that have individual mission requirements that may or may not be suitable 

for telework. This makes it difficult for agencies to implement overarching 

telework and space planning policies that apply department-wide. Subagencies and units within sub-agencies must individually determine if 

telework is appropriate given their particular mission requirements. For 

example, the Veterans Administration reported that although it developed 

an agency-wide telework policy, each sub-agency and supervisor has the 

flexibility to implement telework based on operational needs. Moreover, 

because the agency’s core mission involves direct services to veterans, 

about 83 percent of agency staff positions are not suitable for telework. 

The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 outlines two broad exceptions to 

telework participation for employees: (1) directly handling secure 

materials determined to be inappropriate for telework by the agency head 

and (2) on-site activity that cannot be handled remotely or at an 

alternative worksite. In cases where telework does not support an 

agency’s mission or where a particular mission may require increases or 

decreases in personnel, telework as a strategic space-planning tool may 

not work.

Mission Suitability
Page 24 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

About half (12 of 23) of the agencies we surveyed reported that office 

space reductions resulting from using telework in space planning led to 

real estate cost savings while the other half reported either that cost 

savings did not result or they did not know.37 GSA officials told us that 

calculating cost savings attributable to a particular aspect of space 

planning is complicated as several factors contribute to savings. In 

particular, in survey responses, the Departments of Education, Energy, 

and Agriculture reiterated this point.

OMB’s National Strategy for the Efficient Use of Real Property and its 

Reduce the Footprint policy encourage agencies to increase and 

maximize efficiencies in office space by implementing cost-effective 

strategies such as telework. For example, the National Strategy outlines a 

framework that aims to measure real property costs and utilization to 

improve the efficient use of federal real property. The Reduce the 

Footprint policy requires agencies to measure cost savings that result 

from reducing space through disposals. However, neither document 

offers guidance or methodologies on how to measure the costs or savings 

that may result from using telework. We previously reported that GSA 

works with client agencies to develop tools to measure office space 

utilization and, in 2013, was developing an Excel-based tool to help 

agencies quantify the benefits and costs of using telework to achieve 

greater office space efficiencies.38 This tool—the Workplace Investment 

and Feasibility Tool—is aimed at helping agencies quantify the benefits 

and costs of increased telework participation and implementing other 

alternative-work arrangements. When completed, the tool will enable 

users to quickly develop rough estimates of cost and space impacts 

resulting from workplace changes, particularly relating to desk-sharing, 

workspace reconfiguration, and consolidation. Key features include the 

ability to compare up to three scenarios, which in turn may be used to 

inform a more detailed design program.

As of January 2018, GSA had not yet completed the tool. GSA officials 

said mission needs, resource constraints, and developmental 

 37 Specifically, the survey question asked respondents, “Has the telework program at your 

agency resulted in reductions in office space that achieved cost savings and/or cost 

avoidances?” and allowed them to answer by selecting among three possible answers: 

“Yes,” “No,” or “Don’t know.”

38 GAO, Federal Real Property: Selected Agencies Plan to Use Workforce Mobility to 

Reduce Space, but Most Efforts Are Too New to Have Realized Savings, GAO-14-41 

(Washington, D.C.: Oct. 17, 2013).

Agencies Face Challenges 

in Measuring the Effect of 

Telework on Reducing 

Office Space
Page 25 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

adjustments have contributed to delays in the time frame for completing 

the tool. They added that during this time, GSA has diverted resources to 

space calculation tools for individual agencies. For example, GSA worked 

with DHS on its Space Calculation Tool as a way to help determine 

workplace space requirements in a manner consistent with DHS space 

policies. In January 2018, GSA officials told us that they plan to make the 

Workplace Investment and Feasibility Tool available to GSA staff in 

March 2018 along with training on how to use it. However, GSA officials 

have not decided whether to make the tool available to other federal 

agencies to use as a space-planning tool. Instead, the officials plan to

assess GSA’s use of the tool and then determine in late 2018 if and how 

it should be released to other agencies for independent use. Given the 

absence of a government-wide tool, in our review, we found that some 

agencies had used their own resources to purchase similar tools for their 

space-planning needs from the private sector. Without such a 

government-wide resource, agencies may not be able to determine how 

best to reduce space or use it more efficiently.

In responses to our survey, nearly two-thirds of agencies reported that 

they would find it helpful to have additional information, assistance, or 

resources to assist them in using telework as a space-planning tool.39 As 

noted above, a key element of GSA’s mission is to provide guidance and 

services that enable agencies to improve space utilization, reduce costs, 

and better achieve their missions. Moreover, under federal statute, GSA 

may provide guidance to executive agencies on the implementation of 

alternative workplace arrangements, which includes telework.

40 Federal 

standards for internal control also call for agencies to communicate 

necessary quality information such as guidance with external parties.41

 39 The survey question asked respondents: “What additional information, assistance or 

resources, if any, would you find helpful?” and to answer “Yes” or “No” to the following: (1) 

“Considering telework in space planning?” (Yes = 14 of 23); (2) “Identifying cost savings 

as a result of telework programs?” (Yes = 15 of 23); (3) “Strategies for achieving real 

estate cost savings as a result of telework?” (Yes = 16 of 23); (4) “Measurement 

methodologies for determining real estate cost savings as a result of telework?” (Yes = 14 

of 23). 

40 40 U.S.C. § 587(c)(3).

41 GAO, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, GAO-14-740G 

(Washington, D.C.: September 2014).

GSA Guidance Does Not 

Specifically Address How 

to Use Telework in Space 

Planning
Page 26 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

In reviewing GSA’s websites, we found that GSA last developed formal 

guidance on alternative workplace arrangements in 2006 and maintains 

several separate informational websites on implementing telework and 

optimizing space utilization. Our review of this guidance and these

websites found that they do not provide specific guidance for using 

telework as a strategic space-planning tool. For example, the 2006 

guidance is generally limited to defining the factors agency heads must 

contemplate when considering alternative workplace arrangements along 

with the equipment and technical services agencies may provide for 

alternative worksites.42 However, this guidance does not address in detail 

the impact of such arrangements on agency office space and resulting 

planning issues. Similarly, our review of GSA’s teleworking and spaceplanning websites found that although they separately offered 

documented case studies along with information such as tips for 

implementing telework and managing a mobile workforce, GSA did not 

provide documents consolidating the concept of using telework as a 

strategic space-planning tool. For example, information on GSA’s Total 

Workplace Program website––intended to assist agencies in using 

workforce mobility (including telework) to increase space efficiencies––is 

generally limited. Although this website includes high-level information 

that describes the potential benefits of using telework with office space 

planning and design, it lacks a practical outline of the process agencies 

might use to achieve them. Because the information in the 2006 guidance 

and the telework and space-planning websites is neither specific nor 

detailed, it is of limited assistance for agencies that would like to use 

telework as a strategic space-planning tool to meet the goals of a more

efficient use of space. 

While using telework to reduce space is not a new challenge, it has 

become more pressing with OMB’s requirement for federal agencies to 

explore alternatives to acquiring more office space. Most civilian CFO Act 

agencies reported having a telework program in place and some reported 

success with using it in space planning to reduce space or accommodate 

more employees without increasing space. However, many of the 

agencies continue to face challenges and do not believe that they have 

adequate information, assistance, or resources to assist them in using 

telework as a space-planning tool or assess its costs and benefits. Until 

 42 General Service Administration, Federal Management Regulation. Guidelines for 

Alternative Workplace Arrangements. (FMR Bulletin 2006-B3).

Conclusions
Page 27 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

agencies have access to detailed guidance and tools to help utilize 

various space-planning options, they may not be able to effectively 

identify opportunities to use telework toward the goal of reducing their real 

property footprint. 

We are making the following two recommendations to GSA:

The Administrator of General Services should ensure that the appropriate 

GSA offices develop guidance including, but not limited to, how agencies 

can use telework as a strategic space-planning tool for reducing and 

optimizing office space efficiency and that the offices make the guidance 

readily available. (Recommendation 1)

The Administrator of General Services should ensure the appropriate 

GSA offices complete the Workplace Investment and Feasibility Tool and 

make it available to federal agencies for use in assessing the benefits and 

costs of telework to achieve office space efficiencies. (Recommendation 

2)

We provided a draft of this report to GSA, the Department of Justice, the 

Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of the 

Treasury. In its written comments, reproduced in Appendix III, GSA 

concurred with our recommendations and stated that it is developing a 

plan to address them. We received technical comments from the 

Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human 

Services, which we incorporated where appropriate. The Department of 

the Treasury did not have comments on our draft report.

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional 

committees; the Administrator of GSA; and the Secretaries of the 

Department of Health and Human Services and Department of the 

Treasury, and the Attorney General of the Department of Justice. In 

addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO website at 

http://www.gao.gov. If you or your staff has any questions concerning this 

report, please contact me at (202) 512-2834 or rectanusl@gao.gov. 

Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public 

Recommendations for 

Executive Action

Agency Comments
Page 28 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff that made 

key contributions to this report is listed in appendix III.

Lori Rectanus

Director

Physical Infrastructure
Page 29 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

List of Requesters

The Honorable Ron Johnson

Chairman

The Honorable Claire McCaskill

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs

United States Senate

The Honorable James Lankford

Chairman

The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

United States Senate

The Honorable Thomas R. Carper

Ranking Member

Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

United States Senate
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 30 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

This report addresses: (1) how the 23 civilian Chief Financial Officer 

(CFO) Act agencies reported using telework in office space planning; (2) 

the specific ways selected agencies and GSA used telework in their office 

space planning; and (3) any challenges the 23 civilian CFO Act agencies 

faced in using telework in office space planning.

To determine how the 23 civilian CFO Act agencies reported using 

telework in office space planning, we surveyed the agencies. The survey 

asked questions about agency-wide efforts to use telework in the humancapital and space-planning areas; whether agencies had achieved any 

cost savings as a result; the challenges agencies faced in using telework 

in space planning; and asked agencies to identify additional information, 

resources, or guidance that might be helpful. In addition to the survey 

questions, we asked each agency real property officer to provide copies 

of agency-wide space-planning documents and the Real Property 

Efficiency Plans agencies prepared for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 

pursuant to the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB) Reduce the Footprint policy.1 We developed survey questions 

based on our review of the relevant literature, white papers from federal 

agencies and private sector entities, and past GAO reports. We pretested the survey instrument with three federal agencies to ascertain: (1) 

the clarity of survey questions; (2) the precision of language; and 3) the 

availability of information queried. As a result of the pre-tests we made 

changes to the content and format of the survey where appropriate.

We received survey responses from each of the 23 civilian CFO Act 

agencies in addition to requested space-planning documents and Real 

Property Efficiency Plans, and thus achieved a 100 percent response 

rate. We analyzed survey results by calculating the frequency of 

responses to dichotomous questions (i.e., questions requiring a “yes” or 

“no” answer). We also conducted a content analysis on the open-ended, 

narrative-based questions by identifying common themes and tabulating 

results. We also conducted a content analysis to determine the extent to 

which agencies referenced telework in their agency-wide space-planning 

documents and in their Real Property Efficiency Plans. To accomplish 

these analyses, we developed separate coding schemes for each of the 

two types of documents. These were based on information obtained in 

our literature review, interviews with subject matter experts, and our 

 1 OMB, Implementation of OMB Memorandum M-12-12 Section 3: Reduce the Footprint, 

Management Procedures Memorandum No. 2015-01 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 25, 2015).

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 31 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

professional judgment. We then identified relevant sections and common 

themes, and coded and tabulated the results. To validate the coding 

results, we used a second, independent coder.

To determine the specific ways agencies include telework in their office 

space planning, we selected a non-generalizable sample of three CFO 

Act agency sub-agencies as illustrative case studies. To select subagencies, we analyzed data from the Office of Personnel Management’s 

(OPM) Public Use 2014-2015 Telework Data call. 2 First, we applied two 

selection criteria: (1) agency-wide progress toward a stated goal of using 

telework to reduce real estate costs, and (2) agency-reported data 

indicating that more than 25 percent of sub-agency employees 

teleworked 3 or more days per pay period. Next, we considered variations 

in sub-agency size and percentage of employees eligible to telework. 

Finally, we excluded candidates that had recently been selected for 

related GAO work and we excluded sub-agencies related to agency 

administration such as Offices of Inspector General or Secretary-level 

offices. We assessed the reliability of the OPM’s data by interviews with 

knowledgeable officials and by reviewing prior assessments of the same 

data, and we found the data reliable for our purposes.

As a result of this process, we selected (1) the Department of the 

Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service); (2) the 

Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC); and (3) the Department of Justice’s Office 

of Justice Programs (OJP). For each of the selected agencies, we 

interviewed agency officials and reviewed their telework and spaceplanning documents. We also visited four sub-agency office locations to 

determine if and how telework played a role in any space reductions or 

efficiencies along with any associated cost savings. In addition to these 

three sub-agencies, we used the General Services Administration (GSA) 

as a comparative example since it is responsible for providing spaceplanning guidance to client agencies and has experience using telework 

in space planning. We interviewed GSA officials, reviewed relevant 

documents, and visited three GSA office locations with recent space 

reductions or efficiencies. In total, we conducted seven site visits 

 2 For the purpose of case study selection, we analyzed data from the OPM’s Public Use 

2014-2015 Telework Data Call. These data distinguish between “agencies” (e.g., 

Department of Health and Human Services) and “sub-agencies” (e.g., Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention), which are sometimes referred to as “agency components.” For 

the purposes of this report, we refer to the selected sub-agencies as “selected agencies.”
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 32 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

including two Fiscal Service locations, one location each for CDC and 

OJP, and three GSA locations (National Headquarters, Region 2 Office, 

and Region 3 Office) in Washington, D.C.; New York City; and 

Philadelphia, respectively.

To identify any challenges the 23 civilian CFO Act agencies faced in 

using telework in office space planning, we analyzed results from survey 

questions addressed to challenges, interviewed sub-agency and GSA 

officials as detailed above, interviewed two private sector subject matter 

experts, and representatives from four private-sector entities that had 

reported using telework to reduce and use office space more efficiently. 

Statements made by knowledgeable federal officials, outside experts and 

private sector entities are not generalizable to the universe of civilian CFO 

Act agencies. We also analyzed the section of each of the 23 civilian CFO 

Act agencies’ Real Property Efficiency Plans devoted to challenges 

agency face in reducing space. We selected the two subject matter 

experts––representatives from Global Workplace Analytics and Fentress 

Facility Planning and Analytics––based on: (1) their experience working 

with federal agencies to incorporate telework programs into the space 

planning process; (2) information compiled in our literature review; (3) 

prior GAO reports; (4) internal GAO recommendations; and (5) industry 

recommendations. We selected the four private sector entities (AT&T, 

Deloitte, Adobe, and CapitalOne) based on our literature review, 

recommendations from industry experts, and reports of having achieved 

space efficiencies including space reduction, cost savings, or cost 

avoidance(s).

To identify what guidance or information on using telework as a spaceplanning tool GSA makes available through its website, we reviewed the 

contents of multiple GSA websites including Telework, Total Workplace, 

Alternative Work, and GSA Telework Resources. We followed links and 

reviewed webpage contents for information on how agencies might use 

telework as a strategic tool to reduce space or use space more efficiently. 

We compared GSA’s guidance and website information to relevant 

statutory requirements and federal internal controls standards related to 

external communication.

We conducted this performance audit from January 2017 to March 2018 

in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 33 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 34 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 6: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Headquarters Office Space, Washington, D.C.

Property GSA headquarters building

Location Washington, D.C.

Description GSA’s consolidated headquarters

Federally owned or commercially leased Owned

Size 1 building (approximately 446,000 USF)

Space standard/utilization rate 138 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool Yes

Reported cost savings Yes

Reduced space without leveraging telework -

Summary of reductions/efficiencies GSA consolidated its headquarters by transitioning to a more open, 

mobile work environment with fewer private offices, smaller workstations, 

and less than one workstation per employee. This involved major 

physical reconfigurations of the original office space. GSA reports that 

about 1,000 employees were moved from leased office space to owned 

headquarters office space, resulting in a space reduction of about 

460,000 square feet and an annual cost savings of approximately $24 

million. See below for photos of the consolidated space.

Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

General Services 

Administration (GSA)
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 35 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 7: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Region 3 Office Space, Philadelphia, PA

Property The Dow Building

Location Philadelphia, PA

Description GSA’s Region 3 Office

Federally owned or commercially leased Leased

Size 2 1/2 floors occupied by GSA totaling 94,000 USF

Space standard/Utilization rate 139 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool Yes

Reported cost savings Yes

Reduced space without leveraging telework -

Summary of reductions/efficiencies GSA Region 3 recently moved offices under a new lease, 

concurrently reducing space by approximately 40,000 USF and 

transitioning to an open, mobile office environment. This office 

considered telework when developing the ratio of desks to people 

that would be needed in the new space, allowing it to plan for about 

100 fewer workstations than employees. The impetus for this 

transition was a centrally mandated target utilization rate. This 

space reduction resulted in a reported annual rent cost savings of 

about $2 million. See below for photos of the consolidated space.
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 36 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 8: General Services Administration’s (GSA) Region 2 Office Space, New York, NY

Property One World Trade Center Building

Location New York, NY

Description GSA’s Region 2 Office

Federally owned or commercially leased Leased

Size 1.5 floors occupied by GSA totaling about 58,000 USF

Space standard/Utilization rate 119 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool Yes

Reported cost savings Yes

Reduced space without leveraging telework -

Summary of Reductions/Efficiencies GSA Region 2 recently moved offices under a new lease, 

concurrently reducing space by approximately 64,000 USF and 

transitioning to an open, mobile office environment. This office 

leveraged existing telework levels to achieve reduced space 

standards and move to a smaller leased space for a reported total 

rent cost savings of nearly $11 million, according to GSA officials. 

See below for photos of the consolidated space.
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 37 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 9: Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Office Space, Washington, D.C.

Property OJP office building

Location Washington, D.C.

Description OJP’s consolidated office

Federally owned or commercially leased Leased

Size 1 building (OJP occupies 9 floors including lobby and lower level totaling 

approximately 210,000 USF)

Space standard/Utilization rate 190 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool Yes

Reported cost savings Yes

Reduced space without leveraging telework -

Summary of reductions/efficiencies OJP consolidated all employees into less total space in one building 

under a renewed lease by targeting 25 percent employee mobility, 

implementing hoteling, introducing smaller workstations, and using tenant 

improvement funds to reconfigure the space for more flexible use. 

According to OJP officials, through the consolidation, OJP reduced the 

square feet used per employee, allowing it to house the same total 

number of employees in about 50,000 fewer USF. According to OJP, this 

resulted in an estimated $3 million in annual lease cost savings. See 

below for photos of the consolidated space.

The Office of Justice 

Programs (OJP)
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 38 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 10: Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Office Space, Hyattsville, MD

Property Hyattsville Metro IV Building

Location Hyattsville, MD

Description CDC’s reduced NCHS office space

Federally owned or commercially leased Leased

Size NCHS occupies 3 3⁄4 floors or about 50 percent of the building, totaling 

approximately 87,000 USF

Space standard/Utilization rate 170 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool No

Reported cost savings Yes

Reduced space without leveraging telework Yes

Summary of reductions/efficiencies This CDC office reduced space to meet a lower space standard without 

leveraging telework by reconfiguring the space with smaller, soft-walled 

workstations. NCHS, the CDC component that occupies this office, gave 

up a little more than 3 floors in this building for a reported space 

reduction of about 40 percent and reported annual rent cost savings of 

approximately $1 million, according to CDC officials. See below for 

photos of the consolidated space.

Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention 

(CDC)
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 39 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 11: The Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s (Fiscal Service) Office Space, Washington, D.C.

Property Liberty Loan Building

Location Washington, D.C.

Description Fiscal Service office in Washington, D.C.

Federally owned or commercially leased Owned (leased from GSA)

Size 1 building totaling about 116,000 USF

Space standard/Utilization rate 222 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool No

Reported cost savings No

Reduced space without leveraging telework No

Summary of reductions/efficiencies The Fiscal Service and its legacy bureaus have occupied this building for 

almost 100 years, but this space was recently reconfigured with no 

reported space reduction or cost savings. Employees at this office have 

dedicated workstations. See below for photos of the reconfigured space.

The Bureau of the Fiscal 

Service (Fiscal Service)
Appendix II: Selected Agency Case Study 

Profiles

Page 40 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Figure 12: The Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s (Fiscal Service) Office Space, Hyattsville, MD 

Property Hyattsville Metro I Building

Location Hyattsville, MD

Description Fiscal Service office in Hyattsville, MD

Federally owned or commercially leased Leased

Size The Fiscal Service occupies 3 1⁄2 floors totaling approximately 94,00 USF)

Space standard/Utilization rate 175 useable square feet (USF) per person

Leveraged telework as a space planning tool No

Reported cost savings Yes

Reduced space without leveraging telework Yes

Summary of reductions/efficiencies Beginning in 2012, the Fiscal Service gave up several floors in its 

Hyattsville office, and further reduced space when it moved from the 

Metro II building to the Metro I building in 2017. The most recent 

reductions were accomplished by implementing a new space standard of 

183 useable square feet per person through smaller workstations. 

Employees at this office still have dedicated workstations. The Fiscal 

Service reported that this most recent space reduction resulted in 

approximately $6 million in annual rent cost savings but this amount is 

not attributable to telework. See below for photos of the consolidated 

space.
Appendix III: Comments from the General 

Services Administration

Page 41 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Appendix III: Comments from the General 

Services Administration
Appendix IV: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 42 GAO-18-319 Federal Real Property

Lori Rectanus, (202) 512-2834, or rectanusl@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, David J. Wise (Director); Amelia 

Bates Shachoy (Assistant Director); Lindsay Bach (Analyst-in-Charge); 

Geoff Hamilton; Malika Rice; Kelly Rubin; Shelia Thorpe; Elise Vaughan 

Winfrey; and Amelia Michelle Weathers made key contributions to this 

report.

Appendix IV: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(101266)
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