U.S. General Services 

Administration

Equity Action Plan

Updates for 2023
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Message from Administrator Robin C. Carnahan

The General Services Administration’s overarching goal is delivering efficient, effective 

government for the American people. As we look to the future, we’re codifying another 

element into that goal: equity.

The sacred trust between government and its citizens should inform every action, every 

decision, and every policy. It’s our responsibility to get people the services they need, 

when they need them – that’s why we’re taking a people-centered approach to 

government. We know that government only works when it works for everyone, so I’m 

proud to renew GSA’s commitment to delivering a government that’s equitable, 

accessible, and inclusive of the diverse nation we serve.

GSA has a big role to play in fulfilling the mission of government, whether we’re 

investing in American jobs, partnering with American industry and trade labor, delivering 

digital government with good customer experience, building a more sustainable future, 

or bolstering the strength of communities across the country. In all this, we’re committed 

to making meaningful equity impacts, recognizing that equitable approaches lead to 

better outcomes for everyone.

That’s why our Equity Action Plan is so important. The heart of this plan is community 

and it provides us with ways we can both transform government in the long-term and 

ensure that what the government delivers has meaningful impacts on the daily lives of 

people all across the country.

The good news is that we have the money and the momentum to make these kinds of 

impacts real. From Day One, the President has been focused on Investing in America –

in our people, in our infrastructure, and in rebuilding our economy through historic, 

once-in-a-generation investments.

I’ve been out on the road a lot this year and I’ve seen these strategies in action 

firsthand.

To start, with over $6 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation 

Reduction Act, we’re making smart investments in GSA-controlled Federal buildings all 

across the country. We’re focused on building spaces that are part of the communities 

they inhabit, modernizing them so they can easily provide services to the American 

people, and ensuring their resilience and sustainability. With every investment, we’re 

seeking to address climate change because it’s a triple win: creating good jobs, saving 

taxpayer dollars, and making a healthier future for generations to come. We know that 

historically underserved communities are too-often disproportionately impacted by 

climate change, so we’re making sure that this triple win benefits everyone.
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From Arizona to Ohio, I’ve heard from workers that are proud to be part of this national 

transformation and that they see the benefits to their families, their communities, and 

American businesses. I’ve met with trade labor unions, workers, and leaders in the 

building and construction industry, all of whom have shared with me how they’re 

committed to these same goals. They’re recruiting more women and people of color and 

training them in the tools and technologies we need to implement billions of dollars in 

investments. They know what we know: these investments will create pathways to the 

middle-class, strengthen communities across the country, and build a stronger and

more prosperous future for everyone.

At our federal buildings, we’ve been partnering with local small businesses to guide 

them through the process of accessing opportunities across the Federal marketplace. 

We’ve also been partnering with opportunity centers to raise awareness of these 

projects among the local communities. There’s one location in D.C. where we’ve helped 

over 35 businesses get onto government schedules and helped secure jobs for over 

2,500 people.

We’re also focused on the physical accessibility of our buildings through our National 

Accessibility Program, the many efforts of our Office of Design and Construction, and 

our long-standing relationship with the U.S. Access Board. We also partnered with 

Challenge.gov to launch the “Access for All” universal and accessible design

competition for U.S. architecture students to source best practice improvements.

As the caretaker of the nation’s largest public art collection, we’ve preserved and 

expanded the people’s collection over the last 50 years, placing art in Federal buildings 

and public spaces that tells the story of our nation and our democracy. We’re committed 

to expanding opportunities for new artists to contribute, creating jobs while ensuring that 

the diversity and vibrancy of our portfolio reflects the diversity and vibrancy of the 

American story.

Our Federal Acquisition Service and Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business 

Utilization are committed to making it easier for businesses to succeed in the Federal 

marketplace. From forecasting tools and new identifiers for a diverse range of 

businesses to training and outreach programs, we’re actively expanding our supplier 

diversity, reducing barriers, and improving outcomes. In fact, GSA awarded more than

$3.3 billion to small businesses, which represents over 50% of the agency's FY23 

eligible spending, according to data current as of November 2, 2023.

GSA’s work delivering “services that are simple to use, accessible, equitable, protective, 

transparent, and responsive for all people” is evident in our digital capabilities as well.

Our public-facing websites are 508 compliant, support assistive technology, and are 

available in multiple languages. In fact, Vote.gov has recently added its first Alaska 

Native language and multiple Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 

languages to increase accessibility while supporting cultural vitality. We’re also
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engaging in equity studies across our Technology Transformation Services to ensure 

that we’re providing human-centered tools that meet the needs of every American.

We’ve been partnering across the government as well. Our Office of Government-wide 

Policy IT Accessibility team helps agencies meet Federal compliance standards while 

our U.S. Web Design Services offers toolkits and best practices to ensure that Federal 

websites are accessible for everyone – that includes providing specific resources to 

support customers in varying socio-economic communities. Through our work with the 

Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Initiative, we’re helping improve job quality and 

create access to good union jobs free from discrimination and harassment for all 

working people, with an emphasis on people of color, LGBTQ+, women, veterans, 

immigrants, individuals in rural communities, and individuals with disabilities.

Finally, we’ve been committed to strengthening ties and trust between Tribal Nations 

and the United States. From attending the Reservation Economic Summit and hosting 

our first Native Nations Industry Day at GSA Headquarters to holding nation-to-nation 

consultations and visiting with Tribal leaders and communities, we’re building Nation-toNation partnerships so that our work in Indian Country strengthens businesses and 

communities.

Looking to the future, GSA’s updated action plan aims to further advance equity through 

the agency’s high-impact program areas like Federal procurement, Federal buildings, 

and Federal technology design and delivery. It also gives increased emphasis to GSA’s 

role in helping to strengthen the government’s ability to be more agile, responsive, and 

reflective of Americans’ needs through evaluation and data-driven insights.

By focusing on these five strategies, GSA will use its unique position of delivering 

mission-critical services and core products across government to act as a force 

multiplier in advancing equity and reducing burdens for underserved communities. That 

is what good government is all about – and GSA is proud to do our part to strengthen 

our democracy and foster more trust between the Federal Government and the 

American people.

Robin C. Carnahan

Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration
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Advancing Equity Through Agency Mission

The mission of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is to deliver the best customer 

experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and 

the American people. As we work to meet our goals of delivery on behalf of the government, we 

are only meeting our mission as a federal agency if the American people can equitably benefit 

from our efforts. That means that as GSA leverages its over $85 billion buying power to provide 

Federal purchasers with cost-effective, high-quality products and services from commercial 

vendors, we are also advancing the diversity of the American supplier base and economic 

security for small businesses. When we provide critical technology services and modernizations, 

GSA has a mission to ensure that digital government is reflective of and designed to perform for 

all the diverse communities we serve. As GSA plans and completes large scale construction 

projects across our 375 million rentable square feet of Federal real estate, we do so in a manner 

that is informed by local communities to ensure that the sustainability, vitality and livability made 

possible through Federal investment is available to every American neighborhood. GSA’s 

mission is government delivery – and that includes delivering on the American promise of equal 

opportunity, civil rights, and justice for all.

Executive Summary

In response to Executive Order 14091 on Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for 

Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, the U.S. General Services 

Administration has undertaken an agenda to operationalize equity across its public-facing 

mission critical programs and services. Not only do these updated strategies build on the 

successes and learnings from our 2022 Equity Action Plan, they further integrate cross-cutting 

equity goals in important and impactful ways. Deeper synergies are possible to realize across 

priorities related to economic justice, sustainable and equitable development, customer 

experience and digital government, gender equity, environmental justice, protecting civil rights, 

and support for an ecosystem of sociodemographic community groups, Tribes, and institutions.

Another core tenet of this plan is GSA’s commitment to expanding Federal interagency 

coordination and advancing meaningful engagement with the public when it matters most and 

can make a difference. This collaborative posture reflects GSA’s unique role in government as 

an agency that supports other agencies in their mission success. GSA’s business is the 

business of government - whether that is helping buyers and sellers connect more efficiently 

and equitably in Federal marketplaces, modernizing and delivering high-impact digital solutions, 

challenging industry to join us in tackling the climate crisis through sustainable supply chain 

innovations, or driving the revitalization of American neighborhoods by putting people to work in 

their communities with good jobs paid for by once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments.

This plan outlines five strategies to advance and embed equity in

Fiscal Year (FY) 2024:

● Advance Equity, Economic Justice, and the Diversity of the American Supplier 

Base through Federal Procurement. This strategy supports the whole-of-government 

equity objective of economic justice; and it aims to address barriers faced by small and 

disadvantaged businesses as they participate in the Federal marketplace. Key actions 

are designed to improve contracting efficiency and success through data insights, 

innovative procurement tools, and greater collaboration across Federal agencies.
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● Deliver Equitable, Accessible and Inclusive Digital Government to the American 

Public. This strategy supports the whole-of-government equity objectives of Economic 

Justice and Civil Rights; and it aims to address potential barriers and biases present in 

public interactions with civic tech. Key actions include advancing human centered design 

and community-informed user research practices, scaling language access, and 

ensuring responsible adoption and procurement of AI-enabled technologies.

● Advance Equity, Economic Security, Sustainability and Environmental Justice 

through Large-Scale Construction Projects and the Federal Buildings Footprint. 

This strategy supports the whole-of-government equity objectives of Economic Justice, 

Environmental Justice, and Housing Justice and Community Investment; and it aims to 

address barriers to community benefits realized through equitable and sustainable 

Federal development. Key actions are designed to improve planning and access to local 

opportunities - like good jobs and cleaner, more climate change-resilient communities, 

made possible by landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act 

investments.

● Advance Equity and Effectiveness of Federal Programs Through Rigorous 

Review, Evaluation and Continuous Improvement. This strategy supports the wholeof-government equity objectives of Civil Rights, Health Equity, Economic Justice, Global 

Equality; and it aims to ensure Federal programs are working as intended, particularly 

programs that provide critical support to the public during emergencies and recovery 

after disasters. Key actions include scaling the Federal Government’s use of evaluations 

to surface important findings and areas of improvement in the design and delivery of 

Federal programs.

● Advance Equitable Access to Opportunity and Federal Resources for Local 

Communities and Minority Serving Institutions. This strategy supports the whole-ofgovernment equity objectives of Civil Rights and Economic Justice; and it aims to reduce 

barriers to access for institutions that, through Federal resources, help close critical gaps 

in capacity and infrastructure for the local communities they serve. Key actions include 

conducting proactive civil rights compliance reviews of the Federal Surplus Personal 

Property Donation Program and broadening partnerships - including contracting 

agreements - between Federal agencies and Minority Serving Institutions.

Approaches to the five strategies are meant to be tactical and have

measurable outcomes.

At the heart of these strategies are the American people – particularly those who are 

overcoming systemic burdens, have been locked out of a fair chance at opportunities or are 

disproportionately in the path of harm when disaster strikes. GSA has developed our agency 

actions to reflect the needs of the people, identified through data and feedback collected in our 

own regular engagement and evaluation practices and with the help of thoughtfully researched 

insights generated from trusted industry experts and Federal partners.
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Equity Progress Updates and Accomplishments

2022 Equity Action Plan Update

In January 2022, GSA released its inaugural Equity Action Plan in accordance with Executive 

Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the 

Federal Government. To develop this plan, GSA conducted equity assessments and identified a 

set of actions for three high-impact program areas: Federal procurement, Federal buildings 

footprint, and Federal technology design and delivery. The section below provides an overview 

of the key accomplishments achieved since publication of the original Equity Action Plan.

Advancing Equity and Supplier Diversity in Federal Procurement

• In FY 2022, $2.8 billion of GSA contracting obligations went to small businesses, including 

21.4% to small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs); In FY 2023, GSA increased its small 

business contracting obligations to $3.3 billion, representing over 50% of the agency’s 

eligible spending.

• Launched a new Supplier Base Dashboard to provide more transparency and public 

reporting on Federal efforts to increase the number of new entrants to the Federal 

marketplace and reverse the general decline in the small business supplier base.

• Signed a new 8(a) partnership agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration to 

increase 8(a) contracting opportunities and make it easier for Federal agencies to buy from 

8(a) businesses for common goods and services needs.

• Established new contracting pools in the growing Federal marketplace of Information 

Technology services and solutions to bolster participation of Women-Owned Small 

Business, Service-Disabled Veteran- Owned Small Business, and small businesses 

located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones. The 8(a) STARS III contracts have 

been awarded to 1,111 SDB. 290 “rising stars” have received their first awards exceeding

$925 million in obligations.

• Expanded tools to support Minority Serving Institutions with training and technical

assistance to achieve success in the Federal contracting marketplace.

• Established a Post-Award Engagement strategy to support disadvantaged and 

socioeconomic small businesses, which oftentimes still face challenges in successfully 

earning sales after being awarded a GSA contract.

• Published the first-ever Supplier Diversity Plan to support Federal marketplace participation 

of SDB.

• Updated the Multiple Award Schedule Welcome Package and Roadmap to improve

information access and assist new contractors with success in marketing and managing 

their contracts.
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Advancing Equity and Accessibility in Federal Technology

• Launched an Equity Study on Remote Identity, recruiting 4,000 Americans, to understand 

potential barriers and demographic disparities in identity verification technologies that are 

commonly used by the public when accessing Federal services and benefits.

• Developed and started implementing a roadmap for USAGov and USAGov en Español to 

streamline content and make it easier for the public to find and access Federal benefits and 

services across a digital platform that connects people with government information more 

than 117 million times a year.

• Vote.gov worked to expand access to voter registration information in communities that, 

due to language barriers, have not been historically part of the electorate. The platform 

added several Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) 

languages including: Bengali, Khmer, Korean, Hindi, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, with

Chinese (both simplified and traditional) and its first Alaska Native language, Yup’ikAkuzipik.

• Login.gov partnered with Federal agencies and State governments to provide secure, 

accessible identity verification services for benefits and emergency assistance programs. 

As an example, the U.S. Department of Labor pilot in Arkansas, helping more than 19,000 

citizens of the State verify their identities while applying for unemployment benefits.

• Advanced public participation and equitable user research practices through user

compensation pilots and increased outreach efforts to community-based organizations.

• Partnered with the U.S. Web Design System to launch new Inclusion Pattern Guidance, a

library of design guidance and examples focused on reducing the public’s barriers in key 

digital government interactions and fostering effective, inclusive, and equitable digital 

experiences.

Advancing Equity and Sustainability in the Public Buildings Footprint

• Leveraged the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool and Federal Interagency 

Thriving Communities Network to develop engagement strategies that advance 

sustainable and equitable development goals and connect communities with resources in 

large-scale Federal investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and 

Inflation Reduction Act.

• Established partnerships with the U.S. Department of Labor on the Mega Construction 

Project Program and Good Jobs Initiative to advance equal opportunity in the construction 

trade workforce and expand the use of Project Labor Agreements on Federal projects over 

$35 million.

• Launched the Access-for- All universal design challenge for U.S. architecture students 

and apprentices to source best national ideas on improving the accessibility and gender 

inclusiveness of Federal properties.

• Partnered with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and updated the Art in 

Architecture program rules to expand public access and artist representation in the millions 

of dollars of commissioned artworks permanently installed in Federal facilities.
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• Issued recommendations from the Environmental Justice and Equity in Federal 

Sustainable Buildings Task Group and appointed two new environmental justice subject 

matter experts to the Green Building Advisory Committee, a Federal advisory committee 

that explores the climate modernization and sustainable development of Federal real

estate in ways that are responsive to the needs of local communities.

• Commissioned a survey and issued a first-ever GSA report on Diversity, Equity, 

Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) practices in design and construction industries.

• Partnered with the National organization of Minority Architects to expand career 

opportunities for underserved communities in the architecture, engineering, design, and 

construction industries. 

Additional Efforts to Advance Equity

Implementation of Landmark Legislation

● The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) was designed to address immediate 

needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on addressing

historically disparate outcomes across race, class, and geography that were further 

exacerbated by the pandemic. To support the Federal Government’s exploration of 

questions about equitable recovery, GSA’s Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) 

established an ARP Evaluation Portfolio with two core elements: a national evaluation 

conducted by a third-party research contract, and a portfolio of evaluations conducted by 

OES, in partnership with agencies and the White House Office of Management and 

Budget, on ARP-funded programs with equity goals. This body of work explores 

effectiveness of critical relief programs like Emergency Rental Assistance and 

Homeowner Assistance Fund.

● The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides $3.4 billion for GSA’s Public Buildings 

Service, making a significant impact on 26 Land Ports of Entry modernizations along the 

Canadian and Mexican border. These projects will create new good-paying jobs, bolster 

safety and security, and make our economy more resilient to supply chain challenges – 

all while serving as models for sustainability and innovation and improving community 

livability.

● The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides GSA with $2.15 billion for low-embodied 

carbon materials in construction and renovation projects, $975 million for GSA to support 

emerging and sustainable technologies, and $250 million to turn even more GSA 

facilities into High-Performance Green Buildings and accelerate efforts to achieve a netzero Federal footprint. These investments will reduce long-term energy costs for 

American communities, strengthen America’s domestic industrial base and catalyze 

innovation and job growth in homegrown industries that produce next-generation 

materials, products, and equipment. GSA estimates that these projects will create over 

9,500 average annual economy-wide jobs across the length of the projects, support $2.8 

billion in labor income, and generate nearly $1 billion in tax revenue for Federal, State 

and local governments.
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Support for Tribes and Native Communities

● GSA has prioritized engaging in Tribal Consultations in a proactive and meaningful 

manner throughout Fiscal Year 23. In addition to robust Tribal engagement as part of 

BIL project planning, GSA hosted the agency’s first formal in-person Tribal Consultation

event at the Reservation Economic Summit (RES) in April 2023. Over 100 participants 

joined Administrator Carnahan and GSA leaders for discussions on major topics of 

interest to Indian Country, including GSA’s support of tribes, small business contracting, 

partnering with GSA to procure electric vehicles, and a pilot program to support Federal 

buying of carbon pollution-free electricity from Tribal organizations. Also, GSA issued a 

Guide to Using GSA Solutions and debuted a new search feature that enables buyers to 

search for Native American business categories in the GSA Advantage!®, GSA eBuy

and GSA eLibrary e-tools to find commercial products and services. This will foster 

greater Native American business participation in the Federal marketplace, help

customers more easily meet Buy Indian Act needs, and strengthen the ability for tribes

to pursue intertribal commerce efforts.

Environmental Justice

● GSA is committed to institutionalizing the principles of Justice40 - ensuring that the 

benefits of Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are 

marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution, advancing equitable and 

sustainable development, and mitigating the disproportionate burdens faced by 

underserved communities in the climate crisis. Our Good Neighbor Program helps 

construction project teams, local governments and communities address common 

environmental justice challenges - like flooding from aging water systems, heat islands 

caused by lack of tree canopy, and air pollution from commercial traffic patterns - during 

the urban planning process. GSA’s Environmental Justice Scorecard highlights include 

27 Tribal Consultations related to environmental justice from January 2021 to September 

2022 and improving environmental justice literacy through training provided to GSA’s 

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Network.

Strategies to Advance Equity in Fiscal Year 2024

Whole-of-Government Equity Objective: Economic Justice

Strategy #1: Advance Equity, Economic Justice, and the Diversity of the 

American Supplier Base through Federal Procurement

Barriers to Equity

Through existing public research and GSA’s own regular industry engagement efforts, the 

agency has identified core challenges1 facing disadvantaged small business communities that 

impede their success and contribute to persistent systemic economic disparities. Small 

Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) and Socioeconomic Small Businesses (SESBs)2 are 

vulnerable to compounding obstacles in achieving competitive pricing, administrative burdens in 

1 The Probability of Winning Federal Contracts: An Analysis Of Small Minority Owned Firms (June 2022), 

U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency.

2 Includes SBA certified socioeconomic set-aside categories: 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Businesses, 

Women-Owned Small Businesses, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Tribes and Tribalowned businesses, and small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones
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navigating government’s diffuse information and processes, and disproportionately negative 

outcomes relative to other businesses while competing for Federal contracts and obligations —

including the approximately $85 billion in annual contracts facilitated by GSA. GSA’s plan to 

advance equity in Federal procurement coordinates and builds on key actions that take a 

holistic approach to reducing barriers and improving outcomes at critical stages of the Federal 

contracting lifecycle, with the goal to increase overall marketplace participation rates and the 

amount of Federal contracting dollars awarded to underserved and disinvested communities.

Key Actions

Enable greater Federal contracting marketplace transparency and efficiency 

through data-driven tools and insights. Federal agencies and the Federal acquisition 

workforce play a critical role in creating, sustaining, and growing opportunities where small 

businesses can fairly compete and succeed in being awarded government contracts. GSA is 

committed to helping buyers and sellers more effectively execute on all eligible small business 

opportunities, which includes our role in providing contracting data insights to the Federal 

Government and the public in support of these goals:

● Expand Federal agency use of the Forecast of Contracting Opportunities Tool. The 

tool assists with acquisition planning by helping vendors learn about potential prime 

contracting opportunities early in the process. Improved search functionality will simplify 

the process for the Federal user to post and maintain opportunities. Maximizing Federal 

agency use of the tool and creating a single forecast for the public to access will greatly 

ease the burden on small businesses attempting to track opportunities across multiple 

sources of information.

● Launch and scale Federal agency adoption of new Government-wide Procurement 

Equity Tool. The tool uses Federal contracting data sources to support market research 

focused on small disadvantaged businesses. Federal agencies can use the tool to find 

SDBs by geographic location, business type and category. Agencies can also find new 

SDBs that have registered to do business but have yet to receive a federal award.

● Enhance eBuy, the Request for Quote (RFQ) platform for GSA Schedule. eBuy is a 

powerful and intuitive acquisition tool used by thousands of Federal agencies and 

military services worldwide to help save government time and money as acquisitions 

achieve required competition, best pricing and value. Planned and ongoing updates to 

eBuy include new features that benefit both buyers and sellers by creating more visibility 

and simplification in quoting, Request for Information (RFI), and RFQ interactions.

Facilitate greater supplier diversity and contracting success through GSA 

acquisition products and innovation. GSA acquisition vehicles are trusted and proven 

entry points for small businesses to begin and find early success in the Federal marketplace. 

The Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) and Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) are 

standout sources of eligible award dollars available to small disadvantaged businesses to 

compete for contracts in Federal common goods and services, and in high-growth categories 

like information technology and solutions. GSA supports overall governmentwide procurement 

equity efforts by ensuring the universe of our own contracting opportunities drive innovation and 

are responsive to the complex needs of our customers and vendors. These actions include:

● Establish and implement a new 8(a) partnership agreement with the U.S. Small 

Business Administration. This new 8(a) partnership agreement makes it easier for 

Federal agencies to use GSA’s Government-wide contracts, including the Federal 

Supply Schedules, to identify and make awards to 8(a) firms. Creation of an 8(a) 
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Schedule pool will allow for sole source opportunities to SDBs, which significantly 

reduces burden on small businesses to obtain orders and gain Federal work experience. 

GSA will update the solicitation to begin adding new 8(a) contractors to the Schedule, 

will enhance eTools to identify eligible 8(a) contractors on eBuy and GSA Advantage!

and will update and roll-out training for its acquisition workforce and Federal agencies on 

the new process.

● Create new sustainability-focused markets in coordination with the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Defense. Climate risk 

adaptation efforts and Federal sustainability goals are positioned to deploy hundreds of 

millions of dollars in new acquisition opportunities, including those available to small 

businesses, over the near/medium term. GSA is driving new and emerging market 

successes in Low Embodied Carbon building materials, Zero-Emission Vehicles and 

supply equipment, scaling of eco-labels to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances 

(PFAS), and expediting procurement availability of environmental technologies.

● Finalize solicitations and awards for new Polaris and OASIS+ contracts.3 These 

newly launched governmentwide IT and professional services contracts offer more 

opportunities for small businesses to compete for prime contracts, including small 

business and socioeconomic set-asides. Since 2015, GSA’s current OASIS vehicle has 

helped Federal agencies obligate more than $67 billion.

● Improve accessibility and reduce administrative burden. GSA committed to 

reviewing 37 Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) forms and identifying six design 

changes to appearance and layout (e.g., limiting use of capitalization and italics, 

continuity of 12-point font and bolded text for readability) that could make the standard 

forms easier to navigate for people with dyslexia, limited vision and intellectual 

disabilities. GSA will redesign FAR forms and launch a public awareness campaign 

about the updates. For FY 2024, GSA will also increase its pledge to the AbilityOne

program, a critical source for buying goods and services from suppliers who support the 

employment of people with disabilities.

● Further implement and enhance the Post-Award Engagement (PAE) Strategy. 

Fiscal Year 2023 sales data for SDBs and SESBs will serve as the Year 1 baseline to 

evaluate the efficacy of PAE plan activities. Based on analysis, GSA will update actions 

for post-award interventions that address the phenomena of persistent low or no sales, 

including: targeted training, matchmaking industry days and technical assistance.

Measuring Our Progress: Federal Procurement Equity

GSA will know if we are achieving measurable results for the small business communities we 

serve by tracking quarterly and annual progress against key metrics, including:

● increased number and percentage of disadvantaged and socioeconomic small 

businesses active in core GSA marketplaces;

● increased total dollars and percentage obligated to SDBs and SESBs relative to GSA’s 

overall eligible annual spending;

● downward trends in number and percentage of SDBs and SESBs with no or low sales;

● upward trends in SDBs and SESBs average dollar value of awards and percentage of 

market share;

● upward trends in SDBs and SESBs overall new entrants and increased participation in 

high-growth and emerging market segments;

● improved overall qualitative data results from customer and vendor surveys, focus 

3 GSA is responsive to any protest decisions and remains committed to providing opportunities for small 

businesses while supporting Federal agencies in their small business goals.
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groups, and training feedback. 

Whole-of-Government Equity Objective: Civil Rights, Economic Justice

Strategy #2: Deliver Equitable, Accessible and Inclusive Digital Government to 

the American Public

Barriers to Equity

Although technology continues to rapidly evolve, persistent inequities in technology design and 

delivery – like higher false rejection rates, completion failure rates, and time burdens - 

disproportionately negatively impact those from historically and socially marginalized 

communities. Additionally, digital services very often fail to prioritize human-centered design and 

usability beyond compliance. This means that Americans who likely have a critical need to 

connect with government information and services through digital platforms also are likely to 

have the hardest time doing so. Examples include both lack of access to the newest hardware

or good internet, which often means newer digital platforms do not perform as well (because 

they are not built for older devices or don’t work with low bandwidth connections), or software 

that is not designed to work across all populations, such as lack of plain language impacting 

populations with limited English proficiency or poorly trained AI models causing biometric 

systems to perform worse for people with different ages or skin tones. GSA – through its 

consulting and fellowships offerings such as the Centers of Excellence and the Presidential 

Innovation Fellows, shared services such as Login.gov and the US Web Design System, and 

Federal partners in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and United States 

Digital Service – plays a central role in the responsible development, deployment, and 

procurement of technologies used by the Federal Government to communicate or interact with 

the public.4 GSA is committed to delivering high-impact digital services and products in a 

manner that improves customer experience, reduces burden, broadens access, and advances 

civic tech practices that are intrinsically equity-aware and community-informed.

Key Actions

Mitigate bias and advance responsible adoption of civic technologies, including 

machine learning-enabled and emerging technologies. GSA’s own internal product 

testing processes, as well as publicly available, peer-reviewed technical research studies from 

academic institutions and government research partners - like the National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - have 

identified user experience disparities and efficacy gaps in machine learning and AI-enabled 

technologies that adversely impact users, including: people with darker skin tones, people in 

rural areas with low bandwidth, people using older electronic devices, nonbinary and 

transgender people, people with disabilities, and people whose native language is not English.5

The negative impacts listed above compound for government websites and digital services, 

including services that have the potential to impact rights (like access to benefits or other

government services). For example, a user with darker skin tone who is more likely to live in a 

neighborhood with low-bandwidth internet access and have an older device is thus more likely to 

experience increased friction in their attempt to use a government website or service.

4 AI Guide for Government, IT Modernization Centers of Excellence; Blueprint for AI Bill of Rights, OSTP

5 Face Recognition Technology Evaluation (FRTE) Part 1: Verification (2023), NIST
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● Complete the Equity Study on Remote Identity-Proofing and publish findings. GSA 

launched the study and is recruiting 4,000 members of the public for participation. The 

peer-reviewed final report will present a statistical analysis of the performance of 

proofing checks, like facial verification, across a number of sociodemographic factors 

and explore the causes behind any negative or inconclusive results. GSA will use the 

results of this study, in combination with findings from other Federal agency efforts, to 

establish recommendations and inform future product iteration, including on Login.gov.

● Advance equity through civic tech shared services and large-scale modernization 

investments. GSA provides expertise via a portfolio of mission critical digital 

government projects through its universe of technologists and product managers in TTS 

Consulting, Presidential Innovation Fellows, U.S. Digital Corps and the Benefits Studio. 

The agency also supports improvements to government delivery and IT infrastructure, 

including automation, through investments made by the Technology Modernization 

Fund. These platforms are positioned to apply equity frameworks in the way government 

programs and services are effectively designed and delivered to the American public.

Expand digital accessibility, language access, public participation and equitable 

user research practices. Traditional outreach, user research, data collection (including 

Artificial Intelligence-trained datasets), content strategy and customer experience testing 

methods often do not sufficiently include underrepresented groups. This means that as 

technology is built and deployed, those end users of the public who likely most need to connect 

with government information and services will often have the most difficulty accessing them.

GSA will continue actions that strengthen relationships with stakeholders and meaningfully 

integrate the needs of communities as part of our digital services.

● Strengthen relationships with underserved user communities and build capacity 

for research operations. Governmentwide customer experience efforts focus on 

improving the digital interactions of communities and individuals with accessibility needs 

such as physical or mental disabilities and those experiencing major life events such as 

recovering from disasters, emergencies or financial shock, new and expecting parents, 

and those planning for retirement. GSA will continue integrating usability testing and 

research operations capabilities, including the expansion of user compensation pilots,6

to directly track how well our digital services are working and meeting the diverse needs 

of the public.

● Modernize GSA’s high-impact7 service providers to improve digital accessibility 

and language access. GSA’s public-facing digital assets like USA.gov, Login.gov and 

Vote.gov connect tens of millions of Americans to Federal services and information. 

GSA will continue modernization efforts to make our digital services more accessible, 

understandable, and easy-to-use. This includes platforming new language translations

and designing from native speaker experiences, like USAGov en Español, as well as 

driving universal design standards in partnership with U.S. Web Design System.

● Develop a plain-language accessibility checklist in collaboration with the Federal 

Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). This will enable any team 

developing cloud-based services and digital solutions to incorporate accessibility into 

their process, regardless of their expertise. Operationalizing accessibility knowledge and 

evaluation for Federal employee use helps improve overall digital government 

6 Handbook: Doing Research at GSA Technology Transformation Services

7 Federal agency High Impact Service Providers (HISP) are identified by the President’s Management

Agenda due to the scale and impact of their public-facing services.
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accessibility and performance outcomes for older devices, such as, and especially for 

mobile, rural, and low-bandwidth users.

Measuring Our Progress: Equitable and Accessible Digital Government

GSA will know if we are achieving measurable positive change in Federal public-serving digital 

products and services by tracking progress against key metrics, including:

● reduced negative impacts (e.g., false rejection rates in biometric identity-proofing, task 

completion rates, slow page load times for low- and limited-bandwidth connections) and 

closing those efficacy gaps across sociodemographic factors

● increased product efficacy and higher overall scores in usability tests

● increased digital accessibility fluency and compliance across GSA high-impact products

● increased number of community-based organizations with active user research pipelines 

for GSA product testing

● increased and proportionate participation of users from underserved community groups 

in GSA product testing at scale

● increased number of available and platform-integrated non-English languages in highimpact digital services and products

Whole-of-Government Equity Objective: Economic Justice, Environmental 

Justice, Housing Justice and Community Investment

Strategy #3: Advance Equity, Economic Security and Environmental Justice 

through Large-Scale Construction Projects and the Federal Buildings Footprint

Barriers to Equity

The Federal real estate footprint - including the 375 million rentable square feet owned and 

operated by GSA - has significant generational impact on communities nationwide. Federal 

construction projects act as anchors for economic security, reliable opportunities for good local 

jobs, defenses against the negative impacts of climate change, and can advance the overall 

livability and vitality of American communities. GSA’s work often occurs in or adjacent to 

disadvantaged communities that have suffered from long-standing underinvestment and have 

dealt with historic challenges and barriers to equitable development. These communities tend to 

have poor transportation connectivity to job opportunities, higher exposure to many forms of 

pollution, and less access to green space. The impacts of this inequity are apparent in the 

persistent lower household income, high unemployment, and poorer health outcomes.8 In order 

to help overcome these barriers, GSA is executing projects with enhanced stakeholder

engagement and data analysis to better inform GSA decisionmakers and project teams about 

local development contexts and better connect project location, design, and facility operations 

with the needs of those communities that will benefit from more equitable development.

Projects implemented under the nearly $7 billion made available to GSA through historic 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) investments are poised to 

bolster economies with small and local business participation, improve job and jobsite quality for 

workers and trade labor, address sustainability and environmental justice concerns, and 

strengthen relationships between levels of government, Tribes, and communities.

8 Assessing the Legacies of Historical Redlining, Urban Institute (2023)
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Key Actions

Aid the economic success of construction industries, contractors, and labor 

forces. Governmentwide implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is estimated to 

create 800,000 good-paying jobs9

, but the possibility of critical shortages in construction and 

craft labor could threaten the timely and successful completion of these projects.10 GSA is 

committed to scaling the impact of our BIL and other building modernization investments 

through collaboration with other Federal agencies and our industry partners.

● Implement the Good Jobs Initiative partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor 

to create and support clear pathways for workers to high-quality, good-paying jobs in 

construction, maintenance, manufacturing, and operations. The actions outlined in the 

signed Memorandum of Understanding11 aim to support equitable and effective 

workforce development, including those from nontraditional and underserved labor 

sources; and improve job quality, standards and metrics on GSA construction sites.

● Build and release new Geographic Information System (GIS) data-informed public 

forecasting resources for BIL and IRA related construction projects. GIS is a 

computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information. It 

uses data that is attached to a unique location. By providing more visibility and 

transparency about where and when Federal projects are happening, GSA can help 

Federal contractors, trade labor, and community stakeholders effectively plan and better 

connect with opportunities. This effort will help more Americans, including those from 

underserved communities, with access to quality employment in their communities.

● Increase contracting opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged small 

businesses across growing markets in construction, clean energy, and 

sustainability. GSA will take actions aimed to maximize participation of SDB and build 

its small business contractor base by improving the forecasting process, strengthening 

relationships with existing contractors, executing its plans for industry engagement and 

utilizing the Governmentwide Procurement Equity Tool to identify eligible and new 

businesses ready to bid for work where GSA projects are located.

Achieve equitable and sustainable development impacts through data-driven 

insights, Federal partnerships and community engagement. New Federal integrated

data mapping and urban planning resources, like the Climate and Economic Justice Screening 

Tool have provided GSA with deeper insights about community needs and challenges during 

the project planning process. This includes opportunities for GSA to collaborate directly with 

State/local governments and communities on ways to address environmental justice concerns, 

meet development goals, and scale impact through better and more robust coordination 

between Federal agencies.

● Identify and announce a near-term portfolio of projects for targeted environmental 

justice and sustainability actions. GSA’s Center for Urban Development/Good

Neighbor Program will develop a priority list of site repair work at Federal buildings that 

would correct deficiencies in ways that also bring positive local sustainability impacts, 

address environmental justice concerns, and fulfill community planning goals. Relevant 

issues would include stormwater runoff, extreme heat, and tree canopy, as well as 

accessibility and improving aesthetics. These projects will provide meaningful benefit to 

the communities surrounding Federal properties and help to maximize the positive 

9 Macroeconomic Consequences of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Moody’s Analytics 

(November 2021)

10 Will a labor crunch derail plans to upgrade U.S. infrastructure?, McKinsey & Company (October 2022)

11 General Services Administration - Department of Labor Good Jobs Memorandum of Understanding (2023)
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impact of GSA repair investments.

● Continue Leveraging the Federal Thriving Communities Network12 to connect GSA 

stakeholder communities with additional climate and infrastructure resources. While 

GSA does not issue grants, it can proactively ensure that the communities we serve are 

better able to connect with place-based technical assistance and other IRA and BIL 

resources made available through Federal agency partners like U.S. Department of 

Transportation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department 

of Energy and U.S. Department of Commerce.

● Complete a study on the impacts of Federal real property disposal. After it is 

determined that excess real property is no longer needed by the Federal Government, 

various statutes authorize conveyance13 to State and local governments and in some 

cases, to nonprofits at up to 100% discount for public benefit use. Some of the qualifying 

uses include public health, homeless assistance, education, park and recreation, 

correctional, law enforcement, and emergency management. This study will give GSA 

important new insights on how portfolio disposal decisions affect surrounding 

communities in the near and long-term.

Measuring Our Progress: Equitable and Sustainable Public Buildings Footprint 

GSA will know if we are achieving measurable positive impacts in the communities where 

Federal construction projects and buildings are located by tracking progress against key 

metrics, including:

● increased diversity in the supplier base, including broadened participation from Tribal 

and disadvantaged businesses contracted to Federal construction projects and 

increased total dollars awarded to these businesses as a percentage of project value

● increased number of small and socioeconomic businesses, including new entrants, 

awarded contracts in the region where Federal projects are located

● increased number of Project Labor Agreements executed

● overall improved job and jobsite quality scores across GSA portfolio projects

● increased and more accessible pathways to training and employment opportunities in 

regions where GSA projects are located

● increased initiation and execution of community development goals established during 

Planning Outreach and Partnership engagements

● number of GSA community stakeholders who are awarded place-based assistance 

grants through Thriving Communities opportunities; indicators of reduced burden in 

disadvantaged Census tracts with GSA environmental justice ameliorations

Whole-of-Government Equity Objective: Civil Rights, Health Equity, Economic 

Justice, Global Equality

Strategy #4: Advance Equity and Effectiveness of Federal Programs Through 

Rigorous Review, Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

Barriers to Equity

The Federal Government’s exploration of the equitable and effective deployment of benefits, 

resources and critical relief programs in the near and long term, particularly after national 

emergencies, is an essential part of how the government performs continuous improvement of 

12 https://www.transportation.gov/Federal-interagency-thriving-communities-network

13 https://disposal.gsa.gov/s/PBC
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its functions and works better for all Americans. As an example, Federal resources deployed to 

address immediate needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic faced challenges in equitably 

reaching communities who were already suffering from legacy disparities in and outcomes 

across race, class, and geography; these systemic inequities were further exacerbated by the 

pandemic.14 By conducting more frequent and rigorous evaluation of both the methods used to 

deliver government resources and the impacts of Federal programs on the public, the Federal 

Government has the potential to more fully understand if programs are working as intended, 

better interrupt bias further upstream and modernize systems for greater efficacy – with the 

ultimate goal of meeting the needs of communities, particularly the most vulnerable, when it 

matters the most.

Undertaking evaluation can be expensive, time consuming, and may require Federal agencies 

to build capacity for data or research needs before being able to initiate this important work.

Additionally, once evaluations are completed, Federal agencies face challenges with resources 

or infrastructure to act on key findings; and results from evaluations currently lack 

communication strategies that can more easily raise awareness for the public and catalyze 

implementation, including across non-Federal stakeholders who also benefit from these 

insights.

Key Actions

Complete, publish and share learnings from governmentwide equity evaluations. 

GSA serves a unique function in the government by providing other Federal agencies with help

building and using evidence. We partner with Federal agencies to answer priority questions with 

rigorous evaluation methods and administrative data. We design and conduct evaluations of 

existing programs - including life-saving programs like disaster relief, emergency assistance, 

and crisis hotlines - and recommend evidence-based program changes, with the ultimate goal of 

improving how the government is serving all Americans.

● Increase the number of Federal agencies and programs initiating equity 

evaluations. GSA currently partners with a handful of Federal agencies including the

U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education. GSA will increase 

its capacity for new evaluation agreements and work to recruit additional Federal 

agencies and programs to the service. Additionally, GSA will partner with the White 

House and interagency councils to bolster Federal agency capacity and readiness to 

undertake evaluations.

● Conduct public engagement and increase awareness of equity evaluation 

findings. The conclusions and recommendations generated from these evaluation 

efforts are not only useful to the Federal Government. They provide important insights to 

State and local governments who coordinate downstream Federal resources to 

communities and act as a public accountability tool to the communities themselves. GSA 

will undertake a strategic communications campaign to raise awareness of key findings 

and ensure the research has maximum impact through its scaled application by end 

users.

Measuring Our Progress: Equitable Administration of Government Programs 

GSA will know if we are effectively supporting positive change in Federal programs and the 

equitable delivery of government by several key factors, including:

● number of Federal agencies and programs undertaking equity evaluations

14 How COVID-19 Has Magnified Pre-existing Inequalities in the US, Boston University (2022)
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● Number of Federal agencies and programs implementing updates based on findings

● increased number of people and communities reached by engagement and public 

outreach actions about evaluation findings

● indicators of reduced burden and improved access where Federal program delivery has 

been revised based on evaluation findings

Whole-of-Government Equity Objective: Civil Rights, Economic Justice

Strategy #5: Advance Equitable Access to Opportunity and Federal Resources for 

Local Communities and Minority Serving Institutions

Barriers to Equity

Rural, socioeconomically underserved, and historically disinvested communities, including 

Tribes and institutions that serve disadvantaged and minority populations like Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), disproportionately rely on Federal goods and services to 

bridge critical resource gaps.15 Yet barriers to information, administrative burdens in navigating 

government processes, capacity and infrastructure gaps to meet government requirements, and 

equitable access to resource pathways prevent communities from fully realizing the available 

benefits from Federal support and partnership.

Key Actions

Deliver more Federal goods and products to American communities in critical 

need through the Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program.16

Administered by GSA, the program enables certain non-Federal organizations to obtain 

personal property that the Federal Government no longer needs. This property includes 

computers, office equipment and furniture, motor vehicles, aircraft, vessels, scientific devices 

and heavy machinery. GSA facilitates the distribution of millions of dollars in surplus Federal 

goods annually and the program is administered in each of the 56 States and territories by a 

State Agency for Surplus Property (SASP). In addition, State agencies, cities, local 

governments, Tribal governments, and non-profit organizations for the purposes of public health 

or education or services to veterans may obtain Federal surplus personal property through the 

donation program. Examples of recipients of property donations include, but are not limited to: 

public works departments, public health departments, childcare centers, homeless shelters, 

school districts, food banks, and HBCUs or other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).

● Establish a plan to conduct proactive reviews for the 56 State Agencies for 

Surplus Property to ensure their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 

1964, with a goal of 14 SASPs for review each fiscal year. GSA’s Office of Civil 

Rights is responsible for GSA’s administration of Title VI and will work to increase 

equitable access to programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance 

from GSA.

● Initiate an engagement and outreach plan to raise awareness in local communities 

about resources available through their State Agency for Surplus Property. GSA 

15 Public and Private Investments and Divestments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, American 

Council on Education (ACE), UNCF (2019)

16 GSA guide: Federal Personal Property for Reuse and Sale
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will integrate technical assistance and public education about the Federal Surplus 

Personal Property Donation Program alongside other regular community engagement 

efforts that the agency coordinates.

Advance procurement opportunities and partnerships between Federal Agencies 

and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions.

HBCUs and MSIs provide vital support to communities through higher education, cutting edge 

research, public health ecosystems, pathways to quality employment, and well-being for 

economically and socially underserved Americans. The Federal Government can better benefit 

from the deep and rich expertise of these institutions and can improve pathways to more robust 

and meaningful partnership with them, including through Federal contracting.

● Increase the number of eligible HBCUs and MSIs on the GSA Multiple Award 

Schedule. The MAS is a long-term contract with commercial entities that provides 

Federal agencies with billions of dollars in annual access to common products and 

services needed by the government. GSA plans to conduct outreach to eligible 

institutions currently without MAS contracts, conduct training and provide technical 

assistance on how to get on the MAS, and host HBCU-focused industry days, 

matchmaking events and other strategic engagements to raise awareness and help 

better position HBCUs and MSIs to successfully do business with the Federal 

Government

● Launch and scale adoption of new GSA public digital resource for MSIs. GSA’s

new public website to support Minority Serving Institutions will aggregate information and 

resources that help both Federal agencies and MSIs develop and sustain partnerships

or contracting agreements. Resources include market research, capabilities 

assessments, support for exploring joint venture and other contractor team agreements 

and data tools to help advance supplier diversity across Federal Government 

procurement

Measuring Our Progress: Equitable Access to Federal Resources

GSA will know if we are effectively supporting positive change in Federal programs and the 

equitable delivery of government by several key factors, including:

● number of completed civil rights SASP compliance reviews

● increased number of people, communities, and MSIs reached by engagement and public 

outreach actions

● increased number of underserved communities, organizations, or geographic areas that 

that seek to participate in the Federal surplus goods program

● indicators of reduced burden and improved access where program compliance reviews 

and any required updates have been implemented

● Increased number of MSI and HBCUs participating in Federal contracts

● Increased number of overall Federal contracting dollars obligated to MSIs and HBCUs