But about 4 years ago, Property Disposal and 20 other federal agencies joined an EPA-led governmentwide initiative focused on revitalizing urban areas. Property Disposal s contribution to the initiative included finding new uses for underutilized federally owned properties. They looked to us for help finding the right tools and formulating processes. For example, Property Disposal had a paper-based system for recording and storing data. Information that had been contained in folders at various offices is now accessible to everyone who needs it.
Staff can run reports and look up policies, site information, and lessons learned.
Federal agencies and private enterprises can download real estate forms or learn about properties for sale. The firm is also helping Property Disposal create a strategy to tie together investments the organization has made in information technology, including knowledge management. This strategy will provide a framework for identifying the organization s range of customers, what they need, and how best to communicate with them. Users can review the location of federal land on maps in relation to surrounding political boundaries, transportation networks, population centers, etc., to make better informed real- property decisions. For example, how many jobs such transfers would create in the area, how many homeless people would be given shelter, or how much a densely populated city would save by not having to build a new school.