GSA has submitted a $5.55 billion spending proposal to Congress highlighting the public building projects it plans to accomplish with funds from the Recovery Act. The Recovery Act directs $750 million to renovate and construct federal buildings and courthouses, $300 million to renovate and construct land ports of entry and $4.5 billion to convert federal buildings to high-performance green buildings. The complete project list is available online at www.gsa.gov/recovery. The Recovery Act also includes a $300 million provision directing GSA to continue purchasing fuel efficient and low emission vehicles. GSA is working with other federal agencies to determine the best method to evaluate fleet vehicles eligible for replacement to meet the energy efficiency goals of the legislation.

Projects were selected based on the speed at which jobs can be created and how much added energy efficiency can be gained. GSA will award $1 billion dollars in the first 120 days. All contracts will be awarded within the next two years.

We will certainly need additional personnel. To determine how many, we will rely, in part, on workload models we have developed over the last five years, based on historical data and performance metrics. We will have a mixture of permanent, temporary and contracted staff as appropriate to support the temporary workload increase related to the Recovery Act.

Contractors involved in acquisition support may be precluded from performing the work for which they are contracted if a conflict of interest exists. Additionally, contractors involved in construction project management will be specifically precluded from executing the work that their firm would also oversee.

GSA will report frequently to the Committees of the House and the Senate on what we are planning and what we are accomplishing. GSA will also be taking the lead in launching and managing Recovery.gov - official website of the federal government that will report progress on Recovery Act mandates. We are modifying our financial systems so we can track information at the level required to meet Recovery.gov requirements and to ensure we can measure the impact of each dollar spent. Contract notifications will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website (edBizOpps.gov)for private firms to search and retrieve.

Last year GSA spent $3 billion on project work. Of the $3 billion, $2.4 billion was considered eligible for small business award. Of that $2.4 billion, $1.2 billion was actually awarded to small business (50%. For projects that were awarded to large businesses, a substantial portion of the work went to small business subcontractors as well. Selected projects are set aside for small businesses where GSA anticipates competition and competitive pricing can be achieved. We will continue to aggressively negotiate small business subcontracting goals with large contractors. To encourage small business participation, GSA also holds or participates in business fairs and industry days, as well as other outreach, to put small and large businesses in touch with each other.

The official websites (www.recovery.gov and www.gsa.gov/recovery) are the fastest, most accurate source for the latest information regarding the Recovery Act. These websites are updated and expanded daily with the latest news and information.

GSA will be using a wide range of means of communicating about our Recovery-elated activities. Weekly reports on the status of the program will be posted on www.recovery.gov. You may also sign up to receive new releases by email, subscribe to automatic updates from GSA, get photos and videos as well as find weekly reports on GSA's webpage, www.gsa.gov/recovery.

A requirement for agencies participating in the program is that they submit weekly progress reports. You may access web pages with these reports and other information for GSA and other agencies participating in the program at www.recovery.gov/?q=content/agencies.

Construction unemployment has risen to 18.2% the country with 1.7 million construction workers out of work. GSA's portion of the Recovery Act program has the potential to help put construction workers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, architects and engineers back to work. For green building educators and sustainability consultants, contractors and green building materials providers, the Recovery Act represents an enormous opportunity to increase business.

All of the acquisition solutions will be synopsized on FedBizOpps. Requirements for Recovery related work are specially coded on FedBizOpps so that the opportunities are easily identifiable. As we have more information, we will provide it. For orders placed against GSA Schedules, requirements will be posted on e-Buy in addition to the synopsis on FedBizOpps.

There are several prerequisites for becoming a Government contractor. To learn more, visit www.gsa.gov/recovery. For information related specifically to the GSA Schedules program, visit

If you do not currently hold a GSA Schedule contract, you can submit an offer. The amount of time it takes the Schedule contract to be awarded depends on the quality and completeness of your offer. When GSA receives a high quality offer, we are able to make awards in 120 days or less. To learn more about getting on Schedule visit www.gsa.gov/schedules.

Companies who do not currently hold a GSA contract can still participate by seeking subcontracting opportunities with current contract holders. Visit www.gsa.gov/eLibrary to identify all Multiple Award Schedule contractors. Where current contracts do not meet evolving needs, GSA will seek new procurement vehicles. All of the acquisition solutions will be synopsized on FedBizOpps. Requirements for Recovery related work are specially coded so that all opportunities are easily identifiable.

Getting on Schedule is just the first step. Once you become a GSA Schedule contractor, you will be provided the opportunity to promote your offerings online via GSA Advantage! You will also have access to an array of e-tools that you can use to put your best foot forward to the federal buying community. Following best practices posted on the FAS Vendor Support Center website will help ensure you are reaching federal agencies with the information they need to do business with you. Nearly 80 percent of federal buyers use online tools like GSA Advantage! and GSA's eLibrary to do their market research. Keeping your information up to date on these two sites is crucial to your success. Being responsive to requirements advertised via e-Buy and FedBizOpps is another important step. Submit timely and quality proposals. For GSA contracting opportunities outside the GSA Schedules Program, you can contact the Public Buildings Service Industry Relations Division for assistance in reaching the various GSA program and field offices by emailing industryrelations@gsa.gov.