GSA Improves Bottom Line, Wins World-Class Real Estate Competition

GSA # 9766

December 8, 2000
Contact: Viki Reath (202) 501-1231
viki.reath@gsa.gov

Washington, D. C. -- The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has won a major private-sector award for its real-estate program that has spurred GSA employees to cut building operating costs to 15 percent below comparable expenses in the private sector and net $400 million in new revenues and savings, since 1998. It is GSA's second IDRC award in two years.

"The gains we have made under �Linking Budget to Performance' enable us to direct existing resources to constructing, repairing, renovating and modernizing America's public buildings, reducing the need for additional appropriated dollars from Congress," said Robert A. Peck, GSA's Public Buildings Service commissioner.

Peck accepted the International Development Research Council (IDRC) Global Innovator's Award for practices that apply new ideas to corporate real estate and workplace management at IDRC's annual World Congress in Orlando, Fla., last month. Nearly two-thirds of IDRC's 1,000 members are Fortune 500 companies. GSA won the 1999 IDRC Best Practice award for its Asset Business Plan (ABPnet) web site, which tracks financial data, customer satisfaction and business performance for each of GSA's 7,916 buildings.

Another GSA program, the "Integrated Workplace" initiative, developed by GSA's Governmentwide Policy Office of Real Property, was one of 10 IDRC award finalists. It seeks to improve worker productivity while shaping the office of the future. GSA was the only organization with two contenders in the final round.

"Having a government agency as one of the winners of this award is truly a breakthrough and very unexpected," said Tom Godart, chairman of the IDRC Global Innovator's Award Program and vice president of the Equis Corp. of Chicago. "GSA's approach is a unique concept for a government organization. It shows that all organizations need to think outside the box and look at new ways of motivating employees."

"Linking Budget to Performance," which uses key business measures to gauge employee performance, has changed the agency's culture profoundly, Peck said. The program challenges employees to think creatively and try innovative ideas, he said. The most productive regions have received increased budgets, and individuals have won cash awards.

"Having two finalists from GSA shows that we are in company with world-class organizations and among the top real estate organizations in the world," said David Bibb, GSA's Deputy Associate Administrator of Real Property. The IDRC's recognition of the "Integrated Workplace" initiative applauds the agency's efforts to improve worker productivity and job satisfaction while maximizing the use of office space, technology, time, and money.

GSA runs the largest commercial real estate organization in the United States, providing approximately 339 million square feet of workspace for more than one million federal workers in some 8,400 owned and leased buildings across the country. Its Governmentwide Policy office combines all policymaking functions assigned to GSA.