Monday, December 10, 2007

What is the General Services Administration?

The General Services Administration (GSA) is a major purchasing agent for the federal government that was founded in 1947 by Harry S. Truman to handle surplus commodities from World War 2. Through the years, the GSA has evolved its business model to one that negotiates long-term contracts with qualified companies that can supply the technology, commodities, services, vehicles, and buildings the government needs to perform its day-to-day operations.

Today, the GSA consists of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), the Public Buildings Service (PBS), and various Staff Offices, including the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA). Eleven Regional Offices extend GSA’s outreach to federal customers nationwide.

GSA Regional Offices are located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Fort Worth, Denver, San Francisco, Auburn (Washington), and Washington, DC.

Approximately 12,000 GSA employees provide valuable support to other federal agencies and, in some cases, the general public. GSA is the government’s “landlord,” meeting the office and other space requirements of the federal workforce. GSA is also the premier federal acquisition and procurement force offering equipment, supplies, telecommunications, and integrated information technology solutions to customer agencies. GSA also plays a key role in developing and implementing policies that affect many government agencies and helps other federal agencies improve their service to and communication with the public by offering effective citizen-response tools and services.

GSA acts as a catalyst for nearly $66 billion in federal spending, which is more than one-fourth of the government's total procurement dollars. The agency also influences the management of federal assets valued at nearly $500 billion. These assets include more than 8,300 government-owned or leased buildings, an interagency fleet of 170,000 vehicles, and technology programs and products ranging from laptop computers to systems that cost over $100 million.

Although GSA leverages billions of dollars in the marketplace, only one percent (1%) of the agency's total budget is provided through direct congressional appropriations. The majority of GSA's operating costs must be recovered through the products and services it provides.

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Next Up:
What is the Federal Acquisition Service?

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