Reducing Repair Backlogs and Excess Property

• GSA has struggled over the years to meet the restoration, repair, and maintenance requirements in federal facilities it controls. Resulting backlogs reflect the federal government’s ineffective stewardship of its valuable and historic portfolio of real property assets. In 2003, we reported that the estimated backlog had increased to $5.7 billion. By fiscal year 2007, GSA’s backlog was $7 billion.
• Underutilized and excess federal property is a significant problem, for it is costly to maintain and presents an image of waste and inefficiency. It can also have a negative impact on local economies. We found in May 2007 that GSA reported 258 buildings, with 13.8 million rentable square feet, as excess property.
• At several agencies, repair backlogs, as well as excess and underutilized property, were major reasons for GAO’s designation of real property management as a high-risk area in 2003. Real property management remained on GAO’s high-risk list in 2009. GAO has reported that these problems are exacerbated by underlying obstacles that include competing stakeholder interests, legal and budgetary limitations, and the need for improved capital planning.

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

• GAO has reported that agencies, including GSA, need to show significant progress toward eliminating repair backlogs and reducing excess and underutilized property in order to address issues related to real property management.

  Highlights of GAO-07-349 (PDF)

• The Office of Management and Budget and other agencies, including GSA, need to focus on developing strategies to address deep-rooted obstacles that exacerbate real property management problems, such as legal and budgetary limitations.

  Highlights of GAO-07-349 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Federal Real Property

Federal Real Property

Federal Real Property