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What to Know about the General Services Administration

What to Know about the General Services Administration

What is the General Services Administration?

The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal government that is responsible for managing and supporting the basic functioning of other federal agencies. Established in 1949, the General Services Administration supplies products and communication-based resources to a number of government offices. Furthermore, the General Services Administration will also provide transportation and office space to employees of the United States Government. These services are instituted in tandem with a cost-minimizing policy that is formally developed and updated annually by the General Services Administration. 

Quick Facts Concerning the General Services Administration:

• The General Services Administration was formed on July 1st of 1949

• The General Services Administration maintains its headquarters in the Administration Building, located on F Street in North Western Washington, D.C.

• The General Services Administration operates with approximately 12,000 employees and under an annual budget of roughly 21 billion dollars. 

• The current hierarchy of the General Services Administration is as follows: Martha Johnson is the Administrator of General Services; Susan Brita is the Deputy Administrator; Steve Kempf is the acting commissioner of a partner agency; and Robert Peck is the commissioner of the PBS.

What does the General Services Administration do?

The General Services Administration presently contributes to the management of roughly $500 billion in U.S. federal property–these funds are divided chiefly among the 8,300 owned and leased buildings, as well as the 210,000 vehicle pool. Among the real estate properties managed by the General Services Administration are the Ronal Reagan Building and International Trade Center and the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center. The business lines of the General Services Administration include the Federal Acquisition Service and the Public Buildings Service. Other divisions of the agency include the Office of Government wide Policy and a number of Staff Offices, such as the Office of Civil Rights. 

The General Services Administration assists with procurement work for a number of governmental agencies. As part of this effort, the General Services Administration maintains its own schedule, with which other agencies can observe to order goods and services. This schedule can be viewed as a collection of pre-negotiated contracts, implemented for the sole purpose of increased organization.