Source: United States General Services Administration
December 19, 2022
The project will allow three statistics-related federal agencies to co-locate, saving taxpayer dollars and gaining efficiencies
WASHINGTON – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded a contract for the renovation of the 4600 Silver Hill Road Building in Suitland, Maryland. This project will enable the collocation of three statistical government agencies — U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), to maximize the use of federally owned space, reduce government spending, save taxpayer dollars, and provide a modern and updated headquarters for the agencies to support the future of their work.
The $173 million contract was awarded to Whiting-Turner General Contracting Company. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company provides construction management, general contracting, Design Build and integrated project delivery services throughout the United States for a diverse group of customers including GSA.
The 4600 Silver Hill Road Building is a federal building on the 226-acre Suitland Federal Center Campus in Suitland, Maryland, consisting of two towers commonly referred to as the North and South Buildings. The buildings are currently occupied by the U.S. Census Bureau and BEA. The BLS Charting Forward and the Census Reimagined project will take the existing space and reconfigure it to allow for the collocation of BLS.
“This project is a win-win for the federal government and the local community,” said Melanie Gilbert, GSA’s Commissioner for the Public Building Service in the National Capital Region. “It embodies GSA’s ongoing commitment to invest back into our federal portfolio and within our local communities by creating an array of economic development opportunities and savings for the taxpayers while also demonstrating our ability to respond to our clients’ ever changing needs. ”
The redesign of the space can support an additional 1,800 employees. The collocation of these employees will create opportunities for collaborative workplaces as well as benefits for the local community. It will also help the government avoid annual lease costs of approximately $16 million that would be needed to otherwise house BLS.
“The BLS Charting Forward Project provides U.S. Department of Labor BLS staff with a state-of-the-art facility that supports the future of work and the production of gold-standard data and analyses. BLS looks forward to continued innovation with the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis in our shared mission of producing statistical data vital to our nation,” said William Wiatrowski, BLS Deputy Commissioner.
As a part of the project, the buildings will undergo fire and life safety upgrades, building automation systems enhancements, and interior renovations. These upgrades will create a higher density, open office environment that will maximize space utilization rates for the three federal organizations.
The U.S. Census Bureau, BLS and BEA are government agencies responsible for collecting and analyzing critical data about the economy, the labor market and the people of the United States. Having three statistical agencies in the same space can create more opportunities for partnership and cooperation as they work to achieve their missions.
“The Census Bureau Reimagined Project modernizes our facilities with new technology and flexibility to help our staff do their jobs,” says Ron Jarmin, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Census Bureau. “We look forward to continued collaboration with our counterparts at BEA and BLS, who will be sharing the facility, as we work together to provide critical data for the nation.”
“The Census Reimagined and BLS Charting Forward project, not only presents an opportunity to bring federal employees into a renovated and high quality workspace that is cost effective, it also meets GSA’s goal to continue modernizing and optimizing its real estate footprint,” said Gilbert.
###
Contact: Stephanie Ramirez
stephanie.ramirez@gsa.gov
202-834-9673
About GSA
GSA provides centralized procurement for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet and overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services across government, in support of the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.