Category: US GSA

Source: United States General Services Administration

August 18, 2022

Administrator discusses how Inflation Reduction Act will enable more cost-saving investments in federal buildings nationwide

PORTLAND, Maine — Today, U.S. General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan, Portland Mayor Kate Snyder, and representatives for Senator Collins, Senator King, Congresswoman Pingree, Governor Mills, and the Portland City Council celebrated the 150^th anniversary of the U.S. Custom House in Portland, Maine.

The U.S. Custom House, located near Portland’s waterfront, is a testament to the city’s maritime history. It is significant for its associations with Maine’s maritime heritage, and is an impressive and intact example of post-Civil War Federal architecture.

Constructed between 1867-72, on the site of the city’s first Custom House, it was built in the Renaissance Revival and Second Empire styles, which were popular in the U.S. during the last half of the nineteenth century. It is constructed of granite, features a grand marble interior, and remains highly intact to its original design.

Its significance on the local, state, and national levels was heightened by the demolition of the contemporary Post Office/Courthouse in the 1960s. It now remains as the best example in the state of Maine of the work of Alfred B. Mullett, third Supervising Architect of the Treasury. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

In 2003, GSA replaced a 30-year-old HVAC system in the Custom House with the first geothermal heat pump in GSA’s building inventory. Geothermal heating and cooling systems take advantage of the stable temperature underground and use a piping system that circulates water in a loop to exchange heat between the structure and the earth. This installation resulted in an emissions drop of 250,000 metric tons per year and an energy savings of nearly 30%, as well as reduced maintenance costs. Now, the building is one of GSA’s top energy performers in New England.

In her remarks at the event, Administrator Carnahan said, “Investments like we’ve made here at the Custom House and investments that we will make nationwide under the new Inflation Reduction Act are both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We’re making good use of government space and stewarding taxpayer dollars wisely all while ensuring a healthier planet for our kids.”

The Administrator also noted that the Inflation Reduction Act will allow GSA to make the federal footprint greener and more cost-efficient. Investments include over $2 billion in projects that use low-carbon materials, nearly $1 billion to leverage emerging clean technologies to achieve greater carbon reductions, and $250 million to turn more buildings into High Performance Green Buildings.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

August 18, 2022

CALEXICO, Calif. – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announces the award of a $1.3 million construction contract for the renovation of the historic Old Customs Building located at the Calexico West Land Port of Entry (LPOE). The design-build contract was recently awarded to Hernandez Builders, a disadvantaged, minority owned small business based in Alpine, California. By awarding the project’s entire scope work at once, instead of bidding each separately, GSA is saving taxpayers approximately $600,000.

“The customs house is a local Calexico landmark,” said GSA’s Pacific Rim Region Public Buildings Service Commissioner Dan Brown. “Over the past 10 years, the building has been vacant and fallen into disrepair. “We’re excited about renovating and preserving this historic building that will support future port operations. Awarding the contract to an 8a business saves taxpayer funds and meets a contracting goal of diversifying our construction partnerships.”

Built in 1933, the Old Customs Building was transferred to a local community council for redevelopment in 2008 by GSA under its Public Benefit Authority. The Customs Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was damaged in 2010 during a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and was, subsequently, transferred back to GSA in 2015. Due to its current condition, the structure has remained unoccupied.

The renovation project will restore the operability of the Customs Building by:

• Replacing the existing sanitation waste system
• Replacing the existing potable water system
• Replacing the existing electrical system
• Replacing and upgrading the existing fire alarm system
• Providing a fire sprinkler system for the entire facility

Construction is scheduled to begin on December 1, 2022. When the work is complete in August 2023, the building will be used as administrative space for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection during Phase 2B construction at the Calexico West LPOE, a modernization and expansion project that is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

August 19, 2022

Environmental assessment covers historic customs house and temporary pedestrian building

CALEXICO, Calif. ㅡ The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will host a virtual public meeting to discuss the draft Environmental Assessment [PDF – 3 MB] (EA) for Phase 2B of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry’s (LPOE) modernization and expansion project. The public is invited to join the virtual meeting by logging into http://ow.ly/aGjx50Kkq2T on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, from 4 to 5 p.m. PST.

GSA representatives will also talk about the project’s final phase of construction, which received more than $100 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) in February 2022. Phase 2B includes restoring the historic customs house and building a temporary pedestrian processing facility on Heffernan Avenue, just south of East 1st Street. The interim building will facilitate the demolition of the existing pedestrian facility and the construction of the new, permanent, expanded pedestrian building.

Meeting participants will have a chance to provide GSA with feedback and comments on the draft EA. Interested community stakeholders may also submit written comments via email to osmahn.kadri@gsa.gov. Written comments must be received by Monday, September 26, 2022, and include “Calexico West LPOE Public Comment” in the subject line.

WHAT: Virtual Public Meeting to discuss the Calexico West LPOE draft EA

WHEN: Tuesday, August 23, 2022, from 4 to 5 p.m. PST

WHERE: Online meeting – http://ow.ly/aGjx50Kkq2T

WHO: General public

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

August 19, 2022

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Projects Will Benefit New York Businesses, Local Economy

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has completed six paving projects at land ports of entry in New York state, all using GSA’s new environmentally-preferred asphalt specification. The ports are located at Champlain, Chateaugay, Fort Covington, Massena, Mooers, and Overton Corners. GSA awarded this $5.7 million contract on April 14, 2022, to Action Facilities Management, a women-owned small business firm.

This work repaired and resurfaced roughly 1 million square feet of asphalt pavement using GSA’s new environmentally preferred asphalt specification. GSA’s work at these six ports will improve the travel experience for nearly 5 million travelers annually, including nearly 2.5 million passenger cars, buses and commercial vehicles. Businesses in upstate New York, and throughout the United States, will benefit from faster crossing times facilitated by these improved roadways.

“Completing these projects is another step forward in making our land ports more efficient, effective, sustainable, and secure,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “With billions of dollars in goods and services crossing our borders each day, America’s busy land ports — like those in New York — are critical to our economy, to supply chains, and to creating good-paying jobs.”

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is paving the way for a more efficient, accessible, and environmentally friendly land ports across New York,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. “These projects to upgrade our ports of entry will ensure goods can keep flowing to and from Americans across the country, and make it easier for travelers from our great neighbor to the north to visit all that New York has to offer. I applaud the U.S. General Services Administration for their hard work in completing these projects, and doing so to a higher environmental standard.”

“Repairing a port’s roadway is key to ensuring the efficient operation of the land port,” said the Northeast and Caribbean Region Public Buildings Service Regional Commissioner, Michael Gelber. “These investments strengthen the livability and vitality of communities, advance state and local community development goals, and create additional opportunities for local businesses.”

Overall, the legislation will invest more than $40 million* in land port of entry projects in New York. Additional projects that are moving forward under the BIL in New York State are construction and modernization projects at Rouses Point and Trout River, including the nearly $2 million contract awarded on August 11, for Trout River architecture and engineering services awarded to Davis Brody Bond, Spacesmith JV, a New York business.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a total of $3.4 billion for GSA to build and modernize land ports of entry on the country’s northern and southern borders. The investments will improve commerce and trade, create good-paying construction jobs, and incorporate new and innovative sustainability features.

*Note: Estimated project costs are planning estimates and subject to change due to time and market conditions.

Find out more information about GSA%u2019s LPOE projects.

About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

August 23, 2022

A decade of private sector tech innovators in government

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. General Services Administration celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program. The program plans to celebrate the anniversary over the next year with activities to highlight the program’s impact and community since it launched August 23, 2012.

Housed within the Technology Transformation Services (TTS), participants in the program are senior-level career technologists from the private sector who bring their track record and expertise to federal agencies. These PIFs serve as senior advisors for one to two years to help agencies better serve the American people. Notably, some PIFs have remained in government beyond their initial tour of duty, including the current Chief Technology Officer and the Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the current Chief Experience Officer at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

Since 2012, over 200 PIFs have supported initiatives at more than 50 agencies, providing expert advice in specialized disciplines such as artificial intelligence, data strategy, product management, human-centered design, software development, and digital strategy. These efforts have enhanced agencies’ abilities to provide the best customer experience for their stakeholders and the public. The PIF program – which was signed into law through the TALENT Act in 2017 – is also aligned with recent Biden-Harris Administration efforts to improve internal operational efficiencies and external performance impact. This includes targeted outcomes for agencies in the Presidential Management Agenda (PMA) and the Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government.

“The PIF program is a smart way for federal agencies to access new ideas and extraordinary tech talent and put both to work solving hard problems and delivering better government services to the American people,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “The program has been delivering outstanding results and saving money for taxpayers for the past 10 years and we look forward to supporting even more technologists interested in serving a tour of duty in government.”

“As first-class technologists and entrepreneurs, we look to Presidential Innovation Fellows to help us deeply understand the experiences of those we seek to serve,” said Ambassador Susan Rice, Director, Domestic Policy Council. “Their skills and expertise enhance our ability to apply technology, data, and innovative practices to make us a more equitable federal government and make people’s lives better. This work is critical, urgent, and exciting. I look forward to another 10 years of PIF as we continue to design and deliver the government Americans deserve.”

“PIF represents a 10-year formalized pipeline of technologists and innovators in government. We currently have more than 50 fellows serving at 20 agencies, working toward improvement and innovation across multiple disciplines,” said PIF Director Rebeca Lamadrid. “In PIF’s next 10 years, we’ll work to attract the most diverse and brightest talent in technology and innovation that is representative of the American public. Recruiting the right fellows will enable the program to continue to create meaningful solutions that significantly improve how the government serves the American people. ”

“While working as a PIF in the 2020 cohort, I learned how decisions are made at a national scale, and whose voices are represented in the process. In my current role as Chief Experience Officer at CMS, I apply these lessons from PIF to champion the Voice of the Customer as a driver of operational excellence across our agency and the programs we deliver,” said Ariele Faber, Chief Experience Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

Program Highlights

Over the years, PIFs have continued to help high-profile government agencies’ efforts in numerous ways:

• In 2022:
  • At the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), using digital strategy and platforms to support initiatives expanding access to key services like WIC to vulnerable populations.
  • At the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), advising the Community Navigator Pilot Program that enhances equity-focused data-driven targeted outreach for small businesses in underserved communities.
  • Developing and launching the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), providing invaluable cross-agency perspectives and expertise on the role of data in healthcare, digital strategy, and engagement to this once-in-a-generation initiative.
• In 2021:
  • Served as inspiration for GSA to launch the U.S Digital Corps, which welcomed its first cohort of early career technologists in 2022.
  • As part of the American Rescue Plan, partnered with agencies to increase awareness and access, especially with underserved communities, to the expanded Child Tax Credit.
• From 2020 to present, served the public and frontline workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in many ways:
• In 2016, partnered with the National Cancer Institute as part of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative to help redesign how people think about, find, and participate in cancer clinical research.
• In 2014, formed part of the founding teams of both 18F, a technology and design consultancy within the federal government, and U.S. Digital Service (USDS), a program that deploys small, responsive groups of designers, engineers, and product managers to deliver services quickly.

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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, technology and other mission-support services across government, in support of the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.