Category: US GSA

Source: United States General Services Administration

June 6, 2022

In addition to the Arizona project, GSA also announces $2 million award for woman-owned firm to design new land port facility at Rouses Point, NY

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has completed its first project at a Land Port of Entry (LPOE) funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The Lukeville, Arizona, LPOE asphalt repair project was completed only 25 days after it began and used newly-established GSA standards to install low embodied-carbon asphalt. On May 2, OCS construction, a small disadvantaged business and certified 8(a) contractor, began the repairs and finished ahead of schedule on May 27.

GSA also used BIL funding to award $1.98 million for architectural engineering services to Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects to design new facilities at the LPOE in Rouses Point, New York. The firm is a woman-owned small business based in New York.

“We’re thrilled that much-needed land port projects at both of our borders are out the door with the help of innovative small businesses,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “We look forward to seeing how all of our projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will boost security, supply chains, jobs, and sustainability in the months and years ahead.”

The Lukeville LPOE is a five-lane port 150 miles southwest of Tucson that handles about 1 million passengers and 400,000 vehicles annually. It had experienced lane closures due to potholes and other asphalt damage, leading to longer wait times for both travelers and commercial traffic. The backfilled, compacted, and resurfaced areas will modernize the port creating a smoother experience for officers and travelers alike.

“This quick investment immediately made the Lukeville LPOE safer, more efficient, and more sustainable,” said Dan Brown, GSA’s PBS Regional Commissioner for the Pacific Rim Region. “We’ll work toward those same goals with the longer-term BIL projects along the Southern Border.”

The BIL 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.

At Rouses Point LPOE, a multimodal location that processes auto, pedestrian, boat, and train traffic, the project includes the construction of new inspection lanes and a rail inspection platform.

“We’re thrilled to have a designer on board to help us complete this project,” said Michael Gelber, GSA’s PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region. “I look forward to seeing how a vision comes together for a sustainable, accessible facility that better meets the needs of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as port users.”

Find out more information about GSA’s LPOE projects here.

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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

June 6, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. General Services Administrator Robin Carnahan issued the following statement regarding a set of historic executive actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration to spur domestic clean energy manufacturing, lower energy costs, and create good-paying jobs.

“These bold actions further strengthen our ability to harness the federal government’s buying power to fuel American clean energy innovation and drive down energy costs,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “GSA is proud to support the federal government’s efforts to boost domestic solar production and protect Americans’ access to low-cost, reliable solar energy.”

The actions taken today include:

• Authorizing the use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate domestic production of clean energy technologies, including solar panel parts;

• Putting the full power of federal procurement to work spurring additional domestic solar manufacturing capacity by directing the development of master supply agreements, including “super preference” status; and

• Creating a 24-month bridge as domestic manufacturing rapidly scales up to ensure the reliable supply of components that U.S. solar deployers need to construct clean energy projects and an electric grid for the 21st century, while reinforcing the integrity of our trade laws and processes.

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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

May 23, 2022

Two latest investments will digitize federal records and advance cybersecurity

WASHINGTON – Today, the Technology Modernization Fund announced investments to modernize the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) records delivery systems and to further safeguard the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) data. The NARA investment will allow Veterans and their families to electronically request and receive records and support agency customers’ recordkeeping needs; the USDA investment will implement new cybersecurity tools to prevent, detect and fix network intrusions, better securing shared services and sensitive data.

“Every interaction between the Government and the public is in an opportunity to deliver the efficient, effective, and secure services the American people expect and deserve,” said TMF Board Chair and Federal CIO Clare Martorana. “With the TMF investments in NARA and USDA, we’re moving the needle in deploying technology that is secure by design and building back trust in delivering a Government that meets today’s customer expectations.”

“Each year, millions of Americans rely on the security and accessibility of records from NARA and USDA, including military families, government employees, and everyday Americans.” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “These investments will help modernize both record-delivery systems and network security. This is another example of the TMF’s approach to making smart technology investments that provide better service to the public and save money for taxpayers.”

NARA serves as the nation’s record keeper, holding federal records as far back as the American Revolution. Each year, NARA receives approximately 1.1 million records requests from Veterans and their families who need to access benefits, as well as nearly 8 million records requests from over 400 federal agencies and offices to provide citizen services and fulfill their mission needs. With TMF support, NARA will replace legacy records systems with cloud-based platforms, allowing staff to fulfill electronic records requests remotely, digitally and in a secure fashion.

“We are grateful to the TMF for vitally needed assistance to help with IT upgrades to transform our ability to meet mission requirements and deliver needed records to the American people,” said Acting Archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall. “Our very mission is to drive openness, cultivate public participation, and strengthen our nation’s democracy through public access to high-value government records.”

The TMF will also help the USDA move toward implementing a zero trust architecture, better securing shared services and sensitive data, and protecting websites that connect citizens to vital resources. USDA employees do critical work in areas ranging from rural development and forest management to nutrition programs, agricultural research and international trade. The USDA also houses the National Finance Center which provides payroll services for over 600,000 employees and financial services for more than 40 agencies across the federal government.

“This TMF investment will improve the USDA’s threat monitoring, detection and response capabilities,” said USDA Chief Information Officer Gary Washington.

About $9.1 million will be invested in NARA to digitize and transform paper-based fulfillment processes for citizen and government agencies through secure, accessible web portals. Another $4.4 million in TMF investment funds are set to improve USDA’s cybersecurity by boosting threat monitoring, detection and response capabilities.

For more information, visit: tmf.cio.gov

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About the TMF: The Technology Modernization Fund is working to transform the way the government uses technology to deliver for the American public in an equitable, secure, and user-centric way. The TMF invests in technology projects across government, providing incremental funding, technical assistance, and oversight throughout execution to ensure the success of its investments.

The TMF is overseen by the Technology Modernization Board, which is composed of government IT leaders representing proven expertise in technology, transformation, and operations. To date, the TMF has announced investments totaling over $400 million. These investments have supported projects ranging from providing a single secure login experience for government websites to digitizing temporary worker visa programs and modernizing systems that support crop inspection and certification. The TMF has received $175 million through the annual budget process and $1 billion through the American Rescue Plan to fund modernization projects to date. For more information, visit tmf.cio.gov and follow us at @TMF_gsa.

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

May 19, 2022

ANNISTON, Alabama — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on May 9 to mark the opening of the new federal courthouse in Anniston, Alabama. The event, which was held on the front steps of the new facility, was open to the public.

The ceremony, led by the Honorable Corey L. Maze, U.S. District Judge of the Northern District of Alabama, included musical performances from the Oxford High School Show Choir, a presentation of colors by the Anniston High School JROTC, as well as comments from U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, the Honorable James J. Robinson, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge of the Northern District of Alabama, and Nina Albert, Commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service.

“This new Federal courthouse represents the best of what is possible when we – Federal and local governments, as well as public and private sectors – work together to achieve more than what we could accomplish alone,” said Albert.

“On this project, our contractors sourced local materials, such as the marble mined in Alabama, and spent much of the project budget hiring from the local community,” she continued. “This means that jobs, good-paying jobs, were created for folks in Anniston and the surrounding area. This also means that dollars were spent in restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops locally.”

Construction on the new 63,000 square-foot federal courthouse began in the fall of 2019. The facility will serve as home to the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern District of Alabama, in addition to providing workspace for the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services.

The new courthouse was designed to achieve LEED-Gold, which ensures that our Federal buildings are as efficient, healthy, and sustainable as possible.

Following the ceremony, the public was invited to tour the new facility.

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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

May 20, 2022

TACOMA, WA – Yesterday, the U.S. General Services Administration’s Northwest/Arctic Region closed on the sale of the 129-acre federal property in Auburn, WA. The property, marketed as Pacific Point, was sold to IRG Auburn, LLC of Wilmington, Delaware for $80 million. The new owner has indicated that they will take possession of the property in phases, based on the timeline GSA proposed to potential buyers. The property is currently occupied by two federal agencies and a child care services provider; they may occupy a portion of the property rent-free until April 30, 2024.

Background on Pacific Point:
The site comprises approximately 129 acres of land located one mile south of the Commercial Business District of the City of Auburn. Originally purchased in 1944 by the United States Army as 435 acres of farmland, it was improved with over 20 dry storage warehouses for use during World War II.

In 1962, GSA took ownership of a 177-acre portion with multiple WWII warehouses, three 1950s era warehouses, an administration office, and a water tower. The remaining U.S. Army property was sold to private developers.

During the 1990s, GSA donated land to the City of Auburn for a park and the Auburn City School Bus Depot. An additional 8.4 acres was donated to the City of Auburn for its municipal fire training center.

After assessing the economic viability of maintaining the property and aging buildings, GSA determined that disposing of the Pacific Point site was the best solution for the federal government. The disposal of the site is part of a larger strategy to evaluate underutilized assets, and shrink the federal real estate footprint. Additional information about the property and the auction can be found online at gsa.gov/PacificPoint.