Realty a La Carte: Understanding GSA’s Value-Added Realty Services
By Laura Schroff
General Services Administration

The Federal government’s real estate portfolio is constantly changing to meet evolving mission needs and priorities. Disposing of assets that no longer fit into the portfolio, therefore, is an ongoing challenge for Federal landholding agencies.

Property disposal is the core mission of the General Services Administration (GSA). As the managing partner for the launch of Federal Asset Sales – one of the 23 eGov Initiatives in the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) – GSA has made surplus federal property more available to citizens.

Additionally, under the auspices of this same initiative, GSA’s Office of Real Property Disposal also has made efficient and valuable realty services available to Federal landholding agencies for which such services are non-core functions. This was accomplished through award of the Value Added Services (VAS) solutions contract.

What does VAS do?

VAS is a consolidated source of five real estate industry firms. By combining the resources of these industry leaders into a single contracting vehicle, GSA is able to develop more efficient and cost-effective methods to assist with real property disposal efforts government-wide.

By enabling agencies to dispose of properties more efficiently via VAS, Federal landholding agencies will be able to further reduce their real estate related costs — which is especially important as agencies face shrinking budgets.

Using the VAS contract to provide ancillary realty services also enables GSA to reduce the burdens on landholding agencies, therefore allowing their personnel to focus on the agency’s core missions.

Who are the contactors?

The prime contractors participating in VAS – an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract – are:

• Cushman & Wakefield
• EG&G Technical Services
• Jones, Lange, LaSalle
• Prescient, Inc.
• Thomas, Cobb Basilio & Associates

Each contractor is capable of providing realty support solutions such as; marketing, sales, property valuation, payment collection, due diligence, and closing services on properties of varying sizes, conditions and type.

These prime contractors have effectively teamed with additional firms to provide a wide range of cost effective solutions for the management, utilization and disposal of federal real property.

Is it working?

Yes. Since awarding the VAS contract, numerous efforts have been undertaken under its auspices. These efforts include:

• Survey for the National Health Museum
• Marketing study for the Bethesda Federal Office Building
• Targeted Asset Review for the Kansas City Plant, Bannister Federal Center
• Reuse Disposal study for the Goodfellow Federal Complex, St. Louis, MO.
• Property Marketing & Reuse Strategy, Stratford Army Engine Plant Stratford, CT.

Contracting for these services was easy, and in some cases completed within 30 days. Standard rates have been pre-negotiated to help projects get underway quickly. The solutions obtained through the VAS contract have provided the best value to both the public and the government.

Laura Schroff works for the General Services Administration’s Real Property Disposal Division. She can be reached at (202) 208-7583 or laura.schroff@gsa.gov.