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General Services Administration Overview
 The General Services Administration’s (GSA) stated mission is to "help federal agencies better serve the public by offering, at best value, superior workplaces, expert solutions, acquisition services and management policies." GSA is the primary federal acquisition and procurement entity offering equipment, supplies, services, telecommunications, and integrated information technology solutions to its customers – the numerous agencies of the U.S. Federal Government. GSA is also often referred to as the government’s “landlord,” fulfilling the office and other space requirements of the U.S. federal workforce.
GSA enables nearly $66 billion in federal spending which equates to more than 25% of the government's total procurement dollars. The agency also manages federal assets valued at nearly $500 billion. These assets include more than 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings, a fleet of 170,000 vehicles, and technology programs and products that cost over $100 million.
Despite managing billions of dollars in assets, only 1% of the agency's total budget is provided through direct congressional appropriations. The remainder of the agency’s budget is provided by fees charged to its customer agencies. Once GSA receives a requisition for a product and/or service from a customer agency, GSA purchases the requested items from vendors. GSA then charges a fee in addition to the cost of the product and/or service to the customer agency. By charging a fee on these products and services GSA recovers the majority of its operating costs.
GSA consists of a multitude of sub-agencies: the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), the Public Buildings Service (PBS), and various Staff Offices, including the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA). GSA implements its mission through eleven Regional Offices located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Fort Worth, Denver, San Francisco, Auburn (Washington), and Washington, DC. |
