General Services Administration facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
General Services Administration

Seal of the General Services Administration
Logo of the General Services Administration
Flag of the General Services Administration
Agency overview
Formed	July 1, 1949; 76 years ago (1949-07-01)
Headquarters	GSA Building 1800 F Street NW, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees	12,000 (FY 2024)
Annual budget	$61.1 billion (FY 2024)
Agency executives	Michael Rigas, acting administrator Stephen Ehikian, deputy administrator
Child agencies	Public Buildings Service Federal Acquisition Service Staff Offices (12) Independent Offices (2)

The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government. It was created in 1949 to help manage and support how federal agencies work. GSA provides products and communication tools for U.S. government offices. It also helps federal employees with transportation and office space. GSA works to find ways to save money across the government and handles other important management tasks.

GSA has about 12,000 federal employees. It manages a budget of around $61.1 billion each year. The agency also oversees about $66 billion in purchases annually. GSA helps manage about $500 billion worth of U.S. federal property. This includes over 8,300 buildings and a large fleet of 215,000 vehicles. One of the big buildings it manages is the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.. This is the second largest U.S. federal building after the Pentagon.

GSA's main parts include the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) and the Public Buildings Service (PBS). It also has several other offices that help with different tasks. For example, the Technology Transformation Services (TTS) helps federal agencies use technology better. This includes programs like Login.gov and Data.gov. GSA is also part of a group called the Procurement G6. This group works on new ways to buy things for the government.

History of GSA

In 1947, President Harry Truman asked former president Herbert Hoover to lead a group. This group, called the Hoover Commission, suggested ways to make the government work better. One idea was to create an "Office of the General Services." This new office would combine several existing government groups.

GSA officially became an independent agency on July 1, 1949. This happened after a law called the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act was passed. General Jess Larson became GSA's first leader.

White House Renovation Project

One of GSA's first big jobs was to completely fix up the White House. By 1949, the building was in very bad shape. An inspector even said it was standing "purely from habit." GSA worked closely with President Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. They made sure this important project was a success. GSA finished the renovation in 1952.

Key Developments Over Time

In 1960, GSA created the Federal Telecommunications System. This was a phone system for government offices across different cities. In 1962, a new building program started. This led to many new government offices being built in Washington, D.C.

In 1970, GSA helped create the Consumer Product Information Coordinating Center. This is now part of USAGov, which helps people find government information. In 1974, GSA started charging rent to federal agencies for the buildings they used. This helped fund the Public Buildings Service. GSA also started using computers and technology more to manage information.

In 1984, GSA introduced the use of charge cards for the federal government. This system is known as GSA SmartPay. In 1985, the National Archives and Records Administration became its own independent agency. GSA also started guiding how the government manages its properties.

In 2003, the Federal Protective Service moved to the United States Department of Homeland Security. This service protects GSA-managed buildings. In 2005, GSA combined some of its business parts into the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS).

In 2013, GSA launched Data.gov. This website helps make government information available to the public. GSA also started programs like Total Workplace and Presidential Innovation Fellows. These programs aim to modernize federal workplaces and improve digital services. In 2016, GSA launched the Acquisition Gateway. This helps federal agencies buy things and makes it easier for new companies to work with the government.

GSA Challenges and Changes

Ted Weiss Federal Building

In 1991, during construction of the Ted Weiss Federal Building in New York City, workers found an old cemetery. This was a historic burial ground for African New Yorkers from colonial times. GSA worked with the community and experts to study the site. This led to the creation of the African Burial Ground National Monument. GSA helped fund this new part of the National Park Service for many years.

Concerns About Spending

In 2012, there were concerns about GSA's spending on a conference in Las Vegas. Lawmakers looked into how GSA spent money on the 2010 Western Regions Training Conference. The report found that GSA spent a lot of money on travel, gifts, and meals for the event. The GSA administrator at the time, Martha N. Johnson, resigned after this issue.

Presidential Transition Role

In November 2020, after the 2020 United States presidential election, GSA played a role in the transfer of power. The GSA chief at the time, Emily W. Murphy, had to sign a letter to allow the new president's team to start working. This letter was eventually signed on November 23, 2020, allowing the formal transition to begin.

Login.gov Digital Identity Standards

In April 2022, an investigation looked into GSA's Login.gov service. The investigation found that GSA had not fully told other government agencies that Login.gov did not meet all required security standards. GSA had billed agencies over $10 million for services that did not meet these standards. GSA management agreed with the findings and is working to fix these issues.

How GSA is Organized

Leadership

The leader of GSA is called the Administrator. This person is chosen by the President. On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Robin Carnahan to be the Administrator. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 23, 2021. She served until January 20, 2025. Currently, Michael Rigas is the acting administrator.

Main Services

GSA has two main services:

• Federal Acquisition Service (FAS): This service helps other federal departments buy goods and services.
• Public Buildings Service (PBS): This service manages and acquires thousands of federal properties.

GSA also has twelve staff offices and two independent offices that help with different tasks.

GSA Regions

GSA has 11 offices across the United States. These are called GSA regions. They are located in major cities like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C..

How GSA Operates

Buying for the Government

The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) helps federal agencies buy products and services. GSA has a special program called the GSA Schedule. This is like a list of pre-arranged contracts. Other government agencies can use this schedule to buy things easily. The GSA Schedule helps make sure the government gets good prices. It also helps ensure that if a seller lowers prices for other customers, the government gets those lower prices too.

Managing Federal Buildings

Thoughtful analysis to balance GSA preservation, cost, and performance goals supported historic window retention with replacement of non-historic windows at this 1930 courthouse.

The Public Buildings Service (PBS) buys and manages thousands of federal properties. This includes office buildings, courthouses, and other facilities. PBS provides offices for federal agencies. It aims to do this in a way that saves taxpayer money. PBS gets its funding mainly from the rent that federal agencies pay for their office space.

PBS also manages the sale of extra government properties. This can include land, old post offices, or even family homes. Sometimes, property sold for public uses like parks can be offered at a big discount.

GSA also focuses on "green buildings." Many GSA buildings have earned special ratings for being environmentally friendly. They might have green roofs, use renewable power, or have designs that let in more natural light. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided money to make GSA buildings more energy-efficient and green.

Managing Government Vehicles

GSA helps manage the U.S. federal vehicle fleet. This includes a large group of 215,000 vehicles. In 2009, GSA used money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to buy energy-efficient vehicles. This included many hybrid sedans. These new vehicles were chosen to save fuel. GSA bought many American-made hybrid cars, like the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Technology Transformation Services

GSA's Technology Transformation Services (TTS) helps the government use technology better. It aims to improve how the government provides information and services to the public. For example, TTS manages Login.gov, which helps people securely access government websites. It also runs Data.gov, a website where people can find government data.

TTS also includes programs like the United States Digital Corps. This program helps young technology experts start careers in public service. TTS works with different agencies to improve their digital services. For instance, it helped the Federal Election Commission save money by moving its website to a cloud platform.

See also

In Spanish: Administración de Servicios Generales para niños