Summary: The General Services Administration (GSA), through its Public Buildings Service, charges tenant agencies for space and related services in federal buildings and federally leased space. GSA also charges tenant agencies for special services which they request beyond the standard level of repairs and initial space alterations, building operations and maintenance, and physical protection and building security. These special services are commonly referred to as reimbursables.
Although reimbursable work is the second largest source for financing the GSA Federal Buildings Fund, it has not received the status of a major agency program. GSA has not assigned anyone overall responsibility for managing these services. Management is fragmented and responsibility for monitoring quality, promptness, and cost varies among and within GSA regions because of inadequate control by both regional and headquarters management. Compounding the effect of fragmented management is the lack of clear guidance by the Public Buildings Service. Controls are weak and reports developed to monitor such services are inadequate or not used. Delivery of reimbursable services has been inconsistent and reimbursements are inconsistent among tenants because criteria for determining which services are reimbursable are unclear. GSA maintains that reimbursement is required only for services beyond the standard level provided in commercial practice. However, GSA has not adequately defined the standard level, and GSA reimbursables continue to rise. The agency has no criteria for determining whether agencies' requests for protective services above those it normally provides are really necessary. Although GSA management has been aware of the problems it is experiencing in providing reimbursable services, it has taken little corrective action.
