Summary: GAO believes that the choice of Arlington, Virginia, as the site for the National Science Foundation's new headquarters will allow the Foundation to fulfill its role in national science policy. Although the new building is located outside downtown Washington, D.C., this site (1) will allow employees who are now scattered among several locations to consolidate in one building; (2) will provide superior working conditions; (3) will be convenient to other government offices and libraries throughout the city via an adjacent subway stop; and (4) is surrounded by many amenities, including a hotel, shops, and restaurants. In GAO's view, the General Services Administration and the Foundation followed a reasonable and systematic approach in choosing the Arlington building, which is about $9 less per square foot than alternatives in the District of Columbia--a savings to the government of $81 million over the course of a 20-year lease. The Foundation contends that it cannot move to Arlington because Congress has not appropriated its $16 million relocation expense request for fiscal year 1993, a move GAO believes that Congress should make.
