U S General Serv ices Administration,
Public Buildings Service
David L. Winstead, Commissioner
Revenues Fiscal Year 200 7: $7.7 Billion
Areas of Specialization: D evelopment, Ownership/Investment
Number of Offices: 12
Number of Employees: 6, 2 32
ITMAYBEAGOVERNM E
Buildings Service ofthe U S
operates just like any ot he
nization. The Washingt on1NT ENTITY, BUT THE PUBLIC
General Services Administration
r private-sector real estate orga-
, DC-based agency handles the
ownership, manageme nt, leasing and development of
commercial space for 400 government agencies and acts
as landlord to more tha n a million federal employees and
their contractors.
Yet as much as it”s lik e any other real estate entity, the
GSA”s massive and diver se portfolio makes PBS stand apart
from the pack. In charg e of everything from federal court-
houses and field offices to land ports of entry and laborato-
ries, “our work is challen ging on many fronts and is always
interesting,” says Winste ad. “We respond to our customer
agency needs, wherever thatis.”
The organization ha s control over 351.9 million sf of
rentable space worth $6 9. 2 billion. Some 90% of the foot-
age is office space, wh ile the balance consists of indus-
trial, laboratory and a smattering of retail facilities. A
quarter of the owned in ventory consists of historic build-
ings. For a cost of $2.2 billion, it added 11 new develop-
ments totaling 6. 5 milli on sf to its holdings last year, and
started another nine p rojects with 5. 9 million sf, worth
nearly $2 billion. It now owns 1,513 assets totaling 176.4
million sf of space, with an overall vacancy rate last year
of 4.4%. The GSA also contracts for space from private-
sector owners and leas es it out to various government
agencies. It currently h as 175.5 million sf leased in 7,106
assets. It typically prefers to lease office space, while retaining ownership of assets like c ourthouses and land ports of entry. “We
have seen significant growth in our portfolio of leased space, from 46 million sf in 1967 to 176 million sf in 2007,” states
Winstead. “We expect that trend to continue.”
Like many real estate organizations, PBS is implementing a sustainable design initiative across its properties. Aside from security,
greening its portfolio has been a priority for the agency, according to Winstead. “We include a breadth of new sustainability mandates
in our solicitations for leased space, including Energy Star certification by 2010, access to public transportation and green cleaning
and maintenance requirements.”
In fact, the GSA PBS has established an Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings and requires LEED certification
for all owned space and lease construction projects. “We are working, per the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, to
reduce consumption of fossil fuels 55% by 2010 compared to a 2003 base year,” says Winstead.
The organization has 118 Energy Star buildings in its portfolio and to date, 25 of its properties have earned LEED certification
with several more registered to qualify. The green effort has resulted in huge payoffs as well; the Public Buildings Service delivered
more than $2 billion in energy-conservation savings within its portfolio, and its operating costs were 1.6% lower than those in the
private sector.
Among its sustainable projects are the John J. Duncan Jr. Federal Building in Knoxville, TN, which won the 2008 BOMA
International Earth Award for environmentally sound office building management practices; the San Francisco Federal Building,
winner of the 2008 White House Closing the Circle Award; and the modernization of the Portland Pioneer Courthouse, a winner
of the Powell Prize for exemplary historic preservation.
On top of all that, the GSA PBS is a key player in the presidential transition and will no doubt be quite busy for the next several
months. The government has already turned over the Presidential Transition headquarters, some 120,000 sf of fully furnished and
computer-equipped office space in Downtown Washington, to President-elect Barack Obama.
