GSA Formalizes Office to Coordinate Government Affairs and Policies

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced steps to better coordinate the interrelated work of legislation, regulation, and policy through formalizing the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs and Governmentwide Policy.

According to GSA, this realignment of resources will enhance the agency's ability to better serve the American people as well as enhance GSA's core mission to make the government operate better and at a lower cost.

The Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs and Governmentwide Policy will coordinate the agency's work on legislation, regulations, and policies at federal, state, and local levels. The office also will strengthen communication within GSA's central office and between its 11 regional offices by serving as the central hub of the agency's legislative, regulatory, and government-wide policy information.

Founded in 1949, GSA serves as a centralized procurement and property management agency for the federal government. GSA manages more than one-fourth of the government's total procurement dollars and influences the management of $500 billion in federal assets, including 8,300 government-owned or leased buildings and 170,000 vehicles.

GSA also acts as the steward of more than 420 historic properties and as manager of FirstGov.gov, the official portal to the federal government's information services.

GSA's mission to provide superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services, purchasing and e-travel solutions, and management policies, at best value, allows federal agencies to focus on their core missions.

GSA's Center for IT Accommodation (CITA), within the Office of Governmentwide Policy, is the government's principal advocate and coordinator for making information technology accessible to people with disabilities.