Recovery.gov - Track the Money

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (“Recovery Act”) provided GSA with $5.857 billion for investments in Federal buildings, procurement of more energy-efficient motor vehicles, and additional funding for the GSA Inspector General, to provide oversight over the GSA programs and projects funded by the Recovery Act.

GSA has carefully planned our Recovery Act investments to deliver two key goals:

- Stimulate the American economy by spending money quickly; and

- Improve the environmental performance of Federal assets, particularly reducing our dependence on carbon-based fuels.


Public Benefits: GSA expects the following public benefits from our investments:

- Job Creation. GSA’s Expenditure Plan for the Recovery Funds provided for Federal buildings identifies construction projects in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. Territories. This will create or preserve jobs across the country for: construction workers, electricians, plumbers, air conditioning mechanics, carpenters, architects, and engineers.

GSA anticipates that increased demand for building materials will stimulate additional job growth in those industries, such as the steel industry. GSA hopes that the demand for green building materials that results from our Recovery projects will help to stimulate the domestic market for these products.

- Environmental Benefits. Our Recovery Act Federal building projects will concentrate on reducing water and energy consumption, and using more energy from renewable sources in over 240 Federal Buildings across the United States. These investments in Federal buildings will reduce carbon emissions of Federal buildings and will accelerate our transition to reduced reliance on carbon-based fuels.

Funds provided for energy-efficient motor vehicle procurement will allow Federal agencies across the Government to replace as many as 16,000 aging motor vehicles with more fuel-efficient alternatives. This procurement will reduce fuel consumption of the replaced vehicles by at least 10%, and could reduce Federal carbon emissions by 24 million pounds per year.

GSA has a history of maximizing competition in contracts, and has consistent and detailed acquisition procedures that promote the use of competition. Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS-NG) data reports that 81% of the GSA contract dollars available for competition were awarded competitively in FY 2008.

GSA’s goal is to award 99% of Recovery Act dollars through competitive awards. GSA has identified approximately one percent of Recovery funds that may be awarded through other-than fully competitive means, primarily for sole-source HUBZone or 8(a) awards.

GSA has taken the following additional steps to ensure maximum competition for Recovery Act contract awards:

- GSA will maximize the use of existing, competitively-awarded contracts, including GSA Federal Supply Schedules, where Recovery activities may be added within the scope of work, award ceiling, and terms of the agreement.

- GSA has developed several new Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) under GSA Federal Supply Schedules specifically for use under the Recovery Act. These contracting vehicles satisfy the competition requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

- GSA will post pre-solicitation notices to the Federal Business Opportunities web site, www.FBO.gov, to notify potential vendors of all GSA Recovery Act contract award opportunities.

GSA maximizes the use of fixed-price contracts as a matter practice. Our acquisition procedures promote the use of fixed-price contracts to lower overall costs to the Government and more appropriately allocate risks between the Government and vendors. Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS-NG) data indicates that 83% of GSA contract dollars where “contract type” was recorded were awarded against fixed price contracts in FY 2008.

GSA’s goal is to award 100% of Recovery Act dollars through fixed price contracts. GSA has taken the following additional steps to ensure maximum competition for Recovery Act contract awards:

- On April 9, 2009, the Acting GSA Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) issued a CAO Policy Memorandum restating the requirements and intent of Recovery Act contracting provisions, and directing all GSA contracting activities to award Recovery Act contracts as fixed price contracts, using competitive procedures.

- The same CAO Policy Memorandum established additional acquisition planning requirements, above ordinary procedures, for Recovery Act acquisitions. Among other provisions, the memorandum lowers the minimum dollar thresholds for approvals of acquisition plans prepared for Recovery Act acquisitions. This ensures an increased level of review for planned Recovery Act contract actions.

- Since issuance, GSA contracting activities receiving Recovery Act funds have issued detailed procedural guidance to that ensure all Recovery Act contract awards are competitive and fixed price, to the maximum practical extent. Those contracting activities include the Federal Acquisition Service’s Assisted Acquisition Services and the Office of Acquisition Management in the Public Buildings Service.

GSA has established a comprehensive program to review performance results; identify, mitigate, and manage risk; and maintaining accountability for achieving the objectives of the Recovery Act.

Governance. GSA has named the Deputy Administrator, the senior career official at GSA, as the Senior Accountable Official for Recovery Act implementation. He has established an Executive Steering Committee (ESC) to manage GSA Recovery Act programs and to ensure appropriate coordination across all GSA organizations. The Recovery Act ESC meets weekly, and includes the senior career officials of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) and Public Buildings Service (PBS), as well as the acting Chief Acquisition Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Human Capital Officer, the Chief Information Officer, and the acting General Counsel. The GSA Inspector General is invited and regularly attends these meetings. Others may be invited as necessary.

Each GSA organization receiving Recovery Act appropriations has established a governance process that is appropriate for the purpose and amounts of funds provided under the Act:

-PBS has established the National Reinvestment Program Management Office (PMO), to oversee and ensure successful implementation of the Federal buildings projects provided by the appropriation to the Federal Buildings Fund. The PMO is headed by the Reinvestment Program Management Executive, who is directly accountable to the Commissioner of PBS and is ultimately accountable to the Administrator of General Services. The Program Management Executive is supported by Zonal and Regional Recovery Executives, who are accountable for monitoring and reviewing performance of Recovery Act projects and managing risks.

-FAS has assigned responsibility for the Energy-Efficient Federal Motor Vehicle Fleet Procurement to the senior executive responsible for motor vehicle acquisitions. That individual works collaboratively with the Office of Governmentwide Policy’s Office of Motor Vehicle Policy, and the Motor Vehicle Executive Council, a standing committee of all Federal agencies’ senior motor vehicle fleet managers, to identify, mitigate, and manage risks associated with the Recovery Act procurement.

Accountability and Risk Management. GSA has established a Recovery Act Risk Management Plan to manage risks associated with meeting the accountability objectives of the Recovery Act. The Plan leverages the enterprise risk management framework of the Commission of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), as well as the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA) and Office of Management Budget (OMB) Circular A-123, “Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control”, to define a process for identifying, mitigating, and managing the potential threats to a successful Recovery Act implementation. COSO provides guidance on critical aspects of organizational governance, business ethics, internal control, enterprise risk management, fraud, and financial reporting.

GSA’s Management Control Oversight Council (MCOC) will govern the risk management process, which will be conducted through the Senior Assessment Team (SAT). The MCOC and the SAT are existing bodies within GSA who manage internal controls consistent with OMB A-123. Reviews of Recovery Act programs will be incorporated into the existing OMB A-123 management review process for assessing internal controls.

Additional Measures. GSA will maintain a close working relationship with the Inspector General, who is a key resource in helping to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse throughout project execution.

GSA will provide weekly, monthly, and ad-hoc reports to the Administration on Recovery Act programs and projects. GSA will also report frequently to various Committees of the House and the Senate on Recovery Act plans, progress, and accomplishments.