Peck's Technology Leadership for GSA: Part 1

GSA Interview... This is the first of a two-part interview with Robert A. Peck, Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the U.S. General Services Administration. As head of PBS, Peck is in charge of asset management and design, construction, leasing, building management, security and dispositions for a real estate portfolio of more than 330 million square feet in more than 8,300 public and private buildings. Peck is leading major Internet initiatives at PBS to streamline the government's real estate activities.

Circo: How is GSA's Public Building Service (PBS) using the Internet to expedite the lease acquisition process for its 153 million sf portfolio of leased space?

Peck: Some of the PBS regional offices are using a web based application, Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps), formerly known as the Electronic Posting System to post Solicitations for Offers (SFO) to the public. Other regional offices, such as GSA's National Capital Region, are posting SFOs on their own web sites and submitting them to potential offerors by e-mail. Property owners may express their interest in offering leased space to GSA electronically; however, official responses to the SFOs cannot yet be accepted via the Internet. ... For benchmarking the costs for leased space, PBS is accessing private sources for market availability data. The National Capital Region, for example, has contracted with CoStar for this service and other regions are utilizing LoopNet.

Circo: How is PBS using the Internet for property dispositions?

Peck: PBS's Office of Property Disposal (PR) is actively incorporating the Internet into their business. PR is introducing online services through its web site. According to a recent WebTrends Reports, hits on the PR home page have skyrocketed from 20,690 in December 1999 to 119,815 in June 2000.

Property Disposal has laid the groundwork for its Internet-based activities with its Resource Center. The site integrates Web-based applications with PR's existing systems to decreases paperwork and facilitate a faster two-way flow of information. Plans are underway to expand the Resource Center to provide even greater functionality. Apart from customer access, the Resource Center also has online databases, best practices and tools for GSA's Realty Specialists to use in their day-to-day activities. By capturing institutional know-how and creating a knowledge-sharing environment, the Property Disposal organization has become more commercially oriented.

Property Disposal has inaugurated e-commerce with its online auctions. Customers are able to click on the Property Disposal Office that covers the states in which they have an interest for a current list of properties for sale. Bid packages for available properties can be requested by phone, fax-on-demand, e-mail or can be downloaded from the Web. After making a bid deposit with a credit card, the customer is assigned a bidder ID and selects a personal password. The ID and password allow the customer to bid for a property online. ... INTERVIEW WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE OCTOBER 18TH DISPATCH.

--Eileen Circo