|
|
Presidential Executive Order on Federal Real Property Should Start with Inventory Data Validation
|
Added: 05/23/2004
Type: Summary
Viewed: 648 time(s)
[ Not Rated Yet ] |
Presidential Executive Order on Federal Real Property Should Start with Inventory Data Validation
The federal government must start right away to validate its real property inventory data, if it is to maximize the value of Executive Order 13327 on Federal Real Property Asset Management (EO13327). That’s the recommendation of VISTA Technology Services, Inc. (VISTA), the leader in facilities infrastructure analysis for government.
VISTA’s CEO and President David Baxa moderated a panel discussion on EO13327 during the 2004 National Conference on Financial Management – Innovations in Government, May 10-12, 2004 in Arlington, VA. Government executives on the panel were Robert Batson, Counselor to the Controller, Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and Stan Kaczmarczyk, Director of the Innovative Workplace Division, General Services Administration (GSA).
“Understandably, OMB and GSA are still feeling their way around the initial stages in responding to this Executive Order,” Baxa said. “What’s clear is that additional legislation will enable agencies to gain the greatest budgetary benefit from the disposal of unneeded property.”
In the meantime, however, both Kaczmarczyk and Batson acknowledged during the conference that understanding what the government possesses in terms of real property is an important first step, according to Baxa. That understanding, he said, requires a validation survey of each agency’s portfolio of real property.
“Before the government can make any intelligent decisions regarding disposition of real property assets, it must have a handle on what it has,” Baxa explained. “Having validated real property inventory data would enable agencies to be properly prepared for new policy, standards and/or legislation.”
Similar work is now being undertaken by the Department of Defense (DoD), in response to the current iteration of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Capacity analysis and mission value analysis, which requires good real property baseline data, are the routine starting points in determining whether the DoD has excess inventory of military installations. The civilian side of government can benefit from the same process, Baxa said.
A real property validation survey that focuses on key facility attributes is less expensive and more productive than performing a detailed facility utilization survey at this point, he added. “With a detailed survey, you’ll spend a lot of time and money to collect data that is not needed to make a reasoned decision as to property that is in excess of needs. No agency has unlimited funds to get its data in order. A fence-to-fence survey of everything from room size to wall and floor finishes drives up cost and time for completion to the point that it’s no longer practical.”
“The first order of business should be for government agencies to be able to document that their inventory is certifiable and that they have basic information on their buildings,” Baxa concluded.
At the same conference panel discussion on EO13327, the GSA’s Kaczmarczyk noted that his organization currently is working on the concept for a common descriptive inventory system for federal real property. He explained that the private sector has started working on common data standards for an inventory system through the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE). For now, the GSA is considering building on the consortium’s experience in developing data standards for Federal real property systems.
Baxa commented that OSCRE’s work would be enhanced by drawing upon the experience of federal contractors that already provide facilities infrastructure analysis services to the government. “Although a good baseline inventory of facilities is an imperative that will go a long way to meeting the current need, it will not be sufficient,” said Baxa. “Over the long term, the government is best served by coming to an understanding of how valuable its real property holdings are to various government missions, and the implications to those missions if holdings were disposed of or reassigned to other activities.”
VISTA has supported federal real property asset management goals as far back as the first BRAC initiative in 1988. Very early on, VISTA recognized and understood the connection between Executive Order 13327 and BRAC. For more information, see the press release, “New Focus on Real
Property Management Will Re-invent Federal Government from the Ground Up,” on the VISTA Web site at http://www.vistatsi.com/press/reinventgov.asp
About VISTA Technology Services, Inc.
VISTA Technology Services, Inc. (VISTA) is known for managing change from the ground up. A leader in facilities infrastructure analysis, IT and management consulting, VISTA’s expertise supports Defense Transformation and civilian agency efficiency requirements. To meet changing governmental organizational structures and responsibilities, VISTA has developed a proven methodology for facilities infrastructure analysis, including productized IT-based services for data collection, certification, and analysis, budgeting, management and archiving. VISTA is a wholly veteran-owned company and combines a thorough practical knowledge of military processes and procedures with superior technological expertise. For more information, contact VISTA at 703-561-4100, or visit www.vistatsi.com.
|
Article Pages: 1
Article Comments
 Add Comment |
 View All (0)
There are currently no comments for this article.
|
|
|
Recent News