# General Services Administration *Independent agency of the United States government* The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government. It was created in 1949 to manage and support the day-to-day operation of other federal agencies.[^1] It furnishes products and communications to federal offices and provides transportation, office space, building services and property management to federal agencies and their employees. It also sets government-wide policies intended to hold down costs.[^1] As of its Wikipedia summary (retrieved 26 October 2026), the agency had about 12,000 employees and an annual operating budget of roughly $33 billion. It oversaw about $66 billion in procurement each year.[^1] The same summary credits it with a share in managing some $500 billion in federal property. That property consists chiefly of 8,397 owned and leased buildings, totaling 363 million square feet, and a motor pool of 215,000 vehicles. Its holdings include the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.[^1] None of the agency's 11 regional offices is located in [[Minnesota]].[^1] ## History In 1947 President Harry Truman asked former president Herbert Hoover to chair a body, later called the Hoover Commission, to recommend a reorganization of federal operations.[^1] One recommendation was an "Office of the General Services". It would merge the Bureau of Federal Supply and the Office of Contract Settlement of the [[United States Department of the Treasury]], the National Archives Establishment, the War Assets Administration, and every function of the Federal Works Agency, including the Public Buildings Administration and the Public Roads Administration.[^1] Congress passed the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, and the GSA began operating as an independent agency on July 1, 1949. Its first administrator was General Jess Larson, who had headed the War Assets Administration.[^1] The new agency's first major assignment was a full renovation of the White House, which one inspector described as standing "purely from habit". The GSA finished the work in 1952.[^1] In 1960 the agency established the Federal Telecommunications System.[^1] ## Organization The administrator is the agency's chief executive and is a political appointee of the president. President Joe Biden nominated Robin Carnahan for the post on April 12, 2021, and the Senate confirmed her on June 23, 2021.[^1] The agency has two major services: - the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), which supports other departments' purchasing of goods and services; - the Public Buildings Service (PBS).[^1] It also has twelve staff offices, among them the Office of Government-wide Policy, the Office of Civil Rights, the Office of Small Business Utilization and the Office of General Counsel. Its two independent offices are the [[Office of Inspector General]] and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals.[^1] The FAS houses Technology Transformation Services. Its programs include 18F, Login.gov, FedRAMP, Data.gov and the USAGov platform.[^1] The GSA belongs to the Procurement G6, an informal group of public purchasers that uses framework agreements and electronic procurement tools.[^1] Its regional offices are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Kansas City (Missouri), New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle (Auburn) and Washington, D.C.[^1] ## Operations Through the FAS, the GSA runs the GSA Schedule Program, a set of pre-negotiated contracts. Other agencies buy from the Schedule under the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 8.4.[^1] Each Schedule contract is a prime contract between the government and a vendor whose proposal has been accepted.[^1] Two terms govern pricing under these contracts: - **Basis of Award.** This names a reference customer or group of customers. Their prices set the baseline for the discounts negotiated with the GSA, and they also serve as a floor. - **Price Reduction Clause.** If the vendor discounts below that floor, this clause entitles the government to a matching reduction.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *General Services Administration* (revision 1374297683, retrieved 2026-10-26) — the agency's establishment, history, staffing, budget, property, organization, regions and Schedule operations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Services_Administration