§584. Assignment and reassignment of space

(a) Authority.-

(1) In general.-Subject to paragraph (2), the Administrator of General Services may assign or reassign space for an executive agency in any Federal Government-owned or leased building.

(2) Requirements.-The Administrator's authority under paragraph (1) may be exercised only-

(A) in accordance with policies and directives the President prescribes under section 121(a) of this title;

(B) after consultation with the head of the executive agency affected; and

(C) on a determination by the Administrator that the assignment or reassignment is advantageous to the Government in terms of economy, efficiency, or national security.

(b) Priority for Public Access.-In assigning space on a major pedestrian access level (other than space leased under section 581(h)(1) or (2) of this title), the Administrator shall, where practicable, give priority to federal activities requiring regular contact with the public. If the space is not available, the Administrator shall provide space with maximum ease of access to building entrances.

( Pub. L. 107–217, Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1112 .)

Executive Documents

Ex. Ord. No. 12411. Government Work Space Management Reforms

Ex. Ord. No. 12411, Mar. 29, 1983, 48 F.R. 13391, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including Section 486 of Title 40 of the United States Code [now 40 U.S.C. 121], in order to institute fundamental changes in the manner in which Federal work space is managed to ensure its efficient utilization, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. In order to make the Federal use of work space (including office space, warehouses and special purpose space, whether federally owned, leased or controlled) and related furnishings more effective in support of agency missions, minimize the acquisition of government resources, and reduce the administrative costs of the Federal government, the heads of all Federal Executive agencies shall:

(a) Establish programs to reduce the amount of work space, used or held, to that amount which is essential for known agency missions;

(b) Produce and maintain a total inventory of work space and related furnishings and declare excess to the Administrator of General Services all such holdings that are not necessary to satisfy existing or known and verified planned programs;

(c) Ensure that the amount of office space used by each employee of the agency, or others using agency-controlled space, is held to the minimum necessary to accomplish the task that must be performed;

(d) Manage the furniture, equipment, decoration, drapes, carpeting, plants and other accoutrements so that the use of all furnishings by the agency reflects a judicious employment of public moneys;

(e) Consider, in making decisions concerning the use, acquisition, or disposal of work space and related furnishings, the effects of its actions on costs incurred by other Federal agencies;

(f) Report all vacant work space retained for future Federal uses to the Administrator of General Services so that it may be made available for the temporary use of other Federal agencies, to the extent consistent with national defense requirements;

(g) Establish a work space management plan to meet the provisions of this Order, including specification of the goals to be achieved and actions to be taken by the agency in order to improve its utilization of all work space and related furnishings; and

(h) Establish information systems, implement inventory controls and conduct surveys, in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator of General Services, so that a government-wide reporting system may be developed.

Sec. 2. The Administrator of General Services is delegated authority, to the extent not prohibited by other laws, to conduct surveys, establish agency-wide objectives for work space use for each Executive agency, and establish procedures, guidelines and regulations to be followed by the agencies in developing the work space planning, information and reporting systems required by this Order.

Ronald Reagan.