Securing leased federal buildings presents ‘unique challenges,’ GSA says

Ensuring the safety and security of federal employees who work in properties leased by the government is challenging, but can be done, witnesses told House lawmakers Thursday afternoon.

"It is much easier for [the General Services Administration] to address security in the buildings we own, due to our ability to make whatever changes [are] needed to facilities, many times on short notice," Public Buildings Service Commissioner Joe Moravec told the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy. "It is much different in our leased facilities, due to our need to work with landlords and their buildings and, in some instances, to coordinate with the needs and expectations of the buildings' other nonfederal tenants."

Federal officials set security standards for government buildings after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Since then, government agencies have spent more than $1.2 billion on security measures. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks caused agencies to reassess their security plans, taking into consideration new types of threats and the array of products available to help shore up federal facilities.

GSA, which maintains and manages approximately 1,700 federal facilities, and the Defense Department, which leases many facilities around the world, have both crafted plans to ensure that buildings under their authority are as secure as the facilities owned and operated by the government, witnesses told the panel.

"Our security philosophy is based on the premise that each facility presents a unique set of security and safety challenges," Moravec told lawmakers. "We work collaboratively with federal customers across the nation to ensure that effective security procedures are in place for the safety of all occupants in and visitors to GSA-controlled facilities."

Individual security plans are crafted for each leased property, according to Moravec, and when officials negotiate new leases, clauses are added to ensure the agency is able to modify the leased space to meet federal security standards established by the Justice Department. "At times, such as immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks, GSA must implement security measures in our leased spaces even over the objections of the landlord," Moravec said.

If leases have restrictions that prohibit GSA from making needed changes, officials will look for alternative ways to ensure security, including relocating the agency if necessary, Moravec told the panel. Defense officials take the same stance, according to Defense Protective Service chief John Jester.

"It is extremely important for a government agency to clearly define their security requirements in the solicitation" for a leased facility, Jester said.