Politicians and economists can be accused of willfully obfuscating the “government employment trend” to serve their ideology. As an example, Republican Senator Rand Paul and liberal economist Paul Krugman engaged in a heated debate last Fall over whether government employment had increased or declined under the Obama administration. Rand Paul asserted that it had increased dramatically […]
As we mentioned in an earlier piece,we’re focusing on two federal agencies that serve Native Americans this week, in honor of Native American Day. The Indian Health Service (IHS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and […]
As we predicted earlier this month, Rep. William “Bill” Shuster (R-Pa.) will replace Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) as chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee—the body that provides oversight for public buildings issues—in the 113th Congress. Mica, who had signaled that he would like to keep the post, was forced to step down as a result […]
According to the 2014 Global Investor Sentiment Report just released by Colliers International, U.S. investors surveyed remain bullish on the prospects for commercial real estate during the next 12 months, with 92% of respondents expecting to increase the level of investment in their property portfolios, compared with just 8% that plan to reduce their portfolios. Reflecting investor optimism, […]
When a landlord leases space to the federal government, it is most often a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) contracting officer who signs the lease for the United States of America. In fact, as of this writing, the GSA leases more than 190 million square feet in the United States and its territories. The GSA, […]
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (we pronounce it “Eee-sa”) is sometimes called the light bulb bill for phasing out most incandescents. It has been called “the most sweeping energy efficiency legislation in U.S. history” by the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy. Originally named the Clean Energy Act of 2007, the bill […]
Dr. Stephen S. Fuller at an AIA conference last October presenting an analysis that one million defense industry jobs could be lost as a result of expected defense budget cuts. This was the pre-cursor to the study released this week. As the threat of sequestration looms ever larger, the results of a new study released […]
Which federal agency is the world’s largest public engineering, design and construction management agency? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (also known as USACE or simply “the Corps”) is made up of some 37,000 civilian and military personnel delivering engineering services to customers in more than 90 countries worldwide. Although we typically associate it with […]
GSAXCHANGE, the investment sales arm of Colliers Government Solutions, has published its Spring 2014 “Government-Leased Assets” report, which includes an overview of sales activity and trends in the federal sector. Driven by the lack of product with long lease terms, investors have been forced to adjust their acquisition criteria by shortening minimum lease term requirements. Coupled […]
Founded in 1974, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent agency charged with regulating the futures and options markets. As these markets have grown with the “financialization” of the economy, the scope and work of the CFTC have grown accordingly—no surprise, since it’s estimated that some two-thirds of the leading hedge funds […]
As further evidence that the federal government has begun the process of downsizing, a number of federal agencies have recently made —or will soon make—voluntary buyout and early retirement offers to employees. More than a dozen agencies made such offers last year, and even more are in the works. Specifically: On January 12, the Internal […]
Today the Washington Business Journal reported that Vornado has selected a buyer for its Washington Office Center (409 3rd Street, SW) and Washington Design Center (300 D Street, SW) properties in Washington, DC’s Southwest submarket. The two…
Though the federal lease inventory continued to shrink in 2015, there was plenty of action, especially in the Washington, DC area where most of the big federal tenants reside. Here is a selection of the most notable transaction activity…
Before closing up shop for July Fourth, the Senate confirmed Dan Tangherlini as Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). Tangherlini had served as acting administrator since April 2012 and has been praised for reforms already instituted at the troubled agency. His widely anticipated confirmation occurred on June 27 by unanimous consent. Tangherlini’s predecessor, Martha […]
