[General Services Administration Annual Report 1973]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


1973 ual Report General
Services Administration

fc -.) GSA
1973
Perspective Mission Directions
3 1336 05725 9047
RICHARD NIXON
President of the United States
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Foreword
A year-end reporting cannot present all agency programs. A year itself is only an interval in the development of an agency. This year's report seeks to overcome those limitations, to tell a more complete story of the General Services Administration. The first section of the report entitled "Perspective” contains a brief history of building, supply, and records keeping for the Federal Government—how they were handled—or mishandled—up to the formation of GSA in 1949. This section also describes the major organizational changes made in GSA from 1949 to the present, including the important new duties assumed by the agency this year from the Executive Office of the President.
Finally, this section includes brief descriptions of Agency Services and Staff Offices as they are today. Thus, as a whole, this section reveals the roots of the GSA mission leading to the formation of the agency and its subsequent evolution as business manager for the Federal Government.
Taking off from there, the next section of the report, entitled "Mission” presents the programs of the agency—not Service by Service or Office by Office—but grouped together in broad functional areas. First of these areas is "Construction.” GSA in recent years has vastly increased its impact on the construction industry in America, pushing for better management—and modernization in the industry. Some of the programs that have made an impact on the industry are discussed.
Next presented are those programs—from various parts of GSA—which support the broad, urgent goals of environmental protection and energy conservation. "Communications” is a discussion of GSA's role in keeping Federal managers informed and in touch with the people they serve. "Government to the People" deals with a variety of GSA programs providing benefits directly to American citizens. "Cultural Preservation" is a summary of the records keeping
activities of the National Archives and other programs building our cultural heritage towards our Bicentennial celebration and beyond.
Finally, "Economy and Service” examines savings made in 1973 and the search for further economies and means of service which are an integral part of the GSA mission.
Taken as a whole, this section is a higher order of organization for GSA's programs. Not tied to specific statutory duties or components of the agency, this section summarizes many of GSA's day-to-day functions and makes clear their wider implications.
The final section of this year's Annual Report is entitled "Directions." In it, plans for the future are discussed in terms of the development of GSA personnel and the development of new goals and methods. These are the determinants of the future. Approached creatively, they will assure continued progress for the agency in the years ahead.
GSA is in its 25th year of operation so this year's Annual Report is intended as a broad profile of the agency—its past, its present mission, and the goals ahead. That insight should be useful for the Congress, for other Executive Agencies and for private citizens.
ARTHUR F. SAMPSON
Administrator of General Services
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GSA Leadership
1
Dwight A. Ink, Deputy Administrator
2
Allan G. Kaupinen, Assistant Administrator 3
Ronald E. Zechman, Acting Associate Administrator, Office of Federal Management Policy
Dr. James B. Rhoads, Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Service
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Larry F. Roush, Commissioner, Public Buildings Service 6
M. Shy Meeker, Commissioner, Automated Data and Telecommunications Service 7
Michael J. Timbers, Commissioner Federal Supply Service
Arthur F. Sampson, Administrator of General Services
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8
William E. Casselman II, Former General Counsel 9
Harold S. Trimmer, Jr., Acting Genera! Counsel
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G.C. Gardner, Jr., Assistant Administrator for Administration 11
Leslie W. Bray, Jr., Director, Office of Preparedness
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Edward E. Mitchell, Director, Office of Civil Rights
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Thomas M. Thawley, Special Assistant to the Administrator,
Office of Stockpile Disposal 14
Robert B. James, Jr., Acting Chairman, Board of Contract Appeals
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Mary T. Foster, Special Assistant to the Administrator
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Donald P. Young, Executive Assistant to the Administrator
10
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Region 1— Albert A. Gammal, Jr.		Region	6— Jeffrey P. Hillelson 1500 E. Bannister Road Kansas City, Missouri 64131
	Post Office Square Boston, Massachusetts 02109		
Region	2— Gerald J. Turetsky 26 Federal Plaza New York, New York 10007	Region	7— Jay H. Bolton 819 Taylor Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Region	3— George I. Perryman 7th and D Streets, SIN Washington, DC 20407	Region	8— Michael J. Norton Building 41—Denver Federal Center Denver, Colorado 80225
Region	4— Lewis D. Strom 1776 Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30309	Region	9— Thomas E. Hannon 49 4th Street San Francisco, California 94103
Region	5— John W. Chapman, Jr. 219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604	Region	10— Roy N. Vernstrom GSA Center Auburn, Washington 98002
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Perspective
History
After the American Revolution, as the world watched, our founding fathers brought together the elements of a cohesive Government to meet the needs of the people. As that Government grew, so did its own needs. Today, the U.S. General Services Administration provides for those needs . . . but it wasn't always that way.
Supplies to Work With
Can you imagine the time lost if every time a Federal employee ordered a pen, a desk or a piece of paper, that order had to be personally signed by the Secretary of the Treasury?
Back in 1792, when Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury, this was the case. It's no wonder that Hamilton soon began looking for a better way to handle that bureaucratic burden.
By 1795 the Office of Purveyor of Public Supplies was established in Treasury "to conduct the procuring and providing of all arms, military and naval stores, provisions, clothing, Indian goods, and generally all articles of supply requisite for the service of the United States. . ."
This forerunner of GSA's Federal Supply Service made disbursements to farmers, small factory-in-home manufacturers, and other craftsmen who were the first private suppliers to the Government.
However, this attempt was not too successful. During the War of 1812, with the expansion of military procurement, the office was abolished and individual agencies set up their own procurement and supply programs. This hit-and-miss, expensive way of supplying the needs of Government was the object of several studies. By the turn of the century a special Commission found that agencies were purchasing 133 different kinds of pencils, 268 varieties of pen points, 28 kinds of ink . . . and all at different prices.
Space To Work In
In 1790, when Congress provided for a permanent capital on the banks of the Potomac, three commissioners were appointed to provide office space for the fledgling Government. In addition, they were charged to lay out the entire street plan for the new "Federal City.”
They didn't get much financial support for their endeavor; the commissioners were forced to act as real estate entrepreneurs, selling lots in the city to earn money to operate their service.
During James Madison's Administration, the triumvirate was replaced with a single commissioner who reported to the President, and later to the Secretary of the Interior. By the time of the Civil War he was responsible for the repair and maintenance of the Capitol and White House, construction of the Patent Office Building, and the repair and operation
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The new U.S. Government needed supplies to work with, space to work in, and its priceless records protected—the roots of GSA's mission.
of the "Long Bridge" over the Potomac. Included in his staff were watchmen, gatekeepers, furnace keepers, "draw keepers" on the bridges, and lamplighters.
This forerunner of GSA's Public Buildings Service had responsibility only for buildings in Washington. The Office of the Supervising Architect in the Treasury Department supervised the Government's building activities, such as customhouses and mints, outside the District of Columbia.
Keeping The Nation’s Records
In the early years of our nation, the Department of State had responsibility for preserving original statutes, treaties, Executive Orders and proclamations, the records of the Continental Congress and the Congress of the Federation. Little else was guarded.
The first real threat to our priceless records came in 1814 when the British burned Washington. The Declaration of Independence, Constitution and other early records were packed in coarse linen bags and carried by cart to an empty house in Leesburg, Virginia, 35 miles from the flames. The keys to the building were entrusted to a local clergyman.
In 1841 Daniel Webster, Secretary of State and in charge of the Patent Office, ordered that the Declaration be displayed in the new Patent Office Building. And there it hung, opposite a window exposed to the fading rays of the sun, until 1876. Later it was displayed in the State Department's library.
Finally, in 1894, the State Department announced it would remove the faded document from exhibit to secure its present condition.
By 1934, a century and a half of U.S. history had passed yet none of the permanently valuable records of the nation were being made readily available to researchers, scholars and historians. That year, National Archives was created by law and the mammoth task of assembling and organizing the records was
begun. The search led to attics and garages, as well as agency files slowly building a permanent history of our nation. The home for these records, the National Archives, was ready for occupancy in 1935.
Putting It Together
In 1947, a Commission was appointed to take a look at the manner in which the administrative activities of the Federal Government were being handled; it found a haphazard system. The Commission reported that the activities, services, and needs of the U.S. Government had been "piled helter-skelter on the honest foundation ... of the Constitution." The Depression, New Deal and war had forced formidable growth in Government without the kind of skeletal changes needed to support a rapidly sprouting system.
The result? Senseless duplication, excessive cost and confusion in handling supplies, keeping records, and providing space, as Federal agencies attempted to take care of their own needs.
Major problems included:
•	a backlog of approximately 198 building construction projects.
•	unreliable, inconsistent figures for Federal supply buying.
•	overlapping of Federal Government records.
•	a disposal system that was completely disjointed.
The Commission recommended an "Office of General Services" that would assume the responsibilities of the Treasury Department's Bureau of Federal Supply, the National Archives and the Public Buildings Administration together with the War Assets Administration.
Divided, these agencies had little authority to accomplish their missions, and their responsibilities did not extend Government-wide . . . even in the Capital area.
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Organization
No one knew if it was feasible to combine these functions under one roof. It made sense, but many of the different agencies were content to buy their own supplies, keep their own records, find their own office space. But, it was worth a try. July 1, 1949, as a result of the Federal Property and Administration Services Act, the General Services Administration was created, composed of three departments: the Public Buildings Service, the Federal Supply Service and the National Archives and Records Service. And the Act broadened this scope of functions.
In a few years, the Public Buildings Service had shown its ability to manage Federal buildings nationwide, as well as design and construct them. The National Archives forged ahead to create central storage service for inactive but vital records that had previously cluttered offices across the country. The Federal Supply Service had drawn together the myriad functions from agencies that handled supply in the past. The success of GSA prompted Congress in 1961 to amend the 1949 act and give the agency the authority to form a Transportation and Communications Service to handle the increasing need for controlled management of the vehicles and telephone services of the Government.
As GSA expanded, it got more responsibility. In fiscal 1966, the Property Management and Disposal Service was established to consolidate redistribution and disposal of Federal real and personal property and the Nation's stockpile.
The next step in GSA's pattern of growth was the establishment of the Automated Data and Telecommunications Service to manage the rapidly increasing use of the technologies of telecommunications and computers by the Federal Government. The new Service incorporated the communications responsibilities of the Transportation and Communications Service within its framework. The transportation logistics support of TCS was transferred to FSS.
By 1973, with more than $11 billion in total assets, GSA had proved its efficiency as the’business manager for the U.S. Government. This year the agency received still greater responsibilities.
A New Role To Play
For almost 25 years, GSA has functioned as a service agency. It has served as landlord, builder, purchasing agent, engineer, data processing expert, even historian for the Federal Government.
Last June, the agency assumed an even greater job. President Nixon assigned GSA broad policymaking responsibilities in financial management, management systems development, procurement, property management and automated data processing management.
In announcing the assignment of these major functions to GSA, the President said, “One of the greatest challenges of governing well today is to make the institutions of Government an efficient servant of the people, rather than simply a mammoth machine running by its own momentum. It is a task that demands all of the modern management skills we can muster."
Office Of Federal
Management Policy
To accept the new responsibilities, the Office of Federal Management Policy was created within GSA. This new policy office combines management functions, formerly part of the Office of Management and Budget, and broadens GSA's management responsibilities.
Sound management practices are the backbone of organized Government business. The Office of Federal Management Policy will enhance these practices in areas such as productivity improvement on a Government-wide basis, improving buying policies, and streamlining Federal grant assistance to state and local governments.
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"I have directed that the General Services Administration assume a broader management role by becoming the President's principal instrument for developing better systems for providing administrative support to all executive branch activities. . . .the reorganized General Services Administration should make a significant contribution toward cutting red tape and achieving a more economical, effective, and responsive Federal Government"
RICHARD NIXON
President of the United States May 22, 1973
The new office—Government-wide in its scope— encompasses:
•	The Office of Procurement Management, which will oversee that what the Government gets in the way of material and services corresponds to national objectives.
•	The Office of Property Management, which will apply new management ideas for the real and personal property holdings of the Government.
•	The Office of Financial Management, which will develop financial management policies, putting emphasis on systems that will respond to today's management needs.
•	The Office of Management Systems and Special Projects, which will take a careful look at and recommend improvements for present day manage ment practices followed by the Executive Branch.
•	The Office of Automated Data Processing Management, which will examine and upgrade the buying and use of ADP hardware, software and related activities, by the Government.
Also transferred from OMB to GSA was the Relocation Assistance Implementation Committee, providing the Government-wide leadership for uniform, fair, and equitable treatment of persons displaced by Federal or federally-assisted programs.
Emergency Planning
To further improve Federal management, the President delegated to GSA many of the functions of the Office of Emergency Preparedness. These included functions in the areas of civil defense, emergency preparedness planning, continuity of civil government, resources planning and analysis, and strategic materials stockpile planning—many of which were closely related to responsibilities held by GSA.
The "reorganized GSA," President Nixon said.
"should make a significant contribution toward cutting red tape and achieving more economical, effective and responsible Federal Government."
Emergencies and national crises, are subjects of GSA's new Office of Preparedness. Its mission is to develop plans and operation programs to ensure that the civilian sector will be prepared to meet a wide range of potential emergencies. The Office of Preparedness relies on other Federal agencies and state governments to carry out the details of the national civil emergency programs for which it provides planning, leadership and coordination.
In addition, in close association with the Department of State, the Office of Preparedness provides leadership for Executive Branch participation in the civil emergency planning activities of NATO, and in similar bilateral planning with Canada.
Streamlining Operations
To reorder its functions around more rational lines, GSA this year abolished the Property Management and Disposal Service, and placed its programs in offices already expert in PMDS functions. The Public Buildings Service was given the responsibility for real property disposal. Federal Supply Service reassumed the duties of personal property disposal. The planned disposal of strategic and critical materials no longer needed in the national stockpile became a separate function in the Office of the Administrator.
As a result of this evolution the General Services Administration consists today of four services—the Public Buildings Service, the Federal Supply Service, the National Archives and Records Service and the Automated Data and Telecommunications Service.
Washington, D.C. is the hub of GSA's activities. But the agency relies on 10 regional offices across the country, each headed by a Regional Administrator, to effectively respond to local needs.
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Public Buildings Service
The largest branch of the General Services Administration is PBS, with 22,000 employees and a nationwide building and real estate program. PBS is the country's biggest landlord, making valuable contributions to energy conservation, urban revitalization, environmental enhancement, firesafety reforms and socio-economic programs.
The responsibilities of PBS are straightforward, yet diverse—PBS designs, builds or leases, operates, protects and maintains most of the Federal buildings in the nation; and, this year PBS took over the real property disposal functions of GSA.
Providing space is one of the oldest of the functions of Government dating back to 1790. When GSA was established in 1949, this role had expanded to include operating responsiblity for 116 million
square feet of space that housed Federal employees at that time. Today, that figure has grown to 224 million square feet in nearly 10,000 Federally-owned and leased buildings. Today, too, PBS has 1500 major construction projects underway.
Federal Supply Service
The Federal Supply Service earns the title of ''miniconglomerate" by activity in procurement and supply, transportation and public utilities management, personal property disposal and strategic stockpile management.
Considered the largest, thriftiest and most demanding customer in the world, FSS handles both buying and supplying for the Executive Branch of Government. This consolidated procurement and supply of common-use items to Federal agencies is substantially more economic and efficient than fragmented efforts by individual agencies. And FSS continually reviews its methods to improve its responsiveness to its customers in the Federal Government.
In the past fiscal year, FSS procured $1.74 billion in materials and services for Government-wide use, an increase of $145 million (or almost 11 percent over fiscal 1972). From its formation, FSS has kept pace with the growth of the Government.
Purchase orders placed under Federal Supply Schedule Contracts have jumped from 100 million in 1950 to more than 940 million in 1973; the number of end items represented by FSS contract has increased from 40,000 in 1950 to 750,000 in 1973; and the purchase items to be delivered directly to agencies from manufacturers and items to be distributed to agencies through the Federal Supply System soared from 63 million in 1950 to 839 million in 1973.
More important to the American taxpayer, the centralized purchase of Government supplies—every-
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thing from cars to paperclips-is saving money. By purchasing through the Federal Supply Service-instead of buying from commercial wholesale outlets—Government agencies reflected an amazing $534 million savings in 1972.
Automated Data and
Telecommunications Service
The business of providing for the Government's vast communications and computer needs belongs to GSA's Automated Data and Telecommunications Service, now slightly more than one year old.
GSA combined the responsibility for Government-wide data processing and communications service under ADTS in 1972 to complete the implementation of Public Law 89-306—the Brooks Bill—which assigned ADP responsibility to GSA. That job includes centralized purchasing and management for
general purpose automatic data processing and related services for all Federal agencies, in addition to a wide range of telecommunications services.
From its 900,000 phone telephone network to its multi-million dollar computer systems, ADTS services are geared toward moving and processing the information necessary to the efficient management of Government programs.
But computers are only half the story. ADTS also provides Government agencies with local and long distance telephone services and data, facsimile and teletypewriter transmission services via the nationwide Federal Telecommunications System. Through the FTS services, the Government saved $90 million over the cost of commercial long distance calls, and $135 million over commercial data transmission charges.
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National Archives and
Records Service
In 1949, there was a new spirit in the Corinthian-columned archives building in the Federal Triangle. With the creation that year of the General Services Administration, the National Archives became the National Archives and Records Service with increased duties for Federal records management.
This would be a difficult assignment. According to the first GSA Annual Report, "Almost five times as many records were created during the Depression and World War II as in the history of the Federal Government."
The first Administrator of General Services expressed the need for the establishment of regional records centers and for cooperation by Federal agencies with NARS management specialists in reduc-
ing the rate of accumulation of records. There was one Presidential library in those days, Franklin D. Roosevelt's at Hyde Park, N.Y. That was 25 years ago.
Today, there are 22 institutions in the system: the National Archives in Washington, 15 regionally located records centers which have 11 archives branches, and 6 Presidential libraries. Holdings now total about 13.2 million cubic feet of records.
Staff Offices
To keep all facets of its many programs operating at peak efficiency, several staff offices exist to coordinate with GSA's four services:
•	The Office of the Administrator contains the major coordinating offices, maintains liaison with all regional affairs, and handles the information necessary for good relationships with other agencies, the Congress, the media, and the general public.
Within the realm of its responsibilities also lies the management of the two new offices—the Office of Federal Management Policy and the Office of Preparedness, as well as the Office of Stockpile Disposal. In addition, reporting to the Office of the Administrator are the Office of Civil Rights, the Board of Contract Appeals, the Federal Information Center Program, the Business Service Centers, and the Consumer Product Information Center.
•	The Office of Administration provides the management and financial expertise essential to the daily operations of the agency, including central staff support and assistance, to all parts of GSA in areas of budget, finance, audits, investigations, andjpersonnel and document security programs.
It also provides, on a contract basis, expert administrative support for more than 30 independent commissions, committees, study groups and special offices created by the President or the Congress.
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• The Office of the General Counsel is GSA's ''middleman,” the final checkpoint between the formation and implementation of agency policies; the arbiter between program goals and the interest of the American taxpayers; and the advocate of both GSA and the American consumer within private enterprise.
In addition, it provides legal services on a reimbursable basis for 24 small boards, agencies and Presidential commissions.
And that's GSA through 1973. A year of importance to the agency as it took on added responsibilities in the business of Government. And this year saw Arthur F. Sampson confirmed as head of the agency. Sampson was appointed Administrator by the President and confirmed by the Congress in June.
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Mission

Construction
Construction is a major American industry. But it isn't an industry that has changed with the times. Buildings are built today with the same building team organization and nearly the same technology as they were fifty years ago.
But the industry is changing and GSA as a major owner and builder is one of the forces behind that change. In the past four years PBS has developed into a visible and vocal part of the industry, pushing for reforms that lead to building better, faster, and less expensively.
PBS is providing needed Federal office space. But, more important, PBS is providing models for the construction industry: models in the use of new management techniques such as construction management. And models of new technologies such as building systems, firesafety and energy conservation. In these areas and others PBS is a leader in today's construction industry.
Systems Building
In 1973, GSA opened the door on a new approach to Federal construction: systems building.
Basically, systems building is looking at all the bits and pieces that go into the building and operating functions of a building and—most important—seeing these parts working together as an integrated whole.
Two years of research in cooperation with the National Bureau of Standards went into this effort. A performance specification was developed—a performance specification for an entire office building. This document includes all the working parts of an office building and all the requirements of a successful building. Armed with this document, planners, manufacturers and builders can work together around broad performance standards. With them, they can achieve economies by the multiple use and precoordination of building parts. These consortia and
the building systems they produce can save time and money—without sacrificing quality.
GSA believed in this new approach and presented the performance specification to the industry. This year that faith paid off.
In March a $29.2 million competitively-bid systems contract was awarded for the design, fabrication and installation, as well as maintenance for nine years, of three buildings: the Social Security Administration Program Centers rising in Chicago, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay area.
The systems approach involves the working heart of the building: the interior structure, the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning distribution system, the electrical distribution network, the finished floor, the finished ceiling, lighting, and the partitions or space dividers. It sets them up as a kit of interrelated, interdependent parts working together instead of separately.
The systems contractor (in this case a joint venture) becomes not only the designer, but the manufacturer and builder as well. He must become involved in the planning, construction, operation, maintenance and replacement of various components for at least nine years.
In other words, he must design a single system that meets the performance standards of Federal office space. And the system must work at different sites in different environments and with different architectural treatment. For instance, all three SSA buildings are architecturally distinguished, but the same systems package will be used to create them.
To make it work, the contractor can either use traditional methods in developing his system, design new components matched to the performance specifications, or use a combination of both. The key word is performance.
Through the teamwork of systems building, PBS foresees time and cost reductions in both design and
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The future of construction is in the factory. Pre-coordinated, pre-assembled building systems can save time and money in building. GSA is headed this way. Three GSA buildings are going up—simultaneously—in three different cities, with different architectural treatments, but with a single set of building systems and a unique team approach that brings together owner, designer, manufacturer and builder to handle this new kind of construction.
construction, in addition to an increase in on-site efficiency with greater use of pre-assembled and precoordinated building components, many of which will be fabricated before they ever reach the sites. GSA believes the future of the industry is in the factory, not on the job site.
The Purchase Contract Program
The nature of public office building construction was changed for all time in June 1972, when President Nixon signed into law the Public Buildings Amendments.
Part of these amendments enabled GSA's Public Buildings Service to begin its most ambitious construction program to date: the Purchase Contract Program. As a result, a backlog of 63 building projects approved by Congress but lacking the funds to proceed has begun to disappear. Under the new program, PBS has already been able to award 37 new building projects at a total cost of more than $625 million, a major step in providing additional space for the Federal Government nationwide.
And GSA estimates that the Purchase Contract Program will boost Gross National Product by as much as $1.5 billion, provide 88,000 new construction jobs over the life of the program, and add $22 million in property taxes to local governments!
Just what kind of a program can do all this? The purchase contract technique is a beneficial partnership between Government and the private sector that uses private financing to get the job done. Under the program, a contractor constructs a building to Federal specifications, and then sells it to the Government over a period of 30 years.
Another plus—while the Government is paying for the building (making payments of both interest and principal), the building stays on the local tax rolls.
Two techniques are being used— a "package system" and a "dual system.” Under the first, the
contractor provides all his own financing. Under the latter, for the larger building projects, GSA funds the contractor under separate financing, arranged through the sale of GSA participation certificates. Twenty-three "package" buildings are in the works; 14, "dual" projects.
The Federal Buildings Fund
When the United States was in its infancy, there were very few Federal employees, and most of them in Washington, D.C. Who could visualize the amount of office space needed to house Federal employees in the 1970s?
At that time, each Federal building project was handled separately. Then at the turn of this century, a bill was passed that provided for the management and financing of more than 60 buildings and au-
The Purchase Contract Program: a unique public/private partnership to build over $1 billion worth of needed space for the Government to house workers nationwide.
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thorized approximately 150 new projects. A signifi cant step, this legislation provided a systematic, continuing approach for Federal construction.
But it wasn't until the Public Buildings Amendments in 1972 that another change of this magnitude was made. That new approach is the Federal Buildings Fund scheduled to go into operation July 1, 1974. The Fund allows GSA new flexibility in the acquisition, alteration, maintenance, operation and protection of public buildings.
The Fund means that, for the first time in history, individual Government agencies will be required to pay for the office space they use through a user charge equivalent to commercial rent. These monies will come to GSA, which will set up a revolving fund to take care of its building financing and management needs.
The result? More accurate short and long-term planning will be possible through this new budgetary approach. Future funds, formerly based on annual appropriations that tend to fluctuate according to national priorities, can now be anticipated with a degree of accuracy never before possible. Given this more predictable basis for funding, GSA will be able to tailor its public building program.
To implement the Fund program, all agencies have been provided with budget estimates for their space and related services. These are to be included in their fiscal 1975 budgets. In addition, a complete remeasurement and reclassification of all space assignments controlled by the Public Buildings Service has been made, a new system of quality ratings for each building designed and market surveys taken to establish fiscal 1976 standard level user charge rates.
The benefits of the Fund are obvious: agencies will have incentives for more efficient use of space, agency budgets will better reflect their total program costs, and GSA will have working funds for timely construction and faster delivery of space.
The Federal Buildings Fund: In 1974 Federal agencies will start paying GSA for the space they occupy to promote
Firesafety
The increase in the number of high-rise building fires over the last three years is frightening. The safety of men and women working in high-rise office buildings and living in giant apartment houses has become a priority national concern.
But it is not a new concern to the General Services Administration. The agency first became alerted to the dangers of fires in high-rise buildings in 1970 following the spectacular fire at One New York Plaza, a 53-story structure of glass, concrete and steel in the heart of New York City. Two men died, 30 men were injured and almost $10 million damage was done during this five-hour blaze ■ The memory of what could happen in a new, supposedly firesafe building was still fresh four months later when another fire broke out in a New York City office building
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A firesafety system combines many elements. There is no such thing as a firesafe building. However, a total firesafety system designed and integrated within a building can improve the relative safety of a structure. Here are a few of the elements which, operating together, can make an entire building a fire fighting tool:
As a result of these fires, GSA convened an International Conference on Firesafety in High-Rise Buildings, bringing together outstanding professionals in management, engineering, design, firesafety protection, control and prevention. These leaders suggested a new approach to firesafety in high-rise buildings: a "total systems approach" to firesafety that turns a building itself into a firefighting tool.
This approach involves the examination of all fire emergency phenomena in the design stage of a project. Responding to these facts and to performance goals of safety, a designer may create a more firesafe building at no substantial increase in cost.
The first Government building to evidence this approach is scheduled for completion in 1974—the Federal office building on its way up in Seattle, Wash. In this 37-story high-rise, everything possible is being done to reduce the fuel content of the building-metal desks and chairs, floor and ceiling tiles that won't burn, fire-resistant drapes and floor coverings are part of the plans. In addition, the building will be protected throughout with an automatic sprinkler system, plus a special smoke control network and a two-way voice communications system. A central control area will handle all building operations, security functions, elevator control and fire preventive systems.
That sophisticated control system will flash into action at the first hint of a fire. It will automatically call the fire department, send all elevators to the first floor for fire department use, turn air fans either on or off—to pull smoke out of the fire area or to build pressure in other areas to curtail the spread of smoke.
Simultaneously, its audio mechanism, in a calm voice, begins directing people to safe areas and alerting those in elevators to what is happening. Its visual apparatus lights up a graphic map of the building, pinpointing the fire for its fighters. Its
memory bank records everything that is happening for intensive examination when the emergency is over.
Similar, modern firesafety elements will be included in 16 other Federal buildings under construction.
Older buildings are being examined on a case-by-case basis and their firesafety techniques are being upgraded. The demonstrated concern for firesafety and the exciting new approach to it have made GSA a national, and international, leader in the field.
Construction Management
Construction Management is two years old with GSA's Public Buildings Service and is proving itself a valuable tool.
GSA is a buyer, designer, renter, real estate agent and buildings manager. But primarily it is an owner. It shares with a private building owner the concern for time, money, and quality.
Construction Management (CM) provides professional skills in these areas of scheduling, estimating, and quality control. And it provides them directly to an owner.
Traditionally, a general contractor is the manager of the construction process. Inherent in this, however, is the possible conflict between the contractor's concerns as a businessman and the owner's concerns. CM eliminates this conflict, making full construction expertise available to the owner on a professional fee basis.
The construction manager works directly with the owner; he hires or subcontracts the labor and jobs that need to be done; he is responsible for the complete task from its inception to the final turn of the key.
The complexities of today's construction techniques and the difficulties in managing the ever-in-
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creasing number of highly-specialized subcontractors required a new approach such as this.
This new concept allows the Government, as the owner, and the architect-engineer assigned to the project, to have the services of the construction manager available, not only during the construction phase of a project, but during the design phase as well. In fact, construction management treats the project planning, design and construction phases as integrated tasks within a construction system.
The Government, the architect-engineer, and the construction manager, work together with the same goal in mind—best serving the Government's interests in the most economic manner. Right now, PBS has 17 construction management jobs underway for a total of approximately $548 million.
Project Management
When you want a job done well and fast, you put someone good in charge. In simple terms, that's what Project Management is—cutting through all normal lines of authority on a building project, following the job through all phases, by putting someone who can do the job in charge of the project.
As the PBS construction program has grown over the years, and the complexity of its projects has increased, the need for constant and immediate control of projects increased. The functional organizations in PBS could provide technical support but not continuing attention to a job. So Project Management was developed, putting one man in charge of one job.
That individual, with authority at the highest levels, can provide the singleness of purpose, the marshalling of resources, and the power of decision making which are needed. From start to finish the PBS Project Manager is responsible for keeping his job on schedule and within its budget. It's a technique
that is working. To date, five PBS projects for eight buildings totalling nearly $426 million have been designated for project management.
Phased Construction
In the construction industry, or any industry where costs are spiralling, time costs money.
Armed with this fact and strict budgets, PBS has to look to methods which can eliminate costly time lapses in construction projects. A proven solution to this problem is phased construction—which tightens up scheduling by beginning construction before the final stages of design are completed.
More rapid delivery and occupancy of completed buildings, as well as substantial dollar savings, are assured by the overlapping of design and construction. By separately packaging, and bidding in
Buildings are complicated products. It takes sophisticated management to plan and produce them.
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Making it easier to deal with GSA, demanding top design talent on our jobs, a design awards program, a review of our A/E selection system, and a new design policy under development—all are steps to meet the goal of excellence in architecture.
sequence, the working drawings and specifications of each major phase of work, PBS is now able to start construction of building foundations, while the remaining design details are being completed by the architect-engineer.
Advanced Management Education
In July 1973, GSA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sponsored the first educational seminar ever developed on "Managing the Construction Industry." This three-week program was developed for managers and decision-makers from a cross section of the construction industry to discuss in-depth the changes and developments and the means to meet them. This course will be repeated and it was a strong step toward better management of the complexities of construction.
Office Excellence
Government offices are filled with drab long grey lines of steel desks. Right? Wrong! Today Federal Government offices are being transformed into colorful, interesting work environments, with fixed walls being replaced by movable screens, and with carpets and drapes and color.
Three million Federal employees spend their working days in GSA controlled space. So excellence and interest in interior design must be concerns for PBS. The days of the depression look in office design, standard for years, are gone. And the transformation of the ugly office doesn't take that much time or money. Steel desks can be electrically charged with color on the spot; designer-type furniture is available through Federal catalogs.
This all costs a fortune? Right? Wrong, again. An average of 20 percent of space normally occupied by fixed partitions and the awkward arrangements they
create is removed. That savings of space means a savings in dollars—money that can be used to improve the office environment with carpet, modern furniture and bright colors.
This kind of space planning, called Office Excellence by GSA, is making Federal buildings nicer places to work for millions of Americans.
Excellence In Architecture
GSA is committed to a goal of building with excellence. That means more than buildings that are functional and economical—it means buildings of distinguished design. PBS operates to satisfy that goal.
First, steps have been taken to make it easier to work with GSA and thus to attract top architectural and engineering design talent. Simplified reviews and meetings at professionals' offices are part of this effort. In return, PBS is demanding that the very best designers in a firm be assigned to GSA work. And a bi-annual design awards program has begun to recognize outstanding works of architectural or engineering design.
It takes quality firms to produce excellent building designs, and GSA's selection procedure assures that outstanding architects and engineers are picked. Firms are recommended by advisory panels of recognized private professionals. Thus, when the Administrator makes his final selection, it is from a list of nearly equal, always excellent, design firms. And to preserve the integrity and performance of this system, GSA is sponsoring a thorough review of it. This study, begun late in 1973, will be conducted by a committee of professionals from outside GSA.
Finally, GSA is developing a new written design policy to be prescribed by the President for all Federal building programs.
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The new FBI Headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue—part o! GSA planning and building for the Bicentennial.
Life-Cycle Costing
Like any homeowner, the Federal Government wishes the cost of buildings ended the day the last nail was driven. This is not the case. Expenses continue throughout the lifetime of all structures, exceeding the initial cost.
For this reason, life-cycle costing has become a part of GSA's Public Buildings Service methodology. Life-cycle costing is an evaluation of building design, not only on initial cost, but also on such long-range concerns as operation, maintenance and repairs during the life of the building. In the long run, the least expensive component could turn out to be the most expensive.
PBS is developing a life-cycle management model which pinpoints all the costs required to develop a
building to its occupancy point. The remaining costs are being developed into a model that applies costs of replacement, maintenance, and repairs in all GSA-owned and operated buildings over their probable lifetime use. This new approach holds the promise of real economy in building.
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Energy And Environment
History will record 1973 as the year when the American people realized that energy conservation and environmental concerns were immediate necessities—not future ideals.
The seriousness posed by the increasing shortages of fuels in the U.S. grew to a climax this past year. President Nixon addressed the nation three times in 1973 on the energy problem; first, to caution of an impending shortage and ask for the cooperation of all sectors of the country to lower usage by seven percent; later, to warn of the energy emergency and to ask all Americans to face up to the stark fact that "we are heading toward the most acute shortage of energy since World War II."
GSA responded immediately to the President's charge to use less energy, "less heat, less electricity, less gasoline." Both the Public Buildings Service and the Federal Supply Service issued nationwide orders for energy conservation measures.
Saving Energy
PBS, which maintains, operates or controls some 10,000 Federal buildings, ordered temperatures lowered to the 65-68 degree range in all Government-owned and leased buildings for the 1973/74 winter season. It also instructed that temperatures be lowered below that range in warehouse and similar space. And it reduced the level and hours of exterior building lighting from dusk to about 1 a.m., instead of dusk to dawn, in the Capital area.
These steps were in addition to others already put into effect by the agency in the spring of 1973, following the President's first message, to lower energy usage by seven percent by mid-1974 throughout the Federal Government.
This year the agency is taking even more dramatic steps to help reduce energy consumption. Halls have become a little darker and working spaces became
suddenly warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter to fight the problem.
Nationwide about one million fluorescent tubes have been removed. Intensive efforts have been made to reduce other electric light usage—by removing light bulbs in nonwork areas and turning out lights when not in use.
Nationwide potential savings from these steps to reduce use of electric lighting in Federal buildings is one billion kilowatt hours of electricity or the equivalent of 580,000 tons of coal or 600,000 barrels of fuel oil.
PBS also estimates that with the even lower heating temperatures instituted in November, GSA will save 10 to 15 percent on its fuel use and cost. Nationally, the savings in oil and coal purchases could amount to $2.7 million, and, in the Capital area, $1.42 million.
Turning down thermostats in winter—and up in the summer. Part of the President's program to reduce Federal Energy use.
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GSA's energy logo—symbol of our part in the President's program to cut Federal energy use by 10 percent. Important savings have already been made by reduced lighting, heating and airconditioning, and use of smaller cars. And an experimental energy conservation building holds the promise of still more savings in construction and use of Federal buildings.
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As a further step, GSA changed the hours ot cleaning crews from night to daytime, eliminating the need for significant energy usage during the evening hours when most Federal buildings are vacant.
Saving Gasoline
GSA's efforts are not confined to buildings. The agency is the buying agent for the majority of the nearly one-half million Government-owned commercial vehicle fleet, through its Federal Supply Service Interagency Motor Pools. In fiscal 1973 alone, Federally-operated vehicles were driven some three billion miles. And it took about 300 million gallons of gasoline to do it.
To cut that energy dollar along with energy usage, GSA is urging Federal agencies to reduce official travel wherever possible; to save gas through good driving and maintenance practices; and to use the smallest vehicle possible to get the job done.
GSA is also replacing other full-sized sedans with smaller cars in its own interagency motor pools.
Some 4,500 compact cars will be purchased by FSS as replacement vehicles during 1974. These compacts represent 83 percent of the vehicles scheduled for replacement this year in the motor pool system.
And, the agency issued a Federal Property Management regulation to the 100 Interagency Motor Pools enforcing a 50 mile-an-hour speed limit in Government vehicles. It also ordered reduction by 20 percent in miles traveled by interagency motor pool vehicles.
A Living Laboratory
The need for energy conservation features as part of new building design is also a GSA concern. PBS has been continuing to refine its Energy Conservation
Demonstration Project—an experimental building to rise in Manchester, N.H. This building, scheduled for completion in 1975, will have far-reaching effects on energy conservation technology. It is being instrumented by the National Bureau of Standards to measure its energy savings. Thus it will be a "living laboratory" for energy-savings methods employed in buildings, a laboratory for the installation of both recognized and innovative energy techniques.
Among the features to be included in this building are:
•	Flexible lighting systems that will locate lighting sources over work areas, and lower lighting levels elsewhere.
•	A ventilation system designed to recover heat from exhaust air.
•	Natural ventilation systems to cut down on the use of air-conditioning.
•	A series of solar collectors on the roof to heat and cool a major part of the building.
•	No windows on the north walls; only 13 percent glass with fins and overhangs around windows on the other walls.
Experts estimate the Manchester building will save 30-50 percent or more in energy than conventional buildings. All this, too, at no substantial increase in the first cost of the building.
Environment
In its Environmental Demonstration Project, a Federal building to be built in Saginaw, Mich.—GSA will combine environmental clean-up techniques with energy saving features.
By designing and constructing this building to incorporate these features, as well as to provide an on-going installation for the testing of new and creative environmental technology, GSA is emphasizing its firm commitment to helping solve
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ecology problems.
The Saginaw building, a low-rise, will be a plus for the environment. Among its features will be:
•	A park on the roof, open to the public at all times.
•	Sidewalk and outside building panels made from crushed bricks formerly part of the old buildings on the Saginaw^ite.
•	Lawn sprinklers that will use recycled building water.
•	A solar screen to manufacture its own energy for hot water needs, as well as to heat a major portion of the building.
GSA can't solve national energy and environmental problems, but the agency's efforts in this direction can provide the impetus for the private sector to follow its lead and design structures that will be innovative and imaginative in their approaches Environmental test building — Saginaw, Mich. — a park on the roof, recycled materials, solar energy provide
to reducing energy consumption and providing environmental enrichment.
Recycling
As the country's largest buyer of administrative supplies, GSA is in a position to demand in its product specifications, wherever possible, recycled materials, as part of the content of the items it buys.
Since 1971, for instance, GSA has progressively increased its reclaimed fiber requirement for paper products purchased for Government use. Today, a percentage of reclaimed fibers is required under 86 Federal specifications—representing an annual procurement need of more than $66.5 million.
About 60 percent of the paper products purchased by GSA now must be partially or totally made of recycled materials. This helps not only to reduce the
n mental and energy savings. It will be a living laboratory.
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Each year Federal employees travel billions of miles on official business and in doing so consume more energy than any other body of travelers in the world. Recognizing the vast potential for energy savings, ADTS which manages the Federal Telecommunications System—FTS—has launched a campaign to have Federal employees travel by phone. In the campaign employees are encouraged to "take a ride on the FTS"—by facsimile, teletype, conference calls or normal FTS telephone service.
magnitude of the solid waste problem the country is facing, but also to conserve the forest resources.
Requirements for recycled material have also been established for certain types of plastic pipe and fittings, insulating materials and roofing felt used in the construction and maintenance of public facilities.
And all new and revised purchase specifications are reviewed specifically for reduction in the weight of packaging material and for the use of materials that are recyclable. For example, the use of wood boxes is being reduced in favor of recyclable fiberboard wherever possible.
Because of this contact with new developments in technology, GSA is now involved in the collection and sale of metals, the recovery of silver and platinum from used aircraft sparkplugs and reclaiming silver from used film processing solution. Since the program of recovering precious metals went into effect in
Reclaiming and using recycled materials — from paper to platinum — is part of GSA's job as a responsible businessman for the Federal Government in environmental affairs.
531-187 0-74-4
1966, GSA has recovered 58,000 ounces of precious metals, valued at $5.9 million.
Through a property rehabilitation program, the agency is also studying recycling techniques to find new ways of using or disposing of solid waste currently eliminated through landfill or incineration.
Test Programs
An exciting experiment is underway in one of Washington, D.C.'s Federal heating plants. Used wastepaper sludge is being burned together with coal. Several tests already made indicated a longer burning fire, more heat from less coal, and less pollutants thrown into the air. If further trials prove successful, the process could be a forward step for the solidwaste problem, cleaner energy from a high-pullutant fuel, plus a reduction in energy consumption.
GSA is also interested in clean air. Late in the spring of 1973, the agency entered into an agreement with a major automobile corporation to lease 300 sedans equipped with advanced catalytic mufflers. These sedans are in experimental use in the motor pools of California.
The test project calls for GSA to operate these sedans as part of the interagency motor pool fleet and for the corporation to regularly test the catalytic muffler system. The first test will be made after the cars have traveled 4,000 miles.
This test of the efficiency of the muffler system in reducing harmful exhaust emissions is scheduled for completion during fiscal 1974.
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Communications and Information
A challenge facing Government executives today is to manage the ever-increasing flow of information needed to operate the Federal Government.
GSA steps in here to help. One of its major responsibilities is to provide these managers with the tools to handle this information explosion.
This is the mission of the Automated Data and Telecommunications Service, the service responsible for providing both computer and communications resources.
Some numbers might be helpful in understanding the scope of this responsibility.
ADTS operates 12 Federal data processing centers throughout the country which offer systems and programming, data conversion and computer support services. During fiscal year 1973, these centers provided $21.8 million in services to GSA and 175 other Government users.
The Federal Telecommunications System provides voice communications, along with data, facsimile and teletypewriter transmission service. During fiscal 1973, more than 116 million long distance telephone calls were made by Government agencies, and five billion words were transmitted over nine million miles of circuitry to cities throughout the country.
To meet these demands in an efficient and economical manner, ADTS either provides the services from its own resources, finds another source within the Government, or acquires the service from commercial sources.
Teleprocessing And Onward
Teleprocessing is not just a computer buzzword. It is an important technological advance which has enabled ADTS to achieve large scale data processing on a nationwide scale.
GSA's Automated Data and Telecommunications Service's National Teleprocessing Services Contract
ADTS—managing Federal phones. More than 116 million long distance calls this year over millions of miles of circuits.
(NTSC) is a unique government/business partnership.
Under the contract, a National Teleprocessing Network (a far-reaching information network system) brings the power of a large national computer center to terminals in locations far removed from the computer itself.
By subscribing to this system, agencies can create their own data bases within the computer and tap into them as needed. Use of the NTSC by Federal agencies nationwide is expected to save taxpayers in excess of $17.1 million in direct computer costs over the next two years. Such uses and users include:
•	Querying the system, for example, to give recruiters for the All-Volunteer Army instantaneous information for prospective volunteers on what schools and jobs are available to them through the Army.
•	Tracing the status of grant applications,
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Transmitting, handling, storing and retrieving information of all kinds is a part of the GSA mission. A voice on the telephone, a chart "wired" across country, or a bit of data displayed on a desk top console from a computer half a continent away—all are part of a communications system keeping Federal managers in charge of their organizations and in touch with the people they serve.
stream-lining the processing of the Regional Grants System for the Office of Management and Budget.
•	Evaluating construction of multi-family dwellings, to assist the Housing Production and Mortgage Audit Program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
•	Monitoring systems that will allow the Federal Government to provide emergency housing during national disasters.
Teleprocessing also is playing a vital role in planning for the Bicentennial. The American Revolution Bicentennial Commission is establishing a Bicentennial Information Network—BINET—which will link at least 97 terminals from its regional offices, state Bicentennial Commissions and the Congress. The network will deliver prompt, up-to-the-minute information nationwide on the wide variety of Bicentennial activities.
Centralized ADP equipment procurement assistance and contract awards for Federal agencies resulted in a savings of $65.6 million during the past fiscal year, and new procurements were avoided through redistribution of excess Government-owned ADP equipment valued at $145 million.
Keeping Up-To-Date
The ADTS message and data network, the Advanced Record System, is currently being expanded to accommodate up to 40 billion words annually. In August 1973, modern third-generation computers were installed and activated at the ADTS message switching center in Austin, Tex., to handle the increased traffic from major subscribers; such as the Veterans Administration and Social Security Administration.
Additional computers will be activated at other switching centers later on to complete the expansion of the data network.
The 12 Federal Data Processing Centers of ADTS,
while still meeting the requirements of their many Federal users, could become obsolete. As a result, ADTS is formulating future systems plans. One example is the New Equipment Project which has recently been launched. It is designed to replace existing facilities with a modern nationwide teleprocessing network.
Users will reach the network through remote terminals over a common telecommunications link from virtually any location served by commercial or Government communications facilities.
This will be an interconnected nationwide system, in contrast to the current 12 decentralized regional centers. The new facilities are expected to be available to Federal users beginning in fiscal 1976.
Telecommunications will enable GSA to bring to the Government executives' desks a new realm of management information: charts, graphs, audio-visual and printed communications of significance, conference calls and live telephone lines, that will make Government tomorrow more efficient, more economical.
Another Daily Newspaper
GSA's role in communications is not restricted to the glamour of computers. The National Archives and Records Service is also responsible for publishing what could be called Washington's third daily newspaper, the FEDERAL REGISTER.
This publication contains Executive Department announcements, regulations and other documents which inform a citizen of his rights, his obligations, and often, new.benefits offered by his Government.
Circulation of this important legal newspaper has tripled in recent years. Heightened consumer awareness and a growing interest in the operation of the Federal Government have been major reasons for this growth.
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The United States Government Manual, published by the office of the Federal Register, is a bestseller each year. In it can be found the key people as well as the functions of the various departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Ready For Emergencies
A new and vital communications service begun this year by the agency is GSA's Emergency Operations Center in Washington, D.C.
The center, one of the most modern and sophisticated in the U.S., provides communications between GSA and all law enforcement agencies during local and national emergencies.
Manned round the clock, the center acts as a focal point to receive, process and disseminate all communications concerning incidents in and around Government installations during any emergency.
The most up-to-date radio communications equipment enables the center operators to use five selective frequencies and "patch” into two-way radio units at any field location. The center also contains computerized security equipment that can monitor the individual electronic security systems throughout the Washington metropolitan area, as well as a fire reporting system connected with 100 Government buildings.
Transportation, Too
Modern technology and its miracles have made communication an instantaneous marvel. But some things still are communicated best in person.
Because of this GSA buys cars to transport Government officials for that in-person business. And for other Government work, it buys trucks, buses, ambulances, fire engines and vans.
In 1973, Federal Supply Service bought a total of 74,795 vehicles valued at more than $209 million:
In 1973 Federal Supply Service bought more than 74,000 vehicles valued at more than $209 million for use in official Government business nationwide.
21,096 sedans or station wagons, 49,706 light trucks, 992 heavy trucks, and 3,001 miscellaneous (including the buses, vans and fire engines).
GSA is not only the buyer of most Government vehicles, but it also is the dispatcher and mechanic for the 68,000 cars in its Interagency Motor Pool.
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Government To The People
In his first message to Congress in 1973, President Nixon said, "The role of the Federal Government. . . should not be to dominate any facet of American life, but rather to aid and encourage people, communities and insitutions to deal with as many of the difficulties and challenges facing them as possible, and to help see to it that every American has a full and equal opportunity to realize his or her potential."
The Federal Government has become sensitive to the need to respond more directly to the people it serves. GSA is part of this move to return Government to the people.
Consumers Benefit
Every day across the nation cash registers ring up sales of everything from food and clothing to cars, boats, furniture and appliances.
But with the rising cost of living and the increasing number and complexity of products appearing on store shelves, consumers need help. They need information on various products, how to take care of them, or how.to get them repaired.
That's why GSA's Consumer Production Information Center is important. It is the focal point in the Federal Government for getting vital consumer information to the American public. This it does in two ways: working with Federal agencies to develop meaningful consumer information and promoting greater public awareness of this information.
The Center, established in 1970 by Executive Order of President Nixon, was placed in GSA under the policy guidance of Mrs. Virginia Knauer, Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs. GSA works closely with Mrs. Knauer to get the Government's consumer information to the public.
The primary means the Center uses to reach the public is through the Consumer Information Index. The Index is published four times a year and lists more than 200 selected publications from 19 Federal
agencies. Most of the publications'tell how to buy, use and care for products. But others also discuss such related consumer subjects as housing, health and safety, child care, family budget, the environment, energy conservation and consumer protection.
The publications listed in the Index may be obtained free or at a nominal cost by writing to one address: Consumer Information, Pueblo, Colorado 81009.
In 1973, Americans requested more than 4 million copies of publications listed in the Index, a 100 percent increase over the previous year.
When prices rise, it's small wonder that consumers are interested in getting the most for their money. To be sure they know helpful information is available from the Federal Government, the Center has stepped up its information service to newspapers and developed the Federal Consumer Focus script service
Americans asked for more than four million copies of consumer publications from GSA in fiscal 1973.
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for both English and Spanish television and radio stations.
Through the Maze
Many Americans are today finding out that they have a direct "pipeline” to Federal information. That "pipeline" is the GSA Federal Information Center Program. Daily, GSA's Federal Information Centers help confused and stymied citizens find their way through the seeming labyrinth of Government agencies to the one that can help them with a particular problem.
Many questions can be answered directly by the trained information specialists at the centers. But, if the specialist doesn't know the answer, she or he will refer the caller to the right office in the Government that can supply the help.
Federal Information Center staffs are specially trained to either answer questions about the Federal Government or refer the questioner to the right office.
Operated by GSA in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission, the Federal Information Centers strive to make Government more responsive to the people it serves. The centers provide a single point for any questions about the Federal Government.
More than one-half million people monthly seek aid from the FICs. There are 36 centers located in major cities nationwide. Another 37 cities have toll-free telephone lines to the nearest center. And the FIC program is scheduled for further expansion this year.
Federal Information Center staffs field all kinds of questions all day long.
They handle routine questions such as, "Where do I get a passport?", "How can I buy surplus Government property?", "What office handles Medicare?"
But they also get involved in more complicated problems. For instance:
•	Will the law permit me to stuff a crow?
•	Can you tell me where the next World's Fair will be?
•	How many bathrooms are there in the White House?
Center staffs researched the answers and came up with the following facts:
•	Since the crow belongs to a family of birds that are protected by Federal law, you may not have it stuffed or mounted by a taxidermist.
•	The next World's Fair will be in Spokane, Wash., in 1974—Expo '74. For information write: Hospitality Services, Expo '74, P.O. Box 1974, Spokane, Wash. 99210.
•	The answer, from the Chief Usher at the White House, is that there are 21 bathrooms.
Helping Businessmen
Nothing succeeds like success and there are hundreds of success stories piling up in GSA's 12
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By concessions, counseling and Federal contracts, GSA is helping build new businesses—for the handicapped, the smaller firms or the minority entrepreneur who otherwise would not have a full and equal share in our free enterprise system.
Business Service Centers nationwide. The mission of these centers is to assist entrepreneurs—of any size—in their dealings with the Government.
Uncle Sam is the largest customer in the world. GSA buys most of the common-use items for the Federal Government and provides for most Federal services. Many businessmen, however, may be wary of selling to the Government. They may be afraid of red tape, or of the forms. But, in many cases, they simply don't know how to approach the Government to sell their products or services.
By visiting GSA's Business Service Centers, these problems are solved. Last year, more than 160,000 businessmen benefited from face-to-face counselling at the centers.
No firm is too large or too small to get assistance. The centers serve businesses too large to qualify for assistance under the Small Business Act, but which are not large enough to afford a full-time contract expert. But the real emphasis of the program is on those small firms which are economically disadvantaged.
More than half the centers' time this year was devoted to counselling individualsand groups on how to sell to the U.S. Government. This assistance included pointers on contract services and contract liaison. It also included directing bidders to Federal agencies which might need their goods or services.
Business Service Center representatives don't just wait for businessmen to come through their doors. They seek them out. Specialists attend civic functions, participate in Chamber of Commerce-sponsored meetings and conferences, assist congressional offices and cooperate with the U.S. Department of Commerce in programs for the business public. Last year alone, GSA officials attended 557 such functions and were able to counsel more than 20,000 businessmen through these services.
Opening Doors For Minorities
As the largest buyer of goods and services nationwide, the General Services Administration is committed to bringing minority businessmen—blacks, Spanish-surnamed Americans, American Indians, and other economically disadvantaged persons-into the mainstream of the U.S. economy.
In theory, the competitive spirit of doing business has always been open to every American. In practice, however, until recent years many of the smaller or minority-owned businesses found the way difficult and often could not make the grade.
GSA is working to remove this inequity, both by helping to develop more minority-owned businesses and by assisting existing firms in technical and managerial problems and with finding business opportunities.
One of the best tools to accomplish this goal is Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act. Section 8(a) allows the Federal Government to let contracts to minority-owned firms on a non-competitive basis. During fiscal 1973, GSA was able to increase 8(a) awards to disadvantaged firms by $15 million—441 contracts were let with a total value of more than $50 million.
Minority Concessions
GSA has established more than 10 times the number of minority-owned concessions in Federal facilities than all other Federal agencies-an enviable record in an important aspect of the minority business program.
Led by the Commissioner of PBS, this program helps minority-operated concessions set up in Government-owned space.
This is done in part by using Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act, which allows GSA to negotiate with disadvantaged or ethnic small business firms for
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goods and services on a non-competitive basis.
GSA representatives help make concessionaires more established competitors in the free enterprise system by offering managerial and technical assistance, as well as closely monitoring their progress.
Concessions in Federal office buildings nationwide include such shops as opticians, jewelers, card and novelty boutiques, even barbershops.
In the first year of the program's operation-1970—15 such concessions were established. That number has expanded today to more than 100 successful operations, worth more than $24.2 million in estimated gross value.
Equal Employment Opportunities
Today, in GSA equal employment opportunity is a reality. Minorities are in management positions and women hold jobs formerly only offered to men. Much more needs to be done, but "progress" is the word to describe equal employment opportunities at GSA. Taking a look at the 1973 picture:
•	Minorities now occupy more than 40 percent of the positions in all pay systems. Women hold more than 29 percent of the positions in all pay systems.
•	Minorities received 46.4 percent of all promotions, compared to 33.4 percent in fiscal 1972.
•	Minorities received 42.4 percent of all appointments compared to 35.9 percent in fiscal 1972. And women received 33.6 percent of all appointments.
•	Thirty (13.5 percent) of the 223 fiscal 1973 appointments at the GS-9 level or above nationwide were minorities; 32 (14.3 percent) were women.
•	Eighty-seven percent of the minority and female promotions above GS-9 were to positions never previously filled by minorities or women.
1973 was a banner year at GSA for its Office of Civil Rights. In fact, GSA was the first Federal agency to have its nationwide Affirmative Action Program
for fiscal 1974 approved by the U.S. Civil Service Commission.
Women employees in GSA have made significant "break-throughs", holding positions traditionally held by men, such as, Federal Protective Officer, Buildings Management Trainee, and Forklift Operator.
Preventing Discrimination
The Federal Government does care . . . and it is interested in being sure that discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, national origin or sex is literally out of business.
This is the reason for the Contract Compliance Program. Through the program, the Department of Labor assigns most Federal agencies different industry classifications—related to the agency services—to watch for bias in hiring. GSA is assigned 19 different industry categories.
It is the job of GSA's Office of Civil Rights to administer this compliance program. This office monitors and evaluates each of these industry categories (such as, the construction industry, the public utilities, the telephone companies) to know for certain that contractors with Federal or Federally-assisted contracts are complying with non-discrimination orders. Any corporation or business found wanting in this regard can be refused business with the Government.
The industry classifications assigned to GSA cover more than 1 million business establishments— approximately 20,000 of which have current Federal contracts.
In fiscal 1973, GSA was able to complete 4,118 reviews. These reviews resulted in the elimination of sex bias in tens of thousands of jobs and increased job opportunities for thousands of minority employees.
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The Federal Protective Service is a 4,000-man special police force under the authority of the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration. These officers, male and female, are charged not only with the responsibility of protecting government property, but also people who are working in and visiting Federal buildings across the country.
Rehabilitating Property
Earmarking for small business firms 95 percent of its contracts to maintain and repair personal property, GSA shows its determination to strengthen the small businessmen of this country.
About 2,200 repair contracts worth more than $25 million were received by small business firms nationwide in fiscal year 1973, a 2 percent improvement over last year's figure. Repairs were made on items ranging from typewriters and office furniture, to machinery and sophisticated construction equipment.
Although aimed at all small business, a part of the program also gives special support to service-related business run by the socially and economically-disadvantaged.
During fiscal 1973, this part of the program gained tremendous momentum. GSA awarded $2 million in these service contracts under Section 8(a) of Small Business Act, an increase of 300 percent since fiscal 1971.
Assisting the blind and other severely handicapped to make a living is another important function of the Personal Property Rehabilitation Program.
During this year alone, several new workshops employing the severely handicapped were approved to refinish furniture and repair typewriters.
Bringing The Job
To The Handicapped
During National Employ-The-Handicapped Week, October 1973, GSA's Federal Supply Service instituted a brand new program of assistance to handicapped persons who are homebound.
FSS hired 10 handicapped persons to work at home as full-time employees of GSA.
The pilot program, a first for the Federal Government, is being watched closely by the Civil Service Commission. Five employees in Region 3 and five in
Region 9 are working as purchasing agents, statisticians, analysts, and coding clerks. These 10 handicapped persons represent thousands of people who are unemployed simply because they cannot commute to work.
For The Handicapped
Ever face negotiating a long flight of stairs or having to move a heavy swinging door—in a wheel chair? Ever try to find one room along a corridor of several—without sight? Removal of such obstacles to a physically handicapped individual has long been a priority goal of GSA.
By including grade-level entrances, wide entrance ways and ramps, where needed, GSA has sought to make the buildings under its control more compatible to handicapped workers and visitors alike. Beyond that it has provided power-operated doors, special
GSA is finding ways to make Federal buildings across the country accessible and useable by the handicapped.
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restroom facilities as well as easier-to-use drinking fountains and telephones.
If at all possible GSA has selected first floor locations for offices that must be visited by elderly retirees or the handicapped. Protective handrails have been added to give extra support to the older person who must use stairways.
To the extent feasible, parking spaces for the handicapped are provided close to the facilities they must use.
First-hand experience with the obstacles to the handicapped is experienced by GSA's newly hired, young architects. As part of their training they must spend a day in a wheelchair to gain insight into the challenge faced daily by the handicapped.
Regional Authority
Too many Americans have come to view their Federal Government as far away and fatherly—remote in the Nation's Capital.
We cannot accept that. . . and GSA is working to change it, developing decision-making that involves all levels and all areas of the country.
To make it work, Regional Administrators in GSA's 10 geographic regions are now playing more prominent roles in the decision-making of the agency. This means expanded responsibilities and better two-way communications at the local levels.
Participating in community affairs, working closely with all levels of Government and with the people themselves receives high priority in the regional offices. One way that the top management teams in the GSA regional offices get involved is through membership on the Federal Executive Boards.
Nationwide there are 25 FEBs, located in major cities. FEBs are made up of the top-level Federal officials in those major cities. Their job is to encourage cooperation between Federal agencies and
with state and local governments, by improving service to the public, and bringing more effective information interchange between Washington and the field. Every board has a high-level GSA regional official as a member, and seven FEBs in fiscal 1973 were chaired by GSA Regional Administrators.
Disaster Relief
October 14, 1973: a fire struck the center of Chelsea, Mass. Close to twenty blocks burned taking residences, businesses—everything. But even before the fire was completely out, the General Services Administration, along with other Federal agencies, was developing a disaster relief effort.
The agency found space in the Chelsea Naval Hospital for a field office and manned it with an expert on emergency situations to handle the long range problems. An administrative officer was hired, equipment for 40-45 people was found, cars were provided and telecommunications equipment installed.
Chelsea was not a natural disaster. But the floods from the Mississippi and its tributaries in the spring of 1973 were.
GSA stepped in, in 14 states, to provide assistance to the Office of Emergency Preparedness. Offices, telephones, cars, office equipment, and huge pumps were provided.
FSS moved in mobile homes to provide housing for people displaced by the flood, and the agency ran down household furnishings to loan to many people whose homes had been damaged by the flood waters, but were still livable.
ADTS worked along side PBS and FSS to help provide emergency communications and supplies to aid relief efforts. In 1973, all three worked as a team to help relief efforts following more than 45 disasters in more than 30 states.
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Little Leaguers, surfers and hikers have all bene-fitted from the Legacy of Parks program which has turned thousands of acres of unused Federal land into public parks. The Government is the largest landowner in the country. GSA's continuing program of utilization and disposal assures wise— and full— use of that land by the public.
From War To Peace
•	Tractors once used in Southeast Asia by the American forces are now plowing farm land in Arkansas.
•	Indian reservations are making good use of concrete mixers, front loaders and tractors once used near the scene of battle in Vietnam.
•	And small aircraft which flew in Viet-Nam are now in Alaska as a part of a Bureau of Indian Affairs project.
This is the GSA Overseas Program, dedicated to avoiding waste of goods, purchased by American tax dollars for use in Southeast Asia and Europe. A cooperative effort of GSA, the Department of Defense and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare—now in its fourth successful year of operation—the GSA Overseas Program returns no longer needed property to the United States for further use by Federal agencies and for donation by FSS to schools, hospitals, and civil defense organizations.
More than $101 million worth of equipment and supplies has been salvaged for these uses since 1970.
Property To The People
Baseball fields, wildlife preserves, hospitals and schools do not sound much like facilities with which GSA should be involved. But they are.
As part of President Nixon's program to return underutilized Federal land to the people, GSA has donated land to local governments for use in these ways and others.
To date, eight million acres of Government land have been surveyed to determine if they are underused, or not receiving the best use. If property is not being well used, steps are taken to have it declared excess. PBS can then dispose of it for the uses mentioned, or, if no local government wants it, it can
be sold—the income from the sale being used to develop recreation and conservation resources.
As population increases and open space declines, land from the Federal Government will become increasingly important to the welfare of all Americans. This year more than 46,381 acres of Federal land have been turned over for new kinds of use.
Legacy Of Parks
As President Nixon strolled along the beautiful, empty sands of a Pacific beach near the Western White House, he reflected that thousands of Californians were being denied the same pleasure because the beach was the "private property" of the U.S. Government.
The President decided it was time to give back to the people some of the unneeded land Uncle Sam had acquired in more than 198 years as a landlord. By Executive Order, the President gave to GSA the responsibility to survey 20,000 pieces of land and to seek ways to release unused or underused parcels for the public benefit.
As a result of this effort, every state has at least one newqoark.
Little Leaguers in Tennessee, surfers in southern California, and hikers and outdoorsmen in Michigan all have one thing in common: they are enjoying a better quality of life as a result of this Legacy of Parks Program—a new way of meeting the leisure and recreation needs of millions of Americans. In fiscal 1973, the Legacy of Parks Program was responsible for 31,430 acres of land being donated by the Federal Government as parks for the people.
Meeting Other Needs
GSA's revitalized public benefit conveyance program is also meeting other urgent community needs. Besides being made available for recreation use.
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A million and a half coins have been sold through GSA's Carson City Silver Dollars program bringing almost $50 million in revenue to the Treasury Department General Fund, helping to support Federal programs without further burdening the taxpayers.
excess Government land can also be used for health and education purposes—public school systems, universities and hospitals throughout the country have benefited from this effort. Historic buildings no longer used by the Federal Government have been saved by new landlords—their local governments.
In fiscal 1973, there were 325 parcels of land disposed of for health and education, park and recreation use. Their combined value was almost $151 million.
Surplus Federal land also unneeded by state or local governments may be sold by GSA. In fiscal 1973, 190 such sales brought the Treasury $37.3 million. The money is earmarked to be used by the Department of the Interior for the Land and Water Conservation Fund for assisting state and local governments with recreation and conservation needs.
Utilization And Donation
Land is not the only commodity returned to the people for their use. Personal property no longer needed by any agency of the Federal Government is declared surplus and can be donated to state and local governments for education, public health, civil defense and public airport use. In fiscal 1973, $396.5 million worth of goods was approved for these donations.
Before donating personal property, it is the Federal Supply Service job to make sure that the property is not needed within the Federal community. When a Federal agency declares a piece of property excess to its needs, FSS screens all other Federal agencies to determine if the property can be used elsewhere. FSS set an alltime record in fiscal 73, with more than $1 billion worth of personal property transferred among Federal agencies.
But when Federal agencies have no need for these goods—state and local governments may have.
Of major significance to every American was the
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disposal of the emergency medical stockpile. This stockpile contained more than 2,000 packaged disaster hospitals, the hospital reserve disaster inventories, plus emergency medical stocks in 12 depots. All of the packaged disaster hospitals and the hospital reserve disaster inventories, valued at approximately $60 million, were approved for transfer or donation. The depot stocks, valued at $67.5 million, were similarly disposed of, with $55.1 million transferred or donated; $8.8 million destroyed; and the balance sold.
Silver Dollar Sales
When can 1.5 million dollars equal almost 50 million dollars? When the 1.5 million are Carson City Silver Dollars.
This year GSA has held three sales of these fabulous silver dollars minted in the late nineteenth century in Carson City, Nev. Minted and stored for more than eighty years in Treasury vaults, they somehow missed the massive coin melts of the first World War.
Over a million-and-a-half coins have been sold through the program, bringing in almost $50,000,000 in revenue. This money has been turned over to the Treasury Department General Fund, helping to support Federal programs without further burdening the taxpayers.
The 90 percent silver coins are being sold under special circumstances. No one may buy more than one coin from each category sold. Bids are accepted for each coin over a certain minimum bid. They are sold only to U.S. citizens.
The agency is planning to hold two more sales of the remainder of these coins next year.
America’s Cultural Heritage
Bringing to light hidden treasures documenting America's founding fathers' efforts in setting up the Government, restoring Federal buildings of architectural and historical merit, commissioning new fine arts projects—all these are thrusts of new or expanded programs at GSA. The merits of such programs are obvious. They will enlarge and preserve our Nation's cultural heritage as we move deeper into the Bicentennial Era.
Bringing The Past To The Present
At the National Archives new efforts are underway to preserve the yesterdays of our country's history, bringing to life for the researcher and the historian priceless records needed to properly mark the Nation's 200th anniversary.
NARS will also greet the Bicentennial in new dress. The National Archives Rotunda, its main exhibition hall, has been newly refurbished—its stonework sandblasted, its marble polished. The Rotunda, the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, is sure to be a magnet for the millions of tourists who will visit our capital during the 1976 celebration.
An important part of GSA's mission during the Bicentennial Era is to call to the attention of the American people the wealth of historical documents in its custody. The National Archives and Records Service of GSA has a tradition of providing a high level of service to researchers, to historians, and to those who require official information about their forefathers, or about those who have served in our military services.
Many of the early records of our country have never been adequately arranged. New emphasis has been given to this technical and complicated work, as well as the twin task of improving cataloging so that researchers can use them properly.
This program is already underway. As part of its
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worK in preparation for the Bicentennial Era, GSA is developing computer-assisted indexes to the Journals and Papers of the Continental Congress. Through these indexes, for the first time researchers will have at their fingertips the full potential of these precious documents for historical study and use.
Newly produced microfilm publications of the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records and Revolutionary Pension Files will enable, again for the first time, the use of these records outside their National Archives home. There will also be descriptive pamphlets for all related Revolutionary and pre-Revolutionary Era records documenting the founding of our Nation.
Scholarly conferences and lectures, issues of journals, exhibits of the documents of American history will also improve public and professional understanding of the beginnings of our nation.
To ensure that effective and orderly preservation of our documentary-heritage will continue in the future, NARS and the Society of American Archivists will host the 1976 quadrennial meeting of the International Council on Archives in Washington, D.C. Close to 1,000 archivists from across the globe are expected to attend.
Two new broad-based organizations of the National Archives seek to stimulate interest in its resources. One group, Associates of the National Archives, offers special lecture series, tours, and other benefits. The other, the Americana Committee of the National Archives, seeks to obtain, by loans and gifts, examples of fine furniture and the decorative arts from America's past. These are to be used in selected areas of the National Archives Building.
"Films at the Archives"—weekly programs emphasizing motion picture records in the National Archives to encourage their use for scholarly and educational purposes—have become a Washington institution.
Apart from preserving yesterday's records and planning for tomorrow's researchers, NARS continues its important services of compiling and distributing the Federal Register, the United States Statutes at Large, the Public Papers of the Presidents, and other issuances. Its records management program enables other agencies of the Federal Government to save millions of dollars annually by designing and promoting more effective paperwork systems.
Through its system of Presidential Libraries NARS seeks to ensure preservation and public access to the papers of the Presidents. By authority of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, the Government accepts and operates Presidential Libraries built by private donations.
Some 1.6 million persons visited the museum sections of the Presidential Libraries in fiscal 1973 to view professionally prepared exhibits on the Presidents and significant events of their times.
Echoes Of the Past
Preserving the best of America's past keeps its history alive. GSA exemplifies its belief in this idea by preserving our cultural artifacts through its stepped-up program of Historic Preservation.
In response to President Nixon's call for greater Federal efforts to preserve such distinctive architecture, GSA has nominated 15 Federal buildings to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places with more expected for the list in the near future.
GSA is also empowered to donate surplus historic property to state and local governments. The new owners may devote part of the buildings to income producing uses so that they can afford to preserve and improve them. Under P.L. 92-362, signed by President Nixon in 1972, the recipient is required to maintain the building's historic features in perpetuity. Finding new uses for historic buildings not only
makes it more feasible to preserve them, it makes them an active part of a modern city.
Fine Arts In Federal Buildings
Its red steel structure flashing in the sunlight, unique sculpture by Alexander Calder, presently being fabricated, will adorn Chicago's Federal Center next spring.
It is part of GSA's renewed program to provide the finest in contemporary art to complement the architecture of new Federal buildings. Under the program, one half of one percent of new construction costs is being devoted to the fine arts. Other exciting fine arts projects are being commissioned by GSA from Minnesota to Texas.
The agency is presently concerned with preserving, cataloging, and restoring artworks created during the
GSA's historic preservation program—saving historic Federal architecture to bring the past to the future.
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Part of the GSA mission is to preserve our national cultural heritage—especially important as the Bicentennial approaches. From the Constitution to current events, the National Archives and Records Service of GSA guards and interprets the records of our Government. Other programs in GSA seek to save historic buildings and to search out works of art commissioned by the Government — both a part of our heritage. And that heritage is expanded by a program to commission outstanding works of art for new Federal Buildings around the country.
Depression. During that era, the Federal Government was the world's greatest art patron, but no adequate records were kept. GSA created a National Fine Arts Inventory search for artworks created under the Government sponsorship. The program has developed, for scholars and researchers, valuable information on artworks and artists around the country. And the search is continuing.
More than 60 murals have been restored—some of which were relocated as part of the program. In the past four years over 300 easel paintings, prints, drawings, and mural studies have been uncovered, including an important 1936 WPA painting by Adolph Gottlieb, today considered one of America's great painters. This year:
•	Almost 60 watercolors were uncovered at a Louisiana Public Health Hospital last Spring. Since many of the artists have risen to national prominence, the value of their works is considerable.
•	A collection of drawing studies by Grant Wood has been received from the University of Iowa.
•	More than 135 works of art, drawings, mural studies, and prints created by some of the most famous names in American art have been recovered from the University of Maryland.
These works of art are forming a permanent record of the 30s, which document those tough and troubling years.
All works recovered by GSA became part of the National Collection of Fine Arts-Smithsonian, for restoration and display. They will form the nucleus of the first comprehensive exhibition of Federal art of the 1933-43 period.
Planning For The Bicentennial
With the Bicentennial approaching GSA is concerned with the development of our Nation's Capital. GSA has spent many hours planning and supporting the work of the Pennsylvania Avenue Development
Corporation, the National Capital Planning Commission, the Department of the Interior, and the District of Columbia Government. But it also is building for 1976.
•	The Labor Building and the HEW South Portal Building will flank the peace and serenity of the Mall's new Reflecting Pool.
•	The massive cylinder of the Hirshhorn Museum, and the sunken sculpture garden reaching across the Mall towards Pennsylvania Avenue will house a resplendent collection of more than 6,000 works of art donated to the American people.
•	The Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution will provide the proper setting to document our Nation's strides towards the 21st century and the frontier of space.
•	The new Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters for the F.B.I. will receive 10,000 visitors daily.
What's red, 54 feet tall, and has three legs? A "stabile" by sculptor Alexander Calder for the Chicago Federal Center. Part of GSA's Fine Arts for Federal Buildings program.
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Economy And Service
Is there a better way to do it? Does it cost more or less? Are we looking at long range or just immediate costs?
These are the kinds of questions that must be asked daily in the operation of a multi-billion dollar agency such as GSA.
President Nixon has called on every agency of Government to pursue economy as part of its mission. The challenge has taken on added meaning at GSA because the Government-wide policy responsibilities newly assigned to the agency have focused clearly on our responsibility to lead by example.
F$$—Savings To Soar In 74
In its 25th year of doing business, GSA's Federal Supply Service became a pioneer for the next 25, initiating new and better ways of doing business that will result in savings for its customers, which ultimately will mean savings for taxpayers.
Among the different methods of service instituted in 1973 were several that offer substantial savings:
Market research and marketing operations. An outgrowth of the Report of the Commission on Government Procurement, FSS structured a new customer market research and marketing operation to explore how greater Federal savings can be realized in 1974. Through increased emphasis on this new program, FSS is striving to increase its savings beyond the 23 cent savings on every dollar spent by Federal agencies in FSS supply sources, achieved this year.
Through the program, FSS hopes to create an ultimate equality between Federal agency demand and that of supply availability, by matching what the Federal Government has on hand in the way of supplies to what the Federal Government is going to need. Through a complete research program, the results should develop a better supply purchase schedule nationwide and develop a greater cost avoidance for agencies purchasing through FSS.
Interchange of procurement and supply information. One of the continuing goals of FSS is to save the Government money in its buying practices. FSS is continuing its drive for more efficient operation in these procurement operations. Meeting with state, local and other Federal supply committees and panels, the service is keeping abreast of all the latest techniques used by specialists from all levels of Government.
In turn, FSS has a forum with these committees to explain its efforts to provide fast and timely service to its customers.
Safety stock inventory. FSS can say, "We've got a backup for every product." Like all good suppliers, the service reserves part of its inventory so it is not vulnerable to being out of stock when customer needs suddenly materialize. But in January 1973, the service developed a new way to handle that backup with better forecasting of Government user needs. The old method assumed that past demand forecasts were accurate. The new method insists on regular new forecasts that will give FSS up-to-the-minute ways of determining safety stock levels, which will, in turn, result in substantial savings to the Government.
Public Utility Management. GSA's electric bill for he buildings it controls and operates totalled more :han $49 million in fiscal 1973. Public Utility Management is an important field, therefore, in which the agency is involved. Fiscal 1973 was a banner year. GSA negotiates utility rates for the entire Federal Government. Through the Public Utility Management program, because of the high volume of use which can be expected to continue and to increase, GSA achieves savings. This year, savings and cost avoidance topped $10 million—$3 million more than the previous year—and more than $35 for every dollar spent on the activity was returned to the Government.
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Area Purchasing Centers
Federal agencies in Boston, Mass., the hub ot GSA's Region 1, are getting special treatment. They're the beneficiaries of a pilot project that is resulting in better service when buying items from GSA's Federal Supply Service.
It all began when an FSS study of purchasing activities showed unnecessary overlap and duplication in orders from different departments of the same agency, even within a single regional location. The study recommended that FSS establish a test program: Area Purchasing Centers to increase management cost effectiveness and improve services to agencies by decreasing duplication.
As a result, GSA inaugurated a purchase assistance program encompassing all Federal agencies in the Boston metropolitan area. Such sophisticated techniques as automated purchase order preparations, blanket purchase arrangements for repeated purchase items and reference library to assist agencies in meeting their product needs among available Federal sources of supply are being successfully tested, together with a system to end overlap and duplication of orders.
To the satisfaction of the Boston based agencies, it's working. And FSS plans to extend this procurement assistance to additional metropolitan areas in ensuing years.
Personal Property Sales
An all-time record was set oy GSA's Federal Supply Service in 1973. It returned $21.3 million to the Government from the sale of items that had outgrown their usefulness to Federal programs.
The personal property sales record keeps besting itself annually-this was the third consecutive year it reached a new high.
GSA's Federal Supply Service set an all-time record in 1973. More than $21 million was returned to the Government from the sale of items no longer needed for Federal programs.
Still another record was established by FSS in 1973. It reached a 26.1 percent return on the Government's investment from the sale of heavily used and often unserviceable equipment—some of which had been used for as long as 30 years. These proceeds frequently offset the cash outlay the Government had to make in purchasing replacement equipment, such as typewriters and vehicles.
Motor pool vehicles are sold under the personal property sales program, too. The amount returned from their sale over book value increased substantially from $509,000 in 1971 to an all-time high in 1973 of $1.8 million. This increase lookseven stronger, when it is noted that 700 fewer vehicles were sold in 1973 than in 1971 .... "recycling” tax dollars through personal property sales.
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531-187 0 - 74 -2
Value Engineering-cost cutting with quality in rm nd. The VE technique in GSA's construction program has saved $2 million in 1973 alone.
Saving Through VE
Begun in fiscal 1972, GSA's Value-Engineering program has grown rapidly. This cost-saving approach to Federal construction has saved the Government nearly $2 million this year alone.
VE has great potential for dollar savings and poses no threat to quality. In fact, it combines the two.
What is VE? It is an incentive approach which invites employees, industry, architects, engineers and managers to challenge nonessential or high cost requirements in building—and in certain cases rewards successful challengers with a share in the savings. It is an interdisciplinary approach that looks at all routes to the best cost-saving values.
VE actually promotes a goal of excellence by attacking cost problems systematically and professionally.
No item is too small to be considered. Replacing built-in-bookcases with freestanding furniture saved $9,300 in Boston. Replacing solid core with hollow core doors cut $16,900 from construction costs in an Arkansas building. And, in 1973, a joint venture of contractors working on a Chicago project received the first VE Excellence Award from GSA for contributing more than 30 VE proposals which reduced the contract price by more than $1 million.
Value Analysis
The principles of disciplined cost cutting have been expanded from the multi-million dollar construction program of the Public Buildings Service to the multi-billion dollar buying program of the Federal Supply Service.
At FSS, the program is value analysis, committing GSA to buying the best products at the most reasonable prices.
In fiscal 1973, FSS procured $1.78 billion in items
for Government use—an increase of $145 million, or more than 11 percent over 1972. FSS wants every dollar it spends for these items to go for the best use.
Value analysis challenges the practice of awarding contracts to the lowest bidder, for example. Sometimes the low bidder isn't offering the product that will cost the Government less in the long run. Through using the life-cycle costing technique, FSS's value analysis team is testing the validity of this concept by applying operating, maintenance and disposal costs of an item as well as the original price tag.
This approach can save the taxpayer money in more efficient and longer-lasting products, and is a challenge to manufacturers to come up with the best possible product for the most reasonable cost.
The techniques of VE and VA have proven themselves. Both programs will be expanded into an overall Government-wide program of Value Management, assuring top value for every dollar the taxpayers spend.
Say It For Less
Voice communications over the Federal Telecommunications System reached a record 116 million intercity calls in fiscal 1973. This increase of 15 million calls over fiscal 1972 required many additional circuits, personnel, and communications facilities, resulting in substantially increased costs.
Accordingly, GSA's Automated Data and Telecommunications Service has undertaken a program to control usage of the FTS in order to slow increasing costs while keeping the quality of service high.
With sampling techniques, ADTS gets detailed information on agency calls. We can then tell agencies about their volume of calls to help them determine where telephone usage is too high. Agencies can then cut back their own volume.
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Managing the National Stockpile—a balance between sales to control rising material prices and retention to assure a supply of critical resources.
Another program instituted by ADTS to save costs to the Government is the station restriction program. Selected telephones are being restricted from access to intercity portions of the FTS network so only those individuals who must have access can make long distance telephone calls.
The new program is intended to reduce calling volumes and spread out peak calling periods. The net result will be a need for fewer intercity circuits.
Locations selected for the pilot program included Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, and Washington, D.C. Seventeen other locations have been added to expand the data base for the test. Initial results will be available in 1974 and will determine if the program will be expanded nationwide.
Trying A New Line
To further reduce costs of communications, new methods are being sought to acquire communications equipment and facilities. Previously all communications equipment, including switchboards and telephone instruments, had to be leased from local telephone companies. However, as a result of the "Carterphone" decision by the FCC, the telephone user now has two options—lease services from the local telephone company at tariff rates or secure services from a private supplier (interconnect company) and interconnect it to the existing message network.
ADTS is now investigating the possibility of replacing existing facilities at nine locations with equipment obtained from private suppliers. Studies are designed to determine the economic advantages and reliability for the private systems. An analysis of the initial results will determine the future of interconnect in the Government.
The same program has already been extended to
three new Federal office buildings, soon to be completed.
All these and other ideas have one goal—to achieve savings.
Sharing in formulating and coordinating computer and communications plans, there is one overriding objective—shared resources. To do that, ADTS depends on the cooperation of Federal users.
Consequently, ADTS has launched an aggressive marketing program to make all Government agencies aware of the many practical cost effective services provided by ADTS and the benefits of sharing facilities with other agencies.
Disposal For U. S. Benefit
President Nixon's announcement in April 1973 brought a flurry of new activity to GSA's Office of Stockpile Disposal. That Presidential announcement, in an effort to stabilize rising prices in the commodity markets, outlined a plan to reduce stockpile levels and sell approximately $6 billion worth of material stored by GSA.
To implement the President's plan, Congress must approve the sale of $3.6 billion worth of the items. Existing authorization is available for the remaining $2.4 billion.
The national stockpile was established in 1938 to ensure an adequate supply of materials needed for national defense.
But now, the economic growth of the United States, more stable sources of available supply, and the changing nature of security needs have strengthened the U.S. position, permitting a re-evaluation of the stockpile needs.
The decreasing real worth of the national stockpile to national security led to the President's decision to cut stockpile levels.
The price of stockpile materials affects us all as
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consumers. As an example, tin sold for $1.82 a pound in March 1972. By mid-summer 1973, it sold for $2.12 a pound—a 16 percent increase. Another example is rubber. In March 1972, it sold for 16.7 cents a pound. In little more than a year, it rose to 31 cents a pound, or an increase of 80 percent. Approximately 130,000 long tons of rubber will be declared excess under the proposed disposal program—the Government's entire supply.
Rubber is one of 32 commodities no longer considered essential for national security, but one of many experiencing substantial price increases in today's market.
The new disposal program will hold down the price of many items common to the average U.S. nousehold—from tires to tin cans.
GSA stores a total of 40 million tons of stockpile items at 130 locations throughout the U.S. Under existing programs, the agency has been selling and shipping an average of 1.7 million tons a year. This figure is expected to increase very sharply over the next several years.
Through a carefully-planned reduction and sale of stockpile materials, the Government hopes to stem the inflationary market trends, promote more stable commodity prices, improve the balance of payments, and help balance the budget.
Records Management
It's no wonder the Government executive acquired the image of a paper shuffler. It takes 500 million man-hours of labor each year to file the more than 300,000 tons of paper used annually by the Government. The bill for that filing goes over $2.8 billion.
It's no secret that good records management practices save money. Assuring that they are introduced and maintained by Federal agencies is a never ending job.
The NARS Office of Records Management works
Federal agencies avoided $38 million in costs during 1973 through good records management practices. NARS works year in—year out at this task to save this money.
year-in and year-out at this task. During fiscal 1973, this GSA unit—by means of records management workshops and direct assistance in organizing records management programs and simplifying paperwork-enabled Federal agencies to avoid $38 million in costs.
The number of technical assistance projects both reimbursable and nonreimbursable increased from 130 in the previous fiscal year to 239—without a corresponding increase in staff.
Thus, the ratio of savings to the amount spent on this activity was twelve to one.
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Financial Statement In Millions
Increase
Assets	June 30, 1973	June 30, 1972	or Decrease
Cash 	  . Accounts receivable -	$ 954.6	$ 1,084.7	$-130.1
Private debtors 	 Accounts receivable -	171.7	154.7	17.0
Government agencies		274.8	102.4	172.4
Inventories		5,926.9	6,432.3	-505.4
Prepayments and deferred items	 Mortgages and bonds -	130.8	73.2	57.6
Private debtors 			102.1	151.2	-49.1
Investment in U.S. Securities		2.5	1.1	1.4
Equipment		240.8	224.9	15.9
Land and buildings		2,685.9	2.615.1	70.8
Construction in progress 		810.0	650.6	159.4
Surplus property		66.0	84,1	-18,1
Total Assets Liabilities	$11,366,1	$11,574,3	$-208,2
Accounts payable		$	818.3	$	671.0	$ 147.3
Advance payments to GSA		279.7	289.5	-9.8
Trust and deposit liabilities 	 Borrowings from Treasury -	. .	8.5	4.6	3.9
Defense Production Act	1,877.5	1,877.5	N/A
Deferred credits Liabilities for purchase-	193.2	215.4	-22.2
contract program		17.6	17.8	-.2
Employees leave liability			. .	29,9	31,8	-1.9
Total Liabilities Investment	3,224,7	_	3,107,6	117,1
Of U. S. Government	8,141,4	8,466,7	-325,3
Total Liabilities and Investment	$11,366.1	$11,574,3	$-208.2
of U.S. Government
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Summary Of Operations
Federal Supply	Fiscal Year 1973	Fiscal Year 1972	Fiscal Year 1963
1. Store Sales (Thousands of Dollars)	518,653	522,075	292,146
2. Nonstore Sales (Thousands of Dollars)	282,712	310,723	154,828
3. Store Line Items Shipped (Thousands)	8,182.0	8,353.5	5,889.7
4. Number of Supply Distribution Points	84	85	47
5. Total Procurement (Millions of Dollars)	1,779,8	2,166,5	1,256,7
6. Interagency Motor Pools:			
a. Number of Pools in Operation	98	98	75
b. Mileage (Thousands)	718,848	635,195	294,438
c. Number of Vehicles in Pool (June 30)	62,686	60,816	27,487
d. Sales (Millions of Dollars)	77.5	67.7	24.5
Property Management And Disposal			
1. Personal Property (Acquisition Costs-			
Millions of Dollars):			
a. Transfers to Other Federal Agencies	1,006.2	920.1	475.1
b. Donations	396.5	419.8	343.8
c. Sales	57,7	70.4	39,5
Total	1,460,4	1,41 0.3	858,4
2. Real Property (Acquisition Costs—			
Millions of Dollars):			
a. Further Utilization of Federal Agencies	257.0	174.0	144.7
b. Other Surplus Disposals			
(Donations, etc.)	294.0	151.0	122.1
c. Sales	151,0	122,0	360,0
Total	702.0	447.0	626,8
3 . Defense Materials:			
a. Strategic and Critical Materials Inven-			
tory (Acquisition Costs - Millions			
of Dollars)	5,655.8	6,088.2	8,592.1
b. Sales Commitments (Millions)	558.0	146.3	110.4
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Public Buildings
1. New Construction Program:			
a. Design Starts (Millions of Dollars)	76.6	195.5	315.2
b. Design Completions (Millions of Dollars)	245.6	571.7	234.6
c. Construction Awards (Millions of			
Dollars)	708.4	329.2	283.3
d. Construction Completions			
(Millions of Dollars)	127.6	142.3	70.7
2. Buildings Management:
a. Average Net Square feet Managed (Millions)
215.0	212.7	153.9
3. Repair and Improvement:			
a. Repair and Improvement Appropriation:			
(1) Net Square Feet of R&l Responsibility (Millions) (2) Obligations Incurred (Millions	149.9	139.6	144.1
of Dollars)	104.0	78.5	64.8
b. Reimbursable Costs (Millions of Dollars)	70.5	79.1	33.3
Automated Data Telecommunication			
1. Federal Telecommunications System:			
a.	Number of Intercity Calls (Millions) b.	Total System Sales (Millions of	116.0	109.0	N/A
Dollars)	217.7	176.8	N/A
2. Automated Data Processing:			
a. Total Sales (Millions of Dollars)	33.0	26.0	N/A
National Archives And Records			
1. Number of Records Centers 2. Records in Inventory (Thousands Cubic	15	15	16
Feet June 30)	13,162	12,758	8,346
3. Inquiries Handled (Thousands)	12,986	10,872	5,326
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Directions
Investing In People
The worth of GSA is measured and will be measured by its success in carrying out the programs discussed in this report—and other, newer programs. That success and the creation of new ideas, in turn, are both determined by the people at the agency. So a strong, continuing program of recruiting and employee development is the best investment an agency can make—an investment in the future.
Career Development
GSA has become a people-oriented agency. The last four years have seen the appointment of some of the youngest top-level management in the government. The rapid rise of these young professionals has set the tone for the entire agency: GSA is a place which encourages individual effort and rewards individual performance.
The Training and Advancement Program (TAP) is one way in which GSA invests in people. The program serves lower-level GS and Wage Grade employees who want to move up, but whose present jobs do not themselves provide the experience necessary for promotion.
After being certified according to Civil Service standards and demonstrating their potential, TAP candidates participate in individually designed training programs. Upon successful completion of their training they have the opportunity, through promotion or reassignment, to move up the ladder in their new field.
GSA's TAP program has given 93 employees new career opportunities over the past two years, and it is recognized as a model program throughout the government. The Civil Service Commission featured the GSA program in its publication, "The Federal Trainer," and information about it has been requested from GSA by Federal Agencies throughout the country.
Another similar career advancement program has been established for professional, administrative, and technical employees in the GS series. Like TAP, GSA's Career Advancement Program (CAP) provides a training period for eligible employees who desire advancement or change in their field. CAP has graduated 67 employees in the past two years.
In addition to these career advancement programs for current GSA employees, the agency runs several programs to attract new talent from the college ranks.
GSA's Cooperative Work-Study Program gives college students the opportunity to get on-the-job work experience while still enrolled in school. Participants in the program share a single Government job at the GS-2, 3, 4, 5 level with another college student. The two members of this employment team then alternate with one another, attending school for one semester and working for GSA the next.
After completion of the program and graduation from college, participants may qualify for a careerconditional appointment at the GS-7 level.
Each of the four Services has its own training program, specially tailored to equip young people for its particular needs. In addition, young professional architects, engineers, lawyers can find challenging opportunities at the agency through specialized professional management training—an important phase of the management training functions planned to attract brilliant young talent.
College graduates or persons with equivalent work experience can also gain rapid advancement through GSA's Management Intern Program. The program is highly selective, requiring for admittance a high score on the Federal Service Entrance Examination, strong recommendations from former teachers or employers and distinguished performance in a competitive group interview. GSA's Management Interns are appointed at the GS-7 or 9 level, and receive a year of training in all services of the agency. After completing the year
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of rotational assignments, the interns receive a permanent appointment usually in the office of their choice.
GSA was chosen as one of only 12 agencies out of some 125 in the Federal Government to take a lead role in a special Office of Management and Budget/ Civil Service Commission project to accelerate executive development.
To meet this challenge, GSA broadened the scope of its Executive Manpower Resources Program. More than 80 percent of GSA's supergrades, including Regional Administrators, were scheduled during 1973 for either formal training or new mobility assignments, and more than 1,000 GSA managers and high-potential employees at grades 13 and 14 are signed up for either two weeks of formal training or mobility assignments.
As part of the President's Executive Interchange Program, two GSA employees were selected in 1973 for one-year assignments in private industry. In exchange, two industry employees will come to GSA for the same length of time. In this program, each organization benefits from fresh viewpoints and ideas both from the exchange executive and trained executive when he returns to his position.
GSA will remain a vital agency because programs like these provide upward mobility for its employees. It is this type of people-investment that will reap the greatest dividends in productivity and efficiency for GSA in the future.
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Thoughts For Tomorrow
Where will GSA be five years from now? or 10 years? or 25 years? Those questions are being asked now at the agency.
In April, President Nixon asked each key department and agency to submit its long-term goals and its short-term objectives, together with the steps "along the way" necessary for their accomplishment. As outlined by the President, this concept is Management by Objective-MBO for short—a technique successfully practiced by private industry.
After taking a comprehensive look at itself, GSA submitted nine major objectives for this program-each calculated to contribute to the long range Presidential strategies of sensitive, responsive Government. Another 18 were selected for use by agency managers.
In giving his approval to all of the nine objectives submitted to him, President Nixon said that two should be viewed as being of paramount significance: conserving energy and selling the stockpile.
Conserving Energy
GSA is a part of the Federal commitment to reduce Government energy consumption by 10 percent in the next year.
Through its operation of more than 10,000 buildings, the agency is in a position to make immediate major contributions toward this effort. It has already begun: lowering lighting levels, adjusting air-conditioning and heating systems, educating employees on electricity cut-backs, and lowering energy consumption associated with building operations.
Cutting down on energy use in buildings is not all. GSA is setting goals in its other operations that use that vital resource. As the operator of major Federal motor pool activities, the agency is taking steps to increase the average miles per gallon consumed in driving and to reduce total gasoline usage.
Selling The Stockpile
There is no question that the nation must maintain stockpile supplies for national security reasons. However, over time these stockpiles have grown out of proportion to real security needs. Because of this, President Nixon directed GSA to reduce the National Stockpile of Strategic and Critical Materials, through an accelerated sales program tailored to have maximum anti-inflationary benefits.
As a result of management initiatives in fiscal 1973, GSA stockpile sales reached the second highest level on record ($558 million). And the availability of quantity materials from the stockpile has helped lessen price increases of many basic industrial commodities.
Proposed sales goals for fiscal 1974 will set new all time records for GSA exceeding $1.5 billion.
As diversified as they are timely, seven other GSA goals for the coming years will also receive continuing Presidential attention as MBO's.
Building Design
Buildings can be designed to meet all their functional needs and budgets, to provide leadership in the use of new construction techniques, and also to be great works of architecture.
The President has already expressed his concerns for meeting national objectives through better build ing design. He has emphasized this in strong messages on design excellence, construction costs, the energy crisis and environmental protection and enhancement.
Thus, design in this broadened sense has become a management priority with GSA. Good design in this sense is not a single quality It is a balance of social, economic, and aesthetic concerns.
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Data Processing And Communications
Automated data processing and telecommunications costs in the Federal Government have been steadily rising.
When costs grow that way they must be carefully watched and managed. GSA has begun a program to do just that and to reduce costs wherever possible. This approach now centers on Ibur areas for savings in ADP and telecommunications:'-^
Streamlining centralized procurement, improving utilization of common resources, consolidating existing facilities, and improving Government-wide planning.
Managing Federal Buildings
July 1, 1974 is an important date for GSA. On that day, the agency will begin to implement and to operate on a permanent basis the new Federal Buildings Fund, signed into law on June 16, 1972.
This Fund will enable GSA to improve the management of Federal real property. The statute requires anyone to whom GSA assigns space to pay for that space at rates which will approximate commercial charges for comparable space and services. Thus, the true cost of the Government's real property holdings will be established and compared with Federal program growth and effectiveness.
Phasing Out
As part of his economy program, the President has specified the closing or phasing out of a number of military bases around the country. While this program will produce national benefits; it can have a negative local impact on communities.
GSA has pledged to modify its property disposal procedures to be as responsive as possible to impacted
area need and to accelerate the conversion of former Defense properties to productive civilian uses in concert with the needs and plans of each affected community. In addition, the agency has set a goal of reducing the time involved in this disposal by 120 days.
Federal Management Policy
Organizing and making the new Office of Federal Management Policy fully operational is one of the major objectives now being undertaken by the agency.
To draw a clear-cut distinction between the dual GSA roles as an executive branch policy maker and as a service agency, the Office was created in June 1973. It must experience the growing pains of all organizations: functional responsibilities must be refined; workload requirements defined; effective working relationships throughout the executive and legislative branches must be established.
These and other considerations are being studied now, recommendations are being made, and it is the goal of the agency to have this office fully operational by the last quarter of fiscal 1974.
Simplifying Government Procurement
Each year the Federal Government buys more than $57 billion worth of goodsand services. But the way it buys can always be improved. After two and a half years and thousands of man hours of study, the Commission on Government Procurement developed 149 recommendations for making these changes for the better in Federal buying practices.
GSA is the lead agency coordinating the development of a number of executive branch positions and plans for the implementation of these recommendations. These changes will make it easier to do
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business with the Government and also hold the potential for saving billions of dollars annually.
Industrial Funding
Why shouldn't a Government selling operation be run like a commercial enterprise? This question has often been asked, and may soon be answered by GSA's Federal Supply Service through Industrial Funding, or "Full Cost Recovery Financing."
Under Industrial Funding, costs of the Federal Supply Service operation—procurement, inspection, transportation, storage, distribution, administrative expenses—will be reflected in the prices customer agencies pay for goods and services provided by FSS.
The Commission on Government Procurement recommended Industrial Funding as a means to determine and recoup the true costs of providing commercial type supplies and services, and as a method to assure more efficient use of these resources by Federal agencies.
Industrial Funding is one of GSA's Management by Objective goals approved by the President. With congressional approval and legislative action, GSA will be able to implement Industrial Funding of the Federal Supply Service at the onset of fiscal 1976.
By permitting separate financing of operations, and by providing less cumbersome budgeting and accounting methods. Industrial Funding will enable GSA's Federal Supply Service to operate on a more flexible, business-like, self-sufficient basis—much the same as any large commercial enterprise.
Looking Ahead
Plans for the future are not limited to the Management by Objective programs. Other improvements, reforms, new challenges are already in the works, signifying GSA's dedication to a new way of doing business. Some ideas ahead:
*	A new look at GSA's penetration of the Federal supply "market".
•	Disposal of one million cubic feet of stored Federal records in fiscal 1974.
•	Declassifying 46 million pages of World War II records in fiscal 1974.
•	A Government-wide public utilities procurement and conservation program.
•	Lowering total transportation costs.
•	A new policy—based on contemporary conditions—assuring continuance of national Government in emergencies.
•	Installing an EEO computer information system.
GSA is constantly evaluating its methods. Management studies are a vital tool to determine the accomplishment of assigned tasks. In 1973, for instance, management experts examined the public affairs functions of the agency.
In 1973 GSA also made progress in establishing several computerized management information systems to provide managers with exceptional reporting, early warning, real-time response to inquiries, prompt updating of information, and many other types of information necessary today for on-the-spot decision making.
With these management efforts—creative approaches to people and to programs—the future of GSA is assured. With them, the agency can advance its missions in construction, in communications, in cultural preservation, in helping to solve energy and environmental problems, and in bringing its services to the people. In their broadest sense these are the elements of the GSA mission and will continue to be. With a creative approach, GSA managers can renew these missions. And with a concern for people they can develop at GSA a new standard of public service.
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1973: A Year of Recognition
Both GSA and its management are dedicated to excellence, and both were recognized in 1973 with several awards:
•	The GSA Administrator was named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects, that group's highest non-professional award, for "distinguished contributions to the architectural profession."
•	The Society of Fire Protection Engineers named him its Fire Protection Man of the Year, citing "leadership in the application of a sound systems approach to fire safety in building design."
•	He was among 10 named to receive the American Public Works Association's man of the year award.
•	He was made an honorary member of the Federal Government Accountants' Association for his State and Federal government management efforts.
Public Buildings Service recognition:
From the Department of Defense:
•	For outstanding professional and technical competence in restoring operating order in the fire at the Military Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri.
•	For significant accomplishment in handling excess and surplus real property.
•	For meeting the formidable challenges in the field of public buildings management.
From the Social Security Administration:
•	For resourcefulness and initiative in meeting space acquisition needs to implement amendments to the Social Security Act.
From the Selective Service:
For accelerated acquisition of space.
From the Department of the Interior:
•	For "dedication, cooperation and technical expertise."
•	For "the high quality and outstanding work in planning, design, and construction".
The Department of Commerce and the Washington Building Congress also expressed appreciation to PBS.
FSS received citations from the Fairfax, Va., County Public Schools, the Arlington, Va., County Red Cross, and Industrial Art Methods magazine.
And publications of GSA's National Archives and Records Service won awards in the annual graphic arts competition sponsored by the Printing Industries of America.
Finally, GSA won the President's Safety Award— for the second year in a row—for efforts to improve employee safety.
1973: A Year of Cooperation
Of course, none of this progress and none of our recognition would be possible without the help from outside the agency. 1973 has been a year of great cooperation and support both from other Executive agencies and from Congressional committees working directly with GSA.
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1974 O - 531-187
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