U.S. General Services Administration
GSA: The Federal Government’s Main Procurement AND Disposal Agency
By: Javier Fernandez
Most people familiar with GSA know of its role as the primary procurement agency for the federal government, facilitating the acquisition of goods and services other federal agencies need to fulfill their mission. However, fewer people know about GSA’s role in helping those same agencies dispose of their excess personal property, a mission it has carried out since its inception in 1949. In those days, GSA was mainly disposing of excess World War II government property; things like agricultural machinery, books, coal, horses and mules, power stations, trucks, and waste containers. And while the types of excess personal property have changed over the years, the property disposal mission remains as vital as ever.
Region 9’s FAS Personal Property Management (PPM) Division is one of GSA’s busiest offices, supporting a large geographical zone covering Regions 9 and 10. In fact, over the past four years, our zonal FAS PPM office has disposed of over 35,000 items, resulting in $253.42 million in sales revenue. But these statistics and figures fail to capture the true impact of the personal property disposal program, which includes sustainability, cost savings, and sales revenue elements.
Every year, federal agencies purchase billions of dollars worth of equipment and supplies to support their mission. Over time, this generates a growing inventory of personal property items that are no longer needed. Much of this excess property is still functional and can be given a second life with another government agency. Once an agency determines there is no internal need for the property, the disposal program makes the excess property available to other federal agencies. The disposal program diverts tons of personal property out of landfills and supports federal sustainability efforts.
“Those savings can be reinvested to support the agency’s mission. It underscores the federal government’s commitment to the taxpayer,” said Auburn, WA-based FAS Sales Contracting Officer, Bonnie Powell. “State and local government agencies and qualified non-governmental organizations are eligible to request surplus personal property, only paying a nominal service and handling fee and shipping costs after federal agencies have passed on the opportunity.”
The remaining surplus personal property items are then listed on the GSA Auctions website. Resembling GSA’s version of eBay, the general public (except for GSA employees and members of their immediate household) can bid on items listed on the site’s vast and constantly changing inventory of surplus government property up for auction. Depending on the type of item and agency, auction sale proceeds may either go into the General Treasury Fund or return to the agency to reinvest in their mission. This allows the federal government to recoup some of its initial investment and spend the money to serve the American people.
Next week, we’ll share a closer look at the regional personal property disposal program, some of the challenges it overcame during the pandemic, and a few of their more interesting personal property disposal items.