The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and GSA’s Public Buildings Service partnered in the streamlined disposition of 24 lighthouse properties, in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Southern coast of the United States, that had been identified as excess. The USCG did not have the resources to complete 24 separate reports of excess (ROE) for each lighthouse property being excessed.
GSA eliminated unnecessary or repetitive steps in the ROE process. Normally, the agency and GSA would each inspect the property being excessed. Now the second inspection is eliminated and the two agencies split the costs for one inspection. GSA and the USCG also eliminated duplicative National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) consultations. This reduced the cost for site inspections and environmental studies by 50 percent. The USCG estimates that the streamlined process cut the disposal time of these lighthouses by one year and created a cost avoidance of $285,000 per year in maintenance costs for these properties.
In addition, organizations consulted under NEPA and historic preservation laws are sent a single list containing all the properties for their review. This change has shortened response time dramatically. GSA’s Regional office has also standardized and computerized several parts of the ROE process that further reduced the preparation time.
The USCG was so impressed that GSA has presented the streamlined disposal model to its offices in Alameda, CA and Providence, RI. GSA is also using the streamlined ROE process to dispose of its own properties in two other Regional offices.
For additional information, contact Ms. Laura Yeager at (404) 331-1142 or via e-mail at laura.yeager@gsa.gov.
