Robin Carnahan, the administrator of the General Service Administration, highlights the agency’s work to save money without compromising effectiveness.
Seventy five years ago this year, the General Services Administration, the agency I lead, was established by President Harry Truman to make government work better and save money doing it — and that remains our defining purpose today.
People often assume that improving the quality of government services always requires making taxpayers pay more, or that saving taxpayer money always means compromising on quality or effectiveness. But GSA is demonstrating that Americans don’t have to choose between an efficient government and an effective government; they can have both. In fact, we’re finding lots of opportunities for what I call “triple wins:” delivering great results for our agency customers, value for taxpayers and benefits for communities and the country at large.
For example, GSA’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis will save hundreds of millions in energy costs through smart, energy-efficient upgrades to federal buildings nationwide. The Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda is helping GSA transform federal courthouses and office towers into hubs of clean energy innovation, slashing carbon emissions and energy use, all while creating good-paying jobs. This isn’t just good for the environment and the health of our communities; it’s also good business. From coast to coast, these projects are creating thousands of good-paying jobs for electricians, pipefitters, iron workers, masons and more — all while saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs.
We’re achieving another “triple win” by using our buying power to encourage the domestic production of more sustainable construction materials. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, GSA is investing more than $2 billion in concrete, asphalt, glass and steel that has a lighter environmental footprint, and American manufacturers are answering the call. In places like Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Kansas City, Kansas, manufacturers are producing innovative clean construction materials in ways that put less harmful pollution into the air. Best of all, we’ve been able to source these materials at little or no cost premium compared to their higher-emitting equivalents and without sacrificing performance.
When I asked one of those manufacturers why they hadn’t done this until now, they said: “Because no one ever asked.”
That’s why we at GSA are going to keep asking – harnessing the federal government’s buying power to achieve broad benefits for the economy and the climate.
These “triple wins” aren’t reserved for the federal government’s physical infrastructure; we see them in our digital infrastructure as well. Thanks to GSA solutions like Login.gov, we’re closer than ever before to a future where government services are as seamless, secure and easy to use as the other online transactions people conduct in their daily lives. Through Login.gov, Americans don’t need to set up a separate login for all the different ways they interact with the government. And these shared solutions aren’t just better — they’re also cheaper. By helping agencies avoid the cost and risk of recreating the wheel, these solutions save taxpayers millions. Better government services, better value for taxpayers, and big benefits for the American people — that’s another win-win-win.
Likewise, expanding access to the federal marketplace to more small disadvantaged businesses is a win for taxpayers and communities. In the last fiscal year, GSA awarded more than $3.3 billion in contracts to small businesses and more than $1.3 billion to small disadvantaged businesses. We also launched new initiatives to help them not only access the federal marketplace but succeed in it. This has resulted in wins all around. Federal agency buyers getting access to the best in American ingenuity and innovation, taxpayers getting great value from a vibrant and competitive federal marketplace, and Main Streets across America benefitting from federal investments.
For example, GSA recently announced a historic purchase of carbon-pollution free energy from a tribally-owned business. Dispelling the myth that buying from tribal enterprises would come at a premium, the purchase resulted in a net savings compared to the price we paid for clean energy last year.
To be sure, there will always be situations where tradeoffs need to be made or competing priorities have to be balanced. Staying laser-focused on our values and clear about our priorities have helped us navigate those challenges. But more often than you might think, we’ve learned that setting bold, ambitious goals — combined with the dedication and ingenuity of our workforce — is a proven formula for achieving big wins for the American people.
Robin Carnahan is the administrator of the General Services Administration.
Exclusive
Smart government for the triple win
Robin Carnahan, the administrator of the General Service Administration, highlights the agency’s work to save money without compromising effectiveness.
Seventy five years ago this year, the General Services Administration, the agency I lead, was established by President Harry Truman to make government work better and save money doing it — and that remains our defining purpose today.
People often assume that improving the quality of government services always requires making taxpayers pay more, or that saving taxpayer money always means compromising on quality or effectiveness. But GSA is demonstrating that Americans don’t have to choose between an efficient government and an effective government; they can have both. In fact, we’re finding lots of opportunities for what I call “triple wins:” delivering great results for our agency customers, value for taxpayers and benefits for communities and the country at large.
For example, GSA’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis will save hundreds of millions in energy costs through smart, energy-efficient upgrades to federal buildings nationwide. The Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda is helping GSA transform federal courthouses and office towers into hubs of clean energy innovation, slashing carbon emissions and energy use, all while creating good-paying jobs. This isn’t just good for the environment and the health of our communities; it’s also good business. From coast to coast, these projects are creating thousands of good-paying jobs for electricians, pipefitters, iron workers, masons and more — all while saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs.
We’re achieving another “triple win” by using our buying power to encourage the domestic production of more sustainable construction materials. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, GSA is investing more than $2 billion in concrete, asphalt, glass and steel that has a lighter environmental footprint, and American manufacturers are answering the call. In places like Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Kansas City, Kansas, manufacturers are producing innovative clean construction materials in ways that put less harmful pollution into the air. Best of all, we’ve been able to source these materials at little or no cost premium compared to their higher-emitting equivalents and without sacrificing performance.
How are the Army, Army Corps of Engineers and Homeland Security Department getting the most out of their data? Find out in our new ebook, sponsored by Neo4j. Download today!
When I asked one of those manufacturers why they hadn’t done this until now, they said: “Because no one ever asked.”
That’s why we at GSA are going to keep asking – harnessing the federal government’s buying power to achieve broad benefits for the economy and the climate.
These “triple wins” aren’t reserved for the federal government’s physical infrastructure; we see them in our digital infrastructure as well. Thanks to GSA solutions like Login.gov, we’re closer than ever before to a future where government services are as seamless, secure and easy to use as the other online transactions people conduct in their daily lives. Through Login.gov, Americans don’t need to set up a separate login for all the different ways they interact with the government. And these shared solutions aren’t just better — they’re also cheaper. By helping agencies avoid the cost and risk of recreating the wheel, these solutions save taxpayers millions. Better government services, better value for taxpayers, and big benefits for the American people — that’s another win-win-win.
Likewise, expanding access to the federal marketplace to more small disadvantaged businesses is a win for taxpayers and communities. In the last fiscal year, GSA awarded more than $3.3 billion in contracts to small businesses and more than $1.3 billion to small disadvantaged businesses. We also launched new initiatives to help them not only access the federal marketplace but succeed in it. This has resulted in wins all around. Federal agency buyers getting access to the best in American ingenuity and innovation, taxpayers getting great value from a vibrant and competitive federal marketplace, and Main Streets across America benefitting from federal investments.
For example, GSA recently announced a historic purchase of carbon-pollution free energy from a tribally-owned business. Dispelling the myth that buying from tribal enterprises would come at a premium, the purchase resulted in a net savings compared to the price we paid for clean energy last year.
To be sure, there will always be situations where tradeoffs need to be made or competing priorities have to be balanced. Staying laser-focused on our values and clear about our priorities have helped us navigate those challenges. But more often than you might think, we’ve learned that setting bold, ambitious goals — combined with the dedication and ingenuity of our workforce — is a proven formula for achieving big wins for the American people.
Robin Carnahan is the administrator of the General Services Administration.
Read more: Commentary
Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Related Stories
GSA moves forward with a new EPA, consistency is the next opportunity
GSA’s FAS streamlining federal procurement by updating GSA Advantage, improving UX, reducing PALT
Some bold ideas for the next GSA administrator