The General Services Administration’s request of $1.4B for the eventual consolidation of the FBI HQ has prompted some questions from Congress.
The agency has been seeking a new 2.1M SF building that will bring several FBI functions together under one roof, and has been hoping for a one-for-one swap with a developer of the J. Edgar Hoover building for new digs. As part of the agency’s fiscal 2017 budget, $1.4B has been requested to fully implement the consolidation, which spurred several questions from members of Congress during a budget hearing on Monday, the Washington Business Journal reports.
Among the questions raised was what an actual valuation of the Hoover building might look like. GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth declined to provide a number when pressed several times, pointing to the ongoing procurement process and the age of the existing appraisal. Giving away a number could prevent the GSA from squeezing the most out of the developers vying for the bid.
The practicality of the swap was also questioned, with Rep. Jose Serrano wondering why the Hoover building could not simply be sold, with proceeds used for new digs for the FBI.
The GSA has completed the environmental review of three sites under consideration in Greenbelt, Landover and Springfield. In January the agency launched Phase 2 of the RFP to short-listed bidders, who will have until June 22 to respond with proposals. [WBJ]
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