September 03, 2026

GSA Urges Reform of Outdated Repair Approval Process, Delivers 103 Prospective Capital Projects to Congress

Administrator Forst warns Congress that the current approval process must be reformed to ensure federal facilities remain safe, functional, and mission‑ready 

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) transmitted 103 prospectus‑level capital project fact sheets to the House and Senate authorizing committees, outlining approximately $10 billion in critical repairs and modernization needs across Fiscal Years 2028–2034. The submission highlights escalating risks and rising costs across federally owned buildings due to an approval process that routinely delays even basic maintenance.

“By sending these projected capital project documents to Congress, GSA is underscoring a fundamental reality: the current Congressional approval framework is outdated, unworkable, and actively impeding the federal government’s ability to maintain its own buildings. Under the existing threshold, routine and emergency maintenance are subjected to a multilayered approval process that delays essential work for years,” said GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst. “These delays directly undermine GSA’s ability to fulfill its mission and hinder our federal tenants’ capacity to carry out theirs. Some projects submitted for fiscal year 2027 have been pending for over a decade, with costs increasing by as much as 436 percent. GSA’s proposed reform to the current process will reduce long‑term costs, improve safety, and fortify the American people’s real estate portfolio.”

The transmitted materials detail multiple projected capital projects to keep federal buildings safe and mission‑ready, including roof repairs, elevator replacements, HVAC upgrades, fire‑alarm modernization, water‑damage remediation, hazardous materials abatement, and structural, seismic, electrical, and plumbing repairs.

Under current law, any non-recurring repair or new construction project funded by the Federal Buildings Fund above $3.96 million requires formal approval from both committees. Many prospectuses submitted as long ago as Fiscal Year 2016 remain pending, with delays driving cost escalation and forcing GSA to rely on temporary measures.

This past May, Administrator Forst led 22 Cabinet Departments and Federal Agencies in a letter [PDF - 1022 KB] urging Congress to raise the prospectus threshold. GSA has proposed raising the threshold to $75 million for routine and emergency maintenance, paired with clear guardrails to ensure Congress maintains proper oversight. Congress would retain full oversight of major projects through appropriations, the Federal Buildings Fund, regular reporting, and review of applicable projects exceeding the revised threshold.

Click HERE [PDF - 201 KB] or see below for the full letter.

September 3, 2026

Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members: 

I write to formally notify the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works of the transmission of 103 fact sheets for projected outyear prospectus‑level capital projects identifying approximately $10 billion in capital needs across fiscal years (FY) 2028 through 2034. These documents outline the repairs and construction activities GSA is projecting to support Federal tenants and agency partners in carrying out their missions while keeping Federal buildings safe, functional, and mission‑ready. 

Federal buildings are public assets owned by the American people, and the Federal Government has a clear responsibility to safeguard that investment and prevent deterioration that drives costs higher over time. Many of the projects included in this list reflect essential, straightforward work: repairing leaking roofs; replacing elevators; upgrading HVAC systems; modernizing fire alarms; addressing water damage that threatens building integrity;, and completing electrical, plumbing, facade, structural, seismic, and hazardous‑materials remediation necessary to maintain operational continuity and ensure tenant safety.

Yet under current law, GSA cannot execute any of these repairs without navigating a multilayered congressional approval process. Any non-recurring alteration or construction project that is funded from resources in the Federal Buildings Fund above $3.96 million requires formal approval from both Committees. The average approval timeline is 426 days. Some prospectuses submitted for FY 2027 have been pending since FY 2016, with costs increasing by as much as 436 percent. These delays slow repairs, increase risks, and force GSA to spend more on temporary measures while awaiting permission to use already‑appropriated funds.

The result is a system in which deterioration is not an accident—it is an outcome of policy. Routine maintenance becomes delinquent. Manageable repairs escalate into multimillion‑dollar failures. Temporary fixes multiply. Historic buildings face irreversible damage. The backlog of delinquent maintenance now approaches $50 billion and continues to grow.

The contrast with the private sector is stark. When the Federal Government leases space, payments are made reliably, buildings are maintained to market standards, and investments occur on schedule. When the Government owns the building, however, access to maintenance funding is often restricted or delayed. 

In May, I led 22 cabinet departments and Federal agencies in writing to congressional leadership to urge legislative action to adjust the current prospectus threshold. That multi‑agency letter reflected broad support across the Administration for reforms that will allow GSA to maintain Federal buildings responsibly and efficiently.

Raising the prospectus threshold from $3.96 million to $75 million for routine and emergency maintenance would accelerate necessary work, reduce long‑term costs, and prevent small issues from becoming major capital failures. To ensure appropriate boundaries, GSA has proposed clear guardrails. “Routine and emergency maintenance” would include immediate fire and life‑safety deficiencies; critical repairs; security countermeasures identified in facility security assessments; repair or replacement of major building systems (including roofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, elevators, and HVAC); structural and seismic work; hazardous materials abatement; and activities required under subsection 2302(d)(3) of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024. It would exclude renewable energy projects, ornamental improvements, projects that substantially upgrade or repurpose a significant portion of a building, combinations of major system upgrades with substantial renewals, and any alterations that increase square footage.

Under this framework, Congress would retain full oversight of major projects through the annual appropriations process, the Federal Buildings Fund, regular reporting requirements, and individual review of any project exceeding the revised threshold. 

A responsible homeowner would not wait years to fix a leaking roof while damage continued to mount. The Federal Government should apply the same common‑sense standard. The current process makes projects slower, larger, and more expensive—and taxpayers ultimately bear that cost. Adjusting the prospectus threshold is a fiscally responsible reform that will reduce long‑term costs, improve safety, protect historic assets, and safeguard the public’s real estate portfolio.

Sincerely,

Edward C. Forst
Administrator

Cc: The Honorable Kevin Cramer, Chairman, Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure; The Honorable Angela Alsobrooks, Ranking Member, Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure; The Honorable Scott Perry, Chairman, House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management; The Honorable Greg Stanton, Ranking Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing approximately 360 million rentable square feet, overseeing over $126 billion in products and services via federal contracts, and delivering technology services to millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver exceptional customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology. To address nearly $50 billion in delinquent maintenance, GSA is leading a coalition of every cabinet agency and many federal leaders urgently advocating for full Federal Buildings Fund access and raising the prospectus threshold from $3.96 million to $75 million. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow @USGSA.