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All-Star Oswald, RBM team snagging ‘em downstream

February 09, 2021

Dale Oswald

PBS Rent Bill Management Program Manager
Portfolio Management Division's Realty Policy & Analysis Branch

Received national rent bill management all-star recognition.

PBS Region 6 Rent Bill Management Program Manager Dale Oswald

What is your GSA career up until now?

I started in the Leasing division in 2001 as a contractor and was hired a year later. In 2006, PBS Regional Commissioner Kevin Rothmier, who was the Portfolio Division director at the time, asked me to join forces with Central Office and other regions to start up the rent bill management program nationwide. It's a challenge to keep up with all the changes, but it's very gratifying to see how branches can help each other.

What is your most significant achievement?

Graduating from Iowa State University in 1982 with a B.B.A. in business finance. I knew I could do it but following through is sometimes another story. I think the biggest part of college is showing yourself you can set a goal and achieve it even though there are times you think of giving up.

Starting my career with GSA was a significant achievement. It was the best career move I could have ever made.

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

Working with so many great, hard-working people with a goal to succeed. Any success I have had is due to the great work of the people around me. Also, the pandemic has been challenging, but I think we have learned to do our jobs even smarter.

What career advice would you give to others?

Set your goals high, adjust if needed, but never give up on the ultimate goal.

What is an All-Star?

All-Stars are recognized for submitting at least 20 occupancy agreement finalization requests in a month for national RBM review with a minimum acceptance rate of 90%. The quarterly award is based on a minimum of 30 submissions and 50 for the annual recognition.

I like the motivation of the award program. I achieved All-Star status the first four months of FY21 and 10 months in FY20. At one point our region had a three-year streak of no late activations, which is another important measure. It was very disappointing when it came to an end, but we will just have to start that streak back up next year.

How does an All-Star stay on top?

I am the one submitting the OAs for finalization, but I would not be able to meet the All-Star goals without Reggie (Dischoso, program analyst), the leasing specialists, contracting officers and the federal space management specialists sending in quality requests.

Managing the details of leases and OAs accurately is like catching fish in a moving stream. You need a team to get the best results. They (OA requests aka fish) are moving downstream fast and furious. Reggie is upstream catching his share, I am further downstream snagging as many as I can, and Program Analyst Brian Reichert — our fisherman in training — jumps in to help wherever he can. Farthest downstream is the accuracy review service catching what we miss. I can’t do it alone, but together we are successful.

What is the Rent Bill Management program?

RBM is a vital internal control supporting the accuracy of PBS billing. PBS tenant agencies expect that all their bills are supported by source documents, nationally consistent, and compliant to pricing policy.

PBS is the landlord for the federal government. Any time there is a change in the tenant’s monthly billing rate, a new version of the OA is required. RBM is responsible for amending, reviewing and submitting the new versions for national approval.

It is complicated detail work and error prone due to the high volume of information needed to analyze and verify the accuracy of an OA. I work with the federal space management specialists on federal occupancies, and Reggie and I work together on the leasing side, cross-checking each other’s work for accuracy. Based on our region’s successes, it is a system that works very well.

What’s next?

All three of my kids are in college, two are about to graduate, and the third has a couple years left. Helping them get through school and get out in the real world will be something I look forward to. After that, retirement, but I don't see that in the very near future, since I really do enjoy my job.