U.S. General Services Administration
Pricing Policy: What Does the PBS Lease Fee Cover?
June 24, 2016
KANSAS CITY, MO -- The Public Buildings Service charge for leased space is a seven percent fee that applies to all lease actions. The fee is charged to tenants in addition to the actual lease contract cost, and the cost of any supplementary standard building operating expenses PBS provides outside of the lease.
The fee covers many services, including:
- Assumption of contract risk
- Lease acquisition services
- Lease administration
- Space assignment data and inventory system management
- Billing and budget formulation
- Construction management
- Prospectus development and advocacy
- Operating cost adjustments, tax payment computations and accruals
- Oversight to confirm the lessor provides the services the lease requires.
The PBS fee is calculated based on the annual value of the lease contract, plus the standard operating services PBS provides for non-fully serviced leases, plus any Building-Specific Amortized Capital (BSAC) items funded by the lessor and included in the PBS Rent Bill. The fee does not apply to leased space acquired by tenant agencies who receive a delegation of leasing authority from the GSA Administrator.
Learn more in section 2.15 of the Pricing Desk Guide.
Exceptions
The only exceptions are that the fee is:
- Five percent for non-cancelable leases; and
- Four percent for U.S. Postal Service-controlled space.
Although the PBS fee covers many services, it is not divisible and not negotiable. Tenant agencies may elect, with PBS approval, to perform certain tasks covered by the fee, but PBS does not discount the fee or make any related exceptions. PBS is a full-service real estate provider; this fee structure provides incentives to tenant agencies to use PBS’ full complement of services.
For more information, contact a regional account manager or leasing specialist.