Office of Government-wide Policy

Office of Government-wide Policy
Agency name	Office of Government-wide Policy
Formed	1978
Jurisdiction	United States Federal Government
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent agency	General Services Administration

Contents

Office of Government-wide Policy The Office of Government-wide Policy serves as a central policy office within the General Services Administration and supports cross-agency management of federal acquisition, property, travel, and technology programs, providing guidance to agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of State, and Department of the Treasury. It develops standards and guidance referenced by statutes like the Clinger–Cohen Act and the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, and aligns practices with executive directives including Executive Order 13514 and Executive Order 13693. The office interacts with oversight bodies such as the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and committees of the United States Congress.

History

The origins trace to reform efforts under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 and later organizational changes influenced by reports from the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government and initiatives led by the Office of Management and Budget during administrations including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. The office's evolution accelerated after legislative actions prompted coordination among agencies like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Justice, and Environmental Protection Agency to consolidate policy functions mirrored in reorganizations proposed by the National Performance Review and implemented during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. High-profile policy shifts tied the office to implementation of provisions in the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 while coordinating responses with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration.

The office's mission encompasses developing government-wide policy affecting acquisition, real property, travel, and technology in coordination with entities such as the Office of Personnel Management, National Archives and Records Administration, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Energy, and Internal Revenue Service. Responsibilities include issuing guidance aligned with the Clinger–Cohen Act, overseeing standards referenced by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, and supporting initiatives under laws like the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014. It advises senior officials from the White House and committees of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives on policy implementation and compliance with rulings from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The office is organized into divisions and programs that coordinate with agencies such as the Department of Commerce, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior. Leadership reports to the Administrator of General Services and collaborates with the Chief Financial Officers Council, the Federal Chief Information Officers Council, and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. The organizational model mirrors interagency governance frameworks found in entities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency regional structure and the National Institutes of Health program offices, and interacts with legislative staffs from committees such as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Major programs include portfolio management initiatives tied to the Clinger–Cohen Act, real property programs coordinated with the Federal Real Property Council, procurement innovation efforts echoing work from the Defense Acquisition University and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and travel modernization projects reflecting standards used by the General Services Administration and recommendations from the Government Accountability Office. Notable initiatives involve cyber and IT policy coordination related to directives from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, sustainability efforts linked to Executive Order 14008 and programs of the Environmental Protection Agency, and supply chain resilience initiatives that engage stakeholders including the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative.

Policy development is conducted through collaboration with legal authorities such as the Office of Legal Counsel, statute framers in the United States Congress, and standards bodies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the International Organization for Standardization. The office coordinates rulemaking interactions involving the Federal Acquisition Regulation council, consultation with the Government Accountability Office, and compliance reviews tied to decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It also staffs interagency working groups similar to those chartered by the Office of Management and Budget and supports implementation of presidential directives issued from the White House.