The U.S. government is turning into a flexible office provider, creating an app that matches federal staffers returning to the workplace after toiling remotely in the wake of the pandemic.
The U.S. General Services Administration said it began its “Space Match” initiative to help agencies seeking offices. It operates in a similar way as corporate coworking space providers such as WeWork, with the GSA saying the whole process can take as little as 30 days to issue occupancy agreements. But it's only available to those doing work for the federal government.
“By leveraging shared office space, we are optimizing real estate usage, reducing overhead costs, and providing employees with more flexible work arrangements,” GSA’s Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Peters said in a statement.
The move comes after President Donald Trump ordered federal employees to return to the office full time as he began his second term, without a timetable or specific plans offered where employees should work. CoStar reported that the order could put more space on the market in the tight Washington, D.C., market.
The Department of Labor, the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review are actively exploring the program, the GSA said. The EPA said in an email that it is “still awaiting additional guidance." The DOJ office declined to comment, while the others did not immediately respond to CoStar News’ email and or phone requests for a comment.
The GSA is launching its coworking program as the government works to reduce rent costs by optimizing underutilized office space.
The Trump administration, with help from the newly created cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, is reshaping the federal workforce by reducing the number of federal employees, canceling leases; instructing agencies to review exercising lease termination rights and plans for disposing of property; and issuing guidance for agencies to consider relocating bureaus and offices outside of the national capital region.
Government tries to fill offices
An August memo from the Office of Management and Budget encouraged agencies to work to reach a minimum average annual occupancy of 60% at their offices.
“This program supports the shift from agency-specific space to government-wide utilization standards,” Air Force design lead Ryan Brill said in the statement. “Unlike traditional procurement, Space Match eliminates costly buildouts, redesigns, and long processes. As more federal employees return to the office, it helps agencies make the most of their existing real estate.”
To request space, agencies fill out a form on GSA’s webpage. They are instructed to share what they’re looking for, from traditional office space to sensitive compartmented information facilities meant for reviewing classified information, before denoting whether they can share space with other agencies.
Some host agencies might have extra desks, offices or only open space available. Whether or not furniture will be provided could vary. Public Wi-Fi may or may not be provided by the host agency.
Meanwhile, the GSA has explored other opportunities for government employees across agencies to split space, including a federal coworking pilot.
The GSA conducted a pilot for the matching program last summer that centered on agencies sharing office space and services in six buildings across the country. Launched in July 2023, at least 924 users, from 59 federal entities, visited federal coworking spaces at least 1,839 times, according to GSA data through Aug. 1, 2024.
Upon reviewing the pilot, the Government Accountability Office issued a report that recommended the GSA improve the quality of the pilot’s data, develop criteria for scaling the initiative and develop a system for tracking cost and space savings. The GSA agreed with those ideas and stated it would create a plan to address them.
The GSA lists the following as federal coworking locations: Tacoma, Washington; San Francisco; Denver; Kansas City, Missouri; Chicago; and Philadelphia. While not officially a part of the coworking pilot, the GSA’s Workplace Innovation Lab at its Washington headquarters has had office space that authorized federal employees can reserve and use in a manner similar to those at the coworking locations.
The GAO report said the GSA also entered into contracts with five firms that would allow agencies to place coworking spaces in privately owned buildings.