By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, and as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: SECTION 1. The Administrator of General Services (hereinafter referred as the Administrator) shall initiate and maintain plans and programs for the effective and efficient acquisition and utilization of Federally-owned and leased office space located in the states of the United States or in the District of Columbia or in Puerto Rico (hereinafter termed "in the United States"). The Administrator shall prepare and issue standards and criteria for the use of such office space and shall periodically undertake surveys of space requirements and space utilization in the executive agencies and initiate actions and formulate programs to meet the essential office space requirements of executive agencies. In carrying out these functions, the Administrator shall (a) coordinate proposed programs and plans for office buildings and space with the Bureau of the Budget, (b) obtain from the Civil Service Commission and the Office of Emergency Planning any information in the possession of those agencies which may bear upon such programs and plans, (c) take steps to relate programs for Federal office space to urban and metropolitan area planning and redevelopment objectives, (d) seek the cooperation of the heads of the executive agencies concerned with any of the foregoing, and (e) annually submit long-range plans and programs for the acquisition, modernization, and use of space for approval by the President. SEC. 2. In carrying out the provisions of Section 210(e) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C. 490(e)): (a) The Administrator, and the heads of executive agencies, shall be guided by the following policies for the assignment, reassignment, and utilization of office buildings and space in the United States: (1) Primary consideration shall be given to the efficient performance of the missions and programs of the executive agencies, with due regard for the convenience of the public served and the maintenance and improvement of the working conditions of employees; (2) Maximum use shall be made of existing Government-owned permanent buildings which are adequate or economically adaptable to the space needs of executive agencies; (3) Suitable privately-owned space shall be acquired only when satisfactory Government-owned space is not available, and only at rental charges which are consistent with prevailing scales in the community for comparable facilities; (4) Space planning and assignments shall take into account the objective of consolidating agencies and constituent parts thereof in common or adjacent space for the purpose of improving management and administration; (5) The quality of office space for Government operations shall be appropriate for the efficient and economical performance of governmental activities, while affording employees safe, healthful, and convenient conditions of employment. (b) The Administrator shall assign and reassign office space in the United States upon his determination that such assignment or re-assignment will serve to improve the management and administration of governmental activities and services, and will foster economy and efficiency. Prior to making such determinations, the Administrator shall consult with the heads of the executive agencies concerned and take fully into account their requirements, consistent with his responsibilities. In the event that a head of an agency deems space assigned or reassigned to his agency to be unsuitable, and the agency head and the Administrator are unable to resolve the matter, the former, as promptly as may be practicable and in no event later than the effective date of the Administrator's assignment or reassignment, may make a written report thereof, including information and views pertinent thereto, to the President or to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget. SEC. 3. The heads of executive agencies shall (a) cooperate with and assist the Administrator in carrying out his responsibilities respecting office buildings and space, (b) take measures to give the Administrator early notice of new or changing space requirements, (e) seek to economize in their requirements for space, and (d) review continuously their needs for space in and near the District of Columbia, taking into account the feasibility of decentralizing services or activities which can be carried on elsewhere without excessive costs or significant loss of efficiency. SEC. 4. The provisions of this order shall be subject to applicable provisions of law (including applicable provisions of any reorganization plan). SEC. 5. To the extent that it pertains to office space and buildings, the letter of the President to the Administrator, General Services Administration, dated August 31, 1960, is hereby superseded. JOHN F. KENNEDY
THE WHITE HOUSE, #signature
July 9, 1962
