Feds blowing millions on office rent, study finds

The report focused on the

, the federal agency that manages hundreds of thousands of buildings across the country that cost taxpayers billions of dollars per year for rent, operations and upkeep. These are the offices where we might haggle over Social Security benefits, thumb through federal court filings or chat with an FBI agent.

Since President Obama took office in 2009, the government's proportion of rental space to owned space has risen as the administration began simplifying the leasing process.

Such rented offices are costing us more, though, because of pickiness and a lack of competitive bargaining, according to the bluntly-titled report, "GSA Could Decrease Leasing Costs by Encouraging Competition and Reducing Unneeded Fees."

You can read the full 44-page report by clicking here.

A single-page highlights sheet is here.

A federal branch office isn’t like a telemarketing outfit that can set up anywhere with a roof and phone jacks. Think security checkpoints and building surveillance. Agencies want ample parking, elevators and high ceilings.

The feds can also have specific ideas about where in a community their offices should go. As a result, fewer building owners are bidding to be Uncle Sam's landlords.

"In some cases, an agency’s requested geographic area may be so restricted that it does not include a single building that meets all the tenant’s requirements," the report said. "For example, for one lease we reviewed, a tenant agency was forced to twice widen the geographic areas it initially requested in order to find the space ultimately leased."

A cumbersome, lengthy leasing process – as long as six to eight years in some cases – also scares off potential bidders. And leasing costs often exceed General Services' initial estimates.

Then the federal agencies ask for improvements – such as added walls, electrical outlets, telephone lines or secure rooms – and finance the work through the building owners with interest rates of up to 9 percent. In the case of one 15-year lease, interest rates and fees had tacked on an extra $1.8 million. Nine leases examined had cost taxpayers a total of $15 million in interest.

That's a waste, according to GAO, considering that General Services administers a $3.6 billion Federal Buildings Fund, which could be dipped into to pay for those improvements up front.

GAO also recommends that agencies broaden their geographic targets and loosen building requirements to increase competition.

The report said more money could be saved if tenants were allowed to enter non-cancelable rental agreements. That's the one recommendation General Services disagrees with, saying it needs flexibility to back out of space that agencies aren't using.