More Effective Workstation and Office Utilization Could Result in Rental Cost Savings

The Chief, Financial Management and Security Services (FMSS), should evaluate and implement enhanced survey procedures or other methods to improve the accuracy of the GDI system workspace occupancy information.

The Chief, Facilities Management and Security Services (FMSS), in collaboration with the Chief Human Capital Officer (HCO), should revise space project design and implementation policies and procedures to: Require staffing and telework and mobile fieldwork participation information used to develop space project designs to be validated by the HCO for each Strategic Facility Project prior to finalizing the space requirement design details; calculate and incorporate workstation and office sharing ratios into each project design, based on IRS National Workplace Standards, prior to determining the total number of square feet needed for each project and prior to providing initial project design space requirements to the General Services Administration; and ensure that deviations from the IRS National Workplace Standards and workspace sharing ratios of 3:1 for employees and 2:1 for managers (for example, due to business unit customer input on local considerations) are approved at the business operating division and functional unit executive levels and that associated written justifications are maintained in the FMSS function project planning records.

The Deputy Commissioners for Operations Support and Services and Enforcement should develop specific, annual IRS-wide and business operating division and functional unit workspace square footage and workstation and office reduction goals that are reasonable and achievable.

The Deputy Commissioners for Operations Support and Services and Enforcement should identify ways to incentivize business operating division and functional unit executives and executive champion representatives to achieve these goals through significantly increased workspace sharing and hoteling that results in the release of underutilized workspaces (and the associated space square footage) and achieves cost savings.

The Deputy Commissioners for Operations Support and Services and Enforcement should develop metrics to track the total square footage released and the number of workstations and offices reduced in each Strategic Facility Plan that can be directly attributed to workspace sharing and hoteling and document associated cost savings by business operating division and functional unit.