Back in January of this year, right before President Trump’s inauguration and the rise of DOGE, I published a piece titled Empty Halls, Full Bills. In it, I laid out a straightforward path for the GSA to save over $1B per year on federal real estate by:

• Disposing of the 1,500+ office buildings and 3,800+ other facilities already marked as underutilized.
  
  
• Installing entry-level sensors to get accurate, short-term foot traffic data, disposing of any buildings with traffic consistently under 20% of the building’s capacity.
  
  
• Launching deep utilization studies in the remaining buildings, instituting a “use it or lose it” policy that would require 60–70% utilization to justify keeping a space.
  
  

Now, a few months later, I’m pleasantly surprised to see the GSA not just acknowledging the problem but actively leaning in. Their new 80% occupancy target shows bold intent and there’s a lot that corporate real estate leaders could learn from how the world’s largest tenant is approaching space utilization.

Here are some of the key takeaways from their new initiative:

• You can’t optimize what you don’t measure. Surveys alone produce noisy, conflicting answers. Without real measurement data, it’s impossible to know the truth about your space utilization.
  
  
• Badge data isn’t enough. Outside of DC, most buildings don’t have badge data at all, and even when they do, those systems are designed for security, not utilization.
  
  
• Sensors are finally part of the plan. The GSA is deploying occupancy sensors and people counters to understand what spaces are actually being used and why. Is it layout? HVAC? Operational hours? The data can tell them.
  
  
• Their new Space Match program is a great idea. It connects agencies with excess space to those in need, essentially internal space sharing for the federal government.
  
  
• They're acting on the data. So far, they’ve canceled over 650 leases, cut 8 million square feet of office space, and saved $220M in rent annually. Another 100+ buildings are flagged for disposal.
  
  
• They’re shifting away from ownership. With $24B in deferred maintenance, GSA leadership is leaning toward flexible leasing models that allow them to scale space up or down as needed.
  
  

This move is less about shrinking for the sake of it and more about finally aligning real estate with reality. It’s a recognition that the workplace has changed, and footprint should follow function. Whether you're in the public or private sector, there’s a clear message here: measure first, then act boldly.

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If you're working to optimize federal or public sector space and have questions about where to start, we’re here to help.

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