(Washington, D.C.) -- In a letter to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today requested that the Senate investigate the Department of Transportation's (DOT) attempts to acquire a new headquarters.

In the letter, CCAGW President Thomas Schatz writes, "DOT has issued a Solicitation for Offers (SFO) for a new headquarters building.  Unfortunately, the SFO appears to be written in such a way as to favor a new and expensive building and oppose the current location."

Located in southwest Washington, DOT’s current facility has served the department well for more than 20 years.  Admittedly, the building may be showing its age and the department may require updated facilities.  However, that is no excuse for an SFO stating that “the combination of technical factors is significantly more important than cost or price.”

"Cost may be no object to those who dream of luxurious new offices, but it sure is to the taxpayers who have to pay for it," Schatz continued.  "DOT does not require a scale model with an actual cost of construction during the selection process.  Only after the contract has been awarded will the actual design process begin.  This cost-is-no-object approach to government building procurement is unacceptable."

Schatz urged Sen. Sessions to request that the General Services Administration (GSA) review the SFO and compare it with similar solicitations.  GSA could then identify those areas of the SFO that could be changed to ensure the selection process is truly competitive and protects the interest of the taxpayers.

Schatz further noted CCAGW's previous work in a similar case, the Patent and Trademark Office's plans to build a new $1.4 billion headquarters.  Comparing the two, Schatz called the DOT plan "another potential bricks and mortar boondoggle."

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a 600,000 member organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  More information on CCAGW's Bricks & Mortar campaign against wasteful government construction practices can be found at the organization's website, www.cagw.org.