The General Services Administration (GSA) is often called “the government’s landlord.” It is responsible for the upkeep of the government’s 8,600 buildings. The agency has a $66 billion budget and 12,000 employees, and its current administrator is Lurita Doan.
While she has been making progress in reducing wasteful spending at GSA, Doan has dealt with several scandals. Soon after taking over GSA in May, 2006, she gave a no-bid contract to a company owned by a longtime friend. According to a January 19, 2007 article in The Washington Post, the $20,000 contract signed by Doan was cancelled in the summer of 2006, after senior GSA officials determined that it violated procurement rules.