NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 8800.15C Effective Date: October 30, 2014 Expiration Date: December 31, 2024

Subject: Real Estate Management Program w/Change 2, December 20, 2022

Responsible Office: Office of Strategic Infrastructure

Chapter 5. Facilities Utilization Program

5.1 Overview

5.1.1 Chapter 5 describes the requirements, procedures, and definitions for managing utilization of NASA facilities. The primary purpose of the Facilities Utilization Program (FUP) is to ensure that NASA facilities are put to their highest and best use and that the facilities remain consistent with NASA program and institutional priorities. Definitions of terms related to space classification, personnel types, and measurements used in the FUP are in Appendices B and C.

5.1.2 Although the titles of personnel responsible for the FUP may vary among Centers, the designation discussed in this chapter is the Facility Utilization Officer (FUO). The person assigned responsibility for facilities utilization management at a Center shall take on the requirements prescribed for the FUO.

5.2 Guiding Principles

5.2.1 The guiding principles of the FUP are:

a. Meeting Occupant Requirements. To the extent practical, Centers shall provide the quality, quantity, and configuration of space that occupants require to conduct their work (and meet mission requirements) in a productive, safe, efficient, and effective manner. This is accomplished by:

(1) Establishing sound facilities policies and procedures to meet the Center's requirements in support of NASA's strategic and core capability needs.

(2) Maintaining a proactive inventory of the space needs of current and projected occupants and of the portfolio of spaces available to meet those needs.

(3) Developing projections of long-term facility requirements necessary to substantiate construction programs.

(4) Maximizing facilities utilization.

5.3 Roles and Responsibilities

5.3.1 NASA Centers shall:

a. Promote the productive, safe, and efficient utilization of the spaces in their portfolio. This is accomplished by:

(1) Leveraging unutilized and underutilized space to the extent practical.

(2) Determining the most appropriate means to dispose of space that does not conform to current and/or projected requirements.

b. Maintain current and accurate operating records of its facilities and report on their usage and operation, as may be required in the RPMS.

c. Ensure the transfer of information from facility operations personnel to the Center FUO on a timely and continuing basis.

5.3.2 The Center Director shall:

a. Document appointment of the FUO in writing and provide copies to the employees designated and FRED.

b. Establish a FURB to direct utilization of Center real property and to communicate that direction to all Center stakeholders.

5.3.3 The FURB shall:

a. Develop written policies and procedures for assigning space to civil servants, contractors, other personnel, and organizations. These policies will ensure that space is utilized efficiently, while also improving the productivity of the workers housed therein and addressing the physical conditions that are unique to each Center and component site.

b. Coordinate the development of space management policies and procedures with all stakeholder organizations at the Center level, including the Center Directorate, Facilities Management, Human Capital Management, and employee unions for input, review, and approval. Employee unions will be consulted in accordance with Executive Order 13522 Creating Labor-Management Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services.

c. Forward a copy of the final approved space policy document to FRED.

d. Ensure that the Center uses automated space management tools to facilitate more efficient space management and strategic facilities planning.

5.3.3.1 Several software tools are commercially available, and Centers shall choose the tool that best meets their requirements and fits within their budget constraints.

a. These tools shall enable Centers to:

(1) Maintain and access current space utilization information.

(2) Integrate multiple data sets, such as personnel directories and organization codes.

(3) Manage office and other spaces efficiently.

(4) Respond to reporting requirements from NASA Headquarters and other internal and external entities.

5.3.4 The FUO shall:

a. Plan and coordinate the assignment of building space, respond to routine requests for facilities adjustments, and maintain an inventory of space assignments.

b. Prepare facilities utilization reports annually and on an ad hoc basis for Center, field installation, and Headquarters management use.

c. Aid the RPAO in developing plans for disposing of real property assets that are no longer needed, including leased, owned, permanent, and temporary spaces.

d. Support master planning and programming efforts by providing facilities utilization data to the Center Master Planner.

e. Support the operation of the FURB and ensure that the RPAO and a CFO representative attend the meetings of the FURB.

5.4 Requirements for Annual Review and Reporting

5.4.1 The FUO shall perform an Annual Utilization Review of all real property under the Center's cognizance.

5.4.1.1 Data gathered in the Annual Utilization Review shall be entered into the RPMS by November 15 each year.

5.4.2 Following the Annual Utilization Review, the FUO will prepare the Building Space Utilization Report, known as the 1400 Report. The 1400 Report covers all NASA-owned buildings, as well as buildings occupied under lease, use permit, or other agreements within a given fiscal year. The 1400 Report also covers other structures and facilities that contain usable square footage.

5.4.2.1 The 1400 Report contains information on the number and type of personnel assigned to each facility, the net square footage by space utilization category, and organizational space and personnel assignments. The organization codes in the 1400 Report are also used in MDI, which is described in Section 2.3.6.

5.4.2.2 The FUO provides 1400 Report data for buildings and other structures, whether in active or inactive status. This data enables NASA Headquarters to identify and account for various types of space in NASA's real property portfolio and to develop real property metrics for short- and long-term planning.

5.4.2.3 The FUO shall also prepare a Space Utilization Percentage Report by November 15 each year. This report was established by the FRPC in FY11 to quantify utilization levels for federally-owned and -occupied buildings that contain usable square footage. FUOs are required to report the percentage of utilization for buildings and other structures based on the predominant use of the asset.

5.4.2.4 The design capacity for each asset will determine the baseline utilization. Further information and guidance for determining utilization percentage are in the NASA Real Estate Desktop Guide and in the FRPC Guidance for Real Property Inventory Reporting.

5.4.3 Upon completion of the annual reports, the Center Director or Deputy Center Director shall submit a signed letter to the Director, FRED, certifying that all NASA-controlled real property under the Center's cognizance has been reviewed, is being put to its best use, and that all RPMS data is up to date. Paper copies of annual reports are not required to be submitted with the letter.

5.5 Facility Status and Utilization Categories

5.5.1 Current status and utilization categories were established and defined by the FRPC for Federal agencies and are not unique to NASA. These categories are subject to change each year based on the FRPC's reporting requirements. FRED may establish status and utilization reporting requirements in addition to those required by the FRPC.

5.5.2 NASA's real property portfolio includes a number of unique technical assets, such as wind tunnels, thermal vacuum chambers, test stands, laboratories, and arc jets. These technical assets may be stand-alone facilities or housed in larger facilities. Some facilities may house more than one technical asset, and in these cases, the RPMS does not capture the status and utilization data for these technical assets. The utilization categories in the RPMS capture metrics on the entire facility rather than on the technical assets within the facility. FUOs are not responsible for determining status and utilization of technical assets. Facility managers and/or program managers usually have such information.

5.5.3 Current status reflects the predominant physical/operational status of real property assets, and all real property assets will be designated as one of the following categories:

5.5.3.1 Active: Assets that are needed to support a current NASA mission, program, or function.

5.5.3.2 Inactive: Assets that are not currently needed to support a NASA mission or function but will have a planned need in the future. The following conditions characterize all inactive facilities or parts of facilities that are inactive:

a. No personnel occupy the facility.

b. Utilities are curtailed, other than as required for fire prevention, security, safety, or environmental protection.

c. The facility is secured to prevent unauthorized access and injury to personnel.

d. The facility does not receive funding for renewal or other significant improvement.

e. The three subcategories for inactive assets are as follows:

(1) Standby â?" Assets that are temporarily not in use and have an anticipated reactivation period of less than 36 months. The following conditions characterize standby facilities:

(a) Utility systems and collateral equipment are secured as appropriate; equipment is cycled in operation to prevent deterioration.

(b) The facility interior is equipped with appropriate environmental controls to prevent deterioration.

(c) Hazardous materials have been removed.

(d) Personal property is reported to the Center Personal Property Office to determine if it should remain with the facility, be reutilized, or be disposed.

(e) The facility exterior is inspected routinely, and the integrity and appearance of the exterior shell are maintained.

(2) Mothballed â?" Assets that are temporarily not in use and have an anticipated reactivation period of more than 36 months. Mothballing generally results in higher first-year costs, but future annual costs are lower due to reduced maintenance and repair requirements. The following conditions characterize mothballed facilities:

(a) Utility systems and collateral equipment have been properly prepared for long-term inactivation without significant deterioration. Selected systems, such as cathodic and fire protection systems, are kept in operation and routinely inspected.

(b) The facility interior is equipped with appropriate environmental controls to prevent significant deterioration.

(c) Hazardous materials have been removed.

(d) The facility exterior is inspected routinely, and the integrity and appearance of the exterior shell are maintained.

(e) Personal property is reported to the Center Personal Property Office to determine if it should remain with the facility, be reutilized, or be disposed.

(3) Abandoned â?" Assets for which there are no reactivation plans. Facility systems and collateral equipment will be considered for excess or identified for use at other NASA locations where it is feasible and cost effective. The following conditions characterize abandoned facilities:

(a) All utilities are secured and disconnected at the first service equipment location outside the facility, with the exception of those needed for fire protection, security, or safety.

(b) In coordination with the Center Environmental Office, environmental surveys have been completed and required remediation is identified and planned.

(c) All personal property has been removed and accounted for.

(d) Hazardous material removal is complete.

(e) Plans are in place to demolish or declare the facility excess at the earliest practical date.

5.5.3.3 Determination to Dispose: Assets for which the Director, FRED, has approved a Center's request for disposal through any of the methods described in Section 7.1. The effective date of this determination will be the latter of the date on which the Director, FRED, approves the e-router package in the Space Act Agreement Maker (SAAM) System, or if applicable, the final response date of the screening of the assets to all NASA Centers.

5.5.3.4 Report of Excess Submitted: Assets for which FRED has submitted an SF-118 Report of Excess and supporting documents to GSA and is awaiting an acceptance letter from GSA. See Section 7.3 for additional requirements.

5.5.3.5 Report of Excess Accepted: Assets for which FRED has submitted an SF-118 Report of Excess and supporting documents to GSA and GSA has sent an acceptance letter back to NASA. See Section 7.3 for additional requirements.

5.5.3.6 Cannot Currently be Disposed: Assets that are not needed, but certain circumstances, such as environmental remediation or historic status create delays in completing disposal actions.

5.5.3.7 Disposed: Assets that have been removed from NASA's inventory.

5.5.4 Utilization reflects the amount of real property space being occupied, and all real property assets shall be designated as utilized or not utilized. Utilized assets will be subcategorized as utilized or underutilized. See Section 5.4 for additional reporting requirements on utilization of assets that contain usable square footage.

5.5.5 Change of a Facility's Status

5.5.5.1 The FUO shall work with the RPAO to review and change current status and utilization on an ongoing basis.

5.5.5.2 When the FUO identifies the need to change the status of an asset, the RPAO shall enter the status change in the asset's RPMS record. Justifications for all status changes should be documented in the RPMS and in the Center's real property files.

5.6 General Guidance for Assignment and Use of Office Space

5.6.1 Centers should refer to GSA Federal Management Regulations 102-79 for guidance on the assignment of space by Federal agencies. The policy states that all Federal agencies are to promote optimum use of space and assign space based on mission requirements.

5.6.2 As noted in Section 1.2, there has been a trend toward reducing the Federal Government's real estate occupancy over the past several years. In conjunction with this trend, the Federal Government is allowing more teleworking flexibility for its employees. NASA established NPR 3600.2 to provide employees with the flexibility to perform their assigned duties at home or other approved worksites. NASA also adopted the "Work from Anywhere" program in 2012 to leverage NPR 3600.2 and other existing programs to maximize employee productivity, innovation, and ultimately, NASA mission success.

5.6.3 NASA's general allowance for all office space is an average of 110 net square feet per person (nsf/person). This is a Center-wide average rather than a minimum office space per person. Within the context of increased workplace flexibilities and reduced facilities resources, Centers shall work toward reducing office space whenever possible. FUOs are encouraged to advocate for new and innovative approaches to reducing office space, such as hoteling and shared workspaces.

5.6.4 To the extent practical and subject to applicable statutes, regulations, and negotiated agreements, Centers shall adhere to the office space allowances shown in Table 5-1. In addition to staff category, functional requirements should be incorporated when determining office sizes. Office requirements for administrative staff may vary from those for technical staff. An office space area exceeding the allowances shown in Table 5-1 may be reasonable in special circumstances, as negotiated with employee unions.

5.6.5 The guidance in this chapter is intended to establish a foundation upon which Centers can build their own space management policies and procedures, as noted in Section 5.3.3.

Table 5-1 Office Space Allowances for NASA Staff

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