The OMB (Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President) memo gives agencies until May 19 to start collecting building occupancy data. That data includes a summary of daily occupancy totals for each day of the week and the average occupancy of each building based on a two-week average. OMB expects full implementation by July 4.

The OMB memo rescinds a 2024 Biden administration memo that also set targets for reducing underutilized office space.

“Even in corporate headquarters or law firms, it’s unusual to find more than 70% utilization on a given day, because people are sick, on travel or visiting a project site,” the former official said.

Republican lawmakers repeatedly pressed the Biden administration for federal building occupancy data as agencies gradually relaxed pandemic-era remote work and telework policies. But the former GSA real estate official said occupancy data is a constantly moving target.

“On a given day, some people may have just been hired, some people may have quit. There are contractors who occupy government space. They don’t typically get counted in your head count, so you’re not exactly sure how many of those people there are,” the official said. “This metric is difficult.”