A lack of consistent funding for the General Services Administration’s project to build a consolidated Department of Homeland Security headquarters at the St. Elizabeths campus in Washington, D.C., has affected efforts to finalize the project cost and timeline, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.
In its 26-page report, GAO said it could not perform a comprehensive reliability assessment of pricing and schedule estimates for the DHS HQ consolidation work due to limited report details from the department.
A 2014 GAO review deemed initial estimates “unreliable” and law enacted in April 2016 requires the department to coordinate with GSA to submit updated data to Congress.
The government audit agency noted project appropriations stood at more than $2.8 billion as of June and DHS now expects consolidation efforts to conclude sometime in 2027.
GSA officials interviewed for the audit, which took place from March to August, are aiming to finish a reset of capital planning and investment associated with the consolidation project in 2023.