Book Description

The need for the Federal Government to reduce overhead and unnecessary support costs is greater than in many years. GAO sees the Federal Government's 'field structure'--that conglomeration of department and agency offices in the 50 States where 88 percent of Federal employees work--as a prime area for exploring ways of cutting costs and raising Government productivity. Employee resistance, management resistance, and external opposition can present very real barriers to effective streamlining and reflect valid concerns which need to be faced aggressively, openly, and objectively. The lack of Government-owned space can also be a sizeable constraint where large amounts of space would be needed. To fully identify and take advantage of streamlining opportunities will require a committed and coordinated effort on the part of the executive branch and the Congress. If successful, it could reduce Government costs and improve Federal work force productivity and delivery of services to the public.