Federal Real Estate: Shutdown Lessons Learned and Looking Forward

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history significantly affected federal real property management, not only for the General Services Administration (GSA) and other landholding agencies and their tenants, but also for landlords, developers and construction managers. Until and unless the government is fully funded for the current fiscal year, the uncertainty about the impact of another lapse in funding remains, with varied (but negative) implications for the various stakeholders.

To address the questions, concerns and challenges that arose during and after the 35-day shutdown, Holland & Knight and the Federal Real Property Association are hosting a roundtable discussion. Our panel of current and former federal real estate officials and private practice professionals will analyze the effects of the shutdown and provide insights into how to prepare for future interruptions in funding and appropriations.

Topics include: 

• an overview of the current situation and a brief discussion of the legislative history that led to the shutdown
• the GSA's reprogramming authorities and potential plans for reprogramming in the event of another government shutdown 
• rights and remedies for landlords and developers during a shutdown
• the effect on ongoing government procurements

The presentation will benefit both industry stakeholders and federal practitioners who play an important role in developing and operating the government's owned and leased facilities. A Q&A session will follow.

Moderator:

• Norman Dong  |  Managing Director, FD Stonewater

Panelists:

• Melanie Gilbert  |  Chief, Office of Facilities and Security, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• Gordon Griffin  |  Associate, Holland & Knight
• Michael Karau  |  Director, Real Property, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Continuing Legal Education

Holland & Knight is an approved CLE provider in several jurisdictions, including California, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Texas. All reasonable efforts to seek CLE credits for this program will be made. In certain instances, some programs may not be awarded CLE credits because of either content or jurisdictional restrictions. For New York attorneys, this program's format qualifies for CLE for transitional (newly admitted) and experienced attorneys.