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Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and WorksRelease 119-110

§583 Construction of Buildings

Title 40 › SUBTITLE I — FEDERAL PROPERTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES › CHAPTER 5 — PROPERTY MANAGEMENT › SUBCHAPTER V — OPERATION OF BUILDINGS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES › § 583

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

At the request of a federal agency, a mixed‑ownership Government corporation (a government‑owned company partly privately owned), or the District of Columbia, the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) may buy land for a Congress‑approved building, do surveys and test borings, prepare plans before the Attorney General approves the property title, and hire and oversee construction. Money already set aside for a building can be moved ahead to GSA to pay for things the head decides are needed, including staff pay and costs to make plans and supervise work.

Full Legal Text

Title 40, §583

Public Buildings, Property, and Works, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority.—
At the request of a federal agency, a mixed-ownership Government corporation (as defined in chapter 91 of title 31), or the District of Columbia, the Administrator of General Services may—
(1)acquire land for a building or project authorized by Congress;
(2)make or cause to be made (under contract or otherwise) surveys and test borings and prepare plans and specifications for a building or project prior to the Attorney General’s approval of the title to the site; and
(3)contract for, and supervise, the construction, development, and equipping of a building or project.
(b)Transfer of Amounts.—
An amount available to a federal agency or instrumentality for a building or project may be transferred, in advance, to the General Services Administration for purposes the Administrator determines are necessary, including payment of salaries and expenses for preparing plans and specifications and for field supervision.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 58340:490(c).June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title II, § 210(c), as added Sept. 5, 1950, ch. 849, § 5(c), 64 Stat. 582. In subsection (a), the words “mixed-ownership Government corporation” are substituted for “mixed-ownership corporation” for consistency in the subsection and with chapter 91 of title 31. The words “chapter 91 of title 31” are substituted for “the Government Corporation Control Act” in section 210(c) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 because of section 4(b) of the Act of September 13, 1982 (Public Law 97–258, 96 Stat. 1067), the first section of which enacted Title 31, United States Code. In subsection (b), the words “salaries and expenses for preparing plans and specifications and for field supervision” are substituted for “salaries and expenses of personnel engaged in the preparation of plans and specifications or in field supervision, and for general office expenses to be incurred in the rendition of any such service” to eliminate unnecessary words.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

40 U.S.C. § 583

Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110