The General Services Administration has launched an official search for office space in Alexandria to relocate the National Science Foundation after the agency was displaced from its Eisenhower Avenue headquarters.
In a presolicitation notice posted to the federal contracting website SAM.gov on Thursday, GSA is seeking between 240,000 and 280,000 square feet of Class A office space for a 48-month lease term, with occupancy required by the end of November. The notice (ID 5VA0785) was first reported by Bisnow and then by the Washington Business Journal.
The search comes as the Trump administration announced in June that the Department of Housing and Urban Development would take over NSF’s current headquarters at 2415 Eisenhower Ave., forcing the research funding agency to find new accommodations.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and GSA Commissioner Michael Peters made the announcement at the NSF headquarters on June 25, emphasizing taxpayer savings and improved working conditions for HUD employees.
At the time, Peters said GSA was committed to working with both agencies to ensure a smooth transition while helping NSF identify suitable alternative space.
“We’re going to do it as quickly as we can while also doing it in a manner that isn’t disruptive to the current tenants,” Peters said. “Everyone is on board leadership across HUD and NSF to making that happen.”
When asked by ALXnow about NSF’s future location, Peters indicated that the agency would likely remain in Virginia, citing multiple available GSA properties in Alexandria and Northern Virginia.
Following the official announcement, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said the city was committed to keeping NSF in Alexandria.
“We have a long and significant partnership with NSF and are committed to keeping their home in Alexandria,” Gaskins told ALXnow in June. “In a region where federal, state, and local responsibilities intersect daily, collaboration isn’t optional — it’s essential.”
“This action supports the planned relocation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to NSF’s present facility and the resulting near-term need to provide NSF with suitable alternative space to maintain continuity of operations,” the GSA notice states.
Strict location requirements
GSA has defined a specific search area bounded by Duke Street to the north, Interstate 495 to the south, South Patrick Street to the east, and Telegraph Road to the west — essentially limiting options to Alexandria’s Eisenhower East corridor.
The agency is requiring that any proposed space be located within 2,640 walkable feet of a Metrorail station and must meet ISC Level III security requirements.
Perhaps most significantly, GSA is stipulating that the space must be “contiguous within a single building or in a shared location with a complementary federal agency that can create a high-profile science and innovation hub.”
Unusual lease terms
The 48-month lease term represents an unusually short commitment for a federal agency. The notice indicates GSA wants space that can be leased below the agency’s fiscal year 2025 prospectus threshold of $3.926 million, which would allow for faster procurement without requiring congressional approval.
The space must be delivered in turnkey condition, furnished and ready for immediate 100% occupancy, with specific requirements for 35% systems furniture and 65% office furniture.
Additional requirements include meeting government standards for fire safety, accessibility, seismic, and sustainability. The space must be a fully serviced lease and cannot be located in a 1% annual chance floodplain.
Premium amenities required
GSA’s requirements go beyond basic office space, demanding access to flexible meeting and event spaces including shared auditoriums, conference centers, and training rooms to accommodate “major stakeholder meetings, public events, and interagency workshops.”
The solicitation also requires access to shared services such as cafeterias, parking, fitness rooms, bike storage, and childcare facilities.
Notably, GSA is only requiring four total parking spaces for the 240,000-280,000 square foot facility, reflecting the federal government’s emphasis on transit-oriented locations.
Market research phase
The current notice is specifically described as market research rather than a formal request for proposals, though GSA notes that “based on the responses to this advertisement, the government may determine to proceed with a sole source action.”
The Washington Business Journal reported that NSF appears likely to backfill space vacated last year by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in one of two LCOR Inc.-owned buildings on nearby Dulany Street, based on the narrow parameters of the solicitation and according to federal real estate experts.
Expressions of interest are due Sept. 4 at 3 p.m., with a market survey estimated for September and initial offers due in October.
Interested parties must submit detailed information, including building names and addresses, available square footage broken down by floor, asking rental rates, scaled floor plans, and evidence that the space meets all requirements. Contact information for representatives and any tenant concessions must also be included.
The government framed the search as part of “ongoing efforts — consistent with the Trump administration’s agenda — to right-size the federal real estate portfolio by reducing the government’s physical footprint, consolidating where feasible, and avoiding long-term costs to taxpayers.”
Property owners and real estate professionals interested in submitting expressions of interest can contact GSA’s Sean McNeal at [email protected] or Gregory Otten at [email protected].
