GSA awards contract for $524M CISA headquarters
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas delivers remarks alongside GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan during an event at the DHS St. Elizabeth's Campus on Aug. 17, 2023. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
The agency will leverage its largest Inflation Reduction Act-funded project to date to help construct a 630,000-square-foot building for the cybersecurity agency at the St. Elizabeths West Campus.
The General Services Administration detailed its new contract award Friday to build a headquarters for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Washington, D.C.
Clark Construction will lead general construction of the 630,000 square foot building as part of a $524-million contract, with $115.88 million of the award coming from Inflation Reduction Act funding, representing GSA largest project commitment from the $3.4 billion the 2022 law provided the agency.
“The CISA project is a flagship example of how the Biden-Harris Administration is fulfilling its commitment to invest in America, both here in Washington, D.C., and all across the country,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan in a statement. “St. Elizabeths is a place where thousands of dedicated public servants work to keep America safe and explore new technologies, so construction will support those goals, all while reducing our environmental impact, saving taxpayer dollars through energy efficiency, and creating jobs in the community.”
The Homeland Security Department formally created CISA in 2018, after legislation stood up the component agency from its predecessor, the National Protections and Program Directorate.
Currently located in Arlington, CISA’s new building would become part of the broader DHS headquarters campus. The IRA funding will be used to help ensure the headquarters is constructed in line with the Biden administration’s federal sustainability executive order, including utilizing low-embodied carbon construction materials and incorporating high-performance green building standards.
“Bringing the extraordinary Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to the Department of Homeland Security’s St. Elizabeths Campus will better facilitate collaboration across our components and offices, and inspire cohesive work to ensure our nation’s infrastructure is secure and resilient,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda, and our partners in Congress and at the General Services Administration, today we are taking a big step towards building a more united, more efficient, and more effective DHS.”
GSA officials also said the new headquarters would also include greater energy efficiency, offering design features like “chilled beams, a dedicated outside air system with energy recovery and demand-controlled ventilation, advanced lighting controls and a high-performance building envelope.”
GSA recently updated its design and construction standards for cleaner and more efficient energy use in the more than 300,000 federal buildings it oversees, with the goal of having them reach net-zero emissions by 2045.