GSA Leasing Inspired by Star Trek

GSA is about to turn how it leases buildings on its head. And to think we may have Star Trekcreator Gene Roddenberry to thank.

GSA is on the cusp of launching GREX to manage its 8,100 leased properties. GSA Public Building Service CIO Phil Klokis says it'll allow the agency more flexibility in how it handles complicated lease terms and moveseveral functions to smartphones and tablets. Phil announced this yesterday at Appian World, a user conference at the Reagan Building thrown by the Reston, Va.-based BPM company. (Appian might have had a hand or two in developing the BPM functions of GREX.)

Phil says there were lots of lessons learned during the GREX project. He likens one of the most important to aStar Trekscene where Spock utters the famous phrase, "The needs of many outweigh the needs of the few." Big IT projects won't please everyone, Phil says, but do the ones with the biggest impact.

The agency transitioned from paper leases to e-filing several years ago, but it wasn't keeping up with changes GSA was making to its lease process.The agency's Public Building Service has been working on GREX for 10 months and it has its hands full: GSA has 200 processes for putting together leases and over 30 different types of users. Phil insisted that GREX not only have some flexibility but also mobility, considering the most recent stat he saw: by 2016, there will be three billion more tablets and smartphones than there are people on earth. (So call your mother. You're running out of excuses.)