The Agriculture Department is willing to go far into the countryside to find office space for two agencies that it wants to move out of Washington. The new headquarters can be near an airport with as few travelers as Salina, Kansas, or Sidney, Montana, but it must have robust internet service, a “critical mass of intellectual capacity” to tap for its workforce, and an overall high quality of life, according to a USDA announcement appearing today.
In a “request for expressions of interest,” USDA advertises for a total of 160,000 square feet of office space for the re-located Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Federal Register notice comes six days after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he would move most of the employees of the agencies out of Washington in order to save money on rent and salaries. Perdue also took control of ERS, now part of USDA’s research arm, by “re-aligning” it with his chief economist as part of his executive division.
It will be easier to recruit ERS and NIFA employees, “many of whom come from land-grant universities” and are wary of long commutes and metropolitan expenses, from the new locations, said the USDA last week. The wording ignited speculation the agencies, separately or together, were headed for a college town. NIFA awards $1.3 billion a year in research grants so it would fit nicely onto a university campus, according to one lobbyist. The ERS provides analysis of food and agriculture issues.
The USDA announcement said proposals will be judged on four criteria: transportation logistics, workforce, quality of life, and capital and operating costs.
“Personnel travel and logistics needs are critically important. This includes being located within a reasonable distance of a commercial primary airport and the transportation infrastructure to have commuting options for employees,” said the notice.
The FAA says a commercial primary airport has at least 10,000 passenger boardings a year. That is a relatively low volume. In 2015, Salina and Sidney had slightly more than 10,000 enplanements. Omaha had 2 million and the busiest airports—Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago—exceeded 33 million, according to FAA data.
The ERS and NIFA headquarters will be an economic boon for communities, said the USDA. “It is important that the potential site be in close proximity to a critical mass of intellectual capacity and potential employees to continue the high-value and productive work of NIFA and ERS.” The USDA said it wants to locate “in a community where our employees will enjoy living, recreational opportunities, educational opportunities and an overall high quality of life.”
For ERS, “enhanced IT security” is essential so it can protect confidential information. The new headquarters “will be required to offer secure and confidential connectivity to USDA’s South Building to facilitate monthly teleconferences” as part of preparing the closely watched WASDE report that is a global corollary to USDA’s crop reports.
“All viable options will be evaluated for the location of the facility,” said the USDA, listing as examples federal property, commercial sites and long-term leases. Interested parties have 30 days to submit a five-page proposal. The NIFA office would house 360 employees and the ERS office, 260. The agency has around 330 employees at present. The administration has proposed a 50 percent cut in ERS.
ERS administrator Mary Bohman was transferred last week to a post as associate administrator of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said The Hagstrom Report. The interim administrator will be Chris Hartley, a senior analyst for USDA chief economist Robert Johansson. Bohman was appointed ERS chief in November 2011.
To read the Federal Register notice, click here.