If you work for the federal government, you might soon have some new options for where to spend your days. The U.S. General Services Administration—the agency in charge of providing workspaces to government employees—awarded multimillion dollar deals to five coworking spaces last week: WeWork, Deskpass, LiquidSpace, Expansive, and the Yard. These agreements, which are the federal government’s first “Flexible Coworking Services” contracts, follow the trend of companies offering employees more flexible, hybrid working options. The deals could cost the government up to $50 million.
In addition to furnished coworking office spaces, the companies are expected to provide telecommunications, secured wireless internet, and other telework services and amenities like printers, copiers, and fax machines.
WeWork’s contract, which the company announced yesterday, will provide coworking spaces to federal employees around the country. The contract is for one year but can be renewed. “The pandemic has fundamentally changed how work is approached, and now government agencies will have a tool to help employees succeed while saving costs,” WeWork CEO Sandeep Mathrani said in a press release. “The workplace of the future requires flexibility, and GSA should be applauded for innovating.”
Anne Tate, originally from Annapolis, MD, joined Washingtonian in July 2021. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied journalism and psychology.
