The Office of Real Estate works in conjunction with other DGS master planning components to maximize the effective use of assets owned and leased by the state.
Property Acquisition and Disposal
The Department of General Services acquires and disposes of all types of property to fulfill the various programmatic needs of state agencies. Acquisitions may include vacant land, commercial buildings, and easements when required. Most acquisitions require two appraisals of the property to establish its fair market value for negotiating purposes. If the seller of the property and DGS cannot agree on the terms of sale, the state may acquire the property by exercising its power of eminent domain or condemnation (the purchase of land for public use). Disposals may include surplus state property as well as land required for roads, utility lines, buffer areas, or other uses to assist local governments and others with development projects.
Lease Management and Procurement
DGS oversees the state's leasing activities between state agencies and commercial and government landlords. Leasehold agreements are in place for offices, warehouse space, boat slips, storage areas, parking and other rental needs. Leases are procured in accordance with the State Finance and Procurement Law and COMAR. For new lease space requirements, DGS issues a Request for Proposal (RFP), which describes the desired space, including size, purpose and general location. RFPs are advertised on the eMMa web-site and in local newspapers. RFP responses are scored as Competitive Sealed Proposals, a procurement method that combines price and technical evaluation to insure the best possible dollar value. After the initial evaluation, landlords may be asked to clarify their proposal and submit a "Best and Final Offer." To insure fairness, proposals are kept strictly confidential during the evaluation process. All leases must receive final approval from the Board of Public Works before they can be executed.
Valuation and Appraisal
Responsible for providing recommendations of (fair) market value of real property to be acquired by the State. Appraisals are typically completed by independent fee appraisers selected through a bidding process from a pre-approved list of qualified appraisers. The appraisals are reviewed by in-house staff appraisers for form, fact and reasonable conclusions with a recommendation of value provided to the Director of the Office of Real Estate based on one (1) or more of the procured fee appraisals. Responsible for providing recommendations of market value of real property for disposals by the State. Appraisals supporting the recommendation of value may be procured from the private sector or prepared by in-house staff appraisers.
Portfolio Management
Portfolio Management tracks and matches vacant space in State-owned and capital lease properties with State agency requirements. The staff reviews the rent components paid to the leaseholders on capital leases, debt service, and operating costs. The unit identifies rent paid to DGS by agencies and determines if all federally and specially funded programs are properly assessed.
