What Is GSA (gsa.gov) and What Does It Do?

GSA is the U.S. General Services Administration, the federal agency that provides real estate, acquisition, technology, and shared services to government and the American people. Its stated mission is to "deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people." If you are a federal employee, a contractor, or a member of the public trying to understand what gsa.gov offers, the site organizes its work into a small number of practical entry points: finding government buildings and space, buying products and services, selling to the government, using enterprise technology, and looking up travel per diem rates.

The four areas GSA says it drives

GSA describes itself as "the engine of the American government; driving real estate, acquisition, technology and shared services." That framing maps directly to the main sections of gsa.gov.

The homepage also surfaces a per diem look-up tool, which is a separate, narrower function described below.

Buying through GSA

The "Buy through us" section is the procurement side of the site. It is organized by category rather than by product name, so the first step is to pick the category that matches what you need. The categories listed include:

• Category management
• Government property for sale or lease, including personal property (tangible goods) and vehicle sales
• Products and services, broken into human capital, industrial products and services, office management, and professional services

For a buyer, the practical path is: identify your category, then follow that category's page to see the available options. The site presents these as "options for buying the products and services you need" rather than a single catalog, so expect to move between category pages rather than search one master list.

Selling to government

The "Sell to government" entry point is aimed at businesses that want to reach federal agencies through GSA. It is the counterpart to the buying section: instead of browsing categories as a purchaser, you start here to learn how agencies buy through GSA and what that means for a vendor. The site does not, on the pages reviewed, publish pricing or eligibility details for vendors, so treat this section as the starting point for the process rather than a complete guide.

Real estate and government property

Two related but distinct things live under real estate:

• Buildings GSA manages. The real estate section provides "information related to our leased and owned buildings" — useful if you need to know about federal space.
• Property for sale or lease. Under "Buy through us," GSA lists government property for sale or lease, including personal property (tangible goods) and vehicle sales through fleet management. This is where the public and agencies find surplus or available government assets.

Technology and shared services

GSA's technology section points to "enterprise information technology solutions" — government-wide IT offerings rather than consumer products. Shared services appear in GSA's own mission statement as one of the four things it drives, alongside real estate, acquisition, and technology.

Per diem look-up: a concrete example

The per diem tool on the homepage is the clearest illustration of how a GSA service works in practice. It has a defined input, action, and result:

1. Choose a location — enter a state (the list includes all states plus D.C., territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands), and optionally a city or ZIP code. You can also use "Get my location."
2. Choose a date — select a fiscal year (2025, 2026, or 2027) or enter a travel start and end date.
3. Read the rate — the tool returns per diem rates for that place and period.

Two conditions are worth knowing before you rely on it. Rates are available between 10/1/2024 and 09/30/2027, and the end date of a trip cannot fall before the start date. Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories and possessions are set by the Department of Defense, while foreign country rates are set by the Department of State — so the GSA tool is not the authority for those locations. The page also notes that if the per diem API is not responding, you will see an error and should try again later.

How to decide where to start

• You need to buy something for an agency: start with "Buy through us" and pick your category.
• You want to sell to the government: start with "Sell to government."
• You need space or want government property: use the real estate section for buildings, or the property-for-sale pages for goods and vehicles.
• You need a travel rate: use the per diem look-up, and check whether your destination falls under DoD or State Department rates instead.
• You need IT solutions: go to the technology section.

The site is organized around these functions rather than around a single searchable index, so knowing which of the four areas your task belongs to is the fastest way to get to the right page.