FBI Headquarters Site Selection Process

Identification of Potential Sites

On February 8, 2016, the General Services Administration (GSA) submitted a prospectus to Congress for the construction of a new headquarters facility for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The new headquarters would allow for the consolidation of more than 11,000 FBI employees currently located in the J. Edgar Hoover Building and 13 other leased properties in the National Capitol Region. The prospectus identified three potential sites for the facility: Greenbelt, MD; Landover, MD; and Springfield, VA. In July 2017, GSA cancelled the project, citing insufficient funding. No further action was taken until the enactment of the FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-103). Section 530 E of the law required GSA to select one of the three sites "in as expeditious manner as possible."

Site Selection Plan

In September 2022, GSA published a document outlining the process by which the new FBI headquarters site will be chosen from the three previously identified locations. This plan was modified in November 2022 and again in July 2023. This Insight describes the July 2023 plan. In brief, a selection panel of government employees is to assess each site based on five weighted criteria and make a recommendation to the site selection authority, who makes the final decision and may reject the panel's recommendation.

Site Selection Participants

The site selection authority is a full-time federal employee in the Senior Executive Service. An individual has been designated as the site selection authority, although that person's name has not been made public. The site selection authority is responsible for, among other things

• making the final decision on the location of the new FBI headquarters,
• appointing the voting and non-voting members of the site selection panel, and
• appointing the site selection panel chairperson.

The site selection panel consists of three voting members—two from GSA and one from the FBI—as well as eight non-voting technical advisors. The advisors gather information for the panel and assist in its interpretation. The 11 panel members have been appointed, but their names have not been made public.

Site Selection Criteria

GSA established five weighted criteria against which the panelists are to evaluate each site. Each of the criteria also has subcriteria, which are of equal importance but are not separately weighted. The five criteria, their subcriteria, and their weights (out of 100 total points) are listed below.

• 1. FBI Mission Requirements (25 points)
• Proximity to the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA
• Proximity to operationally significant FBI real estate assets in the region
• Proximity to the Department of Justice, U.S. Capitol, and White House
• 2. Transportation Access (20 points)
• Walking distance to a Metro station
• Walking distance to a Virginia Railway Express (VRE) or a Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) station
• Accessibility to a major bus line stop
• Proximity to a commercial airport
• 3. Site Development Flexibility (15 points)
• Site area and geometry
• Risk to meeting earliest construction start date
• 4. Promoting Sustainable Siting and Advancing Equity (20 points)
• Advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities
• Promoting sustainable locations and strengthening the vitality and livability of communities in which federal facilities are located
• 5. Cost (20 points)
• All costs including acquisition, preparation, off-site improvements, and escalation

The July 2023 amendment to the site selection plan reduced the weight given to the FBI Mission Requirements criterion from 35 to 25 points and Transportation Access from 25 to 20 points. The amendment increased from 15 to 20 points the weight given to the Promoting Sustainable Siting and Advancing Equity criterion and from 10 to 20 points the Cost criterion. On November 9, GSA announced that the new FBI headquarters would be located in Greenbelt, MD.