Assessment of State Land and Facility Inventory Practices

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

As part of the state of Delaware’s Government Efficiency and Accountability Review, the Office of State Planning Coordination (OSPC) contracted with the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) to assess current agency practices for collecting, maintaining, and sharing information on state lands and facilities. IPA’s assessment consisted of researching state data sharing practices, benefits, and barriers; administering a screening questionnaire to gather background information on state agency data collection processes and procedures; and interviewing state agency representatives to detail questionnaire responses and discuss the potential benefits of and barriers to implementing a statewide facility and land inventory. Land and facility information covered in this study includes buildings, land, lease information, right-of-way, and preservation easements.

Based on this research and analysis, IPA recommends that the state generate a business case to request the development or acquisition of appropriate technologies for launching a centralized database of state-owned or state-occupied lands and facilities. As part of this process, the state should develop appropriate procedures to ensure the utility, accuracy, and security of this database, including management processes to vet and prioritize agency requests for space and maintenance; data sharing agreements to define appropriate internal and public uses of land and facility information; and ongoing training and collaboration methods to ensure accurate, consistent, and timely database updates.