CHART NO. 1

Chart No. 1 shows the difference between the average time GSA has required to design and construct a $10 million office building and the average time it takes private industry to do the same-an almost unbelievable 35 months, spread across preliminary, design and review, and construction stages. When costs of construction are escalating at a rate of approximately one percent of the total each month, that difference means that the government pays 35 percent more than private industry for the same building.

That 35-percent loss does not take into account what could be saved by terminating at least 35 months earlier-nor does it reflect other potential savings in employee efficiency, et cetera.

Here are some of the things we have been doing specifically, in a management sense, since I became Administrator, and since so many new people, and particularly younger people, came in.

We had people, Mr. Chairman, when I first came into the office; I had an agency of many, many fine people. But we had the largest number of people in the ages of 65 to 70 of any agency in the Government. Architecture was under the control of people 66, 67 and 68, who had ideas of people of 67 and 68. It is now headed by a career man, age 36, with assistants in the late twenties, and all new people of enthusiasm and new revitalization approach toward American architecture.

Mr. WRIGHT. May I put a question at this point which bears only indirectly on the subject of the inquiry? In all of this, you are trying to conform the building and its functional facets to the community of the area that it serves. The Federal building constructed in my city of Fort Worth in 1967, is a very fine, modern, functional building. I have heard no complaint or criticism as to the architecture. I think it is exciting, and attractive and very much in keeping with the city. However, $35,000 was paid to an artist to paint a mural at the entrance of the building in the lobby. Really, my daughter, who is 12, could have done a better job and would have done it much cheaper.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. WRIGHT. Seriously, the community has been irate and up in arms about it. It is just a sort of conglomeration of colors. Perhaps it passes for fine, modern art. Maybe someone 36 hired the painter. But it is a mess. It has no more bearing or appropriateness to the area that the building serves than anything. We have tried on occasion, and I hesitate to take the time of this committee to go into this, to prevail upon GSA to let us give them that painting to put someplace where it would be appreciated and let us get some good muralist who can depict the history of the West or something that would at least comport with our area. We have been thus far unsuccessful. I wonder, if not for the record but for future reference, you might think in this light and perhaps talk further about this.

Mr. KUNZIG. I gather this took place prior to my taking over as head of GSA. If you have another problem and get together with the Congressman from Boston, they have the same situation

Mr. WRIGHT. They may have pictures of cows in Boston. Whatever it is that we have a picture of, there may be someone who likes it in Boston.

Mr. KUNZIG. We might see if we can effect a switch between the two cities. I do not know; it is possible. It is difficult. I have heard