Lawmakers reviewed the Property and Procurement Department’s $24.36 million budget request, with discussions focused on a new e-procurement system, lease revenues, fleet oversight and government property use.
The Property and Procurement Department, which oversees government purchasing, real estate management, the executive branch vehicle fleet, inventory operations and the government print shop, appeared Monday before the Senate Budget, Appropriations and Finance Committee.
Commissioner Lisa Maria Alejandro requested a total fiscal year 2027 operating budget of $24.36 million, including $19.06 million in appropriated funds and $5.3 million in non-appropriated funds. She said the General Fund portion reflects “a 1% increase from our FY 2026 operating budget attributed to personnel adjustments and operating expenses outside of salary and fringe benefits.”
A major focus of the hearing was the government’s new GVI Buy e-procurement system, which handles front-end purchasing for executive branch agencies. Alejandro said it went fully live June 1, after years of preparation and training, even as some agencies have reported challenges during the rollout.
She said GVI Buy allows agencies to manage requisitions, bids, purchase orders, contracts and invoice processing through one integrated system. Between June 1 and June 30, DPP processed about 1,600 requisitions, 110 bids and 150 purchase orders through the platform.
While agencies have reported delays during the transition, Alejandro said most issues stem from users adapting to the system rather than failures with the technology. She said DPP will continue providing training and support as agencies become familiar with the platform.
Alejandro said the system is designed to improve transparency, reduce late invoices and prevent prior‑year obligations by forcing agencies to better document and plan purchases, adding that it helps make the government “audit ready.”
Lawmakers also questioned how DPP manages government property, including the space the government rents and the properties it leases to private businesses.
Assistant Commissioner Vincent Richards said DPP manages about $1.2 billion in government-owned real estate and administers 163 leases for executive branch agencies, covering offices, storage areas, parking and telecommunications facilities that cost about $13.8 million a year.
Separately, DPP manages government-owned commercial properties that are leased to mostly private-sector tenants. The Business and Commercial Properties Unit oversees 198 tenants with an annual rent roll of about $4.26 million. As of May 31, DPP had collected about $2.4 million from those tenants, while unpaid commercial rents totaled roughly $1.1 million to $1.2 million.
Senators urged DPP to take a more aggressive approach toward delinquent tenants, noting that government lease rates are relatively low and demand for space is high. “We need to be a little bit, in my opinion, aggressive,” Sen. Marvin Blyden said, adding that many tenants “are willing to pay you on time and pay for their fair share.”
“We send out notices every quarter, and we’re aggressively reaching out to either collect and or to arrange our payment plans,” Richards told senators, adding that DPP is “actively pursuing legal remedies” to recover certain properties.
Alejandro said DPP’s Central Stores Unit, which purchases and stores equipment and supplies for resale to government departments and agencies, recorded $554,626 in sales as of May 31, 2026, a 17% increase over the same period in FY 2025.
She also said the government print shop invoiced $367,614 for services and collected $640,223, including payments toward prior‑year balances. Richards said Central Stores kept operating despite vacancies by relying on cross‑training and help from other divisions, and Alejandro described the unit as maintaining “a high level of operational productivity despite staffing and logistical challenges.”
Fleet oversight was another area of concern. Alejandro said DPP manages about 1,896 vehicles and 24 vessels. The department requested $3 million for the gasoline coupon fund and had spent about $1.98 million from the fund during FY 2026.
DPP also uses GPS Insight tracking technology to monitor vehicle location, speed and driving behavior. Lawmakers questioned whether all government vehicles are properly tracked and raised concerns about privately plated government vehicles and potential misuse.
Alejandro said DPP has begun identifying abandoned government vehicles and moving them back into the motor pool in preparation for online disposal. She noted that, for the first time in May, the department held a fully online silent salvage auction of government assets, generating $23,460 from the sale of 17 vehicles and vehicle parts. The auction allowed bidders to repurpose parts that would otherwise require costly disposal. With DPP now under contract with an online auction firm for ongoing sales of government assets, Alejandro told senators that “in a short turnaround, you will begin to see the lots at the Department of Property and Procurement emptied.”
After recent audit findings highlighted weaknesses in capital asset tracking and continued reliance on spreadsheets, Alejandro said DPP is improving asset management. She told senators that the asset management unit “continues to translate progress into performance” by strengthening internal controls, using the government’s Tyler Munis financial management system for fixed-asset record-keeping, and rolling out revised fixed-asset policies and procedures, even as “the asset management team of five faces a significant operational challenge” in conducting biannual physical inventory counts across all government departments and agencies.
The Senate Budget, Appropriations and Finance Committee considered DPP’s budget request as lawmakers work toward the FY 2027 government spending plan and evaluate the department’s efforts to improve procurement, asset management, revenue collection and government property oversight.
