§ 291. Lease of buildings, etc., for offices, living quarters, heat, light, and equipment

The Secretary of State may lease or rent, for periods not exceeding ten years, such buildings and grounds for the use of the Foreign Service as may be necessary; and he may, in accordance with existing practice without cost to them, and within the limit of any appropriation made by Congress, furnish the officers and employees in the Foreign Service with living quarters, heat, light, and household equipment in Government-owned or rented buildings, at places where, in his judgment, it would be in the public interest to do so, notwithstanding the provisions of section 5536 of title 5 ; and appropriations for “Contingent expenses, foreign missions,” and “Contingent expenses, consulates,” are made available for such purposes.

§ 292. Acquisition of sites and buildings for diplomatic and consular establishments; allotment of space; credit of payments without regard to limitations of amounts

• (a) The Secretary of State is empowered to acquire by purchase or construction in the manner hereinafter provided, within the limits of appropriations made to carry out this chapter, by exchange, in whole or in part, of any building or grounds of the United States in foreign countries and under the jurisdiction and control of the Secretary of State, sites and buildings in foreign capitals and in other foreign cities, and to alter, repair, and furnish such buildings for the use of the diplomatic and consular establishments of the United States, or for the purpose of consolidating within one or more buildings, the embassies, legation, consulates, and other agencies of the United States Government there maintained. The space in such buildings shall be allotted by the Secretary of State among the several agencies of the United States Government.
• (b) Payments made for rent or otherwise by the United States from funds other than appropriations made to carry out this chapter may be credited toward the acquisition of property under this chapter without regard to limitations of amounts imposed by this chapter.
• (c) The Secretary of State may improve or construct facilities overseas for other Federal departments and agencies on an advance-of-funds or reimbursable basis if such advances or reimbursements are credited to the Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance account and remain available until expended.

§ 292a. Demonstration of solar and other renewable energy technologies in foreign countries

• (a) It is the purpose of this section to provide for the demonstration of solar energy and other renewable energy technologies in foreign countries through the use of such energy in buildings acquired under subsection (a) of section 292 of this title , in order that—
  • (1) countries in which such buildings are located may be given visible incentives to develop and use local solar energy or other renewable energy resources to reduce dependence upon petroleum and petroleum products;
  • (2) markets may be developed for American solar energy systems and components in order to stimulate investment in such systems and components and to reduce the costs of such systems and components to reasonable levels;
  • (3) in furtherance of the purpose of section 2151q 1 1 See References in Text note below. of this title, cooperation may be developed between the United States and other countries in an effort to develop solar energy or other renewable energy systems within a short period of time; and
  • (4) equipment which is vital to the operation of sensitive systems within United States missions abroad may be made more reliable and less dependent upon interruptible local energy supplies.
• (b)
  • (1) The Secretary of State shall implement projects for the application of solar energy or other forms of renewable energy in buildings acquired under subsection (a) section 292 of this title .
  • (2) The Secretary of State shall select projects under paragraph (1) in consultation with the Secretary of Energy. Such projects shall apply available solar energy and other renewable energy technologies, including those for—
    • (A) the heating and cooling of buildings;
    • (B) solar thermal electric systems;
    • (C) solar photovoltaic conversion systems;
    • (D) wind energy systems; and
    • (E) systems for developing fuels from biomass.
  • (3) Any project selected under this section shall be adaptable to the local resources, climatic conditions, and economic circumstances of the country in which such project is implemented in order that such country will be more likely to implement similar projects.
  • (4) The Secretary of State shall insure that any project selected under this section is demonstrated to, and available for inspection by, officials and other citizens of the country in which such project is implemented.
  • (5) In selecting projects under this section, the Secretary of State shall give priority to proj­ects to be implemented in developing countries.
• (c) Whenever any building is constructed under the authority contained in section 292 of this title , the Secretary of State shall insure that the planning for such construction takes into account those renewable energy systems which are available in the country in which the building is to be constructed.
• (d) In addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes, $4,000,000 of the amount authorized to be appropriated by section 101(a)(1) of this Act shall be available only to carry out the purposes of this section.

§ 294. Manner of use of buildings; contracts for construction, etc.

Buildings and grounds acquired under this chapter or prior to May 7, 1926 , acquired or authorized for the use of the diplomatic and consular establishments in foreign countries may be used, in the case of buildings and grounds for the diplomatic establishment, as Government offices or residences or as such offices and residences; or, in the case of other buildings and grounds, as such offices or such offices and residences. The contracts for purchases of buildings, for leases, and for all work of construction, alteration, and repair under this chapter are authorized to be negotiated, the terms of the contracts to be prescribed, and the work to be performed, where necessary, without regard to such statutory provisions as relate to the negotiation, making, and performance of contracts and performance of work in the United States and without regard to section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31.

§ 294a. Contracts requiring payment in foreign currency

Whenever a contract is made for the construction, alteration, or repair of a Foreign Service building which requires payments in a foreign currency, the Secretary of State is authorized to purchase such currency at such times and in such amounts (within the total amount of the payments to be made under such contract) as he may deem necessary, the currency so purchased to be disbursed and accounted for at its cost price.

§ 295. Authorization of appropriations; Foreign Service Building Fund; expenditures; foreign currencies

• (a) For the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this chapter there is authorized to be appropriated an amount not exceeding $10,000,000, and the appropriations made pursuant to this authorization shall constitute a fund to be known as the Foreign Service Building Fund, to remain available until expended. Under this authorization not more than $2,000,000 shall be appropriated for any one year, but within the total authorization provided in this chapter the Secretary of State may enter into contracts for the acquisition of the buildings and grounds authorized by this chapter. In the case of the buildings and grounds authorized by this chapter, after the initial alterations, repairs, and furnishing have been completed, subsequent expenditures for such purposes may be made out of the appropriations authorized by this chapter in amounts authorized by the Congress each fiscal year.
• (b) For the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this chapter there is authorized to be appropriated, in addition to amounts previously authorized, an amount not to exceed $90,000,000, which shall be available exclusively for payments representing the value, in whole or in part, of property or credits in accordance with the provisions of section 295b 1 1 See References in Text note below. of this title. Sums appropriated pursuant to this authorization shall remain available until expended.
• (c) For the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this chapter there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, in addition to amounts previously authorized, an amount not to exceed $10,000,000, which shall remain available until expended.
• (d) In addition to amounts authorized before the date of enactment of this section, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State—
  • (1) for acquisition, by purchase or construction (including acquisition of leaseholds) of sites and buildings in foreign countries under this chapter, and for major alterations of buildings acquired under this chapter, the following sums—
    • (A) for use in Africa, not to exceed $7,140,000 of which not to exceed $3,270,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964;
    • (B) for use in the American Republics, not to exceed $5,360,000, of which not to exceed $4,030,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964;
    • (C) for use in Europe, not to exceed $6,839,000, of which not to exceed $1,820,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964;
    • (D) for use in the Far East, not to exceed $2,350,000, of which not to exceed $2,200,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964;
    • (E) for use in the Near East, not to exceed $2,710,000, of which not to exceed $2,100,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964;
    • (F) for facilities for the United States Information Agency, not to exceed $1,125,000, of which not to exceed $720,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964, and
    • (G) for facilities for agricultural and defense attaché housing, not to exceed $800,000, of which not to exceed $400,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1964;
  • (2) for use to carry out the other purposes of this chapter, not to exceed $11,500,000 for the fiscal year 1964, $12,000,000 for the fiscal year 1965, $12,200,000 for the fiscal year 1966, $12,400,000 for the fiscal year 1967.
• (e) For the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this chapter in South Vietnam, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, in addition to amounts previously authorized prior to May 21, 1965 , $2,600,000, to remain available until expended.
• (f) In addition to amounts authorized before October 10, 1966 , there is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State—
  • (1) for acquisition by purchase or construction (including acquisition of leaseholds) of sites and buildings in foreign countries under this chapter, and for major alterations of buildings acquired under this chapter, the following sums—
    • (A) for use in Africa, not to exceed $5,485,000, of which not to exceed $1,885,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
    • (B) for use in the American Republics, not to exceed $7,920,000, of which not to exceed $3,585,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
    • (C) for use in Europe, not to exceed $3,310,000, of which not to exceed $785,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
    • (D) for use in the Far East, not to exceed $3,150,000, of which not to exceed $560,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
    • (E) for use in the Near East, not to exceed $6,930,000, of which not to exceed $1,890,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
    • (F) for facilities for the United States Information Agency, not to exceed $615,000, of which not to exceed $430,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
    • (G) for facilities for agricultural and defense attaché housing, not to exceed $800,000, of which not to exceed $400,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1967;
  • (2) for use to carry out the other purposes of this chapter, not to exceed $12,600,000 for the fiscal year 1968, not to exceed $12,750,000 for the fiscal year 1969, not to exceed $13,500,000 for the fiscal year 1970, not to exceed $14,300,000 for the fiscal year 1971, not to exceed $15,000,000 for the fiscal year 1972, and not to exceed $15,900,000 for the fiscal year 1973.
• (g) In addition to amounts authorized before June 22, 1973 , there is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State—
  • (1) for acquisition by purchase or construction (including acquisition of leaseholds) of sites and buildings in foreign countries under this chapter, and for major alterations of buildings acquired under this chapter, the following sums—
    • (A) for use in Africa, not to exceed $850,000, of which not to exceed $631,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1974;
    • (B) for use in the American Republics, not to exceed $240,000, of which not to exceed $240,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1974;
    • (C) for use in Europe, not to exceed $682,000, of which not to exceed $204,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1974;
    • (D) for use in East Asia, not to exceed $1,243,000, of which not to exceed $985,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1974;
    • (E) for use in the Near East and South Asia, not to exceed $10,433,000, of which not to exceed $2,287,000 may be appropriated for the fiscal year 1974;
    • (F) for facilities for the United States Information Agency, not to exceed $45,000 for use beginning in the fiscal year 1975;
    • (G) for facilities for agricultural and defense attaché housing, not to exceed $318,000 for use beginning in the fiscal year 1974; and
  • (2) for use to carry out other purposes of this chapter for fiscal years 1974 and 1975, $48,532,000, of which not to exceed $23,066,000 may be appropriated for fiscal year 1974.
• (h) In addition to amounts authorized before November 29, 1975 , there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State—
  • (1) for acquisition by purchase or construction (including acquisition of leaseholds) of sites and buildings in foreign countries under this chapter, and for major alterations of buildings acquired under this chapter, the following sums—
    • (A) for use in Europe, not to exceed $225,000 for fiscal year 1977;
    • (B) for use in the Near East and South Asia, not to exceed $12,885,000, of which not to exceed $3,985,000 may be appropriated for fiscal year 1976;
    • (C) for facilities for the United States Information Agency, not to exceed $3,400,000, of which not to exceed $2,800,000 may be appropriated for fiscal year 1976;
    • (D) for facilities for agricultural and defense attaché housing, not to exceed $150,000 for fiscal year 1977; and
    • (E) for facilities for the United States Agency for International Development, not to exceed $17,200,000 for fiscal year 1977; and
  • (2) for use to carry out the other purposes of this chapter for fiscal years 1976 and 1977, $73,058,000, of which not to exceed $32,840,000 may be appropriated for fiscal year 1976.
• (i)
  • (1) Sums appropriated under authority of this chapter shall remain available until expended. To the maximum extent feasible, expenditures under this chapter shall be made out of foreign currencies owned by or owed to the United States.
  • (2) Not to exceed 10 per centum of the funds authorized by any subparagraph under paragraph (1) of subsections (d), (f), (g), and (h) of this section may be used for any of the purposes for which funds are authorized under any other subparagraph of any of such paragraph (1).
  • (3) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State such additional or supplemental amounts as may be necessary for increases in salary, pay, retirement, or other employee benefits authorized by law.
• (j)
  • (1) In addition to exercising any other transfer authority available to the Secretary of State, and subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may transfer to, and merge with, any appropriation for fiscal year 2018 under the heading “Diplomatic and Consular Programs”, including for Worldwide Security Protection, and under the heading “Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance” funds appropriated under such headings if the Secretary determines such transfer is necessary to implement the recommendations of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, or to prevent or respond to security situations and requirements.
    • (A) shall 2 2 So in original. not exceed 20 percent of any appropriation made available for fiscal year 2018 for the Department of State under the heading “Administration of Foreign Affairs”, and no such appropriation shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfer; and
    • (B) shall 2 be merged with funds in the heading to which transferred, and shall be available subject to the same terms and conditions as the funds with which merged.
  • (2) Not later than 15 days before any transfer of funds pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary of State shall notify in writing the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. Any such notification shall include a description of the particular security need necessitating the transfer at issue.

§ 296. Duties of Secretary of State with respect to commission and properties

For the purposes of this chapter the Secretary of State is authorized to supervise, preserve, maintain, operate, and, when deemed necessary, to insure the Foreign Service properties in foreign countries and the other properties acquired in accordance with the provisions of this chapter; to rent and insure objects of art; to collect information and formulate plans; and, without regard to civil service and classification laws, to obtain architectural and other expert technical services as may be necessary and pay therefor the scale of professional fees as established by local authority, law or custom, and to make expenditures without regard to section 295a of this title requiring purchase of articles manufactured in the United States.

§ 296a. Maintenance management of overseas prop­erty

The Director of the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations shall—

• (1) direct overseas posts to make annual building condition assessments of buildings and facilities used by the post;
• (2) not later than 90 days after October 28, 1991 , revise the Foreign Affairs Manual to stipulate that the Buildings and Maintenance Handbook shall be used by each post to identify their maintenance needs, standardize their maintenance operations, and conduct annual assessments as required by paragraph (1);
• (3) direct the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations to provide proper training and assistance to posts to ensure that annual surveys are effectively completed; and
• (4) direct overseas posts to ensure that all maintenance program fiscal transactions are properly encoded in the Department of State accounting system to enable compilation of actual expenditures on routine maintenance and specific maintenance funded by the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations.

§ 297. Acquisition of property by lease

The authority granted to acquire sites and buildings by purchase or otherwise shall include authority to acquire leaseholds.

§ 299. Short title

This chapter may be cited as the “Foreign Service Buildings Act, 1926.”

§ 300. Dispositions of property; damage payments; acceptance of gifts or services

• (a) The Secretary of State is authorized—
  • (1) to sell, exchange, lease, or license any property or property interest acquired under this chapter, or under other authority, for use of diplomatic and consular establishments in foreign countries or in the United States pursuant to section 4304(b)(5) of this title ,
  • (2) to receive payment in whatever form, or in kind, he determines to be in the interest of the United States for damage to or destruction of property acquired for use of diplomatic and consular establishments abroad, and the contents of such buildings, and
  • (3) to accept on behalf of the United States gifts of property or services of any kind made by will or otherwise for the purposes of this chapter.
• (b) Proceeds derived from dispositions, payments, or gifts under subsection (a) shall, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, be applied toward acquisition, construction, or other purposes authorized by this chapter or held in the Foreign Service Buildings Fund, as in the judgment of the Secretary may best serve the Government’s interest: Provided , That the Secretary shall report all such transactions annually to the Congress with the budget estimates of the Department of State.
• (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b), proceeds from the disposition of furniture, furnishings, and equipment from diplomatic and consular establishments in foreign countries shall be deposited into the Foreign Service Building Fund to be available for obligation or expenditure as directed by the Secretary.

§ 301. Lease or rental arrangements of not less than ten years; approval by Secretary; delegation of authority; information to Congress

• (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or any other Act, no lease or other rental arrangement for a period of less than ten years, and requiring an annual payment in excess of $50,000 shall be entered into by the Secretary of State for the purpose of renting or leasing offices, buildings, grounds, or living quarters for the use of the Foreign Service abroad, unless such lease or other rental arrangement is approved by the Secretary. The Secretary may delegate his authority under this section only to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration or to the Director of the Office of Foreign Buildings. The Secretary shall keep the Congress fully and currently informed with respect to leases or other rental arrangements approved under this section.
• (b) The Secretary may, subject to the availability of appropriations, make advance payments for long-term leases and lease-purchase agreements, if the Secretary or his designee determines, in each case, that such payments are in the interest of the United States Government in carrying out the purposes of this chapter.

§ 302. Award of contracts

• (a) Eligibility for award of contracts under this chapter or of any other contract by the Secretary of State, including lease-back or other agreements, the purpose of which is to obtain the construction, alteration, or repair of buildings and grounds abroad, when estimated to exceed $5,000,000, including any contract alternatives or options, shall be limited, after a determination that adequate competition will be obtained thereby, to (1) American-owned bidders and (2) bidders from countries which permit or agree to permit substantially equal access to American bidders for comparable diplomatic and consular building projects, except that participation may be permitted by or limited to host-country bidders where required by international agreement or by the law of the host country or where determined by the Secretary of State to be necessary in the interest of bilateral relations or necessary to carry out the construction project.
• (b)
  • (1) Generally applicable laws and regulations pertaining to licensing and other qualifications to do business in the country in which the contract is to be performed shall not be deemed a limitation of access for purposes of this section.
  • (2) For purposes of determining competitive status, bids qualifying under subsection (a)(1) shall be reduced by 10 per centum.
  • (3) A determination of adequacy of competition for purposes of subsection (a) shall be made after advance publication by the Secretary of State of the proposed project, and receipt from not less than two prospective responsible bidders of intent to submit a bid or proposal. If competition is not determined to be adequate, contracts may be awarded without regard to subsection (a) and this subsection.
  • (4) Bidder qualification under subsection (a) shall be determined on the basis of nationality of ownership, the burden of which shall be on the prospective bidder. Qualification under subsection (a)(1) shall require evidence of (A) performance of similar construction work in the United States or at a United States diplomatic or consular establishment abroad, and (B) either (i) ownership in excess of fifty percent by United States citizens or permanent residents, or (ii) incorporation in the United States for more than three years and employment of United States citizens or permanent residents in more than half of the corporation’s permanent full-time professional and managerial positions in the United States.
  • (5) Qualification under this section shall be established on the basis of determinations at the time bids are requested.
• (c) Contracts for construction, alteration, or repair in the United States for or on behalf of any foreign mission (as defined in section 202(a)(4) 1 1 See References in Text note below. of title II of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 ( 22 U.S.C. 4302(a)(4) ) may, pursuant to the authority of that title [ 22 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.], only be awarded to or performed by bidders qualifying under subsection (a) (1) or (2) or by nationals of the country for which the contract is being performed who are granted the right of entry into the United States for that purpose.
• (d) Determinations under this section shall be committed to the discretion of the Secretary of State.
• (e) This section shall cease to be effective when the Secretary of State determines that there are internationally-agree-upon 2 2 So in original. Probably should be “internationally-agreed-upon”. rules in effect on bidding for construction contracts.

§ 304. Annual report on embassy construction costs

• (a) Not later than 180 days after December 16, 2016 , and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives a comprehensive report regarding all ongoing embassy construction projects and major embassy security upgrade projects.
• (b) Each report required under subsection (a) shall include the following with respect to each ongoing embassy construction projects and major embassy security upgrade projects:
  • (1) The initial cost estimate.
  • (2) The amount expended on the project to date.
  • (3) The projected timeline for completing the project.
  • (4) Any cost overruns incurred by the project.
• (c) The first report required under subsection (a) shall include an annex regarding all embassy construction projects and major embassy security upgrade projects completed during the 10-year period ending on December 16, 2016 , including, for each such project, the following:
  • (1) The initial cost estimate.
  • (2) The amount actually expended on the project.
  • (3) Any additional time required to complete the project beyond the initial timeline.
  • (4) Any cost overruns incurred by the project.