**ASLA Press Releases**

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The United States General Services Administration (GSA) and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) mutually recognize the importance of providing high quality, efficient public buildings to leave a permanent and outstanding legacy of Federal architecture in communities across the Nation.

To this end, GSA and ASLA hereby adopt the following shared goals and objectives to:

• Promote design excellence in all aspects of the Federal building program, thereby providing American citizens with outstanding, cost effective public buildings that are good neighbors and enhance their communities.
• Partner with and educate ASLA members on GSA's Design Excellence Program.
• Work toward a GSA membership program in ASLA.
• Ensure a commitment to continuing communication between ASLA and GSA at all levels to further our mutual design objectives.
• Share industry and government best practices and new approaches to design.
• Promote use of state-of-the-art and cost effective design practices.
• Promote sustainable development and environmental protection in the conduct of our business.
• Promote uniform and efficient procurement and contract administration practices that use a qualifications-based contracting system to foster a fair, open, and competitive environment.
• Advance team building among the participants in public design and construction projects.
• Promote good faith and fair dealing as the foundation of relationships among the participants in public design and construction projects.

Agreed to this day
December 14, 2000