The General Services Administration is considering tapping into the rapidly growing coworking market to meet part of its space needs across the U.S., a currently unused alternative for one of the largest consumers of leased office space in the country.

The federal government’s main, civilian real estate arm plans to issue a “Federal Workspace as a Service” solicitation in the first quarter of 2020, according to a GSA spokesperson. All eligible companies would be allowed to bid on the national indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, contract.

Details of the solicitation are still being worked through, but the short-term nature and flexibility of coworking is something that could naturally lend itself to a portion of the federal government’s 376.9 million square feet of owned or leased space across the U.S.

The GSA does not occupy or have memberships at any coworking facilities in D.C., but it is one of the region’s largest occupiers of leased office space at around 50 million…