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Alternate Sites for Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Relocation | GSA https://www.gsa.gov/directive/alternate-sites-for-continuity-of-operations...
2450.1 ADM (Revalidated) Alternate Sites for Problems viewing this page? Executive-
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
[email protected] Relocation
Posted Date: 07/01/2002Status: ValidatedOutdated on: 08/02/2023
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Washington, DC 20405
ADM 2450.1 Revalidated
July 1, 2002; Revalidated August 2, 2013
GSA ORDER
SUBJECT: Alternate Sites for Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Relocation
1. Purpose. This order transmits the criteria to be used for the selection of alternate facilities in the event of the activation of
the agency or a regional COOP.
2. Background.
a. This order is to provide guidance for the selection of alternate facilities to support the activation of a Continuity of
Operations Plan (COOP) in a catastrophic situation, such as a major terrorist attack. While steps have been taken to identify
alternate facilities, to date, these decisions have been made in the absence of certain key locational criteria that are essential to
making choices that ensure that GSA’s alternate facilities will be safe and functional.
b. Alternate facilities are required as part of a COOP to be available for an unannounced relocation of essential agency
personnel to continue essential agency functions, should an emergency necessitate such action. The facility must be capable
of supporting emergency operations in a secure environment enabling the agency to continue to carry out its responsibilities
while taking steps to recover and resume full operations. (For additional information, see Federal Preparedness Circular 67,
issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.)
c. The following criteria must be followed during the selection process for an alternate facility that would be used in a
catastrophic event. If the alternate facilities that have already been selected are not in compliance with these criteria, a
reassessment must be made and the alternate facility brought into compliance with this order.
3. Criteria for selection of alternate facilities
a. Proximity of alternate facilities.
(1) An alternate facility that will be used in a catastrophic event must be located at a minimum of 5 miles from all sites
and locations identified as “most likely” to be prime targets of terrorist activity. These sites include, but are not limited to,
central business districts of major cities, major federal buildings, military installations, national memorials or monuments,
major centers of public assembly (e.g., Rockefeller Center, Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden), major stadiums, major
amusement parks, nuclear power plants, facilities for hazardous materials, airport traffic hubs, and other sites that could be
seen by terrorists as potential targets for causing disruption and chaos.
(2) In addition to the 5-mile minimum distance, areas must be avoided where the prevailing winds would carry to the
alternate facility location a plume of fumes or radiation drifting from a prime target location.
(3) The maximum distance of the primary complaint alternate site from GSA’s customers should be carefully
considered at the local level. The principal reason that GSA must ensure its own continuity of operations is to support its
customers. While some support activities can be effectively accomplished in a virtual environment, regardless of distance,
others benefit from or even require face to face contact. The appropriate maximum distance will depend upon local factors
such as customer locations and transportation alternatives.
(4) The central business district (CBD) of a principal U.S. city should not be chosen for the location of a primary
alternate site, when the normal (non-emergency) GSA site is in the same area. However, the CBD of a nearby secondary city
may be an appropriate choice, because there is a lesser risk that two cities in the same geographic area would be effected by
the same emergency situation. For example, if the normal GSA site is in San Francisco, the San Francisco CBD should not
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Last Reviewed: 2019-03-14
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