"In most of those agencies, most of the real estate decision-making is happening here," says Joe Delogu, principal with Spaulding & Slye and director of the Federal Services Group. "Outside of Washington, the private real estate market does not have a sophisticated understanding of how the Federal government works. It's tough to find partners."

Starting on October 1, the group will provide a broad range of services, including brokerage and transaction-related services, property management, legal assistance, architectural and engineering design assistance and more. The 20-person group will also rely on help from the firm's 10 offices in the Great Lakes region.

In 1997, the group was awarded the real estate services contract for the East Zone, which includes 12 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The new contract covers Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota.