For one thing, the Legislature hasn't authorized such purchases. And, although the state has issued bids for nearly 150,000 sf of space in the past month, it holds little of hope of eating up the growing amount of open Austin office space through leasing. It might, however, rearrange some of its space.

"At this time our agency is expecting to coordinate the renewal of numerous existing leases during the next two-year period in Austin," says Randall Riley, executive director of the Texas Building and Procurement Commission, formerly known as the General Services Commission. "We do not anticipate any significant increase in actual space used."

The state has 452,928 sf up for renewal through April 2003. It plans to put 6,300 sf of that total in state-owned office space. Overall, the state leases 3.2 million sf in Austin, most of it office space.