The Department of General Services provides centralized services to state agencies in the following areas: telecommunications; management of state-owned and leased real estate; approval of architectural designs for local schools and other state-owned buildings; printing services; procurement of commodities, services, and equipment for state agencies; and maintaining the state's vehicle fleet. Furthermore, the Department of General Services employs practices that support the Governor's green initiative to reduce energy consumption and help preserve California resources. The Director of General Services also serves on several state boards and commissions.

The Department of General Services' Mission Statement is as follows: "Working together, we deliver innovative solutions and services with efficiency, economy, and integrity to help our customers succeed."

Because department programs drive the need for infrastructure investment, each department has a related capital outlay program to support this need. For the specifics on the Department of General Services' Capital Outlay Program, see "Infrastructure Overview."