The department, which will move into a new building next door to its present accommodation in Greenway, says the standard of the new offices will be ''modest'' and not ''Rolls-Royce'' or ''gold plated'', as suggested by property industry figures.

DSS also says it is not abandoning Woden and that about 1000 of its bureaucrats will stay in the struggling town centre, despite the department walking away from leases on two buildings there.

The Canberra Times reported last week that the mooted cost of the fit-out on the department’s new 30,000 square metre building in Tuggeranong would top $1800 a square metre, attracting industry criticism that the price was more than twice the going commercial rate.

But Chief Financial Officer Steve Jennaway says that the going rate for public sector fit-outs examined by Parliament’s Public Works Committee was $1700 a square metre.

''According to the Public Works Committee, the average cost of office fit-outs put before it from 2007 to 2012 was $1715 per square metre,'' Mr Jennaway said.

''Because negotiations on the fit-out of the new Department of Social Services building are ongoing, a final fit-out cost has not been agreed. However, it is expected to be in line with the PWC average.

''The fit-out of the new accommodation will be modest. It will be flexible to minimise the need for reconfiguration. The building will also have high energy efficiencies.''

The department, which initially refused to answer any questions last week on the new office deal, also opened up about its plans for its 1000 Woden-based bureaucrats.

''DSS is retaining approximately 1000 staff in Woden, including approximately 800 staff that joined DSS through Machinery of Government changes,'' a spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday. ''Of this 800, approximately 200 were staff that relocated to Woden from Belconnen and Civic.''