The department may act as a clearing house of information for the public and private nonprofit institutions, organizations and agencies referred to in section 2 of this act and any other institutions eligible to acquire federal surplus real property, to locate both real and personal property available for acquisition from the United States, to ascertain the terms and conditions under which the property may be obtained, to receive requests from the institutions, organizations and agencies and to transmit to them all available information in reference to the property, and to aid and assist the institutions, organizations and agencies in every way possible in the consummation of acquisitions or transactions.