Cartwright Legislation Will Save Taxpayer Dollars by Improving Federal Software Purchasing Protocols

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) reintroduced the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to increase oversight of federal government software purchases and reduce wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) also reintroduced companion legislation, which last Congress advanced out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously.

Each year, the federal government spends billions of taxpayer dollars on software purchases, renewals, and license modifications. Limited assessments of existing software assets, combined with the way vendors sell software, often results in federal agencies making duplicative purchases. Without increased agency oversight and governance, software vendors profit at the expense of American taxpayers.

First introduced last Congress, The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act would require federal agencies to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of their current software assets and restructure their operations to reduce unnecessary costs.

"Without in-depth assessments of how agencies buy and use software, vendors often have the upper hand in transactions with federal agencies," said Rep. Cartwright. "This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will streamline software procurement practices governmentwide to the benefit of American taxpayers."

The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act builds on the success of Rep. Cartwright's MEGABYTE Act, which reduced duplicative software purchases. Signed into law in 2016, the bipartisan MEGABYTE Act has saved American taxpayers over $450 million.

Specifically, this new legislationwould require:

· Federal agencies to provide an independent, comprehensive assessment of their software purchasing practices to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, (OMB), and the General Services Administration (GSA);

· Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to develop a plan to adopt enterprise licensing agreements, improving negotiating power against software vendors, and reduce costs;

· OMB to publish a governmentwide strategy for software modernization based on the aforementioned audits and plans; and

· Agencies to include their respective plans and performance assessments in annual budget submissions.

This legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Dan Meuser (R-PA-09), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Ed Case (D-HI-01), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Katie Porter (D-CA-45), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37), Pat Fallon (R-TX-04), Nancy Ruth Mace (R-SC-01); and Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02).

This legislation has received the support of the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, NetChoice, and SIE Consulting Group.

The full text of the bill can be viewed here.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.