A bipartisan bill cosponsored on Sept. 21 by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) could help save taxpayer dollars by improving the visibility, accountability, and oversight of federal agency software asset management practices.
The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act, S. 4908, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), would build upon a 2016 law written by Sen. Cassidy known as the MEGABYTE Act. Since its enactment, the law has saved taxpayers millions of dollars by reducing duplicative software purchases, according to the senators.
“By requiring the federal government to keep track of its software licenses, we saved taxpayers $450 million,” Sen. Cassidy said on Monday. “That’s a win for the taxpayer and a win for government efficiency. This bill [S. 4908] builds on this effort to make government work better and save money.”
If enacted, S. 4908 would require federal agencies to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of their software licensing practices that then would be used by Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the General Services Administration to increase federal oversight of software contracts, streamline operations and reduce wasteful spending, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Cassidy’s staff.
“Requiring federal agencies to conduct in depth assessments of how they buy and use software will ensure they are making better informed decisions about how they purchase these technologies,” said Sen. Peters.
Specifically, the legislation would require that the plan for each agency include a detailed strategy for the remediation of any software asset management deficiencies found during the comprehensive assessment of the agency; the ongoing maintenance of software asset management upon the completion of the remediation; and maximizing the effectiveness of software deployed by the agency, according to the text of the bill.
Among other provisions, each plan also must identify not fewer than five categories of software an agency will prioritize for conversion to enterprise licenses as the software entitlements, contracts, and other agreements or arrangements for those categories come up for renewal or renegotiation, says the text, and provide cost estimates and projected savings to move to enterprise, open-source, or other licenses that do not restrict the use of software by the agency.