OMB has announced it will issue a series of policies to get agencies to improve the acquisition and management of common IT goods and services, starting with the acquisition of laptop and desktop computers.
Agencies purchased that equipment using thousands of contact delivery orders in fiscal 2014, but duplication of contracts and a lack of pricing transparency for similar items resulted in reduced buying power, noted OMB CIO Tony Scott.
NASA recently led a group of interagency experts to identify ways to reduce waste in this area and as a result, OMB is directing agencies to take the following immediate steps:
Reduce the number of contracts for laptops and desktops by prohibiting new awards and limiting purchasing to a small number of high-performing – or best-in-class – contracts; Standardize laptop and desktop configurations for common requirements; and, Develop and modify demand management and business practices to optimize price and performance.
See OMB memo M-16-02 for more detail.
